Tuesday, 31 March 2026

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (14:15): My question is to the Premier. There are over 1500 vacancies on police rosters, and more than 40 police stations are closed or operating on reduced hours. A survey of Victoria Police members shows officers do not have the resources they need. With record crime being committed in the state, why has the government failed to listen to police and give them the resources they need?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:15): I firmly reject the question that has been put by the member for Berwick, and I will outline the reasons why. We have resourced Victoria Police. We have the largest police force in the nation. We are backing the work of the Chief Commissioner of Police to get those resources out onto the streets to respond to crime and to prevent crime. We are backing the work of the chief commissioner to get more recruits into the academy by having double squads moving through the academy right now.

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, in relation to relevance, this was not a question about the chief commissioner; this was about the members who are out on the beat each and every day, who are putting their foot forward. Can the Premier answer the question for those members?

The SPEAKER: Member for Berwick, I remind you of the correct way to raise a point of order. It is not an opportunity to make a statement to the house.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, there is no point of order. The member for Berwick should have been listening to the Premier. He would have heard at the outset that the Premier rejected the premise of the question.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: I was responding to the question, which went to vacancies, and I was referring to how we are backing the work of the chief commissioner by putting additional squads through the academy. The Made for More campaign is seeing more applications before Victoria Police than ever before. We are also backing the work of Victoria Police with new initiatives like Operation Pulse, which is getting PSOs and police into shopping centres. And, you know what, this is also working. It is working because we have seen retail theft halve during the period of Operation Pulse and community safety go up as well.

We are continuing to back the work of Victoria Police through tougher new bail laws, through the introduction of adult time for violent crime and also, most importantly, through the crucial work of the violence reduction unit. This is critical work to addressing longer term changes and patterns in criminal behaviour, particularly amongst young people. We are getting in there, doing the work in communities and in families. There is the initiative that the Deputy Premier announced just last week putting more community safety officers into schools to work directly with police. These are the additional resources we are putting in to support the work of Victoria Police.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the men and women of Victoria Police for the work they do every single day. We saw yesterday just how important it is to back the work of Victoria Police – the work they have done in the north-east to see the conclusion of one of the most traumatic experiences the men and women of Victoria Police have had in a very, very long time. It is a reminder of the risks and the danger they put themselves in every single day to keep our community safe. That is why in my Labor government we will always back the chief commissioner and always back the men and women of Victoria Police with the resources and the tools and the powers that they need to continue to keep us safe.

Roma Britnell interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for South-West Coast is warned.

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (14:19): Premier, a crime is committed every 50 seconds in this state. Can the Premier rule out closing or reducing the hours at any more police stations?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:19): I am going to call out what is behind this question from the get-go. What we know is behind this question is a social media clip that is designed to put more misinformation into the community.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the Premier is deliberately evading the question by sledging –

Members interjecting.

James Newbury: On relevance – because you do not want to answer the question.

The SPEAKER: That is not the correct way to raise a point of order, nor is it appropriate to yell across the table. I ask the Premier to actually come back to this question.

Jacinta ALLAN: The member for Berwick is often fond of reminding us of his two years in Victoria Police as a police officer. He would know well –

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, I hate to call out the Premier for being factual, but this is not the first time. Members of Victoria Police who do 5 minutes in the job should be thanked and congratulated as much as anyone who does more. For the Premier and the Minister for Health to continuously downgrade me or the member for Bayswater, who did a remarkable job in Victoria Police, is nothing short of a disgrace. It is about time you start to respect those that go into the police force to serve the community. You have never had to face what we have had to face on the street, yet you get in here and say it.

The SPEAKER: Member for Berwick, I have reminded you repeatedly about making points of order and how to do them appropriately. You continue to defy my rulings. It is not an opportunity to make a statement to the chamber. I also remind members that when I am on my feet the house will be silent and members will be in their places.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on standing order 118, this is not the first time the member for Berwick has been reflected on for his service as a police officer. It is outrageous. It has happened repeatedly. It is on the Hansard record, and it is wrong.

The SPEAKER: I did not hear the Premier applying an imputation on the member for Berwick, but I do remind members – I remind members that when I am on my feet they will be silent – that disrespect in this chamber will not be tolerated.

Jacinta ALLAN: I want to be absolutely clear for the benefit of the member for Berwick and the house. I will not be misrepresented in this way. I absolutely respect the work of Victoria Police, and I do apologise if I got the length of service wrong for the member for Berwick. The point I was making is that as a serving member of Victoria Police the member for Berwick would know well –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Bulleen will leave the chamber for half an hour.

Brad Battin interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Berwick will leave the chamber for an hour and a half.

Members for Bulleen and Berwick withdrew from chamber.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, again on standing order 118, the member for Berwick has been reflected on multiple times, and he has now been asked to leave the chamber.

The SPEAKER: Member for Brighton, the member for Berwick did not ask for a withdrawal.

Jacinta ALLAN: The point I was making is that serving police officers of any type know those operational decisions are made by the chief commissioner.