27th March, 2025.
My question is directed to the Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism. For over 12 months her office has been aware of land that sits dormant in Picton. She would also know of calls from the police union, the council and me for more police services due to the growth that is hitting Wollondilly. Will the Minister advise when Wollondilly will get its own police area command, rather than being stuck between two overstretched PACs?
Ms Yasmin Catley (Swansea—Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, and Minister for the Hunter): I thank the member for Wollondilly for her question. She is a very passionate advocate for her community. I have visited Wollondilly and met with the member a number of times, and I thank her for working with the Government on those very important issues. The Government is fully committed to ensuring that police have the resources and facilities that they need to protect the community. I am focused on ensuring that we can recruit and retain the best police officers in the country. I want to see those officers in PACs right around New South Wales, including in Wollondilly.
For the benefit of the House, the Wollondilly shire local government area is serviced by two PACs and is close to another: Camden, Campbelltown City and Nepean. All police attached to those police area commands are flexible resources that can respond to incidents across her community. However, I know that the member's electorate is vast and that the community of Wollondilly is rapidly growing. Unfortunately, members opposite had no plans for our growing cities. As we just heard from the Deputy Premier, they have left suburbs without schools or public transport. They have left us thousands of police officers short.
The member for Wollondilly has discussed with me her desire for a new PAC to be established in the Wollondilly area and has asked for an expanded police presence at the southern end of her electorate. I appreciate where she is coming from and I understand why she is asking for that. In the short term, we are bolstering police numbers at the Camden PAC to service her community. I am pleased to report that, from the last attestation, Nepean received seven probationary constables, Campbelltown received six and Camden received three. There are more to come in May. I am also advised that, in the medium term, we are looking at resourcing for a boundary realignment in the Bradfield area. Although that is not in Wollondilly—
Mrs Sally Quinnell: It has a knock-on effect.
Ms Yasmin Catley: That's exactly right. It will have a knock-on effect on those northern PACs. We will therefore be looking at a realignment in that area. We will work with the member for Wollondilly and with police. I assure the member that I understand where she is coming from. I drive through her beautiful electorate quite a bit to get to Goulburn. We will absolutely be looking at that. It is absolutely necessary that the member has the police services that her community needs. Police are looking at New South Wales planning and demographic data to ensure that there is capability in the southern area in areas like Wilton, as members spoke about earlier. That work will inform any changes to the PAC boundaries, and I will ensure that the member for Wollondilly is included in those conversations. I have also been advised that the land the member is referring to is subject to an unresolved Aboriginal land claim and that the current buildings on that site needed to be vacated— [Time expired.]