In speaking today I acknowledge and remember those whose lives were lost: Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney.

I also acknowledge the ongoing grief of their families and friends, and we continue to keep them in our thoughts.

While the government have been keen to point out that they do not introduce new offences in response to a single event, it is often traumatic events that expose the gaps in our justice system or illustrate the opportunity to help improve safety or shape societal norms through legislation. This is the case for the family of Joy Rowley, who have been campaigning for many years—too many—for the standalone offence of non-fatal strangulation.

The government have reaffirmed their commitment to them to deliver on their promise for this offence; however, little progress has been made in this respect. I have been very pleased to advocate on behalf of this family, and I hope that next year this Parliament will be presented with legislation that, like today’s, may not respond to one tragic incident but is drawn from the strong campaigning of families affected by crime.

Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party is also advocating for grab and drag laws, and my colleague Stuart Grimley has done a power of work in this respect, including presenting an e-petition with more than 90,000 signatures seeking better from our justice system after an offender dragged a nurse into a laneway with what appeared to be an intention to commit sexual assault.

A small but important item tacked on to this bill defers the start date for public drunkenness laws that passed this Parliament last year. When this bill was debated in Parliament we noted our support for the shift to a health-based response to public drunkenness but also noted our serious concerns about its practical implementation. This includes careful consideration of how to mitigate risk for healthcare workers and the infrastructure and resources required, particularly in regional hospitals where emergency departments and waiting areas are not fit for purpose to cater for the diversity of cases that they have to deal with. Deferring implementation until the pilots are completed and have undergone rigorous evaluation, including any further consultation required, is a good thing, and I commend the government for being transparent about needing more time.

While the offence of conduct that is grossly offensive to community standards may only be used on a small number of occasions, that does not diminish its importance. As I said earlier, our laws should reflect the expectations of our society. Grossly offensive conduct should have no place and little excuse, and anyone who shows such arrogance and disrespect so as to blatantly disregard community standards should be held to account.

I would just like to leave you all with this statement by an unknown police officer. It is in memory of those who have died in this terrible, traumatic accident, but it is also for those who attended the scene:

I AM A POLICE OFFICER.

That means that the pains and joys of my personal life are often muted by my work. I resent these intrusions but it is my job to do the things others fear to do. The label ‘police officer’ creates a false image of who I really am. Sometimes I feel like I’m floating between two worlds.

My work is not just protecting and serving. It’s preserving that buffer that exists in the space between what you think the world is, and what the world really is.

My job isn’t like television. The action is less frequent, much more graphic and it involves all my five senses. What I Smell, Taste, See, Touch and Hear at these horrific senses will stay with me long after I close the file. It is not exhilarating to point a gun at someone. Pooled blood has a disgusting metallic smell and steams a little when the temperature drops. CPR isn’t an instant miracle and it’s no fun listening to an elderly grandmother’s ribs break while I keep her heart beating.

I am flattered by your curiosity about my work. What you need to know is I don’t keep a record of which incident was the most frightening, or the strangest, or the bloodiest, or even the funniest. I don’t want to share the images that haunt me with others.

But I do have some confessions to make: Sometimes my stereo is too loud. Music sometimes makes it easier to forget the wasted body of the young man who died alone in a rented room because he was hooked on crack. A hug erases the sight of the nurses who sobbed as they scrubbed layers of dirt and slime from a neglected 2-year-old’s skin. The Angry that beat inside me assures me that it was ignorance that drove a young mother to not put her toddler in a car seat as she drove around today.

Sometimes I might seem rushed or impatient. I am having trouble shedding the adrenaline that kicked in when I discovered that the man I handcuffed during a drug raid was sitting on a loaded 9mm pistol.

Sometimes I’m not as attentive as you would like. I was distracted when you complained about your noisy neighbour because I was remembering the apartment of the elderly women who lay dead and decaying for a week because no one came to check on her.

Sometimes I’m not as sympathetic as you would like. I’m not overly concerned about your ability to pay your speeding ticket, it’s because I really wanted to tell you that I attended a call just yesterday where a speeding careless driver took the life of a child. I didn’t sleep last night because I could still hear her mother’s screams.

Take a moment and remember what my job is and isn’t. Police officers are needed but what we do can leave lasting effects on my family and I. Take a moment and tell an officer that you appreciate their work. Smile and say ‘Hi’ when I am getting coffee. Bite your tongue when you start to tell a ‘bad cop’ story. Better yet, find the time to tell a ‘good cop’ story. The family at the next table may be a cop’s family.

I commend this bill to the house.