As Attorney General and Minister for Police and Emergency Services, my vision is for a fairer and safer Canberra.
Making our community fairer means better laws that address inequality in our society, evidence-based policies which tackle the causes of crime and injustice and improved resources to our police and criminal justice system.
Making our community safer includes planning for major disasters, preparing the community for emergencies and funding our emergency services well.
I am proud of ACT Labor’s achievements in this portfolio, but there is more work to be done and new challenges to take on to build a better city and stronger community.
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As Attorney General:
- The ACT introduced Australia’s first Human Rights Act in 2004 and established the Human Rights Commission with effect from December 2006.
- Reforms in the area of sexual assault in 2007 now provide more dedicated support to victims of sexual assault in the justice system, and will soon see off-site facilities available for victims to give evidence, saving them from the trauma of facing their assailants in court.
- The ACT has constructed a new prison, the Alexander Maconochie Centre, where we will be able to house all ACT prisoners in our own jurisdiction in accordance with human rights principles and with a focus on their rehabilitation.
As Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Simon has worked to restructure the ACT's Emergency Services Agency to provide better and more responsive services to the community. He has been successful in securing further resources for the ACT Fire Brigade, SES and Rural Fire Service and is working to strengthen the input of emergency service personnel in planning for emergencies.
- recurrent funding for the ACT’s emergency services has increased from $32.9 million originally provided in the 2003-04 Budget to $60.421 million in 2007-08, keeping Canberra prepared for and ready to respond to emergencies.
- Significant investment has also been made in the Emergency Services capital program. Fire and ambulance response times are among the best in the country.
- Community Fire Units (CFU) have been established throughout the ACT to provide residents in high risk areas with added protection from the threat of bushfire. 38 units have now been delivered by the government since the CFU program commenced in late 2003.
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Simon has overseen substantial increases in policing successfully obtaining additional funding for:
- An extra 122 police officers since 2001-02;
- Resulting in 876 staff and police officers protecting Canberrans, with greater visibility and increased capacity to fight crime;
- More staff has allowed for a new policing roster, bringing an additional 44 police officers and 16 patrol cars onto the streets at critical times;
- Community perceptions of safety in the ACT are above the national average, with 87 percent of people surveyed by the ABS indicating they felt safe or very safe walking alone in their local area after dark;
- The success of the Property Crime Reduction Strategy which brought burglary to its lowest level for 10 years at the end of 2007. Motor vehicle theft has been reduced by 26% since 2003.
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As Minister for Planning:
- Simon saw the establishment of the ACT Planning and Land Authority and the Land Development Agency and the appointment of a Chief Planner for the ACT.
- The development of the Canberra Spatial Plan and Sustainable Transport Plan are some of his key achievements in the planning portfolio. Simon was central in leading the development of a reform package for the ACT′s development assessment and planning process in the Territory that will result in a simpler, faster and more effective system. He also led the introduction of planning policies which provided additional protection to over 200 additional areas of urban open space across Canberra.
- Simon is proud of his achievements in re-introducing public sector land development, the development of the Gungahlin Town Centre and Kingston Foreshore Project.
- Simon is also a strong advocate for better public transport for Canberra and his time as Minister responsible for ACTION saw new funding to establish ACTION′s green bus fleet, "One Fare Anywhere" and "Xpresso" services.
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