❓ Mrs Roberts questions the funding source for police voluntary severances and the impact on service delivery. Minister Harvey defends the program, stating it's funded through internal efficiencies and won't diminish services.
AnsweredQoN 860Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — VOLUNTARY SEVERANCES
860. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the
Minister for Police:
I refer to the termination of the employment of 196 police
officers at a cost of $37 million.
(1) Given that Commissioner of
Police Karl O'Callaghan stated last year —
there is not a lot of wastage or
fat to make significant savings
where is the $37 million coming from
to fund the termination of the employment of the 196 officers?
(2) How can the
minister guarantee that service delivery will not diminish in any way by the
redundancy of 196 officers?
860. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the
Minister for Police:
I refer to the termination of the employment of 196 police
officers at a cost of $37 million.
(1) Given that Commissioner of
Police Karl O'Callaghan stated last year —
there is not a lot of wastage or
fat to make significant savings
where is the $37 million coming from
to fund the termination of the employment of the 196 officers?
(2) How can the
minister guarantee that service delivery will not diminish in any way by the
redundancy of 196 officers?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Midland for the opportunity to talk about the voluntary
severance offer that we have made available to Western Australian police —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : This is an opportunity to highlight a significant point of
difference between this side of the house and the other side of the house in
the opportunities extended to police officers. These are not cuts; these are
not redundancies; these are 196 voluntary —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
You said they were redundancies yesterday.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
No, I did not; I said they were voluntary severances. One hundred and
ninety-six police officers have had the offer of a voluntary severance package
extended to them. The positions remain. The 196 positions will be reviewed with
a view to —
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I just draw your attention to the
relevance of this answer. I have asked where the $37 million is coming from.
That is the answer I would like to receive.
The
SPEAKER : Minister, that was the question, so can you concentrate on
that, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Mr Speaker, there were —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
The member for Midland should perhaps pay attention to what comes out of her
mouth when she asks a question because she also asked me whether front-line
services would be affected.
Point of Order
Mr
W.J. JOHNSTON : Mr Speaker, the minister is canvassing your ruling by
pointing at the member for Midland and telling the member for Midland what she
was doing, but you had actually directed her to answer the question.
The SPEAKER : Minister, I
understood the question to relate to the $37 million for the payout of 196 officers,
so can you please address that.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I will, Mr Speaker. The $37 million, as I stated yesterday on
numerous occasions, has been found from within police resources. Despite those
comments that the commissioner made last year, what WA Police has actually been
doing, as part of our reform program, is reviewing its expenditure and the way
that it spends those very precious dollars that we extend it to ensure
community safety and to deliver the front-line service that we so highly value
in this state to the community of Western Australia. Therefore, WA Police has
diligently been looking at its expenditure and it has done a fantastic job.
Members on this side of the house will be really thrilled to hear that WA
Police has found $37 million to fund these voluntary severances —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Midland, you are entitled to a supplementary question.
The minister is explaining that there have been cuts to the department or
savings, so if you want to ask another question afterwards, you can.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I am pleased to say that there have been no cuts to the
department. We have not cut the budget; no positions have been removed. This is
a voluntary severance package for police officers who have put up their hands
and said that they want to take advantage of this very generous offer that the
state government said it would extend to public servants. It is a very
significant point of difference. Members opposite have been out in the media
saying that they would exclude WA Police from this opportunity, that they would
not extend this offer to Western Australian police officers and that they
should not have the advantage of a voluntary severance package—a very
generous voluntary severance package. On this side of the house, we believe
that Western Australian police deserve it. We are really pleased that those
officers have taken up the opportunity. That gives us the opportunity to review
those 196 positions. We will look at the work those officers are doing. Some of
it is administrative work, and out of our reform program we expect that we will
be reducing the administrative burden on police, which will allow us to convert
a large number of those 196 positions to front-line positions—constables
out in cars, on the beat, out in the community responding to calls from the
community for assistance and help. That is our priority. The commissioner is on
board with that priority and that is how Western Australia Police has found the
resources to fund its top priority for front-line policing from within its
budget.
thank the member for Midland for the opportunity to talk about the voluntary
severance offer that we have made available to Western Australian police —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : This is an opportunity to highlight a significant point of
difference between this side of the house and the other side of the house in
the opportunities extended to police officers. These are not cuts; these are
not redundancies; these are 196 voluntary —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
You said they were redundancies yesterday.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
No, I did not; I said they were voluntary severances. One hundred and
ninety-six police officers have had the offer of a voluntary severance package
extended to them. The positions remain. The 196 positions will be reviewed with
a view to —
Point of Order
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I just draw your attention to the
relevance of this answer. I have asked where the $37 million is coming from.
That is the answer I would like to receive.
The
SPEAKER : Minister, that was the question, so can you concentrate on
that, please.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
Mr Speaker, there were —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Members!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
The member for Midland should perhaps pay attention to what comes out of her
mouth when she asks a question because she also asked me whether front-line
services would be affected.
Point of Order
Mr
W.J. JOHNSTON : Mr Speaker, the minister is canvassing your ruling by
pointing at the member for Midland and telling the member for Midland what she
was doing, but you had actually directed her to answer the question.
The SPEAKER : Minister, I
understood the question to relate to the $37 million for the payout of 196 officers,
so can you please address that.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I will, Mr Speaker. The $37 million, as I stated yesterday on
numerous occasions, has been found from within police resources. Despite those
comments that the commissioner made last year, what WA Police has actually been
doing, as part of our reform program, is reviewing its expenditure and the way
that it spends those very precious dollars that we extend it to ensure
community safety and to deliver the front-line service that we so highly value
in this state to the community of Western Australia. Therefore, WA Police has
diligently been looking at its expenditure and it has done a fantastic job.
Members on this side of the house will be really thrilled to hear that WA
Police has found $37 million to fund these voluntary severances —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Midland, you are entitled to a supplementary question.
The minister is explaining that there have been cuts to the department or
savings, so if you want to ask another question afterwards, you can.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : I am pleased to say that there have been no cuts to the
department. We have not cut the budget; no positions have been removed. This is
a voluntary severance package for police officers who have put up their hands
and said that they want to take advantage of this very generous offer that the
state government said it would extend to public servants. It is a very
significant point of difference. Members opposite have been out in the media
saying that they would exclude WA Police from this opportunity, that they would
not extend this offer to Western Australian police officers and that they
should not have the advantage of a voluntary severance package—a very
generous voluntary severance package. On this side of the house, we believe
that Western Australian police deserve it. We are really pleased that those
officers have taken up the opportunity. That gives us the opportunity to review
those 196 positions. We will look at the work those officers are doing. Some of
it is administrative work, and out of our reform program we expect that we will
be reducing the administrative burden on police, which will allow us to convert
a large number of those 196 positions to front-line positions—constables
out in cars, on the beat, out in the community responding to calls from the
community for assistance and help. That is our priority. The commissioner is on
board with that priority and that is how Western Australia Police has found the
resources to fund its top priority for front-line policing from within its
budget.
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