TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON. JOHN HOWARD MIP
SPEECH AT THE LAUNCH OF THE
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST VIOLENCE AND CRIME
F O F
To first of all the South Australian Attorney General, Trevor Griffin I particularly
thank him for his attendance and his cooperation with the launch of this national
strategy. To my other Parliamentary colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. Our Coalition
Law and Justice Policy for the last election stated quite emphatically that every
Australian was entitled to feel safe in their own homes and on the streets. We all know
that Australians are very concerned about violent crime and we know that although the
overall picture is not totally discouraging, there are pockets of increasing incidents of
crime. The dominant image we've had to date and when we think of addressing the
scourge of violence and crime in our community is of the blue line, is of policing and
can I take the opportunity of saying at the outset of these remarks of mine, words of
strong praise for the men and women of the police services of Australia. They have an
immensely difficult job. It in fact is a despicable, they are a placed in despicable
circumstances by the behaviour of people who break the law and they have copped
through the agencies of royal commissions and so forth in recent years a very heavy
battery and undoubtedly there are areas of corruption and malfeasance in parts of the
police services.
But overall w e should never, ever lose sight of the tremendous role that they play in a
particular community and I wouldn't want the opportunity of this launch to go by
without sticking up for the men and women of the police services of Australia. I think
they do a terrific job.
But addressing violence in crime is not just about policing. Police and policing are of
course primarily and properly so the responsibilities of the state andl territory
authorities. The Commonwealth has an important role to provide in offering a
co-operative framework to assist the states and the territories and to ensure that our
strategies and actions reflect world's best practice. Today we're taking that
responsibility in the experience of Australia to a new and unprecedented level and
before detailing the National Campaign Against Violence and Crime, let me outline
work already being done which reflects our broad approach to supporting our
Fax from 3 8 05/ 06/ 97 13: 07 Pg: 2
JUN 05 ' 97 12: 56 P. 3
communities, addressing violence and crime and making our nation a safer place in
which to live.
Since March 1996 the Government has undertaken and supported a range of
substantial initiatives aimed directly at reducing the incidence of crime and violence in
Australia. We've had the national implementation of the firearms control resolutions
from the special Australasian Police Ministers' Council meeting of May 1996. We've
had the National Register of Convicted Paedophiles, We've had the convening of the
Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Summit set down for later this year. We've had famiily
violence intervention projects, domestic violence database and the domestic violence
summit to be convened later this year and to which my Government is very strongly
committed, We've had the National Women's Safety Survey, we've had strengthening
family strategy to help prevent child abuse, the National Youth Suicide Strategy, the
youth homelessness pilot programme, the rural and remote domestic violence initiative
and firearms safety information these programmes right across the broad spectrum of
Government activities.
But what is being launched today takes this kind of commonwealth leadership
involvement in standard setting and strong commitment to new levels. The National
Campaign Against Violence and Crime reflects the Federal Government's commitment
to building stronger communities, reducing the level and fear of crime in our
communities and protecting the vulnerable the aged, the young, minorities who may
be subject to unfair and unacceptable abuse and discrimination.
In broad terms the campaign is going to compile the best kcnown tactics for preventing
and addressing violence and crime, help put them in place in Australian communities to
test those tactics and programmes, ensure their effectiveness and then ensure that all
Australians are empowered to take the best possible means to tackle violence and
crime in our society.
The first year priorities will be very important. They will be residential burglary,
domestic violence, fear of crime and young people. This is a wide range Of Crime
prevention strategies, national research and implementation projects. This is the first
time there has been a truly national strategic approach to violence and crime, the
Commonwealth in partnership with the states and territories and tapping into the
expertise which already abounds and exists at those levels. The national campaign is all
about knowing the best approaches, testing those approaches and then implementing
them across the country. The aim is not just best practice, this is practical applications
for Australian society.
Surveys constantly show that there is a major concern about violence and crime in our
communities. According to McNair in 1994, 72% of Australians viewed violence in
crime as the number one issue of concern. 77% were concerned about violent crime
and residents in the ACT, New South Wales and South Australia perceive burglary as
the number one problem in their neighbourhoods. The campaign's national initiatives
will address the need to research, develop, evaluate and implement national crime
prevention projects. These projects will focus on crime prevention, fear of crime,
residential burglary, domestic violence perpetrator programmes, early intervention with
Fa3x8 8r5o/ u0i6 / 97 13: 07 Pg: 3
JUN 05 ' 97 12: 57 P. 4
children, young people's use of public space and homeless youth and preventing
violence at public events.
In implementing the campaign and in addressing violence and crime generally, there is
a large contribution from state and territories. We believe it's time that all governments
worked together to crack down on crime in our community. Australians all want to
feel safer in their homes, in public places, on the streets, on the playing fields and
watching sport. The Campaign Against Crime and Violence will make Australia a
safer place in which to live and in concluding my remarks, could I also acknowledge
the presence here today of Shane Stone, the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of those occasions and this is one of those issues
which draws together all of the governments of Australia across party lines and putting
other divides aside. This strategy of ours cannot work unless it is done cooperatively.
We are working with the states. We don't adopt a " Commonwealth knows best"
approach to this. I recognise that the reservoirs of expertise and understanding about
crime and violence in our community are very much at a state and territorial level.
And the purpose of this campaign is to demonstrate the strong commitment of my
Government to tackling the problem, our willingness to help devise a national strategy
and our very strong desire to work in partnership with the states and territories.
There is a lot written and said about the responsibilities of Government in a modemn
society. I can't think of a more solemn responsibility than to give to the citizens of
that society a greater sense of personal and physical security and safety and to the
exctent that this campaign can contribute to that, then it will be successful.
Thank you.