Mr DEAN ( Windermere ) - Mr President, in speaking on this there are a few issues that I want to touch on. To the best of my ability I will attempt to avoid the issues that have been raised by other members but I might touch on one or two of them.
I think it is very clear that this State is doing very well at the present time. There is an air of confidence and vibrancy in the community and with developers. I think I can speak on Launceston in particular. We have developers there wanting to come into that area and to spend huge amounts of money. There are a number of projects currently on the list for development. We know of one $100 million project that has been mooted; we know of another $20 million one that is mooted also in the Launceston area. I think that speaks very well of this State and in fact this country at the end of the day. Today when we read the press we see that the Tasmanian credit rating has again been increased and we now have a credit rating of AA+. I think that also speaks very well of this State and this country. I congratulate this Government on what they are doing in that regard. I think we should also be considering what the Federal Government has done in this regard, and I think a lot of kudos should go to that Government as well. This State is doing very well, the Government is doing very well and that is good.
The first issue I want to touch on is that the Premier made comment on the pay increases that were given in this State earlier this year. I think it was police, ambulance and nurses in particular who received good salary increases. What is heartening there is that those increases were finalised with little delay. I guess the nurses' pay was the only issue that dragged out, but the other increases - for police and ambulance workers - were resolved fairly quickly. I think that says a lot because we can ill afford strikes, we can ill afford industrial action and so on. Once again that is a feather in the cap of this Government to be able to negotiate those deals quickly and promptly. I think that is also reflected in those people who are working in those areas. If you look at police, for instance, people working in ambulance services and nurses, there is air of confidence in those people, they are enjoying their professions and returning a good level of work, Mr President. So that all comes out in relation to those salary increases.
I want to touch on - and the Premier touched on this in his speech - the 'heart of gold' Budget, and there is no doubt that this Government did throw around quite an amount of money, but I hark back to -
Mr Aird - We don't throw.
Mr Harriss - They hurled it around.
Mr DEAN - Well, they hurled it around. I can be stronger than that, Mr Leader; they hurled it around.
Mr Aird - Only the GST money.
Mr DEAN - We know, Mr President, from what the Leader has said on many occasions, they still have that great pot of money there and I hope that they will throw a lot more around before the next election date is upon us, and I think the people would expect that as well. But just let me say that at the last budget session I raised the issues there and I suppose, if you ask those people out there in the low-income brackets who are still waiting for housing and are on a long list, and a list that we know is increasing, it is not getting any less; if you ask those people out there who are continually having their operations put off - and we know of one gentleman at Savage River, I think, who made the press recently, who required a very serious operation for a tumour, and on two occasions he was put off; and if you ask the cancer sufferers in particular who were unable to get treatment when they required it, and we know that a lot of that is through the lack of funding - then I do not think that you would find those people complimenting the Premier on his so-called 'heart of gold' Budget, Mr President. But, as I said, things are going very well, and I congratulate the Government for the position they have taken in a lot of areas.
But a lot of people in my electorate are saying to me that they do hope this Government is genuine in wanting to make access to hospitals easier and available to them whenever they want it. They are asking me to talk to the Government about this, to ensure that the Government is genuine about their -
Mr Aird - There's a good story on the front page of the Examiner today.
Mr DEAN - Is there?
Mr Aird - Yes.
Mr DEAN - I have not read the Examiner yet; I just have not had time.
Mr Aird - No, you're too busy.
Mr DEAN - But I just want to make sure that the Government are genuine. The Premier made that statement of wanting to provide the best medical services that can possibly be made available to the people in this State. I am urging that the State does pursue that goal and does in fact provide those services at the end of the day.
Mental health is another huge area of concern. I want to recognise the fact that the review is currently under way. That review into mental health has now been going on for some time, which to me is a bit concerning. I would have liked to see that review finalised promptly but it is dragging out. And we also know that there is another inquiry under way in relation to a number of other issues that have arisen in mental health, and in particular I talk about the Launceston area, with which I am directly involved. I would like to see those inquiries concluded at the earliest opportunity. In fact last week I went to Ward 1E with another member of the Government, and we went through those premises. It was interesting, to say the least, to go through Ward 1E, look at the facility, talk to the people and talk to the management and the staff who are working there. But several issues came out during that visit that I am hoping the Government will direct attention to during this current review. Specifically, they relate to some management and staffing issues. It is very difficult, as they have said to us, to attract staff into that area. So the Government does need to do a lot of work in that regard. They need to make it more attractive, and I am not quite sure how they do that - whether it be by way of the right salaries, the right working environment, opportunities for training and all of those other issues which I think will make it a much better area for people to want to go to at the end of the day, Mr President.
The Safe at Home program is a very interesting one that has received a lot of publicity in recent times, and there was publicity given to it last night and again this morning, Mr President. It is referred to in the media. It is a great concept, which I embrace because of my previous profession as a commander of police. Family violence, violence in the home, is an horrific offence. Unfortunately it is there and the evidence would suggest that it still continues to increase. There is no evidence at this stage to suggest that we are on top of that area of crime and it is an area we need to work on. I just hope that in this instance this Government provides the resources for the right numbers of personnel to work in that area, in police in particular.
I spoke to a number of police about this, Mr President, and their concern is that they will not have the right numbers of people working in that unit to provide a 24-hour response. I think we are looking at about five response teams around this State and if you are looking at a 24-hour-roster, that is a huge number of police that is required to work in that area. Where do those police come from to work in a new team that has been set up? Mr President, I can tell you where they come from: at the end of the day, they come off the street. That is where they come from to go into that new unit or any new unit in the police service. So then we probably have a problem occurring with the numbers of police on the street attending to other functions and other duties and so on.
I guess I would like to be told by this Government that they will be resourcing the police service sufficiently well to provide the service that is necessary in that area because it is a huge area. I use the words of the Premier here: he referred to it as a 'hideous crime', and it is a hideous crime, there is no doubt about that, and it is one that we have to work on continuously to bring it under control. Attacks in the home are cowardly and are normally committed on people who are defenceless, unable to defend themselves, and unfortunately most of the attacks in homes are caused by a male against a female, so we do need to give them the protection that is necessary.
I just want to refer to an example, Mr President, of some of the things that happen in this area. A case arose very recently where police were called to go to a home at Devonport - and this also highlights just how difficult this crime is for police to handle - and when they arrived there the door was slammed in their face and at the same time two dogs were set upon them. It was only after a number of threats were made by police that they were going to destroy those dogs that the door was opened and the dogs were called back in. The door was again locked. The police then had to in fact bash the door down to get into the house. When they got into the house, and this is what invariably happens, the couple were again quite friendly to one another - in other words, making it look as though nothing had gone on in that home - but the lady of the house showed battle scars, signs that a dispute had gone on. The police did what they had to do on that occasion; they arrested the male, removed him from the home for the purpose of taking out the right orders and so on. It just highlights the difficulty that there is in combating that crime. If you ask the police out there today, 'What is the worst offence that you have to attend to?' they would say, 'Domestic disputes'. I have no doubt about that, Mr President.
It would not have changed since my day. It is a very difficult area so I urge the Government to ensure that the police and the other organisations have the right resources to combat this heinous crime.
Crime is another area that the Premier refers to in that report, and he rightly refers to crime dropping off in this State, that we are getting on top of crime, and that is right. The statistics show that, Mr President, but I would suggest that with the serious crimes that have happened around the State in the recent past - particularly those two murders that occurred in Penguin and some of the home invasions - people might now be saying that perhaps crime is not on the downturn. But it is.
Statistics show us that it is, Mr President, and I just want to refer to a fact. A member of the Government came to me the other day and referred some instances to me involving a personal problem he had where a number of crimes had been committed against him. He had reported those crimes but they were never recorded in the system. That is a matter that that person will be taking further in another direction. The point I am making here is that if we are going to rely on statistics to identify that crime is either decreasing, increasing, or whatever, we need to ensure that those statistics are accurate. People need to report crime, and it needs to be recorded when it is reported.
I just want to briefly touch on smoking. We have had the Athol Meyer awards this morning, and I think the position of the Cancer Council has been made very clear to us. We know very well that this matter is coming into this House on Thursday. It is an important issue. The Premier talked about this in his speech and he says that we are showing the way on this legislation. I would hope that on Thursday we are able to demonstrate to the people out there that we have shown the way, that we now have a good position on smoking and we are going to enact that as soon as we possibly can in the circumstances.
There was quite a lot again in the news this morning and last evening, I think, about Victoria and New South Wales and the position they have taken on this and, as I understand it, total bans will be enforced in those States as of 2007. From what the Premier is saying, and knowing what is in the bill that is coming before us, I would hope that we can introduce that legislation of total ban much earlier than that, Mr President. I think if we are serious about it, we will do exactly that.
Another matter I wanted to touch on is the AFL in this State. The Premier, quite rightly, refers to that in his statement, saying that we had another outstanding year. Well, we certainly did, Mr President, and that was identified in the number of people who attended those games, and also with the very positive comments that have been made by the businesses in and around this State that their business had increased dramatically during those periods. Aurora Stadium at York Park - that is the new name of it, and I would suggest everybody in this House would know that - is indeed a magnificent stadium and this Government is to be congratulated for their commitment to providing a facility that is second to none in this country. I look forward to the day - and I guess it is the only other comment I can make in that regard, Mr President - that this State can entice that great football club, Richmond, to play in this State. That would be a highlight -
Mr Aird - We want to get big crowds.
Mr DEAN - of my time, and Mr President, that is why I am dressed in the colours that I am today.
Mr Martin - We wondered why.
Mr DEAN - We are aware of further developments at the Aurora Stadium. The Aurora convention centre and corporate box have just recently been built there. That indeed is another magnificent part of the stadium and we have further areas being developed as we speak, so it is indeed a magnificent area and doing a great deal for Tasmania.
I have one concern, Mr President, and that is that during the budget debates I raised an issue - and other members commented on it - in relation to the $800 000 underwriting by this State. In fact it came out during those discussions, and in a later report from the minister, that in fact the underwriting is greater than $800 000. We were promised a briefing by this Government about four-and-a-half months ago on the underwriting. We have not yet had it, Mr President, and I am urging the Government to provide us with that briefing at the earliest opportunity.
Mr Harriss - The Leader gave that undertaking.
Mr Aird - Yes, I did.
Mr DEAN - Well, it has not taken place.
Mr Aird - I will make sure it does.
Mr DEAN - Thank you.
I want to briefly touch on water quality, Mr President. The honourable member for Montgomery raised this as a very important issue. This is a huge issue. There is a lot of discussion occurring out there. I am aware that there have been a lot of approaches to the Launceston City Council by a lot of people living in and around that area about the quality of water, which they say is being impacted on because of forestry harvesting and so on.
I think this Government, Mr President, has to get out of denial mode; they have to start thinking positively about this, and if they do not, I predict that this will probably be an issue that will escalate in this State and cause incredible problems at the end of the day if we do not get on top of it. The Government needs to get out of denial mode, as I said.
I think that the cheap stunt - and I refer to it as a cheap stunt - of the minister drinking some so-called polluted water is further evidence of the denial mode that this State is in with regard to water quality. I do not think it does any good and I think we need to get on top of that.
Mrs Smith - Are you saying there is something wrong with the water quality of the Launceston City Council area?
Mr DEAN - No, I did not say that.
I want to conclude, Mr President, on the Cape Barren issue. I, like other independent members, have been concentrating on the land transfer issue involving Cape Barren, Goose and Clarke islands. I must say that I am absolutely far from satisfied at this time that the Government have completed all the necessary work on this issue to allow it to be debated in this House.
I have had many contacts from people on Cape Barren Island raising a number of concerns that they say have not yet been satisfied by this Government.
Mr Aird - What are they?
Mr DEAN - I have not listed the concerns here. There is one about access to a graveyard on Goose Island. There is another one concerning, I think, the proper identification of public roads on Cape Barren Island. There are other issues, as I understand it, with the Hydro. It has been raised with me but that may have now been resolved. There are other issues, and I cannot recall all of them at this stage.
Mr Aird - I would be happy if you jot down in point form the issues that you think need to be dealt with and I can show you what we are doing. Most of those issues have been dealt with.
Mr DEAN - Most of these issues have been discussed with other members, certainly other independent members, and what I will need to do is consult with them to see where we are going.
Mr Aird - I don't mind. If each individual member has issues that need to be resolved before the bill could be considered, I am happy to receive that information so we can factor in to the final package that will be put together.
Mr DEAN - I thank you for that. If we bring this matter into this House prematurely then I do not think at the end of the day it will probably be in the best interests of all concerned. I am hoping that these matters can be satisfied in the first instance.
Mr Aird - If we know what they are from your perspective then we can factor it in and at least you can understand what we are doing.
Mr DEAN - I conclude, Mr President, by saying that yes, this State is in a very good position at present. We are continuing to go forward, which is wonderful. As I said, there is a feeling of vibrancy out there, there is a confidence out there and people are saying, 'We've never really been better off'. My in-laws, for instance, are two aged pensioners. They say, 'We've never been better off in our life'. I think that all comes back to what this Government has done, to what the Federal Government is doing. I think it is a wonderful position for this State to be in and I congratulate the Government, Mr President, on what is happening.