❓ Mr Blayney questions the Minister for Police about a shortfall of 15 officers in the Mid West-Gascoyne region. The Minister responds by highlighting increased police numbers and station upgrades, criticising the previous government's record.
AnsweredQoN 721Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — MID WEST–GASCOYNE
DISTRICT
721. Mr
I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Police:
Given the increasing demands placed
upon the Mid West–Gascoyne police district at this time and the
shortfall of 15 authorised police officers
in the Mid West–Gascoyne region for over a year and a half, when will
this government provide much needed
resources for the Mid West–Gascoyne police force who are already
stretched beyond capacity and who also have to deal with increased
visitation and activity in the region?
The SPEAKER : Member, in
future, could you just talk a little bit louder, because I cannot hear you
properly from up here, so I do not know how Hansard is going up there.
DISTRICT
721. Mr
I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Police:
Given the increasing demands placed
upon the Mid West–Gascoyne police district at this time and the
shortfall of 15 authorised police officers
in the Mid West–Gascoyne region for over a year and a half, when will
this government provide much needed
resources for the Mid West–Gascoyne police force who are already
stretched beyond capacity and who also have to deal with increased
visitation and activity in the region?
The SPEAKER : Member, in
future, could you just talk a little bit louder, because I cannot hear you
properly from up here, so I do not know how Hansard is going up there.
AnswerView source ↗
Thanks, member. I am actually
stunned to get that question from the member for Geraldton given the increase
in the number of police officers that our government has put into regional Western
Australia. When we compare the numbers in regional Western Australia with June
2016, we have 110 more officers in regional Western Australia. I did not have
notice of the question, but I have some relatively recent figures on the Mid
West–Gascoyne district. The actual
number for the Mid West–Gascoyne district in 2016 was 205.73. The
actual number on 30 June this year was 233. We have 27 more officers in
the Mid West–Gascoyne than we had three years ago. We have delivered an
additional 300 police officers, something that the member's government
did not do. It did not make any promise to deliver any additional officers. We
have delivered 300 additional officers. We already have 110 more police
officers in regional Western Australia because we created more positions in
regional Western Australia. In the midwest,
there are 27 more officers—boots on the ground. They are the facts. I am
tired of hearing this National Party beat-up that somehow the bush is
being neglected or it has fewer police officers or it is operating
understaffed.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Regional
areas now have many more officers than they had when the National Party was in
office, when it was part of the Liberal–National coalition.
I
am very pleased, too, that additional COVID-19 funding is going out to regional
stations so that they can be improved . Recently, I was in Derby, which
is getting a $1.5 million upgrade. Kununurra is getting a $500 000 upgrade.
Katanning is getting $1.5 million; Narrogin, $2 million; Wagin and Williams are
each both getting a $1 million upgrade; Collie Police Station is getting $1.5 million;
and Donnybrook is getting an extra $1 million. That is on top of routine
maintenance. The fact of the matter is that the Liberal–National
government really ignored policing in regional Western Australia. It talked up
royalties for regions; it spent it all on plastic cows and singing toilets. We
saw police stations completely deteriorate.
Several members interjected.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Look at
the facts. The former government spent very, very little royalties for regions
money on policing, on additional police officers or on those police
facilities.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party!
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : We are
currently trying to improve the disgusting state —
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party, I call you to order for the first time.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : — in
which the former government left so many regional stations.
stunned to get that question from the member for Geraldton given the increase
in the number of police officers that our government has put into regional Western
Australia. When we compare the numbers in regional Western Australia with June
2016, we have 110 more officers in regional Western Australia. I did not have
notice of the question, but I have some relatively recent figures on the Mid
West–Gascoyne district. The actual
number for the Mid West–Gascoyne district in 2016 was 205.73. The
actual number on 30 June this year was 233. We have 27 more officers in
the Mid West–Gascoyne than we had three years ago. We have delivered an
additional 300 police officers, something that the member's government
did not do. It did not make any promise to deliver any additional officers. We
have delivered 300 additional officers. We already have 110 more police
officers in regional Western Australia because we created more positions in
regional Western Australia. In the midwest,
there are 27 more officers—boots on the ground. They are the facts. I am
tired of hearing this National Party beat-up that somehow the bush is
being neglected or it has fewer police officers or it is operating
understaffed.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Regional
areas now have many more officers than they had when the National Party was in
office, when it was part of the Liberal–National coalition.
I
am very pleased, too, that additional COVID-19 funding is going out to regional
stations so that they can be improved . Recently, I was in Derby, which
is getting a $1.5 million upgrade. Kununurra is getting a $500 000 upgrade.
Katanning is getting $1.5 million; Narrogin, $2 million; Wagin and Williams are
each both getting a $1 million upgrade; Collie Police Station is getting $1.5 million;
and Donnybrook is getting an extra $1 million. That is on top of routine
maintenance. The fact of the matter is that the Liberal–National
government really ignored policing in regional Western Australia. It talked up
royalties for regions; it spent it all on plastic cows and singing toilets. We
saw police stations completely deteriorate.
Several members interjected.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : Look at
the facts. The former government spent very, very little royalties for regions
money on policing, on additional police officers or on those police
facilities.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party!
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : We are
currently trying to improve the disgusting state —
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party, I call you to order for the first time.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : — in
which the former government left so many regional stations.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.