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PRESS STATEMENT.BY.HON.LES.JOHNSON.MHR FOR HUGHES,.OPPOSITION.WHIP

INVESTIGATION SOUGHT INTO ATOMIC PLANT SECURITY .

An enquiry into the e ffic ie n cy  of the Commonwealth Police Security  Force a t Lucas Heights Atomic Research Establishment has been c a lle d   fo r by Mr Les Johnson, M HR fo r Hughes. .

The request follows the forced detention of several s i t e  employees.

Mr Johnson said he was gravely concerned with a lle g a tio n s  th a t a  Commonwealth policeman recen tly  detained several employees fo r f iv e   hours following events th a t arose from a minor o n - s ite  t r a f f i c "   in cid en t. . .

Two union o f f i c i a l s  whose advice had been sought by a union member  involved with a t r a f f i c  infringement had allegedly been manhandled,  a r r e s t e d , interro g ated  and detained following a controversy as to

whether i d e n tif ic a tio n  passes should be worn on the s i t e .  - Ã¢ÂÂ

Mr Johnson said th a t o ther s i t e  employees were now concerned th a t  they might also f a l l  victim to excessive s e c u rity  police z eal.

A fter meeting a delegation of Lucas Heights employees Mr Johnson  has asked the Federal M inister for Administrative Services to review  Commonwealth Police recruitm ent and tr a in in g  procedures to ensure .  th a t a ll personnel are adequately equipped to sensibly handle s i t e   s itu a tio n s  involving tru s te d  employees.

He also asked fo r a thorough in v e stig atio n  into claims th a t the

Commonwealth Police concerned had over-reacted following union  in te rv e n tio n .

Mr Johnson advised the M inister to suspend prosecutions a r is in g  .  from the incident pending the r e s u l t s  of enquiries claiming th a t  such action could only f u r th e r aggravate r e la tio n s  between employees  and s e c u rity  personnel and possibly p r e c i p i t a t e  in d u s tria l d is ru p tio n .

2 Boyle S tree t  Sutherland

02 521 6262

20 December 1979

