Emergency Services Aerial Fleet

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:56): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services. Will the minister update the council on the government's recent investment in the state's emergency aerial fleet?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:57): I thank the member for his question. The Malinauskas government is making a once-in-a-generation investment in our state's emergency service aerial fleet, an investment that will save lives, improve response times and strengthen our ability to meet future demands. With a record investment, I am advised, of $870 million, we are ensuring that South Australia has the very best in emergency service aviation services—services that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to crises anywhere, any time.

A faster, bigger and more effective emergency service response: from next year South Australia will roll out a new fleet of eight state-of-the-art aircraft, strengthening our capacity for law enforcement, search and rescue, and medical retrieval operations. For our police force, we will be introducing two Bell 429 helicopters. With speeds of up to 287 km/h and a range of 596 kilometres, these aircraft will rapidly deploy to support law enforcement, protect the community and assist in search and rescue missions.

For emergency medical retrieval and search and rescue, three Leonardo AW139 helicopters will be delivered. These helicopters, capable of flying 309 km/h, with a range of nearly 700 kilometres, will dramatically improve our ability to transport critically ill or injured patients from regional and remote areas to life-saving medical care. Our new PC12 NG fixed-wing aircraft will also be added to the fleet, providing additional capacity for aerial medical retrieval.

For the first time we are bringing together SA Police and SA Ambulance Services aerial operations under a single provider—Toll Aviation. This will improve efficiencies, coordination and deployment of rescues, ensuring faster response times and better outcomes for communities across the state. We are also proud to partner with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Indigenous aerospace consultancy Gunggandji Aerospace, strengthening our emergency response network and ensuring all South Australians receive the best possible care in times of crisis.

Importantly, this is not just an investment for today; it is a long-term commitment. The new aircraft will be available for emergency responses 24 hours a day, every day of the year, under the contract that extends until 2039. Beyond saving lives, this investment will create over 80 new local jobs in aviation management, aircrew engineering and operations, boosting our local economy while ensuring we have the skilled workforce needed to support this world-class emergency fleet.

South Australia expects and deserves the best possible emergency response times. With this investment, we are delivering on that expectation. We will be faster, better equipped and more coordinated. We are committing to ensuring South Australians, no matter where they live, have the rapid response that they are looking for.