07 January 2014

Safety Theatre

The national Attorney-General and Minister for Justice have
welcomed the decision by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to establish a Law, Crime and Community Safety Council to sharpen the nation’s focus on fighting crime. 
The LCCSC
brings together law, police and emergency management Ministers and replaces the previous standing councils on law and justice, and police and emergency management. 
The Minister for Justice states that
the involvement of all police commissioners and CEO of the Australian Crime Commission in the new council would ensure that Ministers now had access to the best operational advice, and prepare policy accordingly. “The establishment of this new council will bring together law makers and law enforcers to ensure we build safe and secure Australian communities, and the fact that the practitioners can now sit down at the same table with policy makers will bring greater focus and clarity to this work. ...
COAG has already tasked the new council with reviewing emergency services personnel across state borders and examining ways to prevent children from being exposed to harmful simulated gambling material.
The new LCCSC will consider matters including
  • Border security arrangements within Australia; 
  • A national approach to organised crime gangs; 
  • Co-ordination of community crime prevention; 
  • New ways to ensure cyber safety, especially for children; 
  • Best practice approaches to the harmonisation of laws about working with children; and 
  • Building the preparedness of Australian communities to natural disasters.