POLICE DOG KODA ASSAULT

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (15:35): Like everyone in my local community, as well as the wider community, I was shocked when I heard about the callous stabbing of the German shepherd police dog Koda in the early hours of 26 August this year. It happened in Elizabeth Vale, just a few hundred metres from my office, in fact, on John Rice Avenue. Also, like everyone else, I am really pleased that Koda is on the mend. He has been cleared to return to work and will be returning to work shortly.

I have to say that the event affected almost everyone I spoke to in my community over the following days, including, I have to say, my own staff, who asked me what I intended to do about it. Luckily, I have been pre-empted by events. I have not actually seen much else like it since I was elected in terms of local community outrage over a single incident. People were justifiably upset and outraged.

It really did galvanise my local community, and it was clear that a strong message needed to be sent to the type of criminal who would consider attacking a working animal in this way. That is why I am pleased that the government is acting quickly and the Attorney has announced that he will introduce a bill, perhaps as early as today, to substantially increase the penalties for attacking police dogs. I am also pleased, incidentally, that this has been extended to include police horses and assistance animals like guide dogs.

But police dogs are not just ordinary dogs. They are very highly trained animals. They are trained and kept for very specific law enforcement tasks, and, importantly, they actually live and work side-by-side with the operational police that they serve from a young age. They are, in every sense, the working partner of a handling officer, and indeed the only reason Koda has not returned to work yet is that his handling partner is on leave. I understand that the new laws, if passed, would make the assault of such an animal a serious criminal offence, punishable by up to five years imprisonment.

I obviously do not want to pre-empt the Attorney's second reading speech. I merely make comment on Koda's law, on this proposed law, as an illustration of how seriously I and this government take on any attacks on the people and animals that serve our community. For example, thanks to this government and the valuable input of the Police Association of South Australia, we now have a separate offence for shooting at a police officer. This offence now attracts a prison term of up to 25 years.

Shooting at anyone or at any animal, for that matter, is obviously an extremely serious event, but shooting at a police officer while they are carrying out their duty is something else again. In October last year, the Premier told the Police Association at their annual delegates conference that, 'Police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect South Australians, and we want to do whatever we can to keep them safe in the line of duty.' All gun violence is unacceptable, but we need specific laws when gun violence is directed at our police.

So, I commend the Premier and the Attorney-General on this tough position and on the other measures they have instigated in this area in creating aggravated offences against, obviously, police officers, but also health workers and other emergency service workers.

Police officers put their safety and their lives on the line every day to keep our community safe. As police go from job to job they never know what they may confront. Every traffic stop, every summons service, every domestic disturbance has the potential to spin out of control, and if firearms are present, there is obviously a dramatically increased risk. This government is serious about protecting those who protect all of us every day, and Koda's law is no exception.

In closing, I just want to remind members that 29 September is National Police Remembrance Day, and this year it will be commemorated by ceremonies, including at the new Police Academy on Friday 27 September. I hope that all members will join me in the lead-up to that day and on the day in wearing this ribbon as remembrance as a reminder to all of us of the sacrifices made by police officers in the past and the risks that our service police take every day when they go to work.