- Police and auxiliary officers on track to increase by an extra 550 over four years
- Funding to upgrade the State's police stations
- The Government's innovative CCTV strategy fully funded
The Liberal National Government has boosted the WA Police budget by $53 million to $1.358 billion in 2015-16, reinforcing its commitment to making communities safer.
Treasurer Mike Nahan said the increased funding would deliver $16.8 million over four years in essential maintenance for police stations throughout the State.
"The building upgrades are to ensure police have the appropriate resources in our growing State and the best working conditions," Dr Nahan said.
The Treasurer said recruitment was on track and the Government aimed to build police ranks by an extra 120 police officers and 51 police auxiliary officers this financial year.
The Government's State-wide CCTV strategy will be realised with $7 million allocated to fund local government cameras and technology which will allow police to access vision from any participating camera network.
Dr Nahan said the Government was also determined to protect communities as much as it could from the devastating effects of bushfires and had committed an extra $20 million from the Royalties for Regions fund for prescribed burns by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
"We need to reduce the fuel in our South-West forests and this money will go a long way to achieving that," he said.
"Another $3.2 million will be spent in 2015-16 for the ongoing development of Bushfire Risk Management Plans in high-risk areas of the State."
The Treasurer said construction would also start in 2015-16 on the $9.1 million replacement facility for the Career Fire and Rescue Service Station in Albany and a new $19 million Career Fire and Rescue Service Station in west Perth.
Construction will continue on the Geraldton and Bunbury Career Fire and Rescue stations ($4.4 million and $5 million respectively in 2015-16).
In child protection, the Government continues to boost spending to meet additional demand which has seen the number of children in care increase by 40 per cent since 2007-08.
"We take the protection of the most vulnerable people in our society very seriously which is why we have committed an extra $172 million over four years to child protection," Dr Nahan said.
The extra funding will be spent on supporting children and young people requiring out-of-home care over the next four years including more than 5,000 in 2015-16.
The State Government has also renewed its commitment towards addressing homelessness in the Western Australian community with extra funding of $6 million in 2015-16 to maintain existing levels of services under the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) and National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH).
The 2014-15 Budget saw the start of the National Disability Insurance Scheme trials in WA. The WA NDIS My Way trial commenced, with the addition of $40 million over two years, in the Lower South West region on July 1, 2014 and will expand into Cockburn-Kwinana on July 1, 2015.
The Liberal National Government has also allocated an extra $24.6 million in 2015 16 to address unmet demand in disability services and is engaging in further work to establish how best to support the reform of disability services in future years.
From 2008-09 to 2015-16, expenditure on disability services has increased from $434 million to $964 million, an increase of 122 per cent.
The State Government will open the first Disability Justice Centre in 2015 16, funded with a capital commitment at a total cost of $8.5 million. This centre represents the nation's most progressive approach for supporting people with disability who are charged with criminal offences but are found unfit to plead or stand trial due to their intellectual or cognitive impairment. The centre will help people with disability to re-integrate into the community.
Fact File
Disability Services:
- The Government will also spend $9 million from 2014 15 to 2017 18 to establish more suitable accommodation options and support services for younger people with disabilities who are at risk of entering or currently residing in aged care
- For more information, visit http://www.ourstatebudget.wa.gov.au
Treasurer's office - 6552 5700
