Question Time

National Police Remembrance Day

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Police. Can the minister inform the council about the significance of 29 September to police organisations across Australia?

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 her question, because 29 September is a significant day in the Australian policing community. It marks National Police Remembrance Day, one of the most important days on the police calendar. National Police Remembrance Day is a day for all Australians to pause and honour the bravery of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. We also remember those who have passed away through illness and other circumstances.

In 1989, police commissioners across the country instigated National Police Remembrance Day, agreeing that 29 September would be a day of remembrance and would be accompanied by services. Unfortunately, due to the incidents unfolding with the weather, I was unable to attend that service. The date of 29 September was an appropriate day to be selected, as it falls on the Feast Day of St Michael, the patron saint of police.

In South Australia a service is held every year at the Wall of Remembrance at the police academy, and both the commissioner and I were deeply disappointed not to have been able to participate in this morning's service due to our commitments in the ongoing response to the severe weather that has struck our state in the last 24 hours. However, I understand that the service was held to mark this important date, and I thank my colleague in the other place, the member for Little Para, a former police officer himself, and my colleague in this chamber, the Hon. Terry Stephens MLC, for ensuring that our fallen officers and those across the nation were paid the respect they deserve.

The National Police Remembrance Day service brings together representatives of the armed forces, law enforcement agencies, emergency services and key support organisations within the policing community, families of fallen members and the wider community of South Australia, and affords a moment of reflection and remembrance of those officers who have fallen in the line of duty endeavouring to keep our community safe.

South Australian police have been serving our community for over 177 years, and the South Australia Police Honour Roll commemorates the 61 South Australian members who have lost their lives whilst serving our communities. Thankfully, we have not lost an officer in the line of duty since 2002.

An honourable member: And let's hope we don't.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Indeed. A National Police Memorial has been established in Canberra, and was first dedicated on 29 September 2006. Jointly funded by federal, state and territory police services and the Police Federation of Australia, it records the name, rank, jurisdiction, place and date of death of the 754 police officers killed since Constable Joseph Luker of Sydney died in 1803. The names of officers who died whilst on duty in the preceding 12 months are added as part of each year's service.

I have had the great privilege to serve as Minister for Police for almost nine months, and my respect and appreciation for the work police do has only grown. I am thankful for this opportunity to acknowledge the important role police officers play in our community and the significant sacrifices they make regularly in order to keep our communities safe. In addition to those officers who have lost their life while on duty, there are the countless numbers of police men and women who have been injured while on duty. I would also like to pay tribute to them.

Every loss of a police officer is a solemn reminder of the dangers they face in the line of duty and the immense expectations that we, as a community, place on them to protect us. I thank all those members who are wearing a Police Remembrance Ribbon for their support and their contribution to SA Police Legacy, the charitable organisation that provides a range of services to police families.

Today's day of remembrance is timely, given what has unfolded since severe weather hit the state, and I think it is only right that I make mention of the tremendous effort and commitment shown in the last 24 hours by our police and emergency services workers. Overnight, at the front of Parliament House, police officers marshalled traffic into the late hours of yesterday evening through inclement weather; other officers were called to events that arose from the extreme weather. We saw an extraordinary event occur—indeed, we are currently witnessing an extraordinary event occurring—and our police men and women have done an outstanding job.

I think one small example of that, which had a significant impact on so many people's lives, was yesterday afternoon, with the quick action of police in attending so many traffic intersections throughout metropolitan Adelaide to guide people home safely. They do this type of important work throughout our state, and we thank them for their incredible service on this important day.