A new Inquiry into Community Safety in Regional and Rural Communities has been welcomed by the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) who are now urging community members to make submissions.
The CMA has developed a submission on behalf of its members and made 24 recommendations in relation to policing workforce, domestic violence, youth crime, courts and bail laws, greater supervision of offenders and their bail conditions, legislative review on social media platforms, funding for diversionary programs, establishment of drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres, review and Doli Incapax.
In its submission the CMA has also included a list of 21 local government areas where it believes hearings should be held and is urging MPs not to rush the consultation process and instead carefully listen and look for answers to the alarming and ever-increasing rural crime statistics.
“Now that the NSW Government has agreed to hold a regional crime inquiry and submissions are rolling in, all eyes will be on the four Labor, one Greens, one National Party and one Independent member of parliament that make up the Law and Safety committee who must take their responsibilities seriously and not avoid this important opportunity to make meaningful generational change,” said CMA Chairman Jamie Chaffey.
“I urge everyone with something to share to make a submission to this inquiry, if you have had a crime committed against you, your loved ones or someone you know or if you have come from another State or Country that has experienced positive change with rural crime, please share your experience and suggestions to Parliament,” he added.
CMA Deputy Chairman Rick Firman OAM thanked those who have so far contributed submissions.
“Those of you from our country mayors family that have put a submission forward I want to say thank you not only on behalf of the community you represent but all of those communities in rural, regional and remote parts of NSW that need our collective voice to try and arrest this crime problem,” he said.
