Premier's Taskforce

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Police. Will the minister commit to releasing the report and recommendations from the Premier's Taskforce to the public? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TELFER: At the Budget and Finance Committee meeting last week, the police commissioner indicated the police task force had its final meeting in March 2023, more than 14 months ago, and its work has been finalised.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN (Kavel—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Special Minister of State) (14:59): I thank the member for Flinders, the shadow minister, for the question. It was, as I have remarked earlier in this place, a commitment of the government to establish a task force that would examine those matters which had been left unexamined by the previous government.

It was necessary to take that step, not only because the Premier had a commitment to address these serious issues that were contemplated, of course, at the time, but that the then opposition was examining the work that had previously been done—or, more importantly, the work that had been left undone—and a commitment was made to ensure that there would be, chaired by chief executive of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, a task force to examine those issues that had been left unaddressed.

One important issue that had been left unaddressed was the recruitment of sworn officers, and the South Australian police force was left by you in a state that was an utter disgrace—an utter disgrace. Despite the obvious attrition that occurred, despite the lack of investment that had been made to date, despite the trends which were obvious, despite the need to invest not just in sworn officers but also in additional police security officers, very little was done.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: I missed you yesterday, but here I am. I'm back.

An honourable member: We were here.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: Were you? I'm not sure you were. In any case—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN: No, no, no—I was at a police graduation where there were 25 additional officers sworn in to address the matters you had left unaddressed.