EMBARGOED UNTIL 6 February 2025 6:00am
Party of Law & Order: LCWA Commits $15m to Frontline Support
Hon. Dr Brian Walker MLC, Leader of the Legalise Cannabis WA Party, has today announced a suite of funding commitments which will assist WA Police officers and other frontline service providers across Western Australia.
“Having spoken to the Police Union and to Unions WA, it has become clear to us that the McGowan and Cook Governments have set back frontline services in a range of ways,” Dr Walker explained.
“These funding commitments, made on behalf of the Legalise Cannabis WA Party, are an attempt to right that balance in favour of law and order, and service provision across our state.”
The first of these LCWA commitments would see $5m assigned to the provision of 24/7 medical cover for police watchhouses across Western Australia.
“For years now, the police and civil rights advocates have been making the same demand – we need to have trained medical professionals – doctors and nurses – available in our watchhouses, where they can treat injured officers and prisoners alike.”
“With the largest surplus in the country, it’s no longer viable for Western Australia to cry poor on this, and as a doctor I am personally committed to seeing a first-world level of care introduced into our custodial system.”
“Labor and the Liberals clearly don’t care about the wellbeing of our police officers. LCWA does. It’s that simple,” Dr Walker explained.
“That’s also why we’re committing and additional $10m to reintroduce the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course which was available to police officers prior to its cancellation by the McGowan Government in 2019, and to expand the course to include all frontline workers – police, nurses, firefighters, and ambulance drivers.”
“Our emergency service personnel have a tougher job than ever. The rise in violent crime – up from just 5% forty years ago, to 20% today – means that they are dealing with more and more harrowing issues when they clock on, and the lack of proper psychological support mean that they inevitably take those issues home with them at the end of the day.”
“To quote WA Police Union President Paul Gale, who spoke on this issue recently, ‘MHFA was a two-day course that taught officers how to both care for themselves and their colleagues. Our members held it in high regard, and we’d welcome it back.”
“The two big parties obviously aren’t listening, but LCWA is, and will not only reintroduce the course, but radically extend its scope.”
“Our police officers, firefighters, nurses and ambos need to be reassured that the community cares about their mental health, and that we have allocated funds to provide appropriate professionals, on call to treat them at need.”
Asked where the funding for this reintroduced training course would come from, Dr Walker pointed to the $1.25b in additional government revenue that the legalisation of cannabis would bring in.
“We want to use that money to provide a better standard of living for the whole community, right across Western Australia” Dr Walker explained, “and the provision of essential services in a modern, caring manner is part and parcel of our ongoing commitment to the people of this state.”
ENDS
