Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tasmanians are well and truly sick of being left off the map by this Liberal government. But, sadly, it continues. I've been fighting for the restoration of an Australian Federal Police presence at Hobart Airport—or for at least an explanation of why they were removed—since 2014. But, last weekend, we had some new, disturbing numbers about Australian Federal Police in Tasmania. Nationally there are around 6½ thousand Australian Federal Police. Tasmania has about two per cent of the population, but the number of Federal Police on duty in Tasmania today is five. Five. That is it. What does that mean? It means that Hobart is the only capital city in Australia that has no permanent police presence at a capital city airport. Not only do we not have a permanent police presence, but obviously there are no AFP officers at Hobart Airport.

My constituents are fed up with this. My constituents, Tasmanians, have the same right to feel safe and secure as every other Australian. We have continually asked this government for an explanation as to why this has occurred. When this decision was originally taken we were told that it was an AFP resourcing issue. We were then told that apparently the Office of Transport Security have done a report, but that report was done after the AFP decision to withdraw services. Tasmanians are sick of it. It's not good enough.