Victoria Police has confirmed SuniTAFE Mildura as the home of its inaugural regional academy, marking a historic milestone for police training in regional Victoria.
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush will visit Mildura today to announce the partnership, which brings together two organisations committed to supporting regional Victoria and creating opportunities for local people.
The academy will commence operations on 18 January 2027, with Victoria Police set to begin moving into and fitting out its leased facilities at the SuniTAFE campus on Benetook Avenue next month.
The academy will provide aspiring police officers from Mildura, the Mallee and surrounding communities with an opportunity to undertake police training closer to home while maintaining connections to their families, support networks and local communities.
Victoria Police selected SuniTAFE as the academy’s home because of its excellent facilities, strong community connections and central location within the region.
The partnership brings together Victoria Police and SuniTAFE’s shared commitment to creating opportunities for people in regional Victoria and supporting strong local communities.
Trainers will be deployed from the Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley, with support from suitably qualified local police.
The regional academy program has attracted strong interest, with more than 200 applications received when they closed on 17 July.
Victoria Police will soon begin notifying successful applicants for the first expanded squad of up to 30 recruits, with final interviews continuing.
The Mildura academy will play an important role in supporting Victoria Police’s recruitment efforts across regional Victoria and creates new opportunities for suitable applicants to begin a policing career closer to where they live.
Mildura is the first location in a regional training pilot, with Gippsland confirmed as the next academy site when the academy moves to a new regional location.
Training at Mildura will mirror the 25-week program delivered at the Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley.
Recruits will graduate in a local ceremony and be deployed to positions in the Mallee region.
They will receive the same conditions as recruits training in Melbourne.
This includes paid training, nine weeks of annual leave and a wide range of career opportunities across Victoria Police.
Probationary Constables receive a starting wage of $93,212 a year when baseline salary and core allowances are included, with further allowances, overtime and superannuation paid on top.
For further details on the new academy visit: https://www.police.vic.gov.au/regional-academy.
Quotes attributable to Chief Commissioner Mike Bush:
“Today we’re confirming SuniTAFE as the home of Victoria Police’s first academy in regional Victoria, bringing this landmark project one step closer to reality.
“Victoria Police has never trained recruits at an academy in regional Victoria before. Today, Mildura becomes part of our history.
“We’re proud to be partnering with SuniTAFE, an organisation with a deep understanding of the Mildura community and the broader region.
“This partnership is about more than a location. It’s about working with a respected regional institution that shares our commitment to creating opportunities for local people and supporting strong communities.
“Victoria Police will begin moving into the site in November, and in January we’ll welcome the first recruits through the doors.
“We’ve seen incredibly talented, community-minded people from Mildura, the Mallee and surrounding communities step up and put themselves forward to become police officers. The regional academy gives them the opportunity to start that journey while remaining connected to the people and places that matter most to them.
“Country people make great police. They bring local knowledge, strong community connections and a genuine understanding of the communities they serve. Those qualities are invaluable in policing, and that’s why creating opportunities for regional Victorians to join Victoria Police is so important.
“We will soon begin the process of notifying the first squad of recruits who will train here in Mildura. After years of discussion about regional police training, it’s exciting to see this academy becoming a reality.”
