Legislative Council Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Answers to Questions Auditor-General's Report Auditor-General's Report The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON Legislative Council Auditor-General's Report In reply to the Hon. L.A. HENDERSON ().12 November 2024). The Hon. K.J. MAHER Legislative Council Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Attorney-General Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector Auditor-General's Report The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): The Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services has advised: The aircraft are provided as part of an outsourced service that provides a highly specialised emergency aviation capability for the state. Since the inception of the State Rescue Helicopter Service (SRHS), the state has outsourced this emergency service capability due to the highly specialised and regulated nature of the aviation industry. The current contractor provides not only the aircraft, but also the pilots, aircrew and engineers that operate and maintain the aircraft. The provision of the aircraft as part of this service is treated as a lease under the relevant accounting standards. Management and operation of helicopters is a specialised field and requires highly skilled personnel including, pilots, aircrew and engineers to operate the aircraft and attend to the comprehensive aircraft maintenance requirements. The regulatory framework for emergency aviation is extensive and complex. It requires specialised administrators and operations staff to be well versed in aviation regulations, laws and standards. The cost and risk to government in providing this expertise in-house would be significant and as such the operation is outsourced to a specialist provider. This is a common approach across Australia and globally.