Bill - Private Security and County Court Amendment Bill 2024

BILL

‘PRIVATE SECURITY AND COUNTY COURT AMENDMENT BILL 2024’.

Thursday, 7 March 2024.

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (15:15):

I rise to speak on the Private Security and County Court Amendment Bill 2024.

This Bill is an important Bill, in that it helps enhance arrangements that ensure we have a stronger and safer community, and that is something that we all, I am sure, want.

I do want to just make a few brief comments, because community safety is something that we talk a lot about in this Chamber. We have all been talking about it in various ways over recent times.

In my community it is an issue that is spoken about often. I know only today an arrest was made in relation to a case that I am sure many Victorians have been following, and I will not go into the details of that matter. So many Victorians, I am sure, have been following that case. It is a timely opportunity to say that Victoria Police do such an incredible job in caring for our community, in ensuring that our community is safe.

So, this bill is an opportunity to talk about community safety and to talk about the way that the private security industry complements security more generally in the way that the community is protected from crime, from bad behaviour, from all sorts of things.

In terms of community safety in my area of Brighton, Brighton East, Elwood, Hampton and Hampton East, there have been many, many publicly raised instances of crime. Ensuring that we have a system of safety to keep the community safe is important.

So, when Bills like this one come before the Parliament, it is an opportunity to speak to the importance of those measures. This, the private security changes, will do that. Again, it is an opportunity to talk about the work of not just private security but also Victoria Police. I am sure that every member of this place would so strongly want to say to everybody who works in community safety, whether it be in the private security industry or the police, how much we appreciate –

Juliana Addison: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, the name of this Bill is about private security. This is not an opportunity for the Member for Brighton to grandstand.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): The Bill is indeed about private security. I understand that they contribute to public safety more broadly, but I ask the member to be specific to the Bill.

James NEWBURY: Thank you, Acting Speaker. I think it is an opportunity in relation to safety more generally to acknowledge how our community is kept safe. I think that every Member in this place, as I was saying before the interjection – almost every Member; obviously every Member bar one – strongly supports the work of both the private sector and the police in terms of the public enforcement of community safety.

Juliana Addison: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, I believe that was an unparliamentary reference to me, the ‘bar one’, and I seek a withdrawal, please, from the Member for Brighton.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): You took personal offence to that?

Juliana Addison: I did take personal offence.

James NEWBURY: I did not refer to anybody.

Juliana Addison: Further to the point of order, Acting Speaker, the Member for Brighton said in this place ‘bar one’ after referring to the point of order that I made, and I took personal offence to that.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): Does the Member wish to withdraw his statement?

James NEWBURY: I was not referring to any particular Member, Acting Speaker.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): The comment was ‘bar one’. Is that correct?

James NEWBURY: Yes.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): So, who was that referring to?

James NEWBURY: I am not sure this is a matter for debate, Acting Speaker.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): I ask the Member to continue but to be mindful of his language so that it does not cause offence.

James NEWBURY: Thank you, Acting Speaker. I will continue with my thanks to both the private and public enforcers of community safety in Victoria Police and the private security industry. It is a timely opportunity to say thank you for the hard work that they do, because when community safety issues come to the fore, frustration does boil over in terms of the community with how their safety is at risk. It should never be seen –

Nick Staikos: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, we are now 6 minutes into the member for Brighton’s contribution. The Member for Brighton is the Manager of Opposition Business, so we would expect that the Member for Brighton would know that he has to be relevant to the Bill. Given the many points of order those of us on this side of the house have to put up with sitting week after sitting week, I would ask that in his last 4 minutes on this Bill he actually addresses the Bill under debate.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Lauren Kathage): I do ask the Member to come back to the Bill. Come back to the Bill, please, rather than community safety more broadly.

James NEWBURY: Thank you, Acting Speaker. The core of this Bill is about enhancing community safety, and those were the comments that I was trying to briefly make. I was hoping that it would not be a full 7 minutes, but here we are. All I was attempting to do was to say thank you to those in both the private and public sector who do keep us safe, and with that I will conclude my remarks.