A Safer City

In May, my colleague and deputy leader, Mrs Morris, moved a motion calling for wider day-to-day wanding powers for our hardworking police. The “safer summer” trial proposed to give ACT Policing handheld metal detection wands in Canberra’s CBD, Civic, and Braddon. The pilot would provide valuable local evidence to determine whether a permanent “Jack’s law” style public-place wanding scheme should be rolled out in the ACT. Sadly, Labor members, Greens members and Mr Emerson voted against a practical safety tool being made available to use in public places.

When it comes to knife crime, it is very clear, based on the feedback that comes in from many sources, that there is a problem. Alarmingly, between 2020 and 2025, knives were involved in 21 homicides in the ACT. Therefore, a Parton Liberal government will introduce a “safer summer” pilot for the summer period 2028-29, should we win government in October 2028.

Canberrans should be able to walk through Civic without feeling intimidated, unsafe or unwelcome, and that is just not the reality for so many people. We know that a government-commissioned report recorded around 600 incidents of antisocial behaviour in the city centre over just 22 days. These incidents included alcohol abuse, offensive language, drug use, vandalism, harassment and threats towards members of the public. It is not an abstract problem. It is being felt in our streets, in our shops, in our public spaces and by families across Canberra.