Minister for Justice Brendan O’Connor and Member for Blair Shayne Neumann today announced $250,000 of Safer Suburbs funding for Ipswich City Council. Safer Suburbs is part of the Gillard Government’s commitment to reducing crime and the fear of crime in communities across Australia. This funding will allow the installation of CCTV infrastructure in the townships of Rosewood and Walloon. The CCTV will be linked to the existing Ipswich City Council CCTV network. “Local problems are best solved with local solutions and that’s why the Gillard Government is working with local communities to make our streets and suburbs safer,” Mr O’Connor said. “I commend the Ipswich City Council for embracing the community’s desire to improve safety and reduce crime and I applaud Shayne Neumann for bringing this issue to my attention.”
Mr Neumann said Safer Suburbs is bringing benefits to people in his electorate “Through the installation of closed circuit television cameras local residents can feel safer and more secure in both Rosewood and in Walloon,” he said. “I understand that Ipswich City Council is working closely with Queensland Police and the local community to address crime and anti-social behaviour in Rosewood and Walloon and throughout the wider Ipswich area,” Mr Neumann said. Safer Suburbs aims to make city centres and community facilities safer by funding local safety measures such as closed circuit television systems and street lighting.
Safer Suburbs has already been responsible for rolling out 21 projects worth $15 million across Australia. “During the 2010 election we announced $5.42 million to extend the successful Safer Suburbs program to support over 40 more projects across Australia. “As I travel across Australia visiting Safer Suburbs projects I have found it is community based projects, much like this one in Ipswich, that are often the most successful.”