ACT Policing infrastructure mis-management confirmed
Today, I spoke with WIN News on the damning report on ACT Policing Services released by the ACT Auditor General, relased last Friday. The Auditor General released their Report on the Management and Oversight of ACT Policing Services .
The people of Yerrabi, who recently experience the 3-month closure of the JESC, will not be surprised to hear that the Report showed the Government’s failings in this area. More than half of the facilities are described as needing “immediate or imminent renewal or replacement”.
In October last year, an internal report to the government stated that almost half of the current police infrastructure police assets were rated “below average” or “average. This report was a follow up to previous reports, one as early as 2018, which had identified more than $26 million worth of defects in ACT Policing sites, with over 100 seperate projects that needed urgent attention. In response the government in 2022-23 budgeted $1.2 million!
I am not surprised by the findings and I am glad the parlous state of the ACT Policing resourcing, and of our front line personnel is finally coming to light.
In May I presented an unsuccessful motion to the Assembly calling on the government to report to the people of Canberra on the state of all the police and emergency services facilities. We had heard from the AFPA and others that most of the stations were not fit-for-purpose.
I was disappointed but not surprised my motion was not supported, this government has been failing the police and emergency services sector for some time. We’ve seen campaings by police and ambos saying they felt undervalued and overworked and they were not ok. It’s been the ongoing story of police and emergency services mis-management in the last four years of this government – not enough staff, not enough resources, poorly maintained facilities.
The Auditor’s report makes the damning statement that there is a lack of a strategic asset managmeent plan for ACT police facilities. And it shows! We’ve had the closure of the Civic Police Station, the closure of the Gungahlin JESC, the ad hoc repairs – a proper Asset Management Plan would have identified these issues and addressed them before such drastic actions were needed.
I have also been made aware that most of our Ambulance Stations are not fit-for-purpose – with Calwell station operating out of a shed. It’s time this Government took the upkeep of our emergency services and policing seriously for the safety and well being of our commmunity.
Better yet, it’s time for a new govenment that knows how to priorities the things that matter to Canberrans. Let’s make that happen this coming October!