Mr FINN (Western Metropolitan) -- I wish to raise a matter for the attention of the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, and it concerns a piece of correspondence I have received from the City of Hobsons Bay, based in Williamstown and Altona. The correspondence reads as follows:

At its meeting on Tuesday, 17 November 2009, Hobsons Bay City Council resolved to seek urgent support for an annual police kiosk at Altona beach, including additional police resources.

This request is based on recent incidents in the area and community concerns regarding public safety.

The kiosk would ensure a permanent police presence over the warmer months, in the vicinity of Altona beach and the Pier Street precinct and provide the police with the resources required to enforce the alcohol restrictions in Altona, discourage antisocial behaviour and hooning and protect shops and community assets.

This is a major issue right through the western suburbs, as I have pointed out from time to time. The lack of police from one end of the west to the other is in fact a total disgrace. It is something that is very much in need of urgent attention by the minister, as it seems the Chief Commissioner of Police is unable to solve the problems that we have out there.

In this particular instance the Hobsons Bay City Council has asked for our support in providing extra police presence during the summer months to protect those many thousands of beachgoers and those who would visit the Pier Street precinct -- a very pleasant area, I might say, and one that I would hope the minister would see fit to use some influence to protect. That is what I am asking him to do: to use his influence with the chief commissioner, to take his responsibilities seriously for once in his short term -- far too long term -- as minister.

Mrs Peulich -- Soon to be short.

Mr FINN -- Soon to be shortened, one would hope. I would ask the minister to use his influence to point out to the chief commissioner that the people in Altona, particularly around Altona beach in the months ahead, are in desperate need of more police. The Hobsons Bay council has thought it so important that it has brought it to my attention. I would point out to the minister of course that most members of the Hobsons Bay council are not of my political persuasion but have felt it necessary to bring this matter to my attention in the hope that we might be able to get some response, some very positive response from the police minister and ultimately the chief commissioner in the not-too-distant future, certainly before the warmer summer months hit us through January and February. I ask the police minister to use his position to bring some influence upon the chief commissioner to see the importance of this request.