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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 634 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 9 September 2020 by Mr P.A. Katsambanis

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — POLICE RESOURCES

634. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Premier:

I have a supplementary question. Is the Premier able to assure the public of Western Australia that the removal of 400 frontline police officers or any more if there is an operational decision to move more —

Mrs M.H. Roberts interjected.

The SPEAKER: Minister for Police!

Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS: Is the minister able to assure us that that removal will not impact on the number of booze and drug bus deployments that keep our community safe from drunk and drug-drivers?

Mr M. McGOWAN replied:

These efforts to politicise COVID that the Liberal Party has engaged in over the last six months have been nothing short of disgraceful. This is another example of it. We are trying to save people's lives. We are trying to prevent a deadly virus from getting into Western Australia, which could kill a large number of people, particularly those over the age of 65 years. We are trying to ensure that our economy remains successful and vibrant and the strongest in Australia, which it is today because we have not had COVID come back into our state. These are not easy things to deal with, but Liberal Party members come in here and try to politicise the situation. I do not know who comes up with its strategy. I do not know why the Liberal Party is so adept at offending public opinion and why it has no appreciation that people out there dealing with this issue—such as police officers, who are doing a terrific job—are worried for their lives. Here Liberal Party members are whinging and bemoaning the task that police are performing on behalf of all of us.

Mr P.A. Katsambanis interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Hillarys, you have had your two goes. Member for Hillarys, I call you to order for the first time.

Mr M. McGOWAN: In every state in Australia, and, I suspect, in every jurisdiction around the world, police officers are dealing with matter. The Commissioner of Police, Chris Dawson, and the Acting Commissioner of Police, Gary Dreibergs, have done a wonderful job of deploying resources to save the lives of Western Australians and for some reason, Liberal Party members always want to score political points on this issue—shame on them!