Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The South Australian state Labor government is at it again. First they announced cuts to services in health at emergency departments at major hospitals such as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and closures to the Daw Park Repatriation General Hospital and the St Margaret's Rehabilitation Hospital at Semaphore. This time they have announced plans to cut the number of sworn police officers, and to close some police stations and slash operating hours at others.

This is all thanks to the state Labor government's poor economic handling of the state's budget for the past 14 years. South Australia Police has to find $260 million in budget savings over the next four years to meet mandated government efficiency dividends. As a result of poor budget management, and $2 million in interest repayments each day on state Labor's debt, they are now cutting vital public services.

Three major metropolitan stations in my electorate will have operating hours chopped. Glenelg, Netley and Henley Beach police stations will now only operate five days a week, Monday to Friday. Operating hours will also be cut from 9 am to 5 pm. I echo the statement from South Australian shadow minister for police Dan van Holst Pellekaan that Labor's plans to reduce operating hours at the Henley Beach police station immediately after spending $5 million upgrading it highlights how poorly they thought through these budget cuts.

I must admit, I find it hard to believe that the state government would impose such hours on areas such as Henley Beach and Glenelg. These are two of South Australia's prime entertainment precincts and tourist hotspots—areas that attract people until late at night and need extra police resources. Even Police Association of South Australia President Mark Carroll has been scathing, coming out and slamming the plans and calling the proposals 'disturbing'. In an article in TheAdvertiser, Mr Carroll went further:

"As the Police Association has previously insisted, these reviews are not about service delivery—they are about budget cuts," Mr Carroll said.

"This economic rationalist approach only delivers policing on the cheap. It will not deliver the level of service the SA community currently enjoys."

'This review process since its beginning has been chaotic, divisive and lacking credibility,' he said.

It is concerning to read reports from 2015 that latest crime statistics revealed that in the Sturt Local Service Area offences intended to injure a person had increased 25 per cent from the previous year. Hindmarsh is one of the oldest electorates in the nation, as to the age demographic. Elderly residents are the most vulnerable in our community, and changes to local police stations are not going to help. Only recently, I received an email from Miss Caroline Ditmar of Glenelg in my electorate, and I would like to take the opportunity to read a few sections of her correspondence.

Hi Matt,

I wish to highlight an increase in crime and drunken behaviour around the direct vicinity of Glenelg, around Jetty Road. In the past four months there have been five incidents of car vandalism from residents in Milton Street, plus a constant wave of undesirable behaviour in the back streets, which occurs with most popular seaside towns.

I understand I moved to a busy neighbourhood and I accept that, but I do not understand why the Glenelg Police Station is not open 24 hours a day on a weekend during seasonably higher periods, such as summer, when the population of the seaside area would be double. In the day there is a visual police presence. During the evenings you do not even see any foot patrols or cars unless an incident has occurred. I do not find this satisfactory and I personally would not feel safe or advise anyone to walk around the streets after 9 pm on a weekend.

This is a concerned Glenelg resident, and this is reflective of other people I have spoken to within the community—and also police, actually. I have spoken to a number of police, who have inquired about certain incidents and made comment about the decline in police services in the area.

As a result of Caroline Ditmar's correspondence, I was pleased to promote the federal government's Safer Streets Program to the local council for consideration. The Safer Streets Program is an important government initiative which provides funding for eligible organisations, such as local governments and neighbourhood watch associations, to deliver effective solutions to local areas experiencing problems with criminal or antisocial behaviour. I was pleased to work with the City of West Torrens council and the West Adelaide Football Club on an application to the Safer Streets Program for the installation of security sensor lighting and CCTV, which will improve visibility and provide a greater sense of safety for our local community.

Neighbourhood watch associations do an amazing job in our community. I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the great work of those groups and their coordinators in my electorate of Hindmarsh: Novar Gardens neighbourhood watch, John Summers; Morphettville neighbourhood watch, Ross Bowles; Flinders Park neighbourhood watch, Bill Newman; Netley neighbourhood watch, Cathy Glover; and Camden Park neighbourhood watch, Rosie Storey. I condemn the state government's plans and I welcome the move of the South Australian Liberals, who will look to establish a joint lower and upper house inquiry to examine the police budget, staffing and operational needs to address the decline of police servicing in our community.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 12 : 02