❓ Question regarding funding for the Soldiers and Sirens program, which supports veterans, police, and first responders. Minister assures increased support for police trauma but denies state funding cuts to Soldiers and Sirens, citing alternative services.
AnsweredQoN 437Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SOLDIERS AND SIRENS
PROGRAM
437. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I have a supplementary question.
Regardless of the original source of funding, will the minister do what he —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Deputy Premier,
you should know better. I want to hear a short, sharp supplementary question,
nothing else.
Dr D.J. HONEY : Regardless of
the original source of funding, will the minister do what he knows is right in supporting our veterans, police and first
responders, and provide at least some level of funding to support this service ,
which is so highly regarded by our police force and service people?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : The Minister for
Police and only the Minister for Police!
PROGRAM
437. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I have a supplementary question.
Regardless of the original source of funding, will the minister do what he —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Deputy Premier,
you should know better. I want to hear a short, sharp supplementary question,
nothing else.
Dr D.J. HONEY : Regardless of
the original source of funding, will the minister do what he knows is right in supporting our veterans, police and first
responders, and provide at least some level of funding to support this service ,
which is so highly regarded by our police force and service people?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : The Minister for
Police and only the Minister for Police!
AnswerView source ↗
I came to this role with a genuine
focus on assisting police who are dealing with trauma and the consequences of
the trauma they encounter. The Commissioner of Police will tell you that; he
has stated it publicly to police officers via From the Line, his online
newsletter. He has also said at public forums, consistently, that it was the
first thing I raised with him on day one. At the very first meeting I had with
him as the new minister, I raised the issue of focusing on assisting our police
officers who might be suffering from PTSD or other illnesses as a consequence
of the traumas they encounter.
Since that time, he has actively
pursued increasing resources, which had already been massively increased above
what we inherited, in the last term of the McGowan government. As the member
knows and was reported publicly, we recently
held a prevention of suicide forum that I attended for the entire duration of
briefings, throughout the morning and into the afternoon. I can
guarantee the member that more is being done now than has ever been done before
in the history of Western Australia to support our police officers in
operational and all health matters, and certainly with regard to supporting
those who might be suffering illnesses as a consequence of the traumas they
encounter.
I will repeat this, because it is an
obvious fact: no-one at state level cut any funding to Soldiers and Sirens. It
was an authorised external provider. If hundreds upon hundreds of police
officers had been seeking out its assistance, it would have been funded by the
police force; that is the process. Clearly, that is not the case. It does not
provide —
Several members interjected.
Mr P. PAPALIA : There is no
service provided by Soldiers and Sirens that is not available through other
external providers or through internal provision of service from within the
police force. If Soldiers and Sirens wants a
$1 million grant to continue its business, it is not going to get it from us,
because I am focused on providing the best possible service for our police officers, and using every single dollar
of taxpayers' money in the most effective manner we possibly
can.
focus on assisting police who are dealing with trauma and the consequences of
the trauma they encounter. The Commissioner of Police will tell you that; he
has stated it publicly to police officers via From the Line, his online
newsletter. He has also said at public forums, consistently, that it was the
first thing I raised with him on day one. At the very first meeting I had with
him as the new minister, I raised the issue of focusing on assisting our police
officers who might be suffering from PTSD or other illnesses as a consequence
of the traumas they encounter.
Since that time, he has actively
pursued increasing resources, which had already been massively increased above
what we inherited, in the last term of the McGowan government. As the member
knows and was reported publicly, we recently
held a prevention of suicide forum that I attended for the entire duration of
briefings, throughout the morning and into the afternoon. I can
guarantee the member that more is being done now than has ever been done before
in the history of Western Australia to support our police officers in
operational and all health matters, and certainly with regard to supporting
those who might be suffering illnesses as a consequence of the traumas they
encounter.
I will repeat this, because it is an
obvious fact: no-one at state level cut any funding to Soldiers and Sirens. It
was an authorised external provider. If hundreds upon hundreds of police
officers had been seeking out its assistance, it would have been funded by the
police force; that is the process. Clearly, that is not the case. It does not
provide —
Several members interjected.
Mr P. PAPALIA : There is no
service provided by Soldiers and Sirens that is not available through other
external providers or through internal provision of service from within the
police force. If Soldiers and Sirens wants a
$1 million grant to continue its business, it is not going to get it from us,
because I am focused on providing the best possible service for our police officers, and using every single dollar
of taxpayers' money in the most effective manner we possibly
can.
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