CRIME AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR — CARNARVON
537. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I draw the Premier's
attention to the question I asked last week in Parliament regarding the letter
he received from Councillor Eddie Smith and the Shire of Carnarvon that
outlines the challenges facing his community. I remind the Premier that it
includes the comment —
It breaks my heart when I am told of
an 86 year-old woman who is woken at night by a group of children standing over her bed, who then go on to steal
items and trash her property. The elderly � are living in fear!
As it has now been over a week since
I asked the Premier whether the government has considered the proposal for the
intensive family and community intervention support program, which was
developed by the Shire of Carnarvon in
consultation with key community stakeholders, including the Yinggarda
Aboriginal Corporation, and is designed to tackle these issues, has the
Premier considered this plan; and, if not, why not?
Mr M.
McGOWAN replied:
The Leader of the Opposition did not
listen to the answer I provided last week, which was that the government is extending what we term the Target 120 program to
various regional communities, including Carnarvon. The Target 120 program is peer reviewed and well accepted as
making a significant difference. It has resulted in families, particularly
those with children who are involved in the justice system, having much lower
levels of recidivism. That is the reality. That is a proven program that we are
rolling out in Carnarvon. It is working in various parts of the city and we are
rolling it out to various communities in the Kimberley and the Pilbara and also
to Carnarvon. The funding behind that is very significant. Target 120 works
with families to ensure that kids go to school. It includes programs about
parenting. We work on an individual case-by-case basis with those families who
have difficulty managing their children, particularly when the children have
been involved in the justice system. I advised the Leader of the Opposition
last week that that program is going to Carnarvon.
On top of that, we are employing
more police officers, or we have posted more police officers, in Carnarvon.
Those police officers work in enforcement, obviously, but they also work with
families. That is the nature of policing in regional Western Australia. They
work with families, particularly those who have children involved in the
justice system.
On top of that, I think one police community officer has been
posted there in addition to a significant number—we do not reveal
individual numbers—of additional police in Carnarvon. As I told the
member, I went there I think last year, or perhaps earlier this year, to open
the new police and community youth centre in the heart of town. What do PCYCs
do? We also put funding into the PCYCs because they were going to collapse
under the last government and we had to backfill the funding to ensure that they
continued to operate. What does a PCYC do in a town like Carnarvon? It runs
sporting, cultural and social programs with children and families, and engages
them in productive and exciting activities. That is now in the heart of town.
It is a wonderful facility right in the middle of the town in Carnarvon. People
can go there and access those services.
All those things are happening, but
the Leader of the Opposition does not listen to the answers.