Joint Press Release with George Brandis and Michael Keenan - Real action to improve community safety, crime and cooperative enforcement
Posted on Friday, 8 June 2012
A Coalition government will establish a new Standing Council on Law, Crime and Community Safety which brings together lawmakers and law-enforcers.
The Coalition will work with the States and Territories in developing a national focus to fighting crime, recognising that state borders should never be an impediment to catching criminals and protecting law abiding Australians.
The Council will target five priority areas encompassing border security arrangements within Australia; a national approach to organised crime gangs; co-ordination of community crime prevention; new ways to ensure cyber-safety, especially for children and best practice approaches to the harmonisation of laws about working with children.
We recognise that fighting crime is an essential ingredient in making our communities stronger and in taking a comprehensive, focussed and coordinated approach to fighting crime, securing our borders and ensuring our laws work well.
An incoming Coalition government would invite its COAG partners to merge the two existing attorneys-general and police ministers councils into one new Standing Council on Law, Crime and Community Safety.
Although many crime, law and justice issues remain the responsibility of the states, it is increasingly important that Australia takes an improved national approach to co-ordination, with greater involvement of uniformed police and the community.
Importantly, state and territory police commissioners, as well as the heads of Commonwealth agencies, such as the Australian Crime Commission and ASIO, would attend this council.
This will help to close the gap between those who make the law and those who enforce it. Policy-makers have to take the insights of uniformed police more seriously and their voice deserves to be heard.
The new Standing Council would report back to the Prime Minister within 12 months on the five identified priority areas.
A stronger, co-ordinated and focused approach to fighting crime, securing our borders and making our laws work better is part of the Coalition’s plan to build stronger communities. The Coalition’s plans will strengthen Australia and provide hope, reward and opportunity for all Australians.
8 June 2012