The South Australian Government’s latest budget sends a clear message: there is always money for policing, surveillance and punishment, but never enough for housing, community support or addressing the causes of poverty.
The Government has announced $11.3 million for police drones, expanding aerial surveillance across South Australia, and $2.7 million for additional electronic monitoring devices to increase the supervision of people under criminal legal system orders.
At the same time, homelessness services are expected to respond to growing levels of housing insecurity with a fraction of the resources being directed into surveillance and control.
‘This is not public safety. It is the expansion of a surveillance state,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Every dollar spent on drones, electronic monitoring and policing is a dollar not spent on secure housing, health support, family support, income security, community-led services or the things that actually keep people safe,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Governments routinely claim there is not enough money to end homelessness, address poverty or support people leaving prison. Yet there is always funding available for new technologies that monitor, track and criminalise people,’ said Tabitha Lean.
The contrast could not be clearer.
‘Governments keep telling us they can’t afford to end homelessness, but somehow they can always afford more drones, more monitoring and more surveillance. You can always get a bed in a prison, but not in a homeless shelter. That tells us everything we need to know about their priorities,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘This budget reflects a political choice. Rather than investing in the conditions that allow people to live with dignity, the South Australian Government continues to invest in systems that watch, control and punish,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Electronic monitoring is often presented as a humane alternative to imprisonment. In reality, it extends the reach of the carceral system into people’s homes, families and communities. It creates new pathways back into custody through technical breaches and increased surveillance, particularly for people already experiencing poverty, homelessness, disability, mental distress and family violence,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Similarly, the expansion of police drone capability represents a significant increase in state surveillance without any evidence that it will address the social issues that governments repeatedly frame as law-and-order problems,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘People do not become homeless because there are not enough drones. Women are not criminalised because there is insufficient surveillance. Communities are not made safer by monitoring more people more closely,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
Safety comes from housing.
Safety comes from healthcare.
Safety comes from strong communities.
Safety comes from ensuring people have enough to live on and are supported through crisis rather than punished for it.
‘At a time when housing affordability is worsening, homelessness services are overwhelmed, and communities are struggling with rising costs of living, expanding surveillance infrastructure is not a solution. It is a distraction from the South Australian government’s failure to address the root causes of inequality and harm,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Budgets are moral documents. They reveal what governments value. This budget values surveillance over support, monitoring over housing, and punishment over prevention. The people of South Australia deserve better,’ said Tabitha Lean.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226.
