Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that 17 September 2022 is the start of National Police Week, which culminates with National Police Remembrance Day on 29 September 2022;

(2) acknowledges the crucial, and often challenging and dangerous, work that the men and women of our state and federal police do on a daily basis;

(3) remembers those police who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and their families who are forever impacted; and

(4) thanks the men and women of our state and federal police for their ongoing dedication to keeping Australian communities safe and maintaining the rule of law.

Our heroic police officers sacrifice much for our safety, most notably their own safety. Each day, thousands of police personnel go to work with the great duty of sacrifice to keep our communities safe and to keep the law and order that we cherish in this country. We often don't notice just how much our officers are willing to sacrifice for us, but we feel the impact when they do. National Police Remembrance Day is 29 September and is where we as a country acknowledge, remember and honour those who have died serving the community in the line of duty. It's a day of great reflection for many in our police forces who have been confronted with the deaths of their co-workers, their brothers and sisters.

This year, we have lost one serving police officer in the line of duty. On Friday, 8 April 2022, Senior Constable Bria Joyce was tragically killed in the line of duty at just 25 years of age. Bria had been in the police force for just six years and had risen to the rank of senior constable. She had a great passion for the service and she had incredible potential. Whilst on her patrol in the country Victorian town of Red Cliffs, a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction veered into her lane, resulting in a head-on collision. The result of this terrible tragedy will be felt long into the future. For her service and her sacrifice, we thank Bria and extend our sympathies to her family and close friends, still grappling with the loss of a bright soul.

Leading Senior Constable Thomas Kinnane was with Senior Constable Joyce on the night of 8 April during their regular patrol. The devastating physical and mental toll that night has had on him is unimaginable, and today we thank Constable Kinnane and all other police personnel for the sacrifices that they have made.

Of course, in the face of such tragedy, we must renew our national gratitude for the police men and women that serve every single day. We must stand by our police officers, who stand in the face of danger, who work tirelessly to uphold law and order and who keep us safe. It's a duty bound like no other, with commitments incomparable to most lines of work. For police officers and their related agencies, we as a parliament must continue to prioritise the protection of our values and laws in this country. We are a proud liberal democracy that prides itself on community. At the heart of that is the need to preserve it and ultimately support those who selflessly do.

The 29th of September 2022 marks 33 years of commemorating National Police Remembrance Day. Since 1989 we have experienced much change within our communities and country alike. While society may have shifted over the past three decades, the police force's dedication to serving our community has not. They will always continue to support us in our communities, and for that we do all thank them.

In my time as Minister for Home Affairs I saw firsthand the work that our law enforcement agencies and their personnel carry out. That covers the whole range of work. It includes the work that's done by our offices to protect those who are affected by domestic and family violence. It's those officers who work on local crime and it's the whole spectrum, right the way through to those officers who are engaged in tackling serious and organised crime. Much of the work of our police officers is unnoticed by our community, but we are very grateful and very thankful for their work. I wish to convey the House's gratitude to our police force, who keep and preserve peace across our great country. To those who serve as police officers and protective services officers and to those who work in the likes of family violence units, we thank you.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. On 29 September it will be the 33rd anniversary of the first National Police Remembrance Day. The day holds a special significance for police throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the Solomon Islands. It is a day to remember the crucial role police officers play in our local communities and to honour the lives and memories of those police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the course of their duty. We also pay tribute to the families and friends of police officers who have been killed in the line of duty throughout our nation's history. We are forever indebted to those who choose to wear the police uniform in their commitment to ensuring the peace, safety and wellbeing of our communities.

Throughout the pandemic, police officers displayed extraordinary resilience and patience. Taken away from their core duties, they were put on the front line to control state borders and enforce hotel quarantine, stay-at-home orders and other COVID related measures. At times, their response included crowd control at various protests where they were directly in harm's way. Sadly, at times they were personally attacked for just doing their duty. Assigned with additional duties in response to the pandemic, police officers were often stretched in their capacity to attend to other public needs and victim related crime. Nevertheless, their dedication and commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our communities never faulted. At times, police officers compromised much-needed planned leave to meet the increased workload. I would like to acknowledge and thank police officers across Australia for their service throughout the pandemic and assure them that it has not been unnoticed or taken for granted.

Frequently our police officers are first responders, delivering the initial response in emergency situations involving serious injury or death, or a threat to life, safety or property. They do this in circumstances where their own safety is often at significant risk. Often facing long hours and fatigued, they need to make critical decisions under time pressure. Compounded over years, the traumatic events and pressure first responders are exposed to increase the risk of serious ongoing stress and can impact their mental health. It is a risk that most of us will never have to encounter, and it takes an inspiring amount of courage to undertake such a challenging career to help and protect our communities.

I would like to acknowledge the police unions, the Police Federation of Australia and my old workplace the Australian Federal Police Association for the extraordinary work that they do to support police members and their families. I would also like to acknowledge the work of my friend Chris Hayes, the former member for Fowler, in advocating for better recognition of policing work. Colleagues, take the opportunity to join with me and the member for Wide Bay, Llew O'Brien, as members of the Parliamentary Friends of Policing.

Many of the events leading up to National Police Remembrance Day have gone ahead this year with a remarkable display of support from the public. Police Week kicked off across the country, starting with the 13th annual Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance, a major fundraising event for police legacy. Hundreds of riders participated, and an outstanding $188,000 was raised. To all the police officers who've made the ultimate sacrifice, to their families and friends who've dealt with this ongoing loss, and to all members of the police force past and present, this parliament honours your courage and commitment, and we sincerely thank you for your service.

Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

CONAGHAN () (): I'm very pleased to be able to rise to speak on this motion, and I thank the member for McPherson for acknowledging the significance of National Police Remembrance Day. It's been 27 years since the murders of senior constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears while they were on duty at Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Both men were only 36 years old, with wives and children waiting for them at home.

Senior Constable Addison had been in the Police Force for eight years, and Senior Constable Spears was a 14-year veteran. On 9 July 1995, the two police officers from Kempsey Police Station—the same police station where I worked—were called to an address on Walker Street in Crescent Head at 12.35 am to investigate a domestic violence report. They arrived at the house just after 1 am, at which time they were targeted by gunfire from a heavily intoxicated offender, crouching in wait in the dark near the property's carport. The gunman, whose name shall not be preserved in this place, was at the time dressed in camouflage gear and carrying a high-powered Ruger rifle, with clear intent to do harm to the attending officers.

Senior Constables Addison and Spears attempted to return fire with their inferior standard-issue weapons and scrambled to find cover behind their police car, at which point Senior Constable Addison attempted to call for backup at a neighbouring property. Unfortunately, that property did not have a functioning telephone. At the same moment, just after 1.20 am, Senior Constable Spears was shot and fatally wounded. In a continued brave attempt to call for help for his fallen colleague, Senior Constable Addison then attempted to run to a second neighbouring property but was shot and killed by the gunman before he could reach it. The offender then turned the gun on himself.

A month after their deaths, in August 1995, the pair were rightfully awarded the police force's highest honour, the Commissioner's Valour Award. These officers died in an attempt to protect and serve. They answered the call, they stood their ground and they defended themselves and their community from a cowardly offender. Together, they made the ultimate sacrifice, and they should not be forgotten for it.

As a direct result of this incident and loss of life, the lives of future police officers would become better protected. Following this tragedy, major reforms to frontline policing in the New South Wales Police Force were introduced, including the transition from revolvers to semiautomatic pistols, the introduction of ballistic vests as standard use and improved radio communications. Tactical training routines were also updated and rolled out across the state to better prepare officers for situations like this.

The families of both senior constables would go on to be bonded together not only by their loss but, remarkably, by the marriage of their children Glen Addison and Jade Spears, who were 16 and 15 at the time of their fathers' deaths. From a truly tragic event came positive changes, and that legacy lives on today. National Police Remembrance Day, observed on 29 September each year, is our opportunity to reflect on and honour the memory of the brave Australian police who have given their lives in service of the community. Sadly, this year, we've added another name, Senior Constable Bria Joyce, who was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident while on duty. Our thoughts and our prayers are with her family, her friends and her colleagues.

I would like to thank all members—sworn and unsworn, past and present—of all our police forces around the nation for your service. Thanks must also go to your families for their own sacrifice in enabling you to do your jobs every single day. Thank you for your service.

Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

LEY (—) (): I acknowledge the member for Cowper and the story he told in the House this morning. I can imagine that serving with these men was a very difficult time for you.

September is the designated month to recognise police forces all around the country and the men and women who serve our community. Australia-wide, there are in excess of 66,000 serving police officers who put their lives on the line to serve their community and keep us all safe. They risk their lives every day, and their commitment to our community is unwavering. We are eternally grateful for their sacrifice and service.

Being a police officer is a unique profession. They can be confronted with dangerous situations hourly and often respond to the most distressing moments in people's lives. They show leadership, patience, integrity and empathy. It is the police officer who often makes the difference in how a person responds and recovers in the future after a traumatic event.

When our community of Werriwa were hit by floods four times this year, police officers were important in keeping us all safe and ensuring roads were closed. They put their lives at risk to ensure our community can get safely home to their families. Thank you does not seem enough to recognise police forces for what they do every day.

Recently, I was present at the 2022 Liverpool Police Officer of the Year Awards. The Liverpool awards are the second longest police awards in New South Wales and recognise the outstanding commitment and dedication of the Liverpool command to the people of south-west Sydney.

The awards have been held for over 20 years, with Mrs June Young as the passionate and tenacious organiser. June unfortunately was not able to attend the night due to illness, which, quite frankly, was really the only thing that would keep her from this event. June was missed, and all speakers recognised her organisational abilities and friendship. Over the years, it's been June and her committee who have rightly ensured that police have been recognised for the work they do.

This year's event was the first one held since COVID, with last year's awards being presented at the command instead of in person. In Werriwa, we are served by three highly skilled commands: Fairfield, Campbelltown and Liverpool. The awards at this event were for the Liverpool command. Chief Superintendent Whyte spoke about the work that they have been doing, especially over the last few years. He noted their work in lockdown. Police didn't just make sure that order was kept; they also assisted in delivering food packages, welfare checks and making sure the community were isolating as required. He noted how much our community came together to ensure the safety of each individual during COVID and how well everyone worked together.

The awards recognised both sworn and unsworn officers and their commitment to our community. Team One and Officer Lauchlan Kaye were the overall winners on the night. The hard work of police in our area can be seen in the excellent results with arrests, and all crime statistics in our part of the world are the envy of the rest of New South Wales. The Liverpool command is a very busy command, but the results in the area are a reflection of the hard work and professionalism of the officers and the leadership of Superintendent Whyte.

I also want to acknowledge the families of our police officers. I can only imagine how difficult and stressful it is to support police officers and worry about them every day as they go to work. Family and friends support officers in doing their difficult and sometimes distressing work. They are the ones who help them debrief. Since the 1800s, more than 700 police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty, and they are all commemorated at the National Memorial in Canberra. National Police Remembrance Day is one of the most significant days in the police calendar. As a nation, we should pause to remember those officers who have lost their lives fulfilling their duty to protect our community and honour their courage and commitment.

I also want to acknowledge Police Legacy, which provides financial and emotional support to the loved ones left behind. They ensure families have someone to help them. Police Legacy provides financial support so that children can still receive the education and opportunities they would have had if their family member had not died. Again, I acknowledge the police officers who serve our local community, Superintendent Whyte and his team for their dedication and for keeping us safe.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

MARINO () (): I acknowledge and thank the member for McPherson for bringing this very important motion to the House. It is with the deepest respect that I rise to speak on Police Remembrance Day, 29 September, to honour police officers who have given their lives serving our local communities. There are 86 names listed on the WA Police Force Honour Roll. They died in the line of duty. Behind each one of these is a loving, grieving family and friends. I thank those families as well in this speech today. I also recognise and thank all officers, past and present, for the work they do and have done day and night, providing critical and often life-saving selfless service every day of the year.

In my electorate in the south-west of Western Australia, at the very moving service held outside the South-West Police Complex in Bunbury we focused on the loss of Senior Constable Jamie Pearson, who was killed in a traffic crash near Capel in 2004 while on duty. His passenger and work colleague, Senior Constable Lindsay Harding, survived the accident but sustained serious injuries. The naming of the Pearson Room is a respectful recognition of Jamie.

Day in and day out our police officers are our first responders. They are the first into some of the most risky and tragic situations. They are the ones who have to knock on the doors of families to break heartbreaking news. These are often families within their own communities. They work closely with the communities they serve and they often have to deal with some of the most aggressive and extremely violent behaviour. At times that is directed at the officers themselves. They help out in bushfires, floods and every emergency. When those of us are at our greatest risk or in genuine fear of our lives, the arrival of the police can be not only life-saving but so reassuring to desperate people.

In my home town of Harvey this year we saw an outstanding police response. An elderly couple towing a caravan lost control. The car and caravan rolled and the couple were trapped inside. The car caught fire—there were 125 litres of petrol in it and there were two gas bottles in the caravan. Senior Constable Kylie Jones and Probationary Constable Reece Josemans were quickly on the scene and worked out how to help the couple. They cut the seatbelts and dragged them out of the wrecked car, which exploded very quickly afterwards. Four officers, including Joe Dainty and Wayne Byram, did an incredible job that day, putting their own lives at risk to save others and working with assistance from local volunteer services, emergency services and people at the scene.

Each time I attend the service in Bunbury I'm profoundly moved by the respect shown for our fallen officers. There is the touching of the rock memorial in the forecourt and the reciting of the police prayer, which I would like to read today. The police prayer is:

God of all people, we know it is from you that we have learned what goodness and justice are. You have given us the task of maintaining law and order in our community.

We seek the strength to meet the many challenges encountered in this endeavour.

Give us the courage and the resolution to do our duty at all times, and such a respect and love for justice that neither promise nor threat will ever make us depart from it.

Help us with your guidance to be the Guardian and the Friend of the whole community; a friend to children, an example to youth, a counsellor and adviser to all citizens.

Grant us the skill, and the wisdom, to make us always stronger in protecting and supporting the community.

Guide us in knowing when to enforce and when to relax the letter of the law.

Help us to be a personal example of the honesty, the goodness, and the justice which it is our duty to maintain, and grant that our actions will inspire in our community confidence in its police officers.

We make our prayer to you, confident of your love and your compassion.

Amen

That police prayer says it all about our current and past serving police officers.

I also thank each local police officer, wherever they are in Australia right at this moment. We know what they face every day. We know the courage and selfless approach they have to their work. I want to focus again back on how much comfort they bring to the community. They are the first into every situation wherever there is threat and risk. They help ordinary people every day, and they do it quietly and often unseen. I take this opportunity, as others have today, to honour and thank them for the service they provide, helping us in our communities to stay safe every single day. I thank the member for McPherson for this motion before the House.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

29 September is National Police Remembrance Day in Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific. In Australia alone, around 800 police officers have died on duty; the day commemorates them. Over 60 of them were from my home state of South Australia. For all of those who have died, many more have sustained and been left with serious lifelong physical and psychological injuries from their service.

Here in Canberra there is a wall of remembrance with the names of all those officers who died on duty. It took many years, and persistence, to have the memorial approved, funded and constructed, and it was eventually dedicated on 29 September 2006. The memorial finally provided important national recognition to those officers who had died, as do national Police Week and National Police Remembrance Day. However, the over 65,000 police who serve our country need and deserve more than recognition if, whilst they are on duty, they are badly injured in the course of their work, or, particularly, if their life is cut short, and so do their families.

Police work can be rewarding, but it can also be unpredictable, dangerous and traumatic. As first responders, police are always there when tragedy comes. Horrific road accidents, violent assaults, gruesome killings—these events eventually take their toll on officers and their families. I quote a submission made by former AFP officer Grant Edwards which describes police work so well:

What other job requires you to be in a constant state of hyper vigilance and alertness yet at the same time be a counsellor, a social worker, a lawyer, or a prison warden. What other profession authorizes you to take a person's liberty, or potentially use deadly force, but then mandates that you attempt to save the person's life that has just tried to kill you? What job causes you to wonder whether you will come home to your loved ones after you bid them farewell each and every day as you head off to work?

So, when injury or death occurs, our police officers should be supported. Regrettably, that is not always the case, with each jurisdiction having their own set of support rules. I note that, in the lead-up to the May federal election, the AFP prepared a policy paper, referred to as Operation Recognition, calling for a range of measures that would ensure more support for police officers. The AFP submission very likely equally applies to all other police jurisdictions, and I trust it will be given the consideration it deserves.

In recognising our police today, I particularly acknowledge and thank Superintendent Guy Buckley and all of the officers under his command in the northern district of Adelaide. They have always been incredibly professional and helpful in their interactions with my office, as have been all other police with whom I have had cause to interact over the many years I have been in public life.

I conclude by reading verse IV of a seven-verse poem about policing by Vince Pannell APM of the AFP, written back in 1995. It talks about the fallen and brings perspective to National Police Remembrance Day. I don't know if he was related, but back in 1957 there was a Constable Harold Rae Pannell who was killed whilst on duty in South Australia. Of that poem, I will read only verse IV—I would've loved to have read the whole poem, but time will not permit me—and it says:

I died in Walsh street and Russell,

and then at Crescent Head;

I have died before so often,

for sworn oath such I've bled;

I ask no retribution,

no hurtful anger dealt;

Just guard for me my family,

hold my children, such loss now felt;

And of my grieving sweetheart,

comfort for now alone,

explain in words of kindness,

no more will I be home.

I think that verse of that poem really sums up what we are commemorating today, and I commend the motion to the House.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also rise to support the motion, and I acknowledge all of the previous speakers. Police Week 2022 commenced across Australia on Saturday 17 September with the 13th annual Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance. This Thursday, 29 September, National Police Remembrance Day will be observed. As a former police officer myself, I'd like to thank and recognise all police right across the nation for the incredible work that they do. Police Remembrance Day commemorates police officers from all Australian police services who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our community. The day is a time for us all to reflect and remember the very real risks that our police officers face on a day-to-day basis. It's also a time when we pause and honour the lives and memories of police who have had their lives tragically cut short in their work protecting us. It is also a very solemn day and an important day for police officers, their loved ones and the wider police family. I'd also like to pay tribute to the very enduring work of NSW Police Legacy, an incredible organisation providing services to police legatees right across my state of New South Wales. On this day we pay tribute to the men and women of the service who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Together we must all ensure their legacies are preserved.

As a former general duties police officer myself, I've seen firsthand some of the situations, challenges and complexities that police officers face day in, day out while serving their communities. They often have to face confronting, dangerous situations and also have to attend fatal incidents and horrific tragedies. There are also many other challenges specific to policing, particularly in regional areas like mine, on the New South Wales North Coast. As I've publicly said many times and commented on before, I continue to stand with my community in calling for more police and more resources to ensure regional police and communities remain safe.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my newly elected colleague the member for Tangney. The member for Tangney was born in Malaysia and emigrated with his family to Australia in 2002. The member for Tangney was a member of the Royal Malaysia Police and, upon coming to Australia, he joined the Western Australia Police Academy in 2006. He was recognised as police officer of the year in 2020 for his work with multicultural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as the member for Tangney, he serves his community in our federal parliament and joins the ranks of many current and former members of parliament who have proudly served as members of police services: welcome.

As this motion states, we acknowledge the crucial and often challenging and dangerous work that the men and women of our state and federal police do on a daily basis. I'd also like to take the opportunity to especially mention Tweed-Byron Police District Superintendent Dave Roptell APM. Superintendent Roptell took command of the district in 2019 and has served in the NSW Police Force for over 30 years. Mr Roptell has greatly assisted our community on the New South Wales North Coast through many challenging and difficult times since he took that command—notably, of course, the public health orders in response to the pandemic, and also the coordination of the emergency responses at the height of our devastating floods earlier this year. Most recently, Superintendent Roptell was recognised for his more than 30 years of service to the NSW Police Force as part of the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours list, being awarded the Australian Police Medal. I'd like to take this opportunity in our federal parliament to congratulate and commend Superintendent Roptell APM for this award and acknowledge his commitment to our community's safety.

I'd also like to make a special mention of all the police associations and police unions and the Police Federation of Australia for their tireless work in representing the interests of Australian police officers. In my electorate of Richmond, I pay respect to our local police, who serve and protect our community. I know firsthand the outstanding work that they do.

On Police Remembrance Day I encourage locals in my area and right across the country to take the time to think about the role that police officers play within our community, in our state and right throughout the nation. Thursday 29 September is an occasion for us all to recognise these services and acknowledge the work the police are doing to keep us safe and, particularly on this day, to remember those police who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our community. I commend the motion to the House.

Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the motion put forward by the honourable member for McPherson, and I thank her for giving me the opportunity to highlight the importance of our national Police Week, which was last week from 17 to 29 September. The week is a reminder to all Australians to acknowledge the work and dedication of the brave men and women in the police force. These courageous officers should hold their heads high for the way they respond to their challenging and often dangerous roles. Their services require them to be prepared for all things, both physically and mentally. We should do everything we can to support their mental health. While I can only speak on behalf of my electorate of Dawson, I hope that we will all stop and give thanks for the police women and men across the nation, as theirs can often be a thankless job.

It is the police who run towards an act of violence when we run the other way. It is the police who deal in situations with an unknown factor every day. It is the police who, more often than not, are the first on the scene of accidents and witness people dying in front of them, and it is the police who are the ones to deliver the horrible news to a family of the death of loved ones and watch those families deal with the immediate grief. I also believe it is important that we should thank all the families of the officers for their support and the sacrifice that they make.

It is also National Police Remembrance Day this Thursday 29 September. This day gives everyone the opportunity to remember and honour those officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty to keep us safe. When we go to sleep at night, there are thousands of officers around the country patrolling the streets, often through places we would not dare to tread.

During my time as Mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council, I was fortunate to develop strong relationships with the local police in my region, and I would like to mention a couple in this place: Senior Sergeant Craig Shepherd and Sergeant Craig McConnell of Bowen police; Nathan Blain of Whitsunday police; Mark Flynn of Proserpine police; and the Superintendent of the whole region, Mr Glenn Morris. There were moments when I would call upon these fine gentlemen and ask for advice, and they would give me frank and fearless advice. I could always trust the information that I received.

During my time, the Whitsunday region suffered through and was decimated by one of the largest and most fierce cyclones in Australian history, Tropical Cyclone Debbie. Having open and clear lines of communication with the police and their leaders across the region in the lead-up to, the course of and the aftermath of this horrific event, I believe, is what helped keep my region safe. It is not every day that you ask how many body bags are in stock or instruct people to leave their homes in order to keep them out of harm's way, preparing for the worst and praying for the best.

Up my way now, we have a different kind of disaster ripping through our communities, only this time it is not a weather event. Young criminals are destroying our once-peaceful way of life. In the beautiful city of Townsville and across the Dawson region, squads of kids, some as young as nine and 10, are breaking into our homes and our cars, taking what they can and trashing what they can't. People are scared to walk down their own streets, and the police are frustrated and have had their hands tied for too long. It is important that we give the police any and all resources that they need to do their job properly.

This is what National Police Week is all about: understanding, recognising, thanking and reflecting. Candlelight vigils and Police Remembrance Day ceremonies will be held in my electorate of Dawson and right across our nation. I would encourage all Australians to attend one of these ceremonies where possible, and I urge all members of parliament to show their thanks and gratitude to our police force. To the police men and women: I salute you.

Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Member for Richmond, for your kind words just now. I spent more than 15 years in the WA Police Force as a frontline police officer. I retired as a sergeant this May after I got elected. I'm also honoured to have worked alongside many wonderful people in the police force.

Police officers face many challenges in doing their job. Police operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they must work in many different shift patterns: morning shifts, afternoon shifts, night shifts. Everyone knows shift work is unhealthy to your body clock and also to your family life, but as police officers we have to do it. When we are on duty, we never know what situation will arise and what we will be called to attend. It may be serious family violence, a fatal traffic crash, a group fight, an armed robbery, a sudden death or many more things.

Almost every day, police officers must attend to aggressive and confrontational situations and handle angry people where someone needs to be arrested. No-one likes to be handcuffed or escorted to the police van. As a result, our police officers are often verbally abused, kicked, punched, bitten and spat on. One of my female police officers, when she was trying to arrest a female drug addict, was needled by a black syringe. As a result, she and her husband were not able to live together for almost one year, because they were in fear of transmission of bloodborne disease.

My brothers and sisters in blue attended from job to job, often thanklessly. They may be tired and affected by what they have encountered, but, whenever they receive a call, they turn up and do their job professionally, without complaining. Then, at the end of the day, they return home to their families, keeping a brave face of normality from what they have experienced. The next day, it is time to start the process all over again.

Many police officers have experienced bad things while doing their job. For me, I can clearly remember the first dead body I picked up, some 15 years ago. While I am saying this, the smell of that dead body is still in my nose now. Over 15 years as a police officer, I attended many sudden death cases and picked up many dead bodies. This is just part of our daily jobs as frontline police officers.

One of my colleagues worked as a police officer for 35 years. He resigned from the police force when I was working in a country station. Later I met him in one of the Bunnings stores in Perth. I was happy to see him and I greeted him with a cheerful smile, but he looked into my eyes and walked away, without even wanting to speak to me. I was puzzled at the time, but three years later I met up with his wife, and she told me my friend had been forced to resign because of his mental health issues. He had suffered from PTSD as a result of his work. After his resignation, every time he drove past a police station or saw a police van pass his car, he would start shaking and shivering and would be unable to handle himself. He does not like to see any of his police friends, because it refreshes his memory as a police officer. My friend and his family have not received enough support from the police force or the government, and the community has no idea how much a police officer has to go through while performing their daily duties.

Police are only human. Police officers have put their lives on the line to serve and protect their communities. All of us respect the Defence Force because they fight for our country. Police officers are our guardian angels, protecting our life and property from harm and danger and keeping our communities safe: they deserve our appreciation too. This week is the national Police Week. I want to say thanks to all police officers from the bottom of my heart: thank you, thank you, thank you.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this very important motion, and I want to acknowledge the member for Tangney and a great speech from the heart. I'm not too sure of members on the opposite side, but I also want to acknowledge members on our side of the chamber: the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Wide Bay, the member for Cowper and the member for La Trobe—and to any others that I may have missed, I apologise—for their services to policing in this country. It's a tough job. I've never served as a police officer, but I have a nephew that's currently serving. I want to pass on my acknowledgement and thanks for the great work that they do. Our police personnel are exceptional, but their work is essential.

I recently visited the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation in Brisbane as part of my continuing work to keep kids safe, particularly with the emerging threats posed by advancing technology. The extent of the risks faced by vulnerable Australians, and particularly kids, highlights the crucial role police and law enforcement have to play in making our communities safer. But I want to come at this from a slightly different angle. We talk about mental health a lot in this place. We talk about mental health particularly in relation to veterans, and that's very important. But from my experience as an ex-barrister and in my dealings with police officers, I know that a lot of police officers and emergency service personnel suffer terribly from PTSD. The member for Tangney touched on this a moment ago from his own personal experience.

It's right that we acknowledge our veterans from the Defence Force and the work that they do and the risks that they run. But the average Australian emergency service personnel will more than likely see far more death and carnage than many of our serving personnel will see, especially in peacetime. And yet we so very rarely talk about the mental health of our emergency service personnel, particularly our police. These are the men and women who will come out to your house when there is a call-out in relation to a domestic violence dispute, when the house is being burgled, when there is an accident on the highway—there are all sorts of reasons why we pick up that phone and ring triple 0. They don't sit and draw lots as to who's going to go out. They do it. They do it because of a sense of duty, and, by and large, they do it extremely well.

This country is indebted to our police services, both at state and territory level and at federal level, and it's important that we have this conversation around police wellbeing. That's why I was very proud to advocate for and see Fortem share in $11½ million in response to the Black Summer bushfires. And, again, I was delighted that an additional $1.4 million was provided in the 2022-23 federal budget for Fortem Australia, the organisation that was launched to do for law enforcement and emergency service workers what Soldier On has done for our defence personnel. And it is extraordinary work. A project in my electorate which I've been proud to support and in part secure is the National PTSD Research Centre, to be housed in my electorate, thanks to $8.3 million secured under the coalition. The centre is the first of its kind in this country. It deals with the research and treatment of emergency service personnel and defence personnel who suffer from PTSD.

I want to give a big shout-out to the University of the Sunshine Coast team for their leadership in this sector. They are doing tremendous work with the Thompson Institute, and I salute them. Their work is making a difference right across the country, and I couldn't be prouder of our coalition for providing, when we were in government, in excess of $20 million to the Thompson Institute for this sort of research. Thanks to their efforts, ably supported by the former coalition government, law enforcement agencies seized 39 tonnes of drugs and chemical precursors in 2021 alone and we saw mandatory minimum sentencing and tougher penalties for drug and illegal firearms trafficking. We will stand by the great work that our police services continue to do and we are very, very proud of the work that they do. Looking after them is the least we can do.

James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I very much appreciate the opportunity the member for McPherson has provided for us to put on the record our appreciation for our law enforcement personnel in this country, and I commend comments made by a number of previous speakers. It is obviously an issue that the House views unanimously.

I want to touch on two areas. The first is what we've seen over the last couple of years from our police and other law enforcement agencies who have supported our society through the challenges of the COVID pandemic. It reminds us of what a police force is there to do. Most of us hope not to have too much to do with the police force if we can help it, because sometimes, instinctively, we think policing is really about finding people that are doing the wrong thing, and, of course, our police force do exactly that. But through COVID we saw the breadth of the sorts of things that police officers do in our society.

I am from the state of South Australia. We had a border closure and a number of directives that were in place. Our police commissioner, Grant Stevens, who is of no relation to me, was the dedicated person under the Emergency Management Act. As the State Coordinator, he had to take the lead in the response to COVID and all the measures that were put in place. The police force that he leads and led through that period of time, with a lead agency, had to deal with a whole range of things that had never occurred before, like border measures et cetera. So a lot of us came into contact with the police force in new and different ways and saw exactly their dedication, how much they do in our society and the value of the work they do.

Other members have talked about how taxing it is as a career. They talked about the shiftwork, the horrendous experiences and the things that police officers see and the mental health pressures that that brings to bear on them—as it would for anyone who goes through those experiences. The member for Fisher mentioned the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and the work that they do. It's obviously a terrible, terrible area of policing, where you're dealing with some of the most horrendous, awful, disgusting human beings on the planet—people who seek to exploit children and, particularly, sexually abuse them. The people that are engaged in tracking down this scum, finding them, stopping them and bringing them to justice are great heroes in our society. Imagine what sort of a mental toll that would take on you when you're having to look at some of the most disturbing images and you have to investigate some of the most disturbing circumstances of child abuse and child exploitation. We don't often think of it because it's 'out of sight, out of mind', but there are people that are doing such emotionally draining and mentally straining tasks. They work in our police forces to protect us from some of the worst people in society.

National Police Week is an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of police officers, what they do for our society, the very hard work they do and the risk to them. Other speakers have talked about injuries and at times death in the line of duty. That is something that we should always acknowledge and take an opportunity to be very grateful for as a nation. We have that opportunity in this motion.

Looking at National Police Week from the point of view of not only the service that our law enforcement officers provide but also the risks that they take and the pressure and toll it puts on them and their families, I'm very grateful for all the police—in my electorate and in my state of South Australia and in the other law enforcement branches like the Federal Police, who look after us in this building—and the way in which they work together to keep all Australians safe and to properly police the laws of the land and also for the broader work that they do, which of course is extremely taxing. We appreciate their service, we acknowledge their service and we thank them very much for what they do to keep us safe.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next setting.