Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise, on behalf of the people of Somerville, to welcome the news that the Victorian government has approved the creation of a police station for Somerville. This is overdue news, it is welcome news, it is important news and it will make a difference to the safety and security of families on the streets of Somerville and within the homes of the residents of Somerville. This has been a longstanding campaign and project. Along with my state colleague, Neil Burgess, Councillor Lynn Bowden and many others within the community we have held public meetings, we have had petitions, we have written letters, we have campaigned hard, and this is a great tribute to the people of Somerville. Stage 1 of the project will be the identification and acquisition of an appropriate plot of land for the Somerville police station by the state government. Stage 2 of the project will be the planning of the station in relation to that land. Stage 3 will be the construction and implementation. That project is now underway. The search for land, the search for an appropriate place for a police station and the acquisition of that land is the task right now. In the meantime we want to work with the community to see that they get the police station they have wanted and the station they have deserved and needed. It is a great tribute and a great outcome to the persistence of the Somerville community. (Time expired)