Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about policing on the Mornington Peninsula along three lines: firstly, in relation to the work of local police; secondly, in relation to a threat which may undermine their capacity to carry on the magnificent job that they do; and, thirdly, in relation to actions we can take as a community going forward to protect the capacity of local police and to enhance local policing.

The first point about respect is very simple. Police on the Mornington Peninsula do a tremendous job. They are great representatives of the community. They work with schools, youth and seniors. The Police Senior Citizens Register is a wonderful institution and a cooperative program. All up there is tremendous respect for their work. However, there is a threat that will undermine the capacity of police on the Mornington Peninsula to adequately represent the public and to do their job.

Today’s Mornington Peninsula Leader has on its front page a story entitled ‘Cop “shopfront” tip’. Very briefly that says that there is a real and tangible chance that the police stations of Dromana and Sorrento will each decrease in size from four active members to one. That would mean that there would be one shopfront police man or woman in place from about 9 am to 5 pm each day. The capacity to do active policing would be destroyed. That is just not my view or the Mornington Peninsula Leader’s view; the sergeant in charge of Dromana Police Station, Sergeant Mick Romeril, who does a fantastic job, has said:

There’s no way they’ll get similar customer service that they get now with us. We need more, not less.

That sums up the position of policing on the peninsula. I say to the state government: do not allow the effective loss of policing in Sorrento and Dromana. Other police do a great job, but these stations are integral to the communities, to the safety and protection and to the confidence of local communities. These stations cannot be closed.

The actions are simple: (1) this expression in parliament; (2) the development of a petition, which I will be working on and circulating in the local community, to protect both the Dromana and the Sorrento police stations; and (3) the writing of a letter to the Premier expressing these strong views. I hope they represent the views of the community—very simply: save Sorrento and Dromana police stations. (Time expired)