South Australia urged to trial “care-led” first responders as Indigenous leaders back alternatives to policing

Indigenous organisations and legal advocates are urging South Australia to invest in “care-led” alternatives to policing, arguing that health, social and community services should be the first response to many incidents that are currently handled by police.

The push is being driven by the Alternative First Responders campaign and an open letter led by the National Justice Project, with signatories including representatives from the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement, the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research and Change the Record.

The letter argues governments continue to treat police as the default response even while crime trends are falling. “We need to break this thinking and be courageous” the letter states. It adds: “This is not an ambitious policy idea, but a real-world shift that is growing nationally and internationally to establish alternatives to police that can provide appropriate care and support.”

Advocates say the model is particularly relevant for incidents involving mental health distress, homelessness, substance use and family crises – situations where punitive responses can escalate harm rather than resolve it. The letter frames alternative first responders as a public health and dignity measure, calling on MPs to “urgently consider and fund alternative first responders as a matter of public health, safety and dignity.”

National Indigenous Times reported the signatories questioned the balance of spending in the state budget, pointing to more than $200 million allocated to policing while only $111.8 million was invested in supporting “vulnerable South Australians”. “Having a ‘law and order’ budget in response to a decrease in crime does not demonstrate value for money or align with community need,” the letter says.

The campaign’s broader position is that properly resourced, community-based first responders can reduce repeat contact with the justice system, prevent criminalisation of social disadvantage and improve safety outcomes for marginalised communities – including Aboriginal people who experience disproportionate police contact and over-representation in custody.

While South Australia’s government has highlighted crime reductions and investments in policing, advocates say the moment is ripe for pilots that place trained clinicians, social workers and community-led services at the centre of frontline response.