Federal Member for Greenway, Michelle Rowland was removed from the House of Representatives for one hour during Question Time today for the first time in her Parliamentary career for protesting the Abbott Government’s cuts to crime prevention programs in Blacktown.

Ms Rowland said she could not stand idly by while the Minister for Justice extolled the virtues of CCTV funding after his Government ripped away CCTV funding in Blacktown.

“I could not sit in the Chamber and listen to the hypocrisy of the Abbott Government talk about the benefits of CCTV funding after they ripped funding out of Blacktown,” Ms Rowland said.

“Our local community, local council and local media have all been calling for CCTV in Blacktown. I secured $199,054 under the previous Labor Government only to have the Abbott Government rip it away from Blacktown.

“We continue to see anti-social behaviour and crime hotspots in Blacktown which would undoubtedly now be benefiting from the CCTV measures that would have been possible if it were not for the Abbott Government’s cuts.

“I will always stand up for my local community and make no apologies for doing so. That’s what I was elected to do.”

TUESDAY, 24 JUNE 2014