DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇺 Australia /Elections & Politics

Some of WA's key policies up in the air with minister's resignation

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Western Australia's Kimberley region faces ongoing challenges with youth crime and alcohol-related harm despite significant policy initiatives.
  • Operation Regional Shield, aimed at increasing police presence, has been criticized as a "band-aid solution" with questions about its sustainability and effectiveness.
  • The WA Police Union advocates for retaining officers and investing in on-country rehabilitation rather than solely increasing arrests.

Western Australia's Kimberley region continues to grapple with persistent issues of youth crime and alcohol-fueled harm, leaving many policies implemented by former minister Paul Papalia's portfolios facing scrutiny. His resignation from WA parliament leaves behind a legacy of sweeping reforms and unresolved questions about their lasting impact.

belong in detention

— Paul PapaliaPapalia's past statement regarding children involved in criminal activity, reflecting his tough-on-crime stance.

The effectiveness of Papalia's "tough on crime" approach, particularly Operation Regional Shield (OPS), is now under a microscope. Launched in 2022 to deploy city-based officers to regional areas amid youth crime escalations, the government has credited OPS with reducing burglaries and vehicle thefts, allocating tens of millions of dollars to it. However, offenses against persons or property in the Kimberley have remained largely unchanged over the past four years, with approximately 13,100 offenses recorded in both the 2021-22 and 2024-25 financial years.

is a "band-aid solution"

— Simone TaplinThe WA Police Union president criticized Operation Regional Shield's sustainability and impact.

Critics, including WA Police Union president Simone Taplin, argue that OPS is a "band-aid solution" and question its sustainability. Taplin raised concerns about the logistical challenges of sending metropolitan officers to the Kimberley without adequate backfilling, suggesting a need for a "flying squad" or FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) workers. She emphasized that the Kimberley is currently understaffed due to reliance on OPS to fill vacancies, and that "throwing money" at the problem is ineffective. The union advocates for focusing on officer retention and bolstering on-country rehabilitation programs over simply increasing arrests.

At what point do we just say that we need a flying squad, or we are going to have FIFO workers. The Kimberley has been left now, because of previous policies put in place, where we don't have officers up there anymore because we've got regional shields so we're relying on that to fill vacancies.

— Simone TaplinShe questioned the long-term viability of the current policing strategy in the Kimberley.

Papalia himself acknowledged that escalating criminal activity is not solely a policing problem, requiring a multi-agency approach. However, the Kimberley region continues to experience some of the highest rates of family and domestic violence-related crime in the state. The success of corrective services and youth detention reforms in the region remains a critical question for his successors to address.

isn't just a policing problem, and it can't be just a policing solution

— Paul PapaliaPapalia's acknowledgment that crime requires a multi-agency approach.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog