Public Safety:
Governments have the responsibility to provide services to protect members of the community, without fear or favour. However, this does not mean using the police force as a de facto security force to be used against striking workers, any voices in opposition of government policy, the poor or to be deployed at the behest of the owners of capital. We demand an impartial and honest system of policing, Federal and State, that is at an arms-length of political influence. We also object to any police agency being used as revenue collectors, or to be paramilitary forces. We support community policing, with an emphasis on prevention, education and community interaction. We would support adequately resourced bodies to provide avenues of addressing complaints against police, to ensure ethical guidance and to investigate any misuse of police power. Our view is that our police personnel are servants of the community and not enforcers of government policy. We wish to see meaningful and long-term policing strategies to address issues such as domestic violence, drug related crimes (including alcohol violence), crimes against children and the elderly, white collar crimes and other crimes that impact upon working people and their families. We support efficient, well resourced and prevention-focussed police services that work with the community and not against them. We want to have community members feeling safe within and without their homes, and to have a transparent and accountable system of policing across all communities.
Domestic Violence:
The scourge of the crime of domestic violence is at crisis point in this country; hundreds of our citizens, the vast majority of them being women, are murdered each year by current or former partners or members of their own families. Wives, mothers, sisters, friends; killed with callous disregard. Domestic violence is domestic terrorism, and no one should be subjected to it. This madness must end.
Domestic violence needs not only to be addressed through strategic responses from the police but through a cultural shift across the whole community. We feel there needs to be educative programs put in place to teach our children from a young age that domestic violence is not acceptable. The issue of respect towards women must be highlighted at an early age, so that growing boys learn that disrespect is not acceptable. Likewise, young women need to be encouraged to put into place mechanisms to cope with disrespect and to recognise the signs of potentially harmful relationships. By giving our children guidance and skills, our community may be able to reduce the instances of domestic violence.
In practical terms, we support domestic violence leave to be woven into the National Employment Standards. We also would support emergency funding options and a low interest loan scheme that could be accessible to victims of domestic violence to ensure they are able to find urgent alternative accommodation. No one's home should be a place of terror.
We would also support options for individuals to seek, (through self referral), urgent anger management, substance abuse or psychological support programs payable through Medicare. This may help reduce instances of the crime of domestic violence.
Freedom from Extremism:
The AWP believes the community needs to be protected from extremism, no matter where or by whom it is sourced. Hate speech, no matter where it is uttered, has no place in a civil society. The AWP would support reviews of legislation around hate speech and incitement to violence, to ensure public safety is paramount. Although we support the right of expression and the freedom of speech, we have zero tolerance for those people who identify as Nazis or as part of any sub-cultural grouping of extreme fascism. We feel that such groups should be identified and outlawed as terror groups as are such other groups that identify with ISIS or any other known terrorist organisations. Our community should not be subjected to hate-filled fanatics whose main aim is to cause violence and civil unrest.
Extremism can take subtler forms also; those who use the media as a platform to stir community division need to be taken to task. Greater self regulation should be encouraged by media organisations, and should that fail there should be processes where owners of media organisations be given heavy fines for allowing their media platforms to be used as vehicles of extremism and division.
Gun ownership:
The AWP supports the current laws around gun ownership and the types of guns available in Australia. We would not support any changes that would erode the current laws. We would not support any changes that would make it easier to sell high powered weaponry that could pose a threat to public safety.
Governments have the responsibility to provide services to protect members of the community, without fear or favour. However, this does not mean using the police force as a de facto security force to be used against striking workers, any voices in opposition of government policy, the poor or to be deployed at the behest of the owners of capital. We demand an impartial and honest system of policing, Federal and State, that is at an arms-length of political influence. We also object to any police agency being used as revenue collectors, or to be paramilitary forces. We support community policing, with an emphasis on prevention, education and community interaction. We would support adequately resourced bodies to provide avenues of addressing complaints against police, to ensure ethical guidance and to investigate any misuse of police power. Our view is that our police personnel are servants of the community and not enforcers of government policy. We wish to see meaningful and long-term policing strategies to address issues such as domestic violence, drug related crimes (including alcohol violence), crimes against children and the elderly, white collar crimes and other crimes that impact upon working people and their families. We support efficient, well resourced and prevention-focussed police services that work with the community and not against them. We want to have community members feeling safe within and without their homes, and to have a transparent and accountable system of policing across all communities.
Domestic Violence:
The scourge of the crime of domestic violence is at crisis point in this country; hundreds of our citizens, the vast majority of them being women, are murdered each year by current or former partners or members of their own families. Wives, mothers, sisters, friends; killed with callous disregard. Domestic violence is domestic terrorism, and no one should be subjected to it. This madness must end.
Domestic violence needs not only to be addressed through strategic responses from the police but through a cultural shift across the whole community. We feel there needs to be educative programs put in place to teach our children from a young age that domestic violence is not acceptable. The issue of respect towards women must be highlighted at an early age, so that growing boys learn that disrespect is not acceptable. Likewise, young women need to be encouraged to put into place mechanisms to cope with disrespect and to recognise the signs of potentially harmful relationships. By giving our children guidance and skills, our community may be able to reduce the instances of domestic violence.
In practical terms, we support domestic violence leave to be woven into the National Employment Standards. We also would support emergency funding options and a low interest loan scheme that could be accessible to victims of domestic violence to ensure they are able to find urgent alternative accommodation. No one's home should be a place of terror.
We would also support options for individuals to seek, (through self referral), urgent anger management, substance abuse or psychological support programs payable through Medicare. This may help reduce instances of the crime of domestic violence.
Freedom from Extremism:
The AWP believes the community needs to be protected from extremism, no matter where or by whom it is sourced. Hate speech, no matter where it is uttered, has no place in a civil society. The AWP would support reviews of legislation around hate speech and incitement to violence, to ensure public safety is paramount. Although we support the right of expression and the freedom of speech, we have zero tolerance for those people who identify as Nazis or as part of any sub-cultural grouping of extreme fascism. We feel that such groups should be identified and outlawed as terror groups as are such other groups that identify with ISIS or any other known terrorist organisations. Our community should not be subjected to hate-filled fanatics whose main aim is to cause violence and civil unrest.
Extremism can take subtler forms also; those who use the media as a platform to stir community division need to be taken to task. Greater self regulation should be encouraged by media organisations, and should that fail there should be processes where owners of media organisations be given heavy fines for allowing their media platforms to be used as vehicles of extremism and division.
Gun ownership:
The AWP supports the current laws around gun ownership and the types of guns available in Australia. We would not support any changes that would erode the current laws. We would not support any changes that would make it easier to sell high powered weaponry that could pose a threat to public safety.