The national 2021 Report on Government Services (RoGS) outlines a positive snapshot of the Marshall Liberal Government’s delivery of important services to the South Australian community.
The comprehensive Report covers SAPOL and Correctional Services in the justice sector.
Satisfaction with services provided by SAPOL ranked highest in the country at 83.1% compared to the national average of 78.3%. South Australia was top yet again with an 89.5% approval rating for community belief in SAPOL to perform its job professionally.
The RoGS also revealed SAPOL mobilised 310 operational staff per 100,000 people in 2019/20 – the second-highest ratio of officers to citizens in the nation.
“These results speak for themselves and show the high regard in which SAPOL is held by South Australians,” Minister for Police Vincent Tarzia said.
“Since coming into Government we have provided more than $170 million in extra funding to SAPOL to help keep South Australia safe and strong.
“We understand the importance of having more personnel on the front line, recruiting extra officers and Police Security Officers to safeguard the community.
“$93.2m alone was allocated to SAPOL in the 2020-21 State Budget, including historic funding for Crime Stoppers to help detect criminal activity at a grassroots level.”
While the RoGS data showed South Australia had a death rate of 6.9 per 100,000 registered vehicles, lives lost in the 2020 calendar year was considerably lower (95 compared to 114) than in 2019, and well below the 10-year average (109.5).
“Whilst the reduction in lives lost is encouraging, every life lost on our roads is avoidable. The Marshall Liberal Government will continue working closely with SAPOL’s Road Safety Unit to prevent further tragedies,” Minister Tarzia said.
“We all have the responsibility to pay attention behind the wheel or on the motorcycle this year.”
Promising results in Correctional Services also continue to drive down the rate of recidivism.
South Australia’s rate of return to Correctional Services resulting from a new sanction was the lowest in the nation at 42.3%, well under the national average of 54.9%. South Australia also had the nation’s lowest rate of return to prison with a new sentence at 34.8%.
“This is a positive reflection on the Department for Correctional Services (DCS) and its tireless work to reduce recidivism through targeted programs,” Minister Tarzia said.
“We are spending $2.8m on a pilot High Intensity Treatment Program to deliver improved prisoner rehabilitation outcomes, and $500,000 to develop a business case for a new rehabilitation prison.”
The DCS percentage of eligible participants in education was the second highest in the nation at 70.4%, dwarfing the 32% national average. A high number – 38.5% – participated in vocational education and training courses. Australia’s average was 21.4%.
ROGS data is prepared and distributed annually by the Productivity Commission.
