Opposition Senator Peter Bunting

Opposition Senator Peter Bunting has questioned the Government’s commitment to the Partnership on Crime.

Senator Bunting, who served as Opposition Spokesman on National Security, rased the matter in the Upper House on Friday, saying the Government effectively withdrew from the Crime Management and Oversight Committee [CMOC], dealing a blow to its operations as a result.

He said, with the rate of murders still too high, there needs to be more action.

According to him, for more than a year now the activities of the Oversight Committee “have floundered, largely because the Minister of National Security, who was the initial Government representative on that body has withdrawn from the meetings and no senior member fo the Government has been participating for quite some time.”

The leadership of CMOC remains committed to the task, “having meetings with different stakeholders, trying to re-energise and re-activate the work,” he said.

Senator Bunting stressed that “crime continues to be foremost in people’s minds, “notwithstanding whatever percentage drop, relative to last year; murders are still way higher than they should be.”