The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, has thrown her support behind the establishment of Victoria’s first regional police academy in Mildura.
During Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) Budget estimates hearings, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner, Mike Bush, confirmed a regional Police Academy in Mildura is anticipated to be operational from January 2027, with the first intake of recruits to follow.
Ms Benham said the establishment of the academy was a significant step forward for community safety across regional Victoria and reflected years of work by local police and community stakeholders.
“This is an massive development for Mildura and the Mallee.
“At a time when Victoria is facing serious police shortages, particularly across regional areas, creating a pathway to train officers locally is a logical and practical step that will help deliver more police on the ground in country communities.”
Ms Benham said the academy would improve accessibility for recruits wanting to pursue a policing career without needing to relocate to Melbourne and would help support smaller regional communities that often do not have permanently stationed officers.
“For smaller towns across the Southern Mallee and surrounding districts, this initiative has the potential to make a huge difference,” she said.
“Regional communities deserve to feel safe and supported, and increasing the number of trained police officers in regional Victoria goes a long way towards achieving that.”
The Mildura academy will be the first regional police academy established in Victoria, with two intakes expected each year. Each training wing will run for 25 weeks.
Ms Benham acknowledged the extensive work undertaken by local police personnel and training providers to develop the model.
“Local police staff have been working towards this outcome for a long time, alongside local education and training providers, and they deserve enormous credit for getting it to this point,” Ms Benham said.
Video of Ms Benham questioning the Chief Commissioner can be viewed at Minister for Police – 21st May 2026.
