Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last month I joined more than a hundred Burt residents rallying for the Armadale police station to be re-opened for public access 24/7 and for improved policing services for our community. Organised by the local state member for Armadale, Dr Tony Buti, the rally heard from WA Labor shadow minister for police, Michelle Roberts, Labor's candidate for Darling Range, Barry Urban, Labor's candidate for Jandakot, Yaz Mubarakai, and Armadale Deputy Mayor, Ruth Butterfield.

We also heard moving speeches from three Burt locals—Luke Skinner, Michael Cowan and Dedre Scholtz—who detailed how they had been affected by the lack of police services in Armadale. Five years ago, when Dedre was a 15-year-old student, she was assaulted by a man while walking home from school in Roleystone. She managed to break free and run home. Her father drove her to the Armadale police station. They arrived at 4.15 pm, but the police station closed at four. She pushed the after-hours buzzer, but nobody answered. They drove 20 kilometres through heavy traffic to Cannington police station, the only 24/7 public access police station in the south-east metropolitan police district.

It is completely unacceptable that residents in my electorate cannot access police services when they are needed most. Armadale is a major regional centre with an ever-growing population, servicing not only the people of Burt but many in the seat of Canning. I call on the Barnett government to answer the community's repeated calls and match WA Labor's commitment to a 24-hour police station in Armadale.