Motions

National Police Remembrance Day

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (11:30): I move:

That this house—

(a) recognises today is National Police Remembrance Day;

(b) values the unique work that the South Australia Police perform on behalf of our community; and

(c) expresses its sadness for and deep gratitude to the families of those officers who have lost their lives while doing their duty.

The shadow police minister, the member for Stuart, along with, I imagine, the police minister and many serving senior officers in the police force, are, as we speak, participating in a remembrance day ceremony at the Police Academy. Were that not the case I am sure the member for Stuart would also be contributing to this debate this morning.

Today is National Police Remembrance Day. It is a tremendously important day, and we remember on this day the 61 officers who have lost their lives while serving the South Australian community as members of the South Australian police force. We have a police force that has an extraordinarily proud history. It is a police force that is held in such high regard that surveys of our community show it is the most highly regarded of any police service in the country, and we are a country fortunate to hold our police in high regard.

Our South Australian police have been in operation since 1838, and we have had women serving in a police force for 101 years since 1915, when Kate Cox became the first head of the Women's Police Force. That proud history is founded on a history of service. Our police officers perform a unique role; when there is a danger in an area such that people are running from a situation, along with other emergency services police officers run to that situation to help out. Perhaps even more unique than that, when police officers go to work every day they do so knowing that any day their life could be at risk due to the malevolent actions of other people in the community.

No-one else does that in their daily business in our South Australian community and I—and this house, I am sure—thank them for that. We also thank their families, because every day when a police officer goes out the door, leaving their family at home or going about their other business, their families all know, all share with each other, the unique perspective of a group of people who are not certain what is going to be facing their loved one that day. So we thank their families for the sacrifice they make by supporting their family members who serve as police officers.

Today is the Feast Day of St Michael and All Angels; it is Michaelmas. St Michael is the patron saint of all police officers and I know, through the work I did as shadow police minister for quite a period of time, that our police officers go to work every day working as our angels. We thank them for that. Every year we support this motion in the house, and I think it is an important custom that we continue to do so, recognising the very important role of our police officers. We thank them.

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (11:34): I rise in support of the member for Morialta's motion. I think it is extremely important that this house does recognise National Police Remembrance Day and that it is celebrated today, 29 September. I am thankful for this opportunity to acknowledge the important role police officers play in our community and the significant sacrifices they regularly make in order to keep us safe.

National Police Remembrance Day is a day for all Australians to pause and honour the bravery of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. We also remember those who have passed away through illness and other circumstances. This year, 29 September marks the 27^th National Police Remembrance Day and will be celebrated all over the state with ceremonies to remember and honour those South Australian officers who have died while on duty.

South Australian police have been serving our community for over 177 years, and over that time tragically we have lost 61 officers while on duty. Also, sadly, the majority of the loss of life has been from motor vehicle accidents. The second most frequent cause of death while on duty for a serving police officer has been murder. In addition to those officers who have lost their life while on duty, there are the countless number of policemen and women who have been injured while on duty. I also pay tribute to them and to their contribution to our community.

National Police Remembrance Day is a significant day of commemoration, where people can reflect on each individual police force and remember those officers killed on duty. It provides an opportunity to honour all police who have given their life serving the Australian community. Every loss of a police officer is a solemn reminder of the dangers they face in the line of duty, and the immense expectations that we as a community place on them to protect us.

On Tuesday, thousands of people from right across Australia took part (this was some time ago, I think) in the Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance, the annual tribute that honours the service and sacrifices of the many law enforcement officers killed while on duty. The riders were joined by wellwishers and police legatees for a short service at the Police Academy Wall of Remembrance, where the commissioner's baton was passed on to the riders for transfer to the National Police Memorial in Canberra.

The SA Police pipes and drum band added to the spectacle, with the ride concluding with a service in Canberra on Saturday, where some 2,070 riders made the ride to the police memorial at Kings Park. All funds raised during the wall to wall ride for the South Australia Police go towards police legacies across Australia. The 61 SAPOL officers killed in the course of their service are deeply missed and very much appreciated by South Australians right across the community. We remember today that 29 September is National Police Remembrance Day, and we pay tribute to the 61 members of our South Australian police force who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while performing their duty.

I also make mention of the sterling job we have seen with our police in the community over the last 24 hours. I am sure, like most of you, with this unprecedented storm we saw many police officers out directing traffic. While most of us were in our cars, warm and dry, they were standing out in this very unpredictable weather making sure we were all kept safe on the roads. With that current event, I would also like to thank the police for what they do for us to ensure that we as a community stay safe; they ensure our safety. With that, I support this motion.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:37): I, too, rise to support the motion moved by the member for Morialta to recognise that today is National Police Remembrance Day and to acknowledge the dedicated roles that both SA Police and the federal police play in our communities. Today we are remembering those officers who have lost their lives or have been seriously injured while on duty, and expressing sadness and deep gratitude for the families of those officers.

I know that in the electorate of Chaffey I am given an invitation to attend the memorial service conducted down at Banrock Station each and every year. It really is quite a unique service, particularly with the procession by boat to the very specific site down on the Banrock flood plain, to re-enact exactly what happened many, many years ago. The National Police Remembrance Day memorial service is conducted each year in memory of those police officers killed in the performance of duty. This memorial service is especially poignant to the Murray Mallee local service area, as it is held where the first two police officers, Mounted Constable Carter and Lance Corporal Wickham, were killed in the performance of their duty in South Australia. It is a very memorable occasion, and I pay homage to the 61 dedicated police officers who have lost their lives in the performance of duty since 1838, when South Australia Police was formed.

Thankfully, we have not seen the death of a South Australian police officer on duty since 2002. I would like to acknowledge my appreciation for the important work that SAPOL officers do in the community, particularly in the Riverland and Mallee. I do have a very good relationship with SAPOL. We have regular dialogue and regular catch-ups, so that I have a better understanding of tasks that they are undertaking and, potentially, any shortcomings that they are experiencing. I think every MP in this place would know that the police seem to be promised more resources, they seem to be promised more police officers, and yet we do not see those numbers coming to reality.

We do see the increased number of crimes happening in society. We do see the increased number of prisoners going into detention centres and, sadly, here in South Australia, our corrections centres are put under increasing strain on a day-to-day basis, and so, again, I pay tribute to the South Australian police department. We must not underestimate the important role of our police in our communities, particularly the regional communities. It is a very, very hard task to undertake, not only to be everywhere, but also because of the extensive road network, the extensive distance now between active police stations and, in many cases, the role that they have to play in faraway places.

I would like to put on the record that I was contacted by a number of constituents last night that were put under severe strain during the storm events. They could not contact 000, and they could not contact anyone to help them because there was no phone service—in a lot of these areas, their mobile phone service is non-existent. I think last night showed that there are deficiencies, but what it did show is the great performance of SAPOL, not only in metropolitan Adelaide that everyone here would have seen and, as the member for Elder did say, we see the police out there keeping our streets safe and our intersections safe.

For myself, looking out of the office window last night, the city was in gridlock, but when I did manage to get out of the city it was one of the most eerie, insecure feelings I have had in many, many a day. I was driving down main streets of Adelaide with no lights, no indication of anything—no streetlights, no shop lights, there was the occasional car light, cars zipping out of side streets, pulling up to intersections. Really, if you did not know there was an intersection there, you could have been in serious trouble.

I did notice that, at most of the busy intersections here in Adelaide, there were police officers braving the weather, keeping those intersections safe, guiding traffic, so, good on them. I also noticed that there were what appeared to be some looting events that happened on the way home last night, and police were attending those situations. Again, I do recognise the great work that SAPOL, here in South Australia, do. That important role that they played yesterday just highlights the significant role that they do play in today's society.

With Police Remembrance Day, we are reminded, on a day-to-day basis, that the moment we have an issue, we have a safety concern, we have people breaking the law, the first people we turn to, the first people we look for, the first people we want to make contact with, are the police. The police are those go-to people that give us a sense of security, they give us a sense of safety, but they also give us a sense of duty, and that is what SAPOL's dedicated officers do on a day-to-day basis. I do commend this motion put forward by the member for Morialta in recognising that today is National Police Remembrance Day.

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (11:44): I also rise to support the motion from the member for Morialta noting that today is National Police Remembrance Day, which is a very important day for us to remember the significant sacrifices that have been made by those police officers in our state but also across the country who have given their lives in active service. I note that the member for Stuart, as the shadow police minister, as well as the member for Little Para, who is there on behalf of the Minister for Police who is dealing with flood-related issues at the moment, are both at the memorial wall at Fort Largs Police Academy at the moment for the remembrance day ceremony; otherwise, I am sure both of them, as they are quite passionate about this issue, would have been here speaking in the house as they have done before.

I think this is a particularly important day on which to think about these issues when we are in the midst of a significant natural disaster in South Australia at the moment. Whenever these sorts of things happen, we laypeople go to be with our families at home and take shelter, whereas police go in, and they go in to protect us. They go into the path of a storm or whatever the disaster is. Even if it is a terrorist action or a criminal action, they put themselves in the line of duty and the line of danger to protect us and our way of life.

I think that is an incredible sacrifice to make and an incredible act of duty to keep us all safe. We know that there would have been a lot of police officers who would have had very little sleep last night and are still out there actively working to protect the community in these difficult circumstances that the state is facing at the moment, so thank you to all of you, on behalf of everybody in this parliament, for the work that you do.

You really also have to think about the family members of those police officers as well because it must be an incredible feeling of anxiety if your loved one is a police officer and he or she has to go out and face those difficulties, whether it is a storm event, a bushfire event or a criminal action of some description. To be sitting at home and wondering if they are all okay and going to come back okay must be an incredible burden to have to face as a family member of a police officer. Today is an important day to think about the impact upon all of those family members as well, as probably some of us take for granted the actions of police in these sorts of circumstances.

It is also worth noting that in this state we have a very good relationship between the police and the community. There are certain places in the world, particularly if you look at some places in the United States, where the respect between the police and the community has broken down. We do not have those issues here in South Australia. There is good respect from the police for the community and there is good respect from the community for the role of police.

I think that is a credit to everybody in this state, and we should be very proud of the way our society interacts. When that does not work, when that respect is not there, then that can really impact not just the policing but the whole way our society functions, so full credit to the police for the very important role that they play and the manner in which they do it to both keep us safe and to make our society function as well as it possibly can. I add my thanks to the mover of this motion because it is very important that our parliament marks this important day.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (11:48): I, too, rise to commend this motion. I am very lucky to be a country member. I think there are some unique advantages in being part of a tight-knit community and one of those is the interaction with a whole range of people who integrate into our community, whether they be from football or basketball clubs or whatever. The members of the Mount Gambier police force are wonderful people who contribute greatly to our community down in the South-East.

I want to talk briefly about Superintendent Trevor Twilley and some of the contributions he has made to our community, as well as many other members of the Mount Gambier police force. Unfortunately, Trevor will be leaving us towards the end of this year and will be relocated back to Adelaide. Trevor's contribution to our community has been widespread and certainly appreciated. He is a White Ribbon Ambassador and has taken an active lead on domestic violence prevention and awareness. He has also instigated drug action strategies, which culminated in an ice forum in Mount Gambier, which saw our Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre overflowing with people eager to learn more about this insidious drug and the impact it is having on our community.

Superintendent Twilley has also provided leadership for the youth of the South-East, engaging with them wherever possible. He has initiated projects such as the Hayes Crescent project, which took an unused and barren park and revitalised it with play equipment, basketball courts and all that type of stuff. He did not just impose that on the community but he did it in consultation with the community around Hayes Crescent. He then got young people from that area to do the hands-on building of that facility with a qualified builder and also a police officer. Paul Sciciuna was the police officer who volunteered for that. The positive consequences that came out of that project included a better understanding of police by the youth of that area, that they are human beings and have a lot to contribute.

One of my big concerns with our police force, which has been mentioned before, is that, while we are running away from situations, the police are running directly towards them. In terms of the impact of that on our police force, I would like to see a lot more attention being given to mental health support and the cumulative effects of seeing horrific situations, whether they be car accidents or informing people of the passing of one of their loved ones in whatever circumstances. I would like to see a lot more support being given to police.

Locally, we have had two young constables from the South-East killed whilst serving with the South Australia Police. Unfortunately, they were killed on 29 March 1982. Their names were Warren John Matheson, aged 24, and Matthew John Payne, aged 22. Both were killed whilst performing mobile patrol duties in Adelaide's south-west. The two constables were in pursuit of a vehicle in a south-western suburb of Adelaide when the offender swerved into them.

Mount Gambier resident Maureen Matheson lays a wreath every year at the Mount Gambier Police Station in memory of her son, Warren. At the time of his death, he had two small children. That is the thing that a lot of people do not think about, that family members are greatly affected. I think we have come a long way in workplace safety—in fact, a very, very long way—yet this is one industry in which it is almost impossible to rule out every situation where a police officer could face potential life-threatening injury or death.

We need to do everything we can to support our police and keep their workplaces as safe as possible. One of the greatest things I think we can do is to raise community understanding and connection with our police. I must say that the police in the South-East are a fantastic lot—fair, reasonable but firm—and that is what you need in all jurisdictions but particularly country areas where people are so closely knitted into the community. That understanding and tolerance certainly goes a long way, and I am pleased to see that continuing.

I encourage the government of the day not to have a sitting day on 29 September or to change the schedule so that we can represent the Parliament of South Australia at our local Police Remembrance Day services to show our community our support for our police officers. Today, my staff member will be laying a wreath on my behalf. In fact, it is a day off for him which he had asked for a long time ago but he thought it so important that he has come in today to do that because I could not be there. It is a very important day. I commend the motion to the house, and with those words I conclude my remarks.

Ms COOK (Fisher) (11:56): I would like to make a small contribution to the member for Morialta's motion, recognising today's National Police Remembrance Day, expressing value for their work and reflecting on the loss of police in the course of duty. Everybody who goes to work deserves to come home safely. A dear friend of mine is Janine Hook. Her grandfather was a Northern Territory officer who died in the course of his duty. Lou Hook joined the Northern Territory Police on 9 June 1937. He resigned on 13 March 1947 and then rejoined on 13 October 1947. He served in Brock's Creek, Darwin and Alice Springs.

Inspector Hook was awarded the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1965 in the month of March, as well as becoming a Member of the Royal Victorian Order following a royal tour in March 1963. On return from station inspections, Inspector Hook was involved in a motor vehicle accident near Pine Creek and died of massive internal injuries received in the accident. In Darwin, there is a road known as Hook Road which is named after him.

This police officer, Lou Hook, along with over 760 other police officers, is remembered both on the National Police Memorial wall in Canberra and also on the Honour Roll. It is a beautiful place to visit. I have taken my children there. This National Police Remembrance Day today has a memorial service being conducted in memory of the police officers who have been killed, and this date also marks the feast of St Michael the Archangel, who is the patron saint of police.

This service today in Adelaide is being held currently, with a number of other services being held across Australia, and my parliamentary colleague the member for Little Para is attending this service, representing the Minister for Police, the Hon. Peter Malinauskas from the other place who, along with the commissioner and SAPOL officers, is working tirelessly at this current time in response to the severe weather event that has affected our state so significantly in the last 24 hours.

The National Police Remembrance Day brings together representatives from the armed forces, law enforcement agencies, emergency services and key support organisations within the policing community, families of fallen members and the wider community of South Australia, and it affords a moment of reflection and remembrance for these officers. It is regrettable that 61 police officers have died while serving our community in South Australia, but it is also a great relief that none have died since 26 May 2002.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the officers for all the work they do on a daily basis, and particularly in the last 24 hours. On my journey home yesterday, between the city and the southern suburbs, there were many police officers standing in the middle of so many intersections. While it is not a violent, aggressive or drug-fuelled situation, they were putting their lives on the line standing in the middle of those intersections in such dangerous weather conditions. I thank every single one of them for doing that.

As members would be aware, I lost my son in violent circumstances in 2008. Right from the very second my family and I entered the hospital to see our son, police officers were there with us, helping us and looking after us, along with the medical team. It is a piece of work that many people probably do not realise that the police do. They have victim support officers, and their job is to mediate between victims and the police to make sure that they are informed of what is going on. Those wonderful officers from Sturt became deeply connected to us—to my family and to my son's friends, who were finding this time of their lives extremely difficult. They got to know us and they even got to know what sort of coffee everybody drank. When they came to my home to visit, they would come laden with trays of coffee.

While the police serve and constantly put their lives on the line, they are also a very compassionate and helpful group of people who embed themselves into communities at times of crises. Policing is definitely a calling and members of SAPOL are very special and committed people. With those remarks, I would like to commend the motion to the house.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:01): I rise to support the motion by the member for Morialta, that this house:

(a) recognises today is National Police Remembrance Day;

(b) values the unique work that the South Australia Police perform on behalf of our community; and

(c) expresses its sadness for and deep gratitude to the families of those officers who have lost their lives while doing their duty.

As has been expressed today, it is with much sadness that 61 police officers have lost their lives in South Australia since 1838 going out to do their job. Their families and their partners expect them to come home at night, and they are suddenly thrust into a horrible situation where their loved one has paid the ultimate sacrifice in their line of work.

Our local police do magnificent work at all levels. I have certainly had a fantastic working relationship with all of the police superintendents who have come into my area. Superintendent James Blandford is the current superintendent and it is great that, as with the former police superintendents in Murray Bridge, I have his mobile number in my phone and can ring him at any time. I try not to do that at 3 o'clock in the morning because I am rarely up at that time, but if I needed to I know that I could have his ear to talk about an incident or something that was happening on the road.

A couple of years ago, when Paul Yeomans was in the job, I was on the Princess Highway just outside Murray Bridge and I could hear on the citizens' band radio that a small truck was in the wrong lane and driving in the opposite direction. I instantly rang Paul and said, 'Look, you better get someone out here. There is someone near the Swanport Bridge about to head over onto the freeway that will need chasing up.' I do not know what the result was, but it was great to have that instant contact.

As I said, with Superintendent James Blandford, it is fantastic. There can sometimes be very extenuating circumstances when you ring the local police superintendent. It is not just day-to-day policing; it involves issues that need to be brought to his attention and resolved pretty quickly. He is very grateful and I am very grateful that we have that relationship.

Paul Featherstone, an old school friend from Urrbrae, is working at Murray Bridge. He is running the CIB down there and has had a very busy time recently. We had a murder at Mannum; we had Khandalyce, the little girl in the case, at Wynarka; we had some other cases he was heading up the inquiries on, apart from other inquiries; and we had Salt Creek with the issue of the overseas backpackers that I understand is still ongoing in the courts.

Those are some of the bigger events that have happened in the area, but you have to understand, as everyone knows in this place, that there are always underlying issues that need to be dealt with, whether it is traffic management, people management, drink driving, people not obeying road rules, drug busts or people looting or just breaking the law in general. The police do great work and, although I have only named a couple of people, there is quite a team right throughout the electorate.

I know that in recent years the numbers have been boosted down in Goolwa so that there are more police on the job. There are more unmarked cars so that people can be picked up without their thinking that the police are about. It is good to see that that police presence was extended, because it was causing some angst at Goolwa. I went to a public meeting and people were very forthright, and so they should have been, about the fact that we needed to get better police activity down there. I commend them for all their work, and I certainly commend them for their work on issues like the Pinery fire, which was a little while ago now.

That was such a terrible day. As I have said here before, it was very sad to lose two people, but when I look at some of the YouTube video of that day I always wonder why we did not lose more. There were people driving the wrong way towards the smoke and sometimes they did not even realise it. It was a huge fire. Even as a pretty seasoned CFS member, it was terrible. When you look at the aftermath and where that fire jumped the Sturt Highway and headed into Gawler, as bad as it was it could have been a lot worse, so I commend the work that the police have to deal with. I guess it was a natural event to a degree, but events like that really consume their services and consume a lot of time and energy.

With the power outage we experienced yesterday, at least 23 major transmission towers collapsed about 250 kilometres north of Adelaide and cut the power to the 1.7 million people of this state. The police had to be activated right across the state, and I commend them for the work they did. It has already been said, by people driving back from here to their places of abode in Adelaide or to their homes, how interesting it was. I stayed here fairly late because there was not much point going back as there were no lights. I think the kids were having a bad game of Snap or something. The biggest issue for my eldest son was that the wi-fi had gone out, so it was great to have some emergency power at work at Parliament House.

It was interesting to note, and it has already been stated, the police who were on the intersections on the way out of the city, and Glen Osmond Road was shrouded in darkness. I know one wag said, and they might have been genuine, that at one intersection, where the lights had gone out, the police were making a lot more sense than the lights ever did. That is a good sign because it was basically gridlock out on the streets at around 5 or 6 o'clock. From what I understand, it would take about an hour or even longer to get about three-quarters of the way across the city centre of Adelaide, so there was not really much point in going anywhere. The police were out there monitoring traffic and helping people through and, from what I understand, in the main there were only some minor accidents at intersections.

It was pretty spooky, as you did not even have flashing lights. There were no lights. Basically, it was a case of looking at all four corners of the intersection and thinking, 'Trust me, trust the other bloke/lady on the other side who is driving.' It was good to see that the police message had got out, and that there did not seem to be an excess of traffic, because they did not want people out on the roads who should not have been out. The police were certainly out there, and I saw them at the intersection of Glen Osmond Road with Cross Road and the freeway. They were still there at about 20 past 10 making sure that people got through safely. They do exemplary work.

I would just like to salute a police officer, Stan Lowcock, who was at Coonalpyn for a long time—I have not checked how many years, but it was well over a decade. In fact, Stan was so well known, and he has only recently gone to Yorke Peninsula, that when the truckies went through Coonalpyn they would say, 'Stan's out.' They knew it was Stan, as he obviously had had a few meetings with them and might have had to warn or maybe even book one or two. They knew he was the local police officer, and that is what happens in country communities.

Even the interstate truck drivers who were coming out of Melbourne and Adelaide knew that around Coonalpyn Stan was the police officer. It was not just a case of getting on the radio and saying, 'The police are out.' It was always a case of, 'Yep, Stan's out. Watch out, he's got the camera,' or whatever. He has moved on, but he did great community work. As with many police, if they are not playing football in your community, they are umpiring. Many of them umpire, as Stan did. It is an exemplary job they do. In closing, I would like to praise all the police officers in this state for what they do, and I certainly salute the 61 officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (12:11): I rise to also speak on this important motion, and in doing so I thank very much the member for Morialta for moving it. I also acknowledge the words of the other members who have spoken, and add my support to them.

National Police Remembrance Day is an important event for us to mark. It is a day when we commemorate and respect our women and men in blue who have lost their lives whilst on duty. Today, all across Australia, services will rightly be held to express our collective sadness about these tragedies, and to pay our collective respects. This morning in Adelaide a service was held at the Police Academy, which included an honour guard and the laying of wreaths. Families of police officers who have fallen in the line of duty attend what I understand is a deeply moving ceremony.

The National Police Memorial in Canberra, which was opened 10 years ago, will solemnly inscribe the names of the officers who have died whilst on duty. This year's service will sadly add two names to that roll, in addition to an additional five historic nominations. Today's service will bring the total number of officers listed on the memorial to 764, with the first officer recorded as being killed on duty in Australia being Constable Joseph Luker of Sydney, in 1803.

Each of these brave officers, who have given their lives in the name of duty, is solemnly remembered by a metal touchstone inscribed with the officer's rank, name, jurisdiction, and the place and date of death. Sadly, 61 South Australian officers are memorialised here. It is important that we pause today to reflect on the dedication of our police officers, the danger and risk of their work, and their selfless service to our community. This evening, we can all cast our eyes to our beautiful Adelaide Oval, which will be illuminated in the distinctive chequered band of the South Australia Police, and take a moment to remember. In doing so, I and others will reflect on the service of these women and men who have tragically lost their lives.

I will also take a moment to reflect and be thankful for the numerous police—men and women—who I saw out last night in torrential rain and extraordinary winds guiding South Australians home through darkness, without the aid of traffic lights. I know that I hesitated across intersections that had no lights, trying to carefully work out who was next and who should go at a particular time. It was certainly very comforting to arrive at those intersections where there was an amazing police presence to help us through. I have absolutely no doubt, as I said, that that work last night helped to save lives and to keep many South Australians safe from injury.

My husband is part of a very large family, and his brothers and sisters-in-law serve our community in different ways through their work. His oldest brother has just retired from police service this year, after spending decades of his life in it. I know, from spending time with him and his family, how selfless it is to work as a police officer, continuously working shifts around the clock—selfless in terms of service to our community, but also in terms of the type of family life you are able to live in that environment.

There are many family occasions that he has, sadly, had to miss. With many of his family members also being shift workers in service, even organising things like Christmas lunch (generally on a day other than Christmas) is an extraordinary feat. Again, I say thank you to every officer who works around the clock to keep us safe and in the service of our community. I again pay my deepest respects to those officers who have tragically lost their lives in our service and offer my condolences to their family members. Vale to those 764, and thank you.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (12:15): I rise to support the motion moved by the member for Morialta. Each year, 29 September, Police Remembrance Day, holds a significant place in the hearts of many. It is an important day of commemoration, when police pause to honour officers who have lost their lives in the service of their communities. It is a day, too, when police officers remember colleagues who have lost their lives through illness or other circumstances, and today there are many services taking place in Adelaide and in cities around Australia.

South Australian police have been serving our community for over 177 years and in that time have, sadly, lost 61 officers while on duty. The selfless commitment of our police in the face of the constant risk of danger is so often taken for granted. I have family members who serve in the police force, and I am fully aware of the concerns that we have when they are on duty in their everyday working life. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the police officers and other emergency services officers who were out in the storm last night, and the police officers in particular who were ensuring safety on our roads.

Today, I would also like to acknowledge and pay tribute to all those police men and women who have been injured during the course of carrying out their duties. I have always had an enormous amount of respect for police officers in our community, and this has been reinforced as I have come to know the dedicated police officers who work at the Holden Hill Police Station in my electorate of Torrens. Today, I pay my respects to the officers' families and to colleagues of police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, as today in this place we acknowledge Police Remembrance Day. I commend the motion to the house.

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (12:17): I thank the other members of both sides of the house who have risen to support the motion during this debate. Those 61 officers who have fallen while serving the South Australian community as police officers have done so in all sorts of different circumstances, from being caught up in natural disaster situations or car accidents, through to facing the dangerous actions of criminals and terrorists, and indeed while serving as peacekeepers abroad and in South Australia.

Of course, we have lost officers in all of the three centuries—the 1800s, the 1900s and this century—that the service has existed. What they have shared across their 177 years of service is an unwavering commitment to their community, such as that demonstrated by police officers over the course of the recent storms and the current storms. I echo the comments made by many members in thanking our police officers for the tremendous effort they have put in to keeping our community safe during the current extraordinary weather conditions, along with other emergency services workers, who have no doubt been responsible for saving dozens of lives that might otherwise have been lost.

With those words, I commend the motion to the house and once again place on the record my sorrow for the loss of those 61 officers. For those whose families are still with us, my condolences to the families and my thanks for the ongoing work of all of our officers.

Motion carried.