A full record of Mark's Speeches are available at www.parliament.qld.gov.au
A full record of Mark's Speeches are available at www.parliament.qld.gov.au
I thank all members of the House for their contributions to the debate on this bill. The Commonwealth Games represents a great opportunity for Queensland to promote our state and our way of life to the world. It will bring many benefits, both directly and indirectly, to our communities. The debate held in this House reflects the level of interest in the Commonwealth Games and, as a consequence, the level of public interest in this bill. I note that this bill has not been opposed and appears to have bipartisan support. However, I take this opportunity to address matters raised by some members of the House in respect of the bill during this debate.
In relation to the query about the language to be used for the official Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018 website, I refer the House to the government’s response. The official Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018 website will be in English. However, the state’s Embracing 2018 website will be available in other languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. I am satisfied that online translation tools will allow non-English speakers to navigate and understand the contents of those websites and to understand where protective security zones, once they are prescribed, will be located. I note that the boundaries of those protective security zones will be electronically published as maps, which of course will speak for themselves as visual representations.
In relation to other comments about resourcing implications for the Queensland Police Service, the Commonwealth Games Group has planned for this contingency. It is recognised that the Queensland Police Service must meet the challenge of maintaining its normal calls for service throughout all of Queensland during the period that the Commonwealth Games is held. To assist in meeting this challenge, a leave restriction will apply over that period and there will be a short suspension of training to ensure that an appropriate level of resourcing will be maintained.
I also note that a number of members questioned whether the powers in the bill will extend to other public places outside the protective security zones. Protective security zones are, by their very nature, public places defined under the regulations or, in emergency situations, declared by the Commissioner of Police. Should those zones need to be extended to other public places, there is a process to do so either by the regulation or by emergency declaration by the Commissioner of Police. I also note that the police will continue to have powers to make a public safety preservation order where relevant in respect of any emergent issue.
Over an 11-day period next April we will be focused on a sporting extravaganza at multiple locations throughout our state. We will be privileged to witness elite athletes competing at the highest level in their chosen sport. When our attention is not focused on these events, we can participate in the cultural activities that will be associated with the Commonwealth Games.
With all this action going on, we must not forget the work that is happening behind the scenes for the Commonwealth Games to run successfully. An army of people, many of them volunteers, will be working to ensure that we can all enjoy the Commonwealth Games. In many cases, while these people are doing their jobs, they will fade into the background and we will not notice them. It is important to recognise their efforts. I take this opportunity now to thank them in advance for their contribution to the Commonwealth Games and their service to the people of Queensland.
Ultimately, one measure of success of these games will be whether we have established a safe and secure platform for this event to take place. In particular, I wish to acknowledge all the hard work and dedication of the Queensland Police Service and all those other personnel working hard to ensure that this will occur.
I recognise that a mountain of work has already been done to get us to this stage and I know that there is still much to do. However, this is an appropriate moment to thank the members of the Queensland Police Service on behalf of all Queenslanders for their efforts and wish them all the best in their endeavours in the future.
This bill will provide police officers with the powers they need to create a safe environment within protective security zones. This is crucial in ensuring that our police officers can meet the challenges they face in the current security environment. I am confident that our police officers can meet this challenge. The Queensland Police Service has a proven track record in meeting the security needs for major events as evidenced through their professionalism and diligence during the recent G20 Leaders Summit. This government recognises the difficult job that we ask our police officers to perform. We will do all we can to support them by providing them with the powers, the tools and the resources they need to do their job. I commend the bill to the House.