Constituency Question - Elster Canal Crimes

CONSTITUENCY QUESTION

‘ELSTER CREEK CRIMES’.

Tuesday, 3 August 2021.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (14:44):

The children in my community deserve to be safe—safe to take an afternoon walk and safe to enjoy our parks.

On Saturday afternoon two 13-year-old girls were chased along the Elster Canal Path in Brighton by teens carrying a knife. The incident terrorised them.

Disturbingly, last Saturday a similar incident occurred when two 10-year-old boys were set upon by a group of half a dozen teens on the canal path. The group also had knives.

These crimes come on the back of violent crimes in bayside parks committed by gangs. Tragically, earlier this year a 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at Dendy Park in Brighton East, and teenage boys were seriously assaulted in other bayside parks. Then in May a local teenager was stabbed at Elsternwick Park in Brighton.

It is the government’s job to make sure our community is safe and to ensure that law enforcement have the resources they need.

Can the Premier inform me: what is Labor’s plan to stop violent crimes being committed against children in my community?