The first hearings for the Parliamentary inquiry into community safety in regional and rural communities will take place this week, hearing from locals in Bourke tomorrow and Broken Hill on Wednesday.
In March the Minns Labor Government finally announced the long overdue inquiry into the escalating crime crisis, following sustained pressure by The Nationals.
Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said the inquiry is an important step to developing a whole-of-government approach.
“In the past year, we’ve heard terrible stories of people being bashed in their homes, knifed in their yards and having their cars stolen, leaving our residents living in fear,” Mr Saunders said.
“The fact is, it took the Premier more than six months to take this issue seriously, and the situation is only getting worse, so this inquiry has been a long time coming.
“Our communities have been calling for this, and now they finally have a chance to share their stories and help contribute to possible solutions that are tailored to them.”
Mr Saunders said while the inquiry is a good start, he would like to see it expanded as soon as possible to visit more areas across the regions.
“A cookie-cutter approach won’t work. Every community is different and will need slightly different approaches,” he said.
Shadow Minister for Police, Paul Toole, who is on the committee, encouraged people to get involved.
“So far the Minns Government has put a lot of focus on Moree, but the people of Bourke, Dubbo, Casino, Tamworth, Orange, Kempsey, Gunnedah and other regional communities are still no closer to a solution,” Mr Toole said.
“This Parliamentary Inquiry will look at the problems in each area and will give our police the backing and resources they need to address this crisis.
“Our country cops are doing the best they can. They are on the frontline every day and have done an excellent job at getting through a heavy workload with very little resources.
“But they need help, and this inquiry will give us the chance to figure out what the core issues are and what our hardworking police need to combat this issue.”
