00:00 Steve Gorszewski has just been appointed Queensland's new police commissioner.
00:06 The Premier Stephen Miles made the announcement a short time ago.
00:10 He's been acting in the role since Katerina Carroll resigned earlier in March amid criticism
00:17 over rising youth crime and also reports of unrest in the ranks.
00:22 A recruitment process began shortly after and state cabinet met this morning to approve
00:28 Mr Gorszewski's appointment.
00:30 He was selected by a panel made up of several people, including the chair of the Crime and
00:35 Corruption Commission, as well as the Tasmanian Police Commissioner.
00:39 Mr Gorszewski is a Queensland police officer veteran.
00:43 He joined the force in 1980, so he's served 44 years and worked his way through the ranks.
00:49 He's a long-term deputy commissioner and a former state disaster coordinator.
00:54 So he led the state's response to several cyclones and bushfires, as well as the COVID
01:00 pandemic.
01:01 That's where perhaps he's best known for.
01:03 He took part in daily press conferences during the pandemic, overseeing the border closures
01:08 and also the vaccine rollout.
01:10 Most recently, he's been responsible for overseeing the implementation of major domestic violence
01:17 policing reforms.
01:19 This work is something he's admitted was his biggest challenge yet.
01:23 As I flagged earlier, Mr Gorszewski says addressing rising domestic violence in Queensland remains
01:29 a priority.
01:30 Here's a little bit about what he had to say about that.
01:32 I dwell on the domestic and family violence reforms.
01:34 That is something that is absolutely critical and I remain, will remain as a priority for
01:40 myself as the commissioner and for our organisation.
01:43 While much has been done, and I look forward to being able to share the work that's happening
01:47 in the reform space, much more needs to be done.
01:51 For the victims of domestic and family violence, to make sure that the perpetrators are held
01:57 to account and can change what they do, but also for our police who are dealing with over
02:02 140,000 calls for service every year.
02:06 Mr Gorszewski's appointment comes at a testing time for the organisation, which is still
02:11 emerging from a 2022 inquiry that found cultural problems such as sexism and racism were rife
02:18 in the force.
02:19 He'll also have to address police recruitment issues and low morale within the force, but
02:25 he says he's up for the challenge.
02:28 Thank you.
02:28 Thank you.
02:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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