YASMIN CATLEY – QUESTION TIME NSW PARLIAMENT – TRANSCRIPT & FOOTAGE SUBJECT :POLICE NUMBERS
TRANSCRIPT – QUESTION TIME – THURSDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2025
Sydney,Maquarie St.
11 september ,2025
NATHAN HAGARTY, MEMBER FOR LEPPINGTON:
Can the Minister please update the House on the Minns Labor Government’s efforts to boost police numbers to increase community safety?
YASMIN CATLEY, MINISTER FOR POLICE AND COUNTER-TERRORISM:
I thank the Member for Leppington for his question. The Minns Labor Government has done more than any other government in New South Wales to boost police numbers. And we’re just getting started. Those opposite left us with a mess. They saw the cracks forming and watched the vacancies piled up. But they did nothing about it. In fact, they did worse than nothing.
They intentionally sent police wages backwards and had no plans for recruitment or retention. Their legacy? Denial, neglect and a lack of action. And look where it left us. Mopping up their mess. A great example of that is Kiama Police Station which is open, by the way. A symbol of years of neglect from the Libs. The roof was leaking, the building was moldy and it needed to be fixed. And what is that? It’s a symbol of exactly who they are. They do nothing. The mess was left to the Labor Party to fix up. Well, Mr Speaker, I can comfortably say we are turning all of this around. But while there is still work to do, green shoots –
Point of Order
Overruled
But we’re seeing green shoots Mr Speaker. We delivered a historic pay rise. We’re paying recruits to train. And it’s led to a 70% increase in applications for new police at Goulburn Academy. We’re giving cops the opportunity to return home to the communities they know best. Great idea right – so of course those opposite never thought of it! Our recently attested Class 366 has seen 13 Probationary Constables return to their hometowns. Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Tamworth, Macksville, Singleton, Wagga Wagga and Albury! Only the Minns Labor Government can bring results like this to regional areas.
We’re welcoming experienced officers from other jurisdictions to the NSW Police Force through the Professional Mobility Program. We’ve welcomed 30 experienced officers already and 20 more are ready to come here and make NSW their home. These are highly experienced officers bringing their expertise here to NSW. Officers like Blake Goodhew. Blake was previously a Senior Constable with Victoria Police. He made the decision to uproot his life and move to NSW. And he could do so without losing his career he built across the border. Blake represents exactly the kind of dedication and professionalism we want to see wearing the NSW badge.
Extension of time
Among Class 366 was Probationary Constable Amy Van Der Jagt. Last year Amy was working in retail at a store in Bondi Junction. She was working on the day of the Bondi Junction Westfield stabbings. She helped lock down her store before being escorted out by the police. She remembered feeling helpless at that moment and wanted to dedicate the rest of her life to helping others.
Inspired by the bravery of the officers that day, Amy joined the NSW Police Force. That day changed the course of her life, and we couldn’t be prouder to call her one of our own. Mr Speaker, probationary constables in Class 366 ranged in age from 19 to 59. That’s 40 years of life experience in just one class. Some are just starting out, others are turning the page of an entirely new chapters but all of them are answering the call to protect our communities.
Mr Speaker, there has never been a better time to be a police officer in NSW. And I can’t wait to see the long-term effects of this Government’s action. Because unlike those opposite, we’re not just noticing the problem once they’ve occurred. We’re tackling them head on. We’re valuing officers, we’re paying them properly, we’re rebuilding the pipeline and we’re making NSW the best place to wear the blue uniform. There is still more work to be done. But Mr Speaker, The Minns Labor Government will continue to turn the tide on the massive problems that we inherited from those on those benches.
