SAFECOM Staffing levels

The Hon. A.L. McLACHLAN (14:54): My question is directed to the Minister for Emergency Services: can the minister advise the chamber whether there are any extant plans to reduce the staff numbers at SAFECOM?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:54): I thank the honourable member for their question regarding SAFECOM. SAFECOM is an organisation that performs an important function in the state when it comes to an agency that works collaboratively with other sectors within emergency services, namely the CFS, the MFS and the SES. It is an organisation that has, over recent years, due to changes around budgets, already undertaken very substantial reforms within itself to make sure they are providing an efficient service to those agencies as best as they can.

Like any agency, they are subject to budgetary requirements, and budgets are always subject to review through the normal budgetary process. SAFECOM is an organisation that I think continues to perform an important function and, of course, it would be my expectation that if the SAFECOM budget changed then of course they would have to change the way they look at their staffing.

I can advise the house that I would expect all the agencies that I am responsible for to be constantly reviewing themselves to make sure that they are prepared for things to change in respect of their budget. Of course, I do my very best to keep abreast of any sort of potential changes around staffing within the agencies, where it's reasonable to do so.