Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Furthermore, Western Australia is never going to be able to get police officers back up to proper operational levels until pay and conditions are substantially increased. I note the support of the member for Prospect and the member for Adelaide for my position.

For the state government it is really a matter of priorities. Do they prioritise community safety, and do they believe that enough is being done to tackle crime? Do they think that it is acceptable that the police are unable to respond in a timely manner to incidents, particularly serious incidents, even involving weapons in school grounds? Considering that the Western Australian Labor government are the highest taxing state government in the whole of Australia, and they are currently sitting on a surplus of $2.3 billion, I think that it makes a lot of sense for them to meet the police service in WA halfway and accede to some of their not excessive demands. I, as the member for Stirling, fully support the Western Australia Police Service in their battle with the Western Australian Labor government and I believe that improving the conditions for serving police officers will also enhance community safety in Stirling. (Time expired)

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