| House: | LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY |
| Date: | 4.53 PM WEDNESDAY, 23 June 1999 | |
| Member: | Prince, Mr Kevin; Marshall, Mr Arthur |
| Subject: | POLICE (IMMUNITY FROM CIVIL LIABILITY) BILL - DEBATE RESUMED |
| Page: | 9472 / 1 |
Mrs Roberts: But you are overcome with inertia; that is your problem.
Mr PRINCE: Get off it. !
Mrs Roberts: You are overcome with inertia.
Mr PRINCE: The member for Midland is so negative it is not funny. The Bill needs amendment; and these matters should be in the police administration Bill and that is where they will be.
MR MARSHALL (Dawesville - Parliamentary Secretary) [5.20 pm]: In commenting on this debate I must say it is a discussion which I believe all members agree is necessary. It is true that police officers in this State have never been provided with vicarious liability or occupational safety and health insurance cover. This anomaly is due to police officers being appointed by the Governor and not as public servants under suitable legislation. As part of the rewrite of the archaic Police Act 1892 - I repeat 1892 - the Government will ensure that officers receive these protections to which all other employees are entitled. It is anticipated that this legislation, with amendments, will be introduced into Parliament in the spring session. What we have been talking about is sure to happen.
I talk about this legislation with a great deal of anguish. I was coming home from a function of the West Australian Football Commission the night the commission gave Peel Thunder a licence to enter the Westar Rules football competition. It was a wet and rainy night and I passed a number of police cars surrounding a car that was smashed against a tree on the road to Mandurah. No-one has worked out how the accident occurred, but somehow that police car had been squashed against a very small sapling. Unfortunately and sadly Jane Kennaugh, a beautiful young officer, was killed and the driver of the car, Glenn Murray, who was a champion golfer at the Pinjarra golf club, was incapacitated. My heart went out to his family when I saw his condition.
I was privileged to be invited to be the auctioneer at a fundraising function for both of those families. That is when I said to myself, "Why am I being invited to raise money for these families when there should have been proper cover and there was not?" I then looked back at the archaic Police Act 1892 which made me shudder at what previous Governments had done and made me ask why the legislation had not been amended previously. I am pleased to mention the camaraderie that exists among the officers in the Police Service and the concern and respect of the public for the police. There would have been about 300 people at the Mandurah greyhounds club. It was easy to be the auctioneer because everyone was giving freely and we raised in the vicinity of $95 000 for those families from the turnout that night. That was only a pittance really as we were talking about the death of one police officer and the incapacitation of another. Both those police officers were highly respected in the Mandurah area.
I would like to change the theme a little and add lustre to this debate by doing something that is not done often enough; that is, praise the Police Service. Suddenly some members sat back and shuddered wondering what they were hearing. Unfortunately, there is no-one above the major clock in this House to listen to what I am saying either because I believe the Police Service has had an injustice meted out to it by the media or because some statements made to the media lead the community to distrust the police.
A couple of aspects occurred to me in researching this matter today. Our Police Service is going pretty well. The past commissioner created new ideas. I thought about what is being done in other States and members are all aware that the report of the Wood royal commission into police corruption in New South Wales made many recommendations. One of those was that the Police Service should be reorganised. I wondered whether we were doing that. Of course we have done it and we are beating the eastern States in that regard as the Delta program is already doing a fine job. The Wood report also recommended that independent agencies be set up on police corruption. I wondered what we were doing about that. The Anti-Corruption Commission stands out like a neon light as something that has been done in that area.
I repeat that our Police Service is not praised enough. We must protect the image of the Police Service as that is our saving grace in this community today. Thirty years ago in the 1960s when all our young, daring, adventurous Australians went to London when they were 19 years old - and they are still going today - the advice given to them was to ask a bobby if they were in trouble or needed advice; and they did so with great trust. I believe the same advice applies today. However, in the same era if they went to New York they dared not ask a policeman for advice with trust. Why was that? Was it because of corruption? Was it because of deceit? Was it something that had been developed by the media? Was it because of unrest in the community? Why did the New York community not trust its Police Service? Once that mistrust occurs in our community we do not have a chance. We must therefore promote our Police Service for all the good it does.
Last night the Dockers had a big fundraising launch in Fremantle for the future of their club. They are trying to raise $3m for a clubhouse, and they should get it as they raised $1m last night. However, one of the great things about my being there was not only being among generous, successful people, but also East Fremantle players seem to be like bees to a honey pot when they attend an occasion. Over 400 people were there, but gradually we all drew together. There was Tony Buhagiar, the Essendon and former East Fremantle champion on one wing, and Con Regan on the other.
Mr Marlborough: Buhagiar is a bit short for a policeman, don't you think?
Mr MARSHALL: I did not say he was a policeman.
Mr Pendal interjected.
Mr MARSHALL: I tell the member for Peel that the horse Marlborough won the other day and he should sit back on his laurels and enjoy that for a moment. I would like to tell the member for South Perth that Con Regan was not only a champion state footballer but also a champion in the community. He started in the ranks in the Police Service walking the beat -
 | |
Parliament of Western Australia
All contents Copyright © 2010.
All rights reserved. Disclaimer.