We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Malinauskas Government’s outrageous $395 million law and order budget spend.
At a time when South Australia has the lowest rate of ‘youth crime’ in the country—as the Premier himself admits—this government is choosing to funnel hundreds of millions into expanding police powers, surveillance, and prison capacity. ‘This is not a plan for community safety; it is a blueprint for deepening criminalisation and state control,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘We live in a state where people are sleeping rough every night, where ambulances are ramped and lives are lost in the wait, where doctors are threatening to strike over unsafe working conditions and unacceptable pay—and yet this government chooses to prioritise weapons, cages, and the endless hunger of the police state,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘This budget reveals the government’s true priorities: not safety, but submission to the carceral state. The Malinauskas Government has made itself handmaid to police unions and carceral expansion, bowing to their endless demands,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘But let’s not pretend this is about keeping us safe—this is about power, punishment, and the institutional greed of police, who will never be satiated. It will never be enough. There will always be another weapon, another jail cell, another threat that justifies more money, more officers, more violence,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘And we know what happens when we arm police with more weapons. Weapons kill. We already have police on our streets injuring people—fatally. Only this past week, SA police put a man in a coma. This is not about safety. This is about giving police more tools to harm,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Real safety does not come from police. It comes from housing. From healthcare. From community, care, and collective responsibility. We don’t need more cops. We need a government with the courage to invest in life, not punishment,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The National Network will not sit quietly while billions are poured into policing and prisons. We will continue to organise, agitate, and build real safety—together,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226.
