Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to thank all the residents of Glenelg and surrounding areas who recently took the time to sign a petition organised by the Glenelg Neighbourhood Watch and Glenelg police station to support our CCTV project. I was very pleased to assist in securing $350,000 in Australian government funding for the project in 2010. It will provide new CCTV cameras and lighting to the Glenelg area. The petition has been signed by 3,059 people in my electorate and asks that 75 per cent of the money be used for CCTV cameras and the rest be used for extra lighting. The petition was tabled last week at a meeting of the City of Holdfast Bay Council and I know that the council is very carefully considering the proposal at the moment. I seek leave to table a copy of that petition as a document.

Leave granted.

Thank you. As I said, I look forward to hearing what the council has to say, but in the meantime I would like to thank all those people in the community groups, which have displayed so much energy and enthusiasm for this project and have been working extremely hard to ensure that we get the best possible outcome and the best possible value for money from the grant.

Firstly, I would like to thank the Glenelg Neighbourhood Watch. One of the reasons this funding became available was that I attended a Neighbourhood Watch meeting a few years ago. There I heard that there were hot spots of unacceptable behaviour and crime taking place and that CCTV cameras would help. There had been some installed in the area that assisted, but a few more would be extremely helpful. So I took on the task with the Glenelg Neighbourhood Watch group to go out and lobby for funding, and I was very pleased that we did receive funding.

I would also like to thank the Glenelg police, who have been very helpful in the strategic planning of where the cameras are to go and where they would have the best effect. Of course, the Glenelg Residents Association has been on board on this project from the very beginning. The president, Mr Jack Messenger, is a great community person in the area. He works tirelessly for the community through the Glenelg Residents Association.

The Jetty Road Mainstreet board; the chairman, the Rev. Bruce Grindlay; the local traders; the City of Holdfast Bay; the Mayor, Ken Rollond, who was very supportive; councillors Tim Looker and Mikki Bouchee; the CEO, Justin Lynch; and the operations manager, Steve Hodge—all these people have been involved. And, of course, there is the President of the Taxi Council of South Australia, Wally Sievers. You might think, 'What's the Taxi Council got to do with this?' There is a taxi rank which is very close to the centre of Glenelg, where the nightlife is, and the cameras there play a very important role. Before I close, can I thank all of the people, especially the police, who have been very supportive of this project and are doing all that they can to see that we get the best outcome for the dollars that will be spent.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193 the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.