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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-16 Daily Xml
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Public Works Committee: South Australia Police Barracks Specialist Investigations Unit Relocation

Mr BROWN (Florey) (11:45): I move:

That the 39th report of the committee, entitled 'South Australia Police Barracks Specialist Investigations Unit relocation project', be noted.

South Australia Police, or SAPOL, proposes to relocate the Specialist Investigations Unit that is currently located at the Thebarton Police Barracks to a leased premise following the completion of associated fit-out works and relevant security measures.

The unit will be co-located with another SAPOL function to provide a secure fit-for-purpose SAPOL leased facility and will allow works to proceed with the construction of the new Women's and Children's Hospital announced by the state government in September 2022. This initiative will support SAPOL's Our Strategy 2030: Safer Communities, by ensuring prompt and effective service delivery, maintaining a visible police presence in the community, reassuring the public and ensuring resources are deployed to emergencies and events where required.

The Thebarton Police Barracks is a multifunctional site, with its function not replicated or accommodated at any other police site. It is critical to ensure these services are relocated at the earliest opportunity to ensure continuity of policing services provision for the South Australian public. The relocation of the specialist unit will provide contemporary accommodation, technology and facilities to support ongoing services to the community and will deliver specialised operational fit-out works at the site. Importantly, the project will enable the continuation of critical operational policing services to support core obligations of SAPOL and the government of South Australia.

The Specialist Investigations Unit is responsible for targeting unique persons of interest and is an attractive target for criminals, requiring increased security measures. These increased security measures for the building and staff have been at the forefront of determining the location, function and design of the unit. These measures ensure the safety of SAPOL personnel and mitigate the risk of the unit operations being disrupted by persons of interest.

SAPOL confirms that several commercial sites were considered in consultation with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, or DIT, and Renewal SA to accommodate the unit's relocation. An option of existing infrastructure already leased by SAPOL was identified as a suitable location to maximise occupancy of the facility. The site has attached office accommodation that has been deemed suitable to accommodate a permanent site for the Specialist Investigations Unit, with SAPOL currently in the process of documenting a further 10-year lease from September 2024.

The project delivery will be managed by DIT to ensure SAPOL's requirement of fit-for-purpose infrastructure is achieved. This will maintain SAPOL's capability to respond to ever-changing and increasing threats to public safety and security. Robust project management processes will establish a cost plan, schedule regular reviews of design, comply with documentation and construction progress and will ensure compliance with legislative requirements of the Development Act 1993.

SAPOL recognises the important of ecologically sustainable development principles and reports that key environmental objectives and performance criteria are adopted in the design and delivery of the project, with SAPOL committed to providing facilities with good environmental qualities to achieve good value-for-money solutions, providing a positive workplace, reducing energy and water consumption, and minimising recurrent costs associated with maintaining and operating the facility.

The Department for Environment and Water has assessed and approved the submission against the Ecologically Sustainable Development guide note for planning design and delivery. SAPOL is aware of various operational risks associated with the project and states that failing to achieve successful project delivery would result in a major impairment of SAPOL's operational capabilities. SAPOL will employ its risk management policy and framework over the course of the project in conjunction with DIT's mandated risk management approach.

The project management by governing bodies at SAPOL and DIT will be conducted through a five-step infrastructure planning and delivery framework. This multiagency governance framework is in place to mitigate risks, ensure a value-for-money outcome is achieved and ensure that early contractor involvement is undertaken to develop realistic schedules. The governance structure also ensures there is appropriate oversight and risk management during the planning and delivery stages.

Extensive consultation and engagement has occurred throughout the feasibility and concept planning works for this relocation project. Notably, the project team has undertaken user group consultation with individuals who have firsthand experience and service requirements to be involved in developing facility concepts and design detail. This consultation with various stakeholders will continue throughout construction works to service readiness. Furthermore, all required communication around the site planning and logistics will be managed by SAPOL through SAPOL's communication team.

SAPOL confirms after consultation with the Department of the Premier and Cabinet Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation unit that there are no native title implications over the site area. After consultation with the Department for Environment and Water, SAPOL confirms there are no local heritage places on the site.

The committee examined written and oral evidence in relation to the South Australia Police Barracks Specialist Investigations Unit relocation project. Witnesses who appeared before the committee were Assistant Commissioner Noel Bamford, SA Police; Ms Karen Kochergen, Director, Infrastructure and Assets, SA Police; Mr Scott Bayliss, Chief Services Officer, Department of Treasury and Finance; and Mr John Harrison, Director Building Projects, Department for Infrastructure and Transport. I thank the witnesses for their time.

Based upon the evidence considered, and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public work.

Motion carried.

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