Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

May I extend my best wishes for the festive season to all members and senators, all of the staff and the committed parliamentary team that make this parliament function—and, of course, to the great folk of Dunkley. I hope the electorate has a safe, happy and wonderful Christmas, visited by the many who come to our community to enjoy the terrific environment.

There is a recurring concern, though, that sadly did get a bit of focus in the national media again this morning in the discussion leading up to this Saturday’s Victorian state election—an election in which I dearly hope my good friend Geoff Shaw is successful in the state seat of Frankston and that David Morris retains his state seat of Mornington and in which we also, looking right across the electorate, the near area and right across the state, hope to see a good outcome. I am optimistic about that, but we will see how all that travels.

The issue of personal safety and security is a concern for a city like Frankston. It is at the end of a metropolitan rail line, it is the focal point for a lot of activities and services and, at times, people’s personal safety and security are a concern. There have been acts of violence, vandalism and antisocial behaviour, hoon driving and the like, that have really unsettled the members of the local community. This is a recurring theme in the doorknocking that I do, in neighbourhood visits, meetings and surveys and in representations to my office. Thankfully, over my time there, we have worked collaboratively with local councils, the police, the Commonwealth government—particularly during the Howard government years—as well as committed community people and community organisations, and we have secured some gains. The rollout of CCTV technology has been very positive. We have worked with Travis Honda to secure a non-operational police vehicle: the clean, green community policing machine, I call it. It was a Civic Hybrid and it enabled the police to carry out non-operational duties using that vehicle, not fully equipped patrol cars. We have also had trader watch pads for small business in the area, about how to handle and respond to episodes of crime, any shoplifting and things of that kind, that need to be fed into the intelligence that the police use to sort out their patrol activity. Also, being in a coastal environment, we have made the effort to ensure that boats in the community are not seen as easy pickings.

I am pleased that we are getting somewhere. The latest CCTV rollout actually arises from funding I secured under the Howard government, back when the National Community Crime Prevention Program had committed some resources. I am pleased that the latest of nine cameras is about to be put in place on the Frankston foreshore, in the nightclub and entertainment precinct, and also along Young Street, at the train station and near the roundabout at Young Street and Playne Street. But we need to keep this work going.

I was pleased to announce some coalition commitments in the election campaign to further roll out that technology to complement the resources of the local police. It is clear, and it is an ongoing concern, that the police are under-resourced and we have too few officers present. This technology helps to optimise their activities, and I am hopeful the Gillard government will see its way clear to continuing to support that very positive work. The CCTV rollout is around Langwarrin, near the skate park, in other hot spots in the Frankston CAD, around the Seaford Pier precinct and extending into other areas of Mornington along foreshore car parks, and there is an upgrade of the technology that is currently in Main Street. There is also a new rollout in the Mount Eliza village, something that is strongly supported by local traders and the Mount Eliza Community Association. So all that work is ahead of us and we must persist with that work.

I am concerned, though, that rumours have emerged again about Australia Post threatening to close the Playne Street post office. Just how many times do we have to have this same fight? We have had it over and over again. Ten years ago, we rallied to protect that post office. It is a crucial post office on the south side of Frankston. It is very important in terms of its accessibility by the broader industrial and commercial areas around Frankston. They do not need to wrestle for one of a limited handful of car-parking spaces that are in the Wells Street location. The rumours are back again. How disappointing. As we did 10 years ago and as we did in 2009, it looks like we are going to have to run the same campaign to try and hang onto this post office that is so important, so profitable and so viable but that, for some reason, Australia Post keeps wanting to shut. We need to get to the bottom of that.

In the last few seconds another thing that we need to focus on is the National Rental Affordability Program and a tower being built in downtown Frankston for disadvantaged and affordable housing. Worryingly, I am hearing that the approval for an apartment project now looks like being for bed-sits and one-bedroom apartments. That hardly sounds like family accommodation. We need to understand what is going on with that project. (Time expired)