POLICE, APY LANDS

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (16:39): I have a supplementary question. Does the minister think it is fair that the officers who were recruited to the lands on the basis that they would be away from home two weeks out of three have now been forced into a three week out of four scenario? What is your view?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (16:39): The Hon. Terry Stephens has raised a number of allegations in this place, and he keeps getting it wrong. The conditions given to police officers have improved significantly, particularly for officers serving on the lands. Under the enterprise bargaining agreement reached last year, significantly more attractive conditions apply to officers on those lands.

The conditions in relation to serving police officers is a matter for the Police Commissioner of this state. If the Liberal Party wishes to go to the next election and say, 'We will no longer accept the word of the Police Commissioner; the Liberal minister for police in future will direct police operations and he will be responsible for every decision that police make,' if that is what members opposite want to do, then let them say so.

Let them go to the next election and say, 'Under a Liberal government, we will tell the police what to do. They will be responsible to ministerial direction.' Of course, they will have to change the act and convention and history in order to do that but, if they want to do that, so be it. Otherwise members opposite should accept the fact, as do most South Australians, that we are fortunate to have a very good Police Commissioner who runs the police force in an exemplary manner and who makes sure that the resources with which he is provided are used in the best interests of the people of this state.