House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-06-05 Daily Xml

Contents

South Australia Police

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (15:53): We all know how hard our police work, but that work has become increasingly more difficult and more complex as time has gone on. Police are often called to complex mental health call-outs and an increased response in terms of the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence and family violence issues, which is entirely understandable. What this has done is put extra pressure on our police and that is why I am very, very pleased that in today's state budget the Treasurer and, indeed, the Minister for Police have seen fit to provide a record budget boost to the funding for SAPOL in our state.

By the year 2031 we will have 5,000 sworn police officers on the beat, and that maintains our state's position as having the highest number of police officers per capita anywhere in the country. This is on top of other measures in the budget in terms of mental health co-responders, more motorcycles and a complete upgrade to the firearms that our SAPOL officers carry.

I want to commend the Treasurer for this budget. This budget proves, if proof were needed, that the Malinauskas government takes community safety very seriously.


At 15:55 the house adjourned until Tuesday 17 June 2025 at 11:00.