South Australia Police

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:16): Supplementary: does the minister consider that the make-up of the region that the honourable member refers to, given that it ranges from east of Renmark to Policeman Point in the Upper South-East, is the best model for servicing the diverse communities that are within that LSA region?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:16): As the honourable member would be aware, SAPOL is currently going through the process of dramatically reviewing the way that it has organisationally arranged itself through the SAPOL 2020 reform program. That is something this government supports the police commissioner in in his endeavours. Notwithstanding some questions from members opposite that seem to imply they are not supportive of giving the police commissioner the independence and support he needs to be able to undertake that reform, it is something this government does support.

As I understand it, the police commissioner at the moment is focused on the way LSAs are structured within the metropolitan area. Regional LSAs are not currently under review in terms of what their structure and make-up is, but of course it is entirely within the purview of the police commissioner to look at that going into the future. As I understand it and as I am advised, there are no immediate plans underway to be reviewing the way the boundaries are set up within regional LSAs, but that work is in train within the metropolitan area.

I suspect, without making any assumptions about what the police commissioner's intentions are, that once a new LSA model is bedded down within metropolitan Adelaide, the police commissioner might turn his mind to whether or not there are learnings out of that that could be equally applied to regional areas, which will provide an opportunity to make a contribution to that debate.