Question Time

Transit Police

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Police a question about transit police numbers.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: In July 2012, the then police minister Jennifer Rankine announced that transit police would be boosted by 28. At the time she stated that there were 102 transit police officers. Basic maths deduced that this commitment would bring the number to 130 transit police by a date not specified but presumed to be at least within the forward estimates.

On 19 February 2014, the Premier issued a media release stating that the number of transit police was, at that time, 114. On 29 January 2016, the transport minister issued a media release stating that there were almost 100 transit police. For the sake of prudence, the very hardworking shadow transport minister David Pisoni (the member for Unley) took the liberty of FOl'ing the number of current transit police officers. SAPOL responded that, as at 3 February (so just five weeks ago), there were 73.8 FTE transit police officers.

Yesterday, in question time in the other place, the transport minister reported that the government had made good on its 2012 commitment and he attempted to justify his answer by saying that, in response to the aforementioned FOI, the shadow minister had attempted to quote the number of transit police officers attending work on one particular day, that being 3 February. My question to the minister is: can he confirm that the response of his department to the FOI request was factually correct and that, as at 3 February 2016, there were 73.8 FTEs employed as transit police officers?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:19): I thank the Leader of the Opposition in this chamber for his important question. My advice is very clear: on 3 February 2016, there were, indeed, 73.8 FTEs who were performing the function of a transit officer on that day. I am advised that this figure does not include transit police officers who were on leave, whether that be annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave or other forms of absences of that nature.

I also thank the honourable member for his important question because it gives another opportunity for this government to outline its extraordinary success when it comes to resourcing the police well in this state. We did make an election commitment many years ago to increase the transit police numbers, and that commitment has been honoured.

The number of transit police patrolling public transport in this state has increased under this government, just as the number of police officers has increased under this government, just as the amount of money we spend on SAPOL has been increased by this government—on average by approximately 9 per cent per annum since coming to office—and that commitment remains ongoing.

We will continue to increase the police budget, we will continue to increase the number of police officers serving our community, we will continue to increase the services delivered to South Australians by making it safer, by working collaboratively with the police commissioner, who we genuinely believe is the person best placed to make decisions on how to productively and efficiently allocate the substantially increased resources that this government has provided to SAPOL.