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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-02-05 Daily Xml
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POLICE AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee) (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Police. Could the minister inform the house of the results of the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services as it relates to the areas of police and corrections?

The SPEAKER: Minister for Police.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I warn the deputy leader.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Finance, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:10): I thank the member for Lee for his question. The 2013 report, which represents data from all Australian states and territories for the 2011-12 financial year, confirms that the Weatherill Labor government is providing South Australians with a bigger, better resourced police force than has ever been the case. South Australia has 320 police for every 100,000 persons, the highest number of police per capita than any other state. This is above the national average of 268 police per 100,000. In fact, Queensland is the closest state behind South Australia, with 290, followed by Western Australia with 283. Victoria and New South Wales are far behind with just 258 and 235 per 100,000 persons respectively.

The report found that we are spending a record high of $409 per person on policing compared with just $241 in 2001-02 when the Liberals were last in government. This is an almost 70 per cent increase per person across South Australia; all of this while having the highest proportion of operational staff of any police force in the nation. Adding to an already positive result, South Australia's correctional system has led the nation for the fifth year in a row while recording the lowest rate of offenders returning to prison. The report shows that in South Australia 29.1 per cent of prisoners returned to detention within two years of discharge. This is well below the national average of 39.3 per cent.

South Australia scored top marks in educating prisoners, with 46.4 per cent of eligible prisoners participating in one or more accredited education and training courses. The majority of these prisoners are participating in courses targeted specifically at improving their literacy and numeracy skills to assist them upon release. I think most members would be aware of the fact that poor literacy and numeracy is a predicator of imprisonment. South Australia's result is well above the national average of 33.8 per cent and is once again a huge increase from the 28 per cent participation rate in 2001-02 when we came to government. The report also found that South Australia was the only state to record no escapes.

Nationally, the average population of Indigenous prisoners was 26.6 per cent; however, in South Australia a lower 23.7 per cent of the prisoner population was Indigenous. In South Australia we spent just $211 per prisoner per day against a national average of $226. We are consistently achieving one of the lowest return to prison rates in Australia and a cost of imprisonment that is less than the national average. These are excellent achievements, and recognition should be given to the police, correctional service officers and others who worked tirelessly for the benefit of all South Australians.

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