[Greens-Media] (Sylvia Hale MLC) Greens Move To Set Up Inquiry Into
Policing Of APEC
Christopher Holley
Christopher.Holley at parliament.nsw.gov.au
Tue Sep 25 16:31:54 EST 2007
Greens Move To Set Up Inquiry Into Policing Of APEC
NSW Greens MP and Police spokesperson Sylvia Hale will seek to move in
state parliament tomorrow a motion to establish a parliamentary inquiry
into the actions of NSW Police in the lead up to and during the APEC
period.
Ms Hale gave notice today of her motion to establish the inquiry to
investigate allegations of the use of unreasonable force, assault,
unlawful arrest and breach of Police rules and procedures.
“I have sought this inquiry because the security operation that took
place during the recently concluded APEC period was unprecedented both
in scale and expense but also in its infringement of the civil liberties
of thousands of citizens of and visitors to this city,” said Ms Hale.
“The unprecedented powers given to police and the way those powers
were used are issues that have caused serious disquiet amongst many
people in NSW.”
Ms Hale’s motion also refers to reports of police conducting
undercover surveillance of Members of Parliament and others, arbitrarily
curtailing freedom of movement throughout Sydney’s CBD and
discouraging peaceful dissent by disproportionate displays of force
including police dogs, water cannon, and deployment of the riot squad.
“The parliament established the regime of powers under which the
police operated during APEC. Both Ministers and Shadow Ministers assured
the citizens of this state that those powers were appropriate and would
not be abused.”
“With many citizens now expressing serious concerns about the extent
and use of those powers it is incumbent upon the parliament to respond
openly and urgently to those concerns,” Ms Hale said.
Contact: Chris Holley Ph: (02) 9230 3030 / 0437 779 546
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