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December edition - The Police Association Victoria

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Journal<br />

THE POLICE ASSOCIATION VICTORIA UPHOLDING OUR RIGHTS SINCE 1917<br />

www.tpav.org.au VOLUME 77 ISSUE 12 <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

Pay deal signed as policing<br />

in <strong>Victoria</strong> enters a new era<br />

ALSO THIS MONTH<br />

> Meet your new chief<br />

> Are you being paid<br />

correctly?<br />

> Holster injuries<br />

AND MORE...


www.tpav.org.au VOLUME 77 ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2011<br />

THE POLICE ASSOCIATION<br />

No. 1 Clarendon Street, East Melbourne 3002<br />

Telephone: 03 9468 2600 Fax: 03 9495 6933<br />

Freecall 1800 800 537 (outside metro area only)<br />

Email: general@tpav.org.au<br />

Website: www.tpav.org.au<br />

EXECUTIVE MEMBERS<br />

Mr Phil Pearson − President<br />

9469 2600 (wk) 0409 618 677 (mob)<br />

Mr John Laird − Snr Vice-President (Sth Melbourne CIU)<br />

9646 7475 (wk) 0419 104 383 (mob)<br />

Mr Paul O’Connell − Junior Vice-President (Moreland CIU)<br />

9355 6052 (wk) 0413 053 882 (mob)<br />

Mr Karl David APM − Treasurer<br />

(Frankston <strong>Police</strong> Station)<br />

9784 5555 (wk) 0419 822 000 (mob)<br />

Mr Dermot Avon − Assistant Treasurer<br />

(Properties Branch, Business Management)<br />

9247 3058 (wk) 0418 582 861 (mob)<br />

Mr Dean Anderson (Transit Safety Division)<br />

9247 3300 (wk) 0438 877 220 (mob)<br />

Mr Colin Birch (Corio <strong>Police</strong> Station)<br />

5273 9555 (wk) 0439 326 511 (mob)<br />

Mr Mark Rose (Melbourne HWP)<br />

8379 0862 (wk) 0419 899 847 (mob)<br />

Mr Dean Thomas (Latrobe CIU)<br />

5131 5040 (wk) 0407 536 322 (mob)<br />

Ms Diane Wilson (Box Hill SOCAU)<br />

9890 4977 (wk) 0425 804 761 (mob)<br />

Mr Maurie Banks (Geelong HWP)<br />

5273 9555 (wk) 0429 402 233 (mob)<br />

Ms Brigette De Chirico (Yarra Ranges CIU)<br />

9739 2300 (wk) 0425 757 538 (mob)<br />

12 Meet<br />

your new chief<br />

Executive members’ home phone numbers are<br />

available after hours in strictly urgent cases only.<br />

<strong>The</strong>ir numbers may be obtained from the on-line<br />

supervisor at D24 on 9247 3222.<br />

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF<br />

Secretary: Greg Davies<br />

Assistant Secretary: Bruce McKenzie<br />

Legal Manager: Tony Walsh<br />

Industrial Relations Manager: Chris Kennedy<br />

Administration Manager: Sylvia Loveless<br />

Communications Manager: Sandro Lofaro<br />

MEMBER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM<br />

PPC Worldwide<br />

24-hour, professional counselling<br />

1300 361 008<br />

RETIRED POLICE ASSOCIATION<br />

President: Philip Parson 9759 6680 0417 565 462<br />

Email paparson@acemail.com.au<br />

Secretary: Arthur Roberts 9704 2358<br />

THE POLICE ASSOCIATION (VICTORIA) JOURNAL<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> (<strong>Victoria</strong>) Journal is published<br />

twelve times a year.<br />

Published by <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

No. 1 Clarendon Street, East Melbourne 3002.<br />

ABN 004 251 325<br />

<strong>The</strong> statements and/or opinions expressed in<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> Journal are not necessarily<br />

those of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> or of its officers. <strong>The</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong> publishes all material herein from various<br />

sources on the understanding that it is both authentic<br />

and correct and cannot accept any responsibilities<br />

for inaccuracies.<br />

ADVERTISING<br />

Advertisements in this journal are solicited from<br />

organisations and businesses on the understanding<br />

that no special considerations other than those<br />

normally accepted in respect of commercial dealings,<br />

will be given to any advertiser. Countrywide Austral<br />

adheres to stringent ethical advertising practices and<br />

any advertising inquiries should be directed to:<br />

Countrywide Austral<br />

Level 2, 673 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3001<br />

GPO Box 2466, Melbourne VIC 3001<br />

Ph: 03 9937 0200 Fax: 03 9937 0201<br />

Email: admin@cwaustral.com.au<br />

Web: www.cwaustral.com.au<br />

JOURNAL<br />

THE POLICE ASSOCIATION VICTORIA UPHOLDING OUR RIGHTS SINCE 1917<br />

PAY DEAL SIGNED AS POLICING<br />

IN VICTORIA ENTERS A NEW ERA<br />

06<br />

<strong>The</strong> value of your<br />

TPA membership<br />

14 Brave baby Sharni<br />

Inside this <strong>edition</strong><br />

03 President’s Message<br />

05 Secretary’s Message<br />

06 Value of <strong>Association</strong><br />

membership comes to the<br />

fore during pay campaign<br />

08 IR News<br />

11 Legal News<br />

12 Ken Lay<br />

14 Baby Sharni<br />

18 New IR staff<br />

21 Holster injuries<br />

23 Mick Palmer<br />

25 War Stories<br />

27 Trivia<br />

28 National Round-up<br />

25<br />

Do you have<br />

a war story?<br />

30 Member Classifieds<br />

32 Your Say<br />

34 Minutes<br />

36 Your <strong>Association</strong> Delegates<br />

ALSO THIS MONTH<br />

> MEET YOUR NEW CHIEF<br />

> ARE YOU BEING PAID<br />

CORRECTLY?<br />

> HOLSTER INJURIES<br />

AND MORE...<br />

<strong>Association</strong> Secretary<br />

Greg Davies and new Chief<br />

Commissioner Ken Lay sign<br />

the <strong>Police</strong> EBA.<br />

Photo by Greg Noakes.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

01


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FINANCIAL PLANNING<br />

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FINANCE BROKING<br />

Individual, company, trust or small business tax returns<br />

Business Activity Statements (BAS)<br />

Trust a CA/CPA<br />

Your Complete Business Advisor<br />

www.apstax.com.au<br />

www.apsbs.com.au<br />

www.apstax.com.au<br />

TAXATION & ACCOUNTING<br />

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(03) 9322 2000<br />

LOANS & DEBT<br />

MANAGEMENT<br />

APS MORTGAGE & FINANCE BROKING CAN HELP YOU<br />

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INSURANCES<br />

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www.apsbs.com.au FINANCIAL PLANNING<br />

APS BENEFITS CAN HELP YOU Notice the difference ..... APS FINANCIAL PLANNING CAN HELP YOU<br />

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Immediate funeral cover up to $15,000<br />

Protect your family & loved ones<br />

Your peace of mind<br />

www.apsbs.com.au<br />

APS BENEFITS CAN HELP YOU<br />

Home & Contents<br />

Motor Vehicle<br />

www.apsfinplan.com.au<br />

Professional Indemnity<br />

FINANCIAL PLANNING<br />

Income Protection<br />

Life, Disability, Trauma & more<br />

NOT FOR PROFIT FINANCIAL SERVICES<br />

Financial services provided by Australian Public Service Benevolent Society Ltd are provided under its AFSL No. 244115<br />

APS Financial Planning Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Futuro Financial Services Pty Ltd (‘Futuro’)<br />

Financial services provided by APS Financial Planning Pty Ltd are provided under Futuro’s AFSL No. 238478<br />

NOT FOR PROFIT FINANCIAL SERVICES<br />

www.apsbs.com.au<br />

GENERAL INSURANCE BROKING<br />

MORTGAGE MANAGEMENT &<br />

FINANCE BROKING<br />

www.apstax.com.au<br />

1300 131 809<br />

(03) 9322 2000<br />

LOANS & DEBT<br />

www.apsbs.com.au<br />

MANAGEMENT<br />

368U<br />

325U<br />

278U 130U<br />

PERSONAL LOANS<br />

REFLEX BLUE U<br />

INSURANCE BROKING. Next time www.apsbs.com.au you renew your home www.apsbs.com.au and contents or your motor vehicle insurance,<br />

173U<br />

16-20 Howard Street, North Melbourne, <strong>Victoria</strong> 3051<br />

www.apsbs.com.au<br />

MORTGAGE BROKING<br />

Access to 20 mortgage lenders<br />

Need finance for any occasion?<br />

Let APS do all the paper work<br />

Let APS find the best loan for you<br />

Trust a business that is over 100 years old<br />

www.apsbs.com.au<br />

Superannuation<br />

Pre and Post Retirement Planning<br />

Managed Funds & Investments<br />

Trust a Certified Financial Planner (CFP)<br />

Australian Public Service Benevolent Society Ltd<br />

www.apsfinplan.com.au<br />

APS PERSONAL LOANS CAN HELP YOU<br />

TAXATION & ACCOUNTINGDon't pay credit card interest rates ever again<br />

Need an unsecured loan?<br />

Apply online at www.apsbs.com.au<br />

Gain approval within 24 hours<br />

Need cash for a renovation, a car, or a holiday?<br />

APS Benefits specialises in many not for profit financial services such as<br />

Financial Planning, Tax & Accounting, Funeral Cover, INSURANCES<br />

and unsecured loans. We offer a travel and<br />

mortgage broking service as well as our latest service to our members and clients in GENERAL<br />

give us a call & NOTICE THE NOT FOR PROFIT DIFFERENCE.<br />

1300 131 809<br />

Australian Public Service Benevolent Society Ltd<br />

Membership of APS Benefits automatically entitles you to a funeral benefit issued by APS Benefits. You should consider the Combined Product Disclosure Statement & Financial Services Guide<br />

(available from APS Benefits Financial or services our web provided site on www.apsbs.com.au) by Australian Public before Service making Benevolent a decision Society to become Ltd are a provided member of under APS Benefits AFSL No. or buy 244115 any products offered by APS Benefits. Financial<br />

services provided by Australian APS Financial Public Planning Service Benevolent Pty Ltd is a Corporate Society Ltd Authorised are provided Representative under its AFSL of No. Futuro 244115. Financial APS Services Financial Pty Planning Ltd (‘Futuro’) Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative<br />

No. 305923 of Futuro Financial<br />

Financial<br />

Services<br />

services<br />

Pty Ltd<br />

provided<br />

(‘Futuro’).<br />

by<br />

Financial<br />

APS Financial<br />

services<br />

Planning<br />

provided<br />

Pty<br />

by<br />

Ltd<br />

APS<br />

are<br />

Financial<br />

provided<br />

Planning<br />

under Futuro’s<br />

Pty Ltd are<br />

AFSL<br />

provided<br />

No. 238478<br />

under Futuro’s AFSL No. 238478


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE<br />

Turning the corner<br />

on police numbers<br />

I<br />

recently visited the Fawkner <strong>Police</strong> Station<br />

where I was once the OIC.<br />

Not only did they have a van and a car<br />

on the road, there were also actually a<br />

number of members in the muster room<br />

doing correspondence − an almost unheard<br />

of phenomenon in the past few years!<br />

It was only a year ago that the station<br />

was struggling to put a van on the road<br />

let alone the luxury of a member being<br />

rostered on corro.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Government promise of recruiting an<br />

extra 1700 frontline police is starting to filter<br />

through to where they are really needed<br />

- on the street.<br />

Since the recruiting drive commenced last<br />

year, approximately 700 extra police have<br />

been delivered with another 1000 to come.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is still a fair way to go before all<br />

stations and units are adequately staffed.<br />

According to the Gazette of 7 November,<br />

there are 29 Special Category Positions<br />

and a further 34 Expression of Interest to<br />

country positions advertised. In addition,<br />

numerous metropolitan divisions are still<br />

screaming out for staff.<br />

This increase in numbers will have a huge<br />

effect on how we are able to police this<br />

state. Once again, we might be able to<br />

return to proactive policing rather than just<br />

responding to calls for assistance.<br />

Maybe we will soon be able to do some of<br />

the things we’ve always wanted to do to like<br />

address crime and the activities of recidivist<br />

criminals within our areas of responsibility,<br />

rather than to merely discuss how to tackle<br />

these issues at sometimes meaningless<br />

tasking and co-ordination meetings<br />

because we haven’t had the staff to do the<br />

job properly.<br />

On 21November, I attended at the Academy<br />

where another 26 members commenced<br />

their training and 21 of the promised 940<br />

Protective Service Officers kicked off their<br />

training before being deployed to railway<br />

stations.<br />

Obviously, there are still some<br />

outstanding issues around staffing, shifts,<br />

accommodation and deployment of the<br />

PSOs, however the <strong>Association</strong> will continue<br />

to act to ensure the best possible outcome<br />

for our newest members.<br />

Our new Chief<br />

It has been nearly 20 years since a ‘homegrown’<br />

Chief Commissioner has been<br />

appointed to lead the <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force.<br />

<strong>The</strong> appointment of Ken Lay to the position<br />

has been welcomed by many within the<br />

Force and the community. <strong>The</strong>re will be<br />

some detractors with the appointment,<br />

however no matter who got the job there<br />

would have been. I have worked with Ken<br />

in the past and have always found him to<br />

be a fair and reasonable leader who has the<br />

genuine welfare of his members at heart.<br />

I congratulate Ken on his appointment and<br />

look forward to a positive era of policing<br />

in this state and a harmonious working<br />

relationship.<br />

PHILLIP PEARSON > President<br />

<strong>The</strong> Festive Season<br />

As one gets older the years seem to fly<br />

by even quicker.<br />

I must be getting really old because this one<br />

just flew. Yes, it’s nearly Christmas time<br />

again. Christmas parties, social gatherings<br />

and holidays for some, and a time to gather<br />

with family and friends and celebrate.<br />

Unfortunately for some it will not be an<br />

enjoyable time of year. Each year many are<br />

affected by the tragic loss of life experienced<br />

on our roads. It may be be a family member,<br />

a friend, or work colleague that has to live<br />

with the grief of losing a loved one. It is with<br />

this in mind that I say, be safe out there,<br />

none of us enjoy having to deliver ‘that<br />

message’ and we certainly don’t want to<br />

receive it. Be safe on the roads so we can<br />

all go home to our loved ones.<br />

This year has been a great year for the<br />

<strong>Association</strong> with many achievements. I’m<br />

not sure how we will top it in 2012 but be<br />

assured we will continue to serve you, the<br />

membership, to the best of our ability. On<br />

behalf of the Executive of the <strong>Association</strong><br />

I wish you all the best over the festive<br />

season. Have a great Christmas and an<br />

even greater New Year.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

03


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provider can make to the public sector, their families and friends.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Australian Public Service Benevolent Society (APS Benefits) is a not for profit organisation that provides a<br />

wide range of financial services to all government departments, their families and friends. Having been in existence<br />

for over 105 years, the APS family has earned the trust of over 26,000 members offering the following financial<br />

services listed below:<br />

APS Tax & Accounting<br />

Alfred Mallia at APS Tax, Accounting and Business Services has 24 years’ experience. Whether it is setting up a<br />

business, managing your superannuation fund or just obtaining better service and lower fees, Alfred can help you.<br />

Financial planning<br />

APS Financial Planning, Timothy Foster provides access to advice and information on the important financial<br />

decisions we all face, whether it be superannuation, investments, pre and post retirement planning, life insurance,<br />

gearing, managed funds or savings plans.<br />

APS Mortgage Broking, Sam Athans treats every mortgage as if it were his own. He has access to 20 mortgage<br />

lenders and over 40 years’ experience in banking.<br />

APS Insurance (General Insurance Broking)<br />

Danielle Rowe heads up our insurance broking team and is a salaried employee of APS Benefits. With 15 years<br />

experience in the industry, you can be assured of receiving unbiased advice that meets your insurance needs. We<br />

have access to products that include Home and Contents, Motor Vehicle, Boat/Caravan, Landlord, Public Liability,<br />

Income Protection, Life, Disability & Trauma insurance. <strong>The</strong> next time you receive your insurance renewal notice<br />

from your current insurer or want insurance for the first time, call Danielle on 1300 131 809.<br />

APS Personal loans<br />

<strong>The</strong> APS Benefits’ personal loans team can assist members to obtain an unsecured loan, or they can apply online at<br />

www.apsbs.com.au. Either way, loans can be approved within 24 hours.<br />

APS Funeral Cover<br />

APS Benefits’ Membership Coordinator Jesse Clarke can assist members to gain immediate funeral cover up to<br />

$15,000 and protect their loved ones in times of need. Do you have cover in the greatest time of need? Call us on<br />

1300 131 809.<br />

Independence is important to APS. Our key advisors are employees of APS, and therefore have no personal bias<br />

towards any supplier. Further to this, APS is owned by its members, so any profits are channelled back to members.<br />

APS would also like to assist you and your family and friends in making available our wide range of not for profit<br />

services. Help spread the word by introducing new members and APS will send you or your nominated charity $50<br />

for each new member you nominate.<br />

For further information on the APS family and its wide range of not for profit financial services,<br />

phone 1300 131 809 or visit www.apsbs.com.au


SECRETARY’S MESSAGE<br />

Reflecting on a year<br />

of solid achievement<br />

While the month of January<br />

is named for Janus, the<br />

Roman god of beginnings<br />

and endings, it is <strong>December</strong><br />

that’s an appropriate time<br />

for all of us to consider the end of this year<br />

and the beginning of the next.<br />

Policing in <strong>Victoria</strong> has indeed taken massive<br />

strides in the last twelve months, with a<br />

range of achievements, announcements,<br />

appointments and, of course, the successful<br />

end of our Enterprise Bargaining.<br />

A quick scan of the last year reveals:<br />

> > A guarantee of 1,700 net additional<br />

police officers.<br />

> > A new (and <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force,<br />

home grown) Chief Commissioner.<br />

> > Confirmation that the OPI will be shut<br />

down and replaced by an Independent<br />

Broad Based Anti-Corruption<br />

Commission, signalling official realisation<br />

that corruption in this State just might<br />

exist outside the <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force.<br />

> > A 4.72% compounded annual pay-rise<br />

and a range of improved conditions for<br />

members, including a return to 9 weeks<br />

"leave" for every full-time member.<br />

You can’t pat yourself on the back, and<br />

no-one at your <strong>Association</strong> wants to or<br />

has done, but this quick-fire statement<br />

of facts is simply the <strong>Association</strong>’s<br />

year in microcosm. And it is a year that<br />

we’re particularly proud of, in terms of<br />

achievements for you, our members.<br />

You will find an article featuring Chief<br />

Commissioner Ken Lay APM inside this<br />

<strong>edition</strong> of the Journal. I won’t comment<br />

on him or his plans for the future, but will<br />

let him speak for himself.<br />

<strong>Police</strong> Integrity?<br />

We know the OPI will be shut by April next<br />

year. It’s fair to say that the OPI and the<br />

<strong>Association</strong> have never been natural allies<br />

and, in our firm view, they have treated our<br />

people appallingly, convicted almost no-one<br />

and cost the <strong>Victoria</strong>n tax-payer more than<br />

$100 million over their limited life.<br />

One might well ask, "Where are the dozens<br />

of corrupt police that a couple of chief<br />

commissioners and the OPI were going<br />

to sweep out of the Force?" <strong>The</strong> answer,<br />

obviously, can only be either, "Err, there<br />

are none" or "Err, we know they’re there<br />

somewhere, but we just can’t find any".<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is no third alternative.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y have managed to sully and even<br />

destroy reputations, and while their<br />

telephone interceptions have provided the<br />

public with titillating media grabs there has<br />

been a paucity of evidence accompanying<br />

the tid-bits. Day by day I have expected<br />

them to announce that a police officer’s<br />

fingerprints have been found on the<br />

steering wheel of the Titanic but, of course,<br />

that would have required some production<br />

of evidence.<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong> deserves a transparent and<br />

accountable Anti-corruption Commission,<br />

and will get one in 2012.<br />

Christmas celebrations can turn sour<br />

As we look towards 2012 we should all<br />

remind ourselves of what the clever people<br />

tell us each Christmas − have fun and enjoy<br />

the festive season but don’t over-do it.<br />

Anything you do at a function or venue, with<br />

your colleagues, will count as if you had done<br />

it at the office.<br />

At this time of year we regularly see<br />

members, mostly as a result of inadvertent<br />

actions, in difficulties over things they would<br />

rather not have said or done. While this is<br />

not an issue particular to police officers, it is<br />

an issue that usually causes more trouble<br />

for police officers than those in civilian life.<br />

GREG DAVIES > SECRETARY<br />

So, in trying to impersonate a clever<br />

person, I ask you all to "have fun but don’t<br />

over-do it".<br />

To the thousands of our members who will<br />

be working to ensure <strong>Victoria</strong> is as safe as<br />

possible so the rest of the community can<br />

have their fun over Christmas/New Year, our<br />

thoughts are with you. Please stay safe and<br />

enjoy as much time as possible with your<br />

own families.<br />

As we move into 2012, we do so with an<br />

optimism that has been absent for many<br />

years. We are getting back up towards<br />

acceptable numbers of police, we are<br />

re-discovering the wonders of traditional<br />

policing that were dispensed with for<br />

a decade and we are being better paid<br />

for the critical work that almost 13,000<br />

professional police officers provide the<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong>n community.<br />

It is both refreshing and a great relief to<br />

be so positioned. However, not all of the<br />

problems have been resolved − far from it.<br />

So we will continue to represent each and<br />

every one of you, wherever there is a need,<br />

and we will continue to expand the range of<br />

services we provide.<br />

It is proper to remember, at this time, the<br />

members who have passed away in 2011,<br />

and their families, for whom Christmas will<br />

be forever changed. You are all remembered<br />

by your friends and colleagues.<br />

I thank you for your support throughout<br />

what was a difficult trek but a great<br />

finish - 2011.<br />

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and good<br />

luck to you all. See you in 2012.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

05


EB Update<br />

<strong>Association</strong> members<br />

deliver on the big issues,<br />

but for some, it has been<br />

gain without pain<br />

A big win by the <strong>Association</strong> on pay with the active support of most<br />

members has re-ignited an age old bug-bear among members writes<br />

<strong>Association</strong> Secretary, Greg Davies.<br />

Your <strong>Association</strong> has scored two<br />

enormous victories for members<br />

in the past two years.<br />

First was the commitment for<br />

an extra 1700 additional police<br />

officers, regardless of who won last year’s<br />

State Election which came as a result of our<br />

long-running ‘Save our Streets’ campaign.<br />

<strong>The</strong>n came the recently-endorsed<br />

enterprise bargaining agreement which<br />

delivers annual average pay rises of 4.72%<br />

per year for four years plus a host of other<br />

improvements to conditions.<br />

Few employee bodies could claim such<br />

strategic and comprehensive victories for<br />

their members anywhere in the country in<br />

recent years.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> succeeds only<br />

because of its membership. When the<br />

State Government deals with <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong>, it knows we are speaking with<br />

the voice of almost every police officer in<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong>. Solidarity and determination is the<br />

key to our success, whether it is marshalling<br />

our forces to gather <strong>Victoria</strong>’s biggest ever<br />

petition or implementing action that sticks,<br />

in support of a fair and reasonable pay claim.<br />

When more than 12,500 police officers speak<br />

through the <strong>Association</strong>, Governments<br />

listen. A group of 50 or 100 do not have the<br />

same impact.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> boasts one of the<br />

highest rates of union membership - around<br />

98 per cent.<br />

06 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au<br />

This is remarkable given that union<br />

membership around the country is now<br />

closer to the 20 per cent mark.<br />

At times like this, in the aftermath of recent<br />

success, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> is often<br />

asked by members about the fairness<br />

of hard-won benefits flowing to police<br />

officers who are not members, or who<br />

did not participate in action to support<br />

our resources campaign or our recent<br />

EBA 2011 campaign.<br />

<strong>The</strong> first point to be made is that it is<br />

unlawful to discriminate against non-union<br />

members. This means that<br />

they can’t be excluded from<br />

having an <strong>Association</strong>negotiated<br />

pay deal flowing<br />

on to them. As members will<br />

appreciate, this provision of<br />

the Fair Work Act rankles with<br />

us as with all professional<br />

associations and unions.<br />

It is also against the law<br />

to make union membership<br />

mandatory. Despite this<br />

nearly every police recruit<br />

chooses to join <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong> when they enter<br />

the Academy.<br />

Those unions that have<br />

maintained high levels<br />

of membership are those<br />

which have delivered for<br />

their members. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong> is in that group<br />

and proudly so.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Association</strong> is not interested in forcing<br />

police officers to join. That would be against<br />

the law.<br />

But perhaps now is a good time for nonmembers<br />

to reflect on the gain-withoutpain<br />

they are enjoying. Perhaps they should<br />

recognise that a tax deductable annual<br />

membership fee of around $750 is a small<br />

price for the mighty dividend they have<br />

received on the two main policing issues<br />

of the last twelve months alone.<br />

If you know someone who isn’t a member


If you know someone who isn’t<br />

a member of the <strong>Association</strong><br />

you could take the opportunity<br />

to remind them of the outcomes<br />

achieved through your actions.<br />

> Greg Davies<br />

of the <strong>Association</strong> you could take the<br />

opportunity to remind them of the outcomes<br />

achieved through your actions.<br />

Perhaps they should acknowledge that they<br />

owe it to their colleagues to share the cost.<br />

Perhaps they can think about it next time<br />

they look their <strong>Association</strong> colleagues in<br />

the eye. Perhaps they should examine the<br />

other tremendous benefits of membership<br />

such as legal assistance, welfare services,<br />

WorkCover representation, consumer<br />

discounts and sickness/death benefits.<br />

But it is their choice.<br />

Of course success is not just about<br />

membership. It is about active participation.<br />

Whether that is signing a petition or<br />

participating in industrial action.<br />

A gallery of active member<br />

participation toward a successful EB<br />

Above: <strong>The</strong> Water <strong>Police</strong> participate in the work bans. Photo courtesy of the Fairfax Community Network.<br />

It is disappointing that some members think<br />

paying their <strong>Association</strong> subs is all they have<br />

to do and that worthwhile outcomes will<br />

take care of themselves.<br />

Even worse, we saw in the recent pay<br />

dispute how some members went about<br />

actively undermining the efforts of other<br />

members by not participating in the recent<br />

industrial action and / or implementing<br />

systems to negate its desired impact.<br />

Above: A HWP vehicle enforces the speed camera industrial ban near Coldstream.<br />

Unions and professional representation<br />

bodies are only as good as their last<br />

campaign and <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

is already gearing up to identify and meet<br />

the next challenges for police officers.<br />

That is all part of a successful strategy<br />

and developing a culture of winning the<br />

big ones. It requires resources, planning<br />

and the support of all members.<br />

And the more members we have, who<br />

actively participate with the <strong>Association</strong><br />

in shaping their own future, the stronger<br />

we become for the next campaign.<br />

Left to right: LSC Matthew McPartlan, LSC Sharon Wilson, S/C Geoffrey Shaw, Sgt Thomas Brown, S/C<br />

Leigh Woolfe, Sgt Darren Murphy, LSC Robyn Harrop, S/C Scott Garbutt and S/C Michael De Bruyckere.<br />

07


IR News<br />

Are you being paid correctly?<br />

Recently <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

has assisted a spate of members<br />

who have been underpaid (some<br />

overpaid) because they were not<br />

on the correct pay increment.<br />

Now that the EBA has been finalised and the<br />

new pay rates have come in to effect, it is<br />

important that members check that they are<br />

being paid correctly.<br />

Members being paid at the wrong increment<br />

under the old agreement will almost<br />

certainly transition to the wrong increment<br />

in the new agreement and not get the full<br />

benefit of the negotiated salary increases.<br />

Three steps to checking your correct<br />

salary increment:<br />

1. <strong>The</strong> salary you are currently being paid is<br />

shown on your payslip<br />

2. <strong>The</strong> table below shows the new salary<br />

rates for each increment and the rate<br />

under the previous agreement<br />

3. If the salary rate on your payslip doesn’t<br />

match the salary rate for<br />

the increment you think you should<br />

be receiving under the new<br />

agreement then you may not be<br />

being paid correctly<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are a number of reasons why<br />

members may not be paid at the correct<br />

rate. <strong>The</strong>se include:<br />

> Delayed incremental progression, due to<br />

Performance Development Assessments<br />

(PDA) not being properly completed by<br />

them or their supervisor. If your annual<br />

assessment hasn’t been signed off then<br />

you will not have progressed to the next<br />

pay increment.<br />

> Some programming issues have<br />

been identified with HR Assist<br />

(Vic Pol payroll software) which has<br />

had the effect of denying members<br />

their increment despite their PDA<br />

being completed.<br />

> Errors may have resulted in the<br />

wrong increment date being recorded<br />

in HR Assist.<br />

Whatever the reason, you should take action<br />

now to ensure your salary is correct from the<br />

start of the new agreement.<br />

If you think you are being paid<br />

incorrectly please email the <strong>Association</strong><br />

at general@tpav.org.au. Your email should<br />

include your name, registered number,<br />

the increment you are currently being paid<br />

and the increment you believe you are<br />

entitled to.<br />

As a first step to help you determine your correct pay increment, the table below sets out all pay rates<br />

and increases during each stage of the 2011 EB Agreement.<br />

Additionally, you can track how your salary will increase throughout the life of the agreement by using<br />

our online 'pay calculator' at www.tpav.org.au.<br />

NEW AGREEMENT<br />

Increment Pre 1 Dec 2011 1 Dec 2011 1 Jul 2012 1 Dec 2012 1 Jul 2013 1 Dec 2013 1 Jul 2014 1 Dec 2014 1 Jul 2015<br />

Commander 1 $143,233 $147,530 $150,481 $153,490 $156,560 $159,691 $162,885 $166,143 $170,296<br />

Chief Superintendent 1 $138,327 $144,637 $147,530 $150,480 $153,490 $156,560 $159,691 $162,885 $166,957<br />

Superintendent 8 –- $144,637 $147,529 $150,480 $153,490 $156,559 $159,691 $162,884 $166,957<br />

7 –- $142,477 $145,326 $148,233 $151,198 $154,221 $157,306 $160,452 $164,463<br />

6 $135,757 $139,830 $142,626 $145,479 $148,388 $151,356 $154,383 $157,471 $161,408<br />

5 $132,992 $136,982 $139,721 $142,516 $145,366 $148,273 $151,239 $154,264 $158,120<br />

4 $130,383 $134,294 $136,980 $139,720 $142,514 $145,365 $148,272 $151,237 $155,018<br />

3 $127,588 $131,416 $134,044 $136,725 $139,459 $142,249 $145,093 $147,995 $151,695<br />

2 $122,096 $125,759 $128,274 $130,840 $133,456 $136,125 $138,848 $141,625 $145,166<br />

1 $119,700 $123,291 $125,757 $128,272 $130,837 $133,454 $136,123 $138,846 $142,317<br />

Chief Inspector 1 $119,700 $123,291 $125,757 $128,272 $130,837 $133,454 $136,123 $138,846 $142,317<br />

Inspector 6 $117,616 $121,144 $123,567 $126,039 $128,559 $131,131 $133,753 $136,428 $139,839<br />

5 $114,660 $118,100 $120,462 $122,871 $125,328 $127,835 $130,392 $133,000 $136,325<br />

4 $112,412 $115,784 $118,100 $120,462 $122,871 $125,329 $127,835 $130,392 $133,652<br />

3 $110,207 $113,513 $115,783 $118,099 $120,461 $122,870 $125,328 $127,834 $131,030<br />

2 $108,046 $111,287 $113,513 $115,783 $118,099 $120,461 $122,870 $125,328 $128,461<br />

1 $105,927 $109,105 $111,287 $113,513 $115,783 $118,099 $120,461 $122,870 $125,941<br />

08 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au


NEW AGREEMENT<br />

Increment Pre 1 Dec 2011 1 Dec 2011 1 Jul 2012 1 Dec 2012 1 Jul 2013 1 Dec 2013 1 Jul 2014 1 Dec 2014 1 Jul 2015<br />

Senior Sergeant 6 $95,240 $98,097 $100,059 $102,060 $104,102 $106,184 $108,307 $110,473 $113,235<br />

5 $94,300 $97,129 $99,072 $101,053 $103,074 $105,136 $107,238 $109,383 $112,118<br />

4 $93,090 $95,883 $97,800 $99,756 $101,751 $103,787 $105,862 $107,979 $110,679<br />

3 $91,880 $94,636 $96,529 $98,460 $100,429 $102,437 $104,486 $106,576 $109,240<br />

2 $90,670 $93,390 $95,258 $97,163 $99,106 $101,088 $103,110 $105,172 $107,802<br />

1 $89,460 $92,144 $93,987 $95,866 $97,784 $99,739 $101,734 $103,769 $106,363<br />

Sergeant 6 $87,011 $89,621 $91,414 $93,242 $95,107 $97,009 $98,949 $100,928 $103,451<br />

5 $84,872 $87,418 $89,167 $90,950 $92,769 $94,624 $96,517 $98,447 $100,908<br />

4 $83,616 $86,124 $87,847 $89,604 $91,396 $93,224 $95,088 $96,990 $99,415<br />

3 $82,358 $84,829 $86,525 $88,256 $90,021 $91,821 $93,658 $95,531 $97,919<br />

2 $81,101 $83,534 $85,205 $86,909 $88,647 $90,420 $92,228 $94,073 $96,425<br />

1 $79,843 $82,238 $83,883 $85,561 $87,272 $89,017 $90,798 $92,614 $94,929<br />

Lsc (2) 1 $80,253 $82,340 $83,657 $85,163 $86,525 $88,083 $89,492 $91,103 $92,998<br />

Leading Senior Constable<br />

(LSC)<br />

16 $78,217 $80,564 $82,175 $83,818 $85,495 $87,205 $88,949 $90,728 $92,996<br />

15 $76,826 $79,131 $80,713 $82,328 $83,974 $85,654 $87,367 $89,114 $91,342<br />

14 $75,320 $77,580 $79,131 $80,714 $82,328 $83,975 $85,654 $87,367 $89,551<br />

13 $74,574 $76,811 $78,347 $79,914 $81,513 $83,143 $84,806 $86,502 $88,664<br />

Senior Constable 12 $73,835 $76,050 $77,571 $79,122 $80,705 $82,319 $83,965 $85,645 $87,786<br />

11 $72,091 $74,254 $75,739 $77,254 $78,799 $80,375 $81,982 $83,622 $85,712<br />

10 $70,347 $72,457 $73,907 $75,385 $76,892 $78,430 $79,999 $81,599 $83,639<br />

9 $68,914 $70,981 $72,401 $73,849 $75,326 $76,833 $78,369 $79,937 $81,935<br />

8 $67,437 $69,460 $70,849 $72,266 $73,712 $75,186 $76,690 $78,223 $80,179<br />

7 $65,961 $67,940 $69,299 $70,685 $72,098 $73,540 $75,011 $76,511 $78,424<br />

6 $64,980 $66,929 $68,268 $69,633 $71,026 $72,447 $73,895 $75,373 $77,258<br />

5 $63,719 $65,631 $66,943 $68,282 $69,648 $71,041 $72,461 $73,911 $75,758<br />

1st Constable 4 $58,082 $59,824 $61,021 $62,241 $63,486 $64,756 $66,051 $67,372 $69,056<br />

3 $56,114 $57,797 $58,953 $60,132 $61,335 $62,562 $63,813 $65,089 $66,717<br />

Constable 2 $54,147 $55,771 $56,887 $58,025 $59,185 $60,369 $61,576 $62,808 $64,378<br />

1 $52,180 $53,745 $54,820 $55,917 $57,035 $58,176 $59,339 $60,526 $62,039<br />

Recruit 1 $37,982 $39,121 $39,904 $40,702 $41,516 $42,346 $43,193 $44,057 $45,159<br />

Reservist 1 $53,501 $55,106 $56,208 $57,332 $58,479 $59,649 $60,842 $62,058 $63,610<br />

Pso Senior Supervisor 2 $71,656 $73,806 $75,282 $76,787 $78,323 $79,890 $81,487 $83,117 $85,195<br />

1 $70,899 $73,026 $74,486 $75,976 $77,496 $79,046 $80,627 $82,239 $84,295<br />

Pso Supervisor 4 $67,926 $69,964 $71,363 $72,790 $74,246 $75,731 $77,246 $78,791 $80,760<br />

3 $67,384 $69,406 $70,794 $72,210 $73,654 $75,127 $76,629 $78,162 $80,116<br />

2 $66,843 $68,848 $70,225 $71,630 $73,062 $74,524 $76,014 $77,534 $79,473<br />

1 $65,532 $67,498 $68,848 $70,225 $71,629 $73,062 $74,523 $76,014 $77,914<br />

Pso Senior 4 $58,993 $60,763 $61,978 $63,218 $64,482 $65,772 $67,087 $68,429 $70,139<br />

3 $58,126 $59,870 $61,067 $62,289 $63,534 $64,805 $66,101 $67,423 $69,109<br />

2 $56,287 $57,976 $59,135 $60,318 $61,524 $62,755 $64,010 $65,290 $66,922<br />

1 $55,203 $56,859 $57,996 $59,156 $60,339 $61,546 $62,777 $64,033 $65,633<br />

Pso 1st 6 $53,432 $55,035 $56,136 $57,258 $58,404 $59,572 $60,763 $61,978 $63,528<br />

5 $51,957 $53,516 $54,586 $55,678 $56,791 $57,927 $59,086 $60,267 $61,774<br />

Pso 4 $51,378 $52,919 $53,978 $55,057 $56,158 $57,282 $58,427 $59,596 $61,086<br />

3 $50,369 $51,880 $52,918 $53,976 $55,056 $56,157 $57,280 $58,425 $59,886<br />

2 $49,382 $50,863 $51,881 $52,918 $53,977 $55,056 $56,157 $57,281 $58,713<br />

1 $48,113 $49,556 $50,548 $51,558 $52,590 $53,641 $54,714 $55,809 $57,204<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

09


Legal/IR News<br />

‘Swearing in’ of recruits at<br />

week 13 affords ‘member’ status<br />

A recent initiative requiring police recruits to<br />

undertake practical training at police stations<br />

after their first 12 weeks at the Academy confers<br />

a set of rights and responsibilities not previously<br />

applicable to recruits, explains <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

Legal Manager, Tony Walsh.<br />

In January 2011, the <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

Force introduced unique recruit training<br />

initiatives which in effect meant that<br />

recruit training, which prior to that date<br />

was a 20-week period, would be extended<br />

to 33 weeks.<br />

Ostensibly this initiative was designed<br />

to allow for recruits at weeks 13, 18 and<br />

26 to embark on practical workplace<br />

experience, known as the Designated<br />

Training Workplace (DTW) program, to better<br />

equip them for their transition to full-time<br />

frontline policing.<br />

A significant part of that initiative was<br />

the "swearing in" of recruits at the<br />

conclusion of week 12 of their training.<br />

Unlike those recruits before them who were<br />

not "sworn in" until successful completion of<br />

the 20-week training, recruits who are now<br />

"sworn in" at week 13 inherit the ‘member’<br />

status under the <strong>Police</strong> Regulation Act 1958<br />

(the Act).<br />

Section 13 of the Act provides the<br />

mechanism for those appointed to be<br />

members of the <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force to<br />

be administered an oath of the office of<br />

Constable. From the date of taking that<br />

oath the appointee/recruit then assumes<br />

the responsibilities of Constable, and for<br />

the broader application of the Act, officially<br />

becomes a ‘member’ of the Force.<br />

Aside of the significant responsibilities<br />

that are associated with being a sworn<br />

member, recruits are at this stage of their<br />

career, benefited by a range of review rights<br />

available to them that exist within the<br />

Act. <strong>The</strong>se review rights are applicable to<br />

members who have been aggrieved by a<br />

decision of Force management which stem<br />

from breaches of discipline or, in the case<br />

of recruit members, outcomes of ‘Recruit<br />

Review Panels’.<br />

Previously these review rights were<br />

not available to recruits who participated<br />

in the 20-week recruit training program<br />

simply because they were not ‘members’,<br />

as defined under the Act, until their<br />

graduation.<br />

It is also important to note that with<br />

the perceived benefits associated<br />

with being a sworn member there are<br />

provisions of the Act that can expose<br />

the sworn recruit to discipline action<br />

in certain circumstances.<br />

This action is set out in Parts IV and IVA<br />

of the Act which relate to ‘Employment’,<br />

‘Discipline’ and ‘Other Matters’. It must<br />

be pointed out that irrespective of whether<br />

a recruit is sworn or not, Division 4A<br />

of Part IV of the Act (Testing for Alcohol<br />

and Drugs of Dependence) will apply to<br />

the recruit.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong>’s Legal/Discipline<br />

section is acutely aware that in the past<br />

recruit members may not have been dealt<br />

with in the manner that has been in strict<br />

compliance with the Act.<br />

It is with this in mind, and particularly with<br />

People Department’s initiative under the<br />

DTW program, that we encourage all recruits,<br />

sworn or not, to contact the <strong>Association</strong>’s<br />

Legal/Discipline section should they<br />

be in any doubt as to their rights and<br />

responsibilities under the Act.<br />

Pay deal signed, sealed and delivered<br />

Our new pay deal − officially known as<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force Enterprise<br />

Agreement 2011 - had no trouble<br />

clearing all the necessary legal hoops,<br />

ensuring that it would come into effect from<br />

1 <strong>December</strong> 2011.<br />

Once details of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong>negotiated<br />

pay offer were released on<br />

24 October, the deal was at that point far<br />

from official.<br />

It still needed to be endorsed by the<br />

membership and then approved by Fair<br />

Work Australia, our industrial umpire, upon<br />

being satisfied that the deal met all its<br />

various tests.<br />

In a ringing testament to the quality of pay<br />

deal and the many months of methodical<br />

work that went into it by the <strong>Association</strong>’s<br />

EB negotiating team, the deal received<br />

a thumping 96 per cent membership<br />

endorsement in a secret ballot (100 per<br />

cent endorsement for the Commanders’<br />

Agreement).<br />

Shortly after the ballot closed, the<br />

agreements were signed by <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong> Secretary Greg Davies and Chief<br />

Commissioner Ken Lay APM (see page 13).<br />

<strong>The</strong> deal was finally sealed three days later<br />

when Fair Work Australia gave it their tick<br />

of approval, having been satisfied that it had<br />

fulfilled all its various criteria.<br />

Having passed all the legal tests with<br />

flying colours, the substantial pay rises and<br />

improvements to members’ conditions,<br />

contained in the deal, took effect on 1<br />

<strong>December</strong> 2011, as intended by the parties.<br />

Pay deal signed, sealed and delivered.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

11


photos by gregnoakes.com<br />

New Chief ushers in new era of<br />

cooperation in <strong>Victoria</strong>n policing<br />

Daniel Ziffer caught up with new Chief Commissioner Ken Lay<br />

just days after his appointment to the top job to discuss what<br />

we can expect under his leadership.<br />

Leaders tend to be one of two types<br />

− shakers or soothers − and new<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Chief Commissioner<br />

Ken Lay knows clearly who he is.<br />

"I’m a soother," he said, laughing<br />

gently. "<strong>The</strong> organisation has been through<br />

a really difficult time over the last couple<br />

of years. Certainly what I’d be keen to do is<br />

actually focus back on the operational issues<br />

which are important to our people."<br />

Lauded by government and commentators<br />

as a safe pair of hands, the Korumburra-raised<br />

veteran recalled what he wrote to members<br />

upon his appointment to a five-year-term:<br />

we won’t see change for change’s sake.<br />

That doesn’t mean hubris. <strong>The</strong> 55-year-old<br />

has a brilliant Yarra River view from his<br />

office, but don’t expect him to get much<br />

of a chance to look out the window.<br />

When the Journal arrives, Lay is leaving<br />

to welcome the first intake of what<br />

will eventually be 940 Protective<br />

Services Officers (PSOs). <strong>The</strong> third Chief<br />

Commissioner in less than two and a<br />

half years arrives as the force recruits an<br />

additional 1700 police officers, before the<br />

release of the Rush inquiry into police<br />

command and during the establishment<br />

of an independent broad-based anticorruption<br />

commission (IBAC) to replace the<br />

Office of <strong>Police</strong> Integrity (OPI). And there’s a<br />

new uniform to roll out too.<br />

Lay has seen the top job before, as Chief<br />

of Staff to Christine Nixon and as Deputy<br />

Commissioner under Simon Overland.<br />

Although he’d been Acting Chief<br />

Commissioner since June, when Overland<br />

resigned from the role, Lay was initially<br />

reluctant to vie for the position. <strong>The</strong>re’s no<br />

hesitation now.<br />

"I need to put a leadership team around me<br />

that are loyal and supportive, so we don’t<br />

find ourselves in a position where the rest<br />

of the organisation is feeling under pressure<br />

12 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au<br />

Above: Ken Lay settles into his new Chief Commissioner's chair.<br />

because the command team can’t get it<br />

right," he said. "It’s about a consistency of<br />

leadership (and) support for our people that<br />

are doing the most difficult jobs."<br />

His initial focus is on assaults, combating<br />

community concerns about safety in<br />

Melbourne particularly around licensed<br />

premises and public transport.<br />

Another key concern − and growing problem<br />

− is family violence.<br />

"Family violence makes up 30% of our assault<br />

data figures, 30% of our abductions and 42%<br />

of murders," he said. "We need to get better<br />

at understanding this issue, addressing it<br />

and reducing the amount of paperwork that<br />

our members do."<br />

Other external priorities are organised crime,<br />

"particularly around cyber-crime and gangrelated<br />

issues", and emergency and disaster<br />

management.<br />

One management issue is sorted. A new<br />

agreement between police command and<br />

the <strong>Association</strong> secured close to a 19 per cent<br />

pay rise over four years, along with welfare<br />

improvements including a minimum 10-hour<br />

break and a recovery day after night shifts.


Above: Greg Davies and Ken Lay chat informally after signing off on the police EBA.<br />

Lay noted his gratitude to Secretary Greg<br />

Davies on the conduct of negotiations and<br />

outlined how the pair solves issues "on<br />

almost a daily basis" as they crop up.<br />

"I’m very confident that in the next three<br />

to five years we’ll see a very, very different<br />

relationship between the union and police<br />

command," he said. "Our members expect<br />

that <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> and the union get on,<br />

that we solve problems together. So this is<br />

important for both Greg and myself that we<br />

do get it done."<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are even changes you’ll notice in<br />

the locker room, with a new grooming<br />

and appearance policy implemented from<br />

New Year’s Day that winds back previous<br />

relaxations.<br />

"This actually was a discussion that started<br />

at the bottom of the organisation and<br />

was forced up. <strong>The</strong>re seems to be a lot<br />

of discontent about the way that <strong>Victoria</strong><br />

<strong>Police</strong> members look," he said. "We’ll start<br />

seeing our new uniform roll out towards<br />

the back end of next year and that will start<br />

giving us a better look. <strong>The</strong>re’s 83 ways to<br />

currently wear our uniform, which is simply<br />

not acceptable. <strong>The</strong>re’s been overwhelming<br />

support for the proposed policy. People<br />

seem to feel pretty good about it".<br />

Lay stopped himself briefly.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>re are a few people who aren’t that<br />

happy," he added, soothingly. "But we’ll work<br />

our way through that".<br />

<strong>The</strong> Chief<br />

Commissioner On:<br />

Beards, tattoos and uniform<br />

"<strong>The</strong>re’s been a lot of feedback about beards, ponytails, people looking scruffy,<br />

people not looking professional and much of it’s come from the lower levels of the<br />

organisation. We’ve developed a policy which winds back some of these and various<br />

issues that will be rolled out on 1 January ... (and) there’s been overwhelming support<br />

for the proposed policy."<br />

EBA negotiations with<br />

the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

"This was a long and protracted negotiation − at times quite robust − but I must<br />

say that I’ve never before experienced the goodwill, both from the <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

and the union, in the genuineness of these negotiations. Everyone performed very,<br />

very professionally with one thing in mind ... to get the best possible deal for our<br />

people and to ensure that our organisation had a workforce that could keep the<br />

community safe."<br />

Tasers for general<br />

duties officers<br />

"We’ve just finished a review now on Tasers in country <strong>Victoria</strong> ... we’re looking at the<br />

results now. I don’t want to pre-empt any findings but certainly in the New Year we’ll<br />

be making some announcements about Tasers and what our views are."<br />

Turmoil at the top<br />

"I’m confident that with the support of my people, a loyal and supportive<br />

senior executive and a supportive government that we won’t find ourselves<br />

in that position again."<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

13


Hats off to baby Sharni<br />

and her brave recovery<br />

By Elissa McCallum<br />

When this photo was taken, Sharni Hughes<br />

was two weeks old and the perfect baby her<br />

parents had wished for.<br />

Three weeks later her life hung in the<br />

balance.<br />

Her father, Constable Shane Hughes of<br />

Shepparton, has been overwhelmed by<br />

the support for his family from the police<br />

community.<br />

14 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au<br />

Constable Shane Hughes’ life<br />

was turned upside down in an<br />

instant when a doctor told him<br />

his newborn baby had a massive<br />

tumour growing from her kidney.<br />

Five-week old Sharni was to be airlifted<br />

immediately from Wangaratta to the Royal<br />

Children’s Hospital.<br />

She was taken from the arms of Shane and<br />

his wife, Renae, and when the emergency<br />

flight took off the distraught parents rushed<br />

home to Benalla, snatched some clothes and<br />

began driving to Melbourne.<br />

Where could they stay? How would they pay?<br />

What did they need? Who could they turn to?<br />

Such thoughts swam vaguely through<br />

the backs of their minds, but all they


could concentrate on was getting to their<br />

daughter’s side.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y arrived at the RCH at 10pm. <strong>The</strong>re was<br />

no accommodation at Ronald McDonald<br />

House. <strong>The</strong> Hughes made arrangements to<br />

stay that night with a relative, who lives in<br />

Boronia, far from the hospital.<br />

Shane rang his sergeant at Shepparton to<br />

let him know what had happened with his<br />

family and that’s when the support network<br />

kicked in.<br />

"We really do appreciate what’s been done<br />

for us," says Shane.<br />

"We never felt alone," adds Renae.<br />

At 7.15 the next morning, Leading Senior<br />

Constable Kevin Oakley from <strong>Victoria</strong><br />

<strong>Police</strong> Welfare Services took a call from<br />

Shepparton police.<br />

Kevin then contacted Shane and also<br />

consulted <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> welfare officer<br />

Kaye Murphy.<br />

Within hours Shane received another call from<br />

Kevin. "He said we had three nights at the<br />

Rydges Hotel, which was pretty much right<br />

across the road from the hospital. We had<br />

Renae’s mum with us, so he got a room with<br />

two double beds. We didn’t pay for a thing.<br />

A temporary transfer to Benalla police<br />

station was also discussed should Shane<br />

need to be closer to home once Sharni<br />

left hospital.<br />

"<strong>Police</strong> really look after their own," says<br />

Shane. "We really felt we were part of<br />

something.<br />

"It took us two years to have Sharni. All<br />

we wanted was that perfect baby and it<br />

didn’t work out like that at the time. I can’t<br />

describe what it was like."<br />

Left: Baby Sharni Hughes at two weeks.<br />

Above: Shane and Sharni at the Royal Children’s Hospital.<br />

requires hospitalisation. <strong>The</strong> fund can also<br />

assist with medical expenses and make<br />

loans in cases of extreme financial hardship.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Association</strong> also pays emergency<br />

accommodation expenses in certain<br />

circumstances.<br />

In the Hughes case, Shane says the<br />

<strong>Association</strong>’s Kaye Murphy gave valuable<br />

assistance to ensure they received the<br />

government rebate for their Ronald<br />

McDonald House stay. "We knew we could<br />

"He was unbelievable. He rang me every<br />

day. He said he could organise counselling, a<br />

chaplain, a whole range of stuff. At that time<br />

we were just concentrating on Sharni and<br />

appreciative of the accommodation."<br />

<strong>The</strong> Hughes were told that the tumour had<br />

to be removed. It was a life-threatening<br />

operation. <strong>The</strong> baby had only a 50 per cent<br />

chance of surviving.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re were 26 medical staff assigned to<br />

the surgery. Doctors couldn’t estimate how<br />

long it would take. Shane and Renae were<br />

advised to leave the hospital.<br />

<strong>The</strong>ir agony lasted four hours. <strong>The</strong> phone rang<br />

with news that the operation was a success.<br />

<strong>The</strong>ir anxiety wasn’t over though. Sharni<br />

remained sedated for a week. For all of that<br />

time, the Hughes waited on the results of<br />

the biopsy.<br />

Within that period, they were able to move<br />

to Ronald McDonald House and <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong> initiated contingency arrangements<br />

to further ease the strain on Shane. In situations<br />

such as this, member transfers can occur.<br />

Plans were made through the <strong>Association</strong><br />

to allow Shane to work at Melbourne North<br />

station so he could remain close to the<br />

hospital, thus preserving his sick leave.<br />

"We kept going in there (at the hospital) and<br />

apologising to her," says Renae.<br />

Now, months down the track, there are no<br />

more apologies as the Hughes’ put their<br />

energy into raising a happy child, whose<br />

tumour turned out to be benign. Sharni has<br />

lost a kidney and has regular checkups but<br />

the future looks as rosy as her cheeks.<br />

On the offers of support, Renae says, "We<br />

were bewildered by it. We didn’t realise it<br />

would be like that, especially since Shane<br />

hadn’t been a policeman for long."<br />

Shane was a butcher for years before he<br />

joined the force in April 2010. "What butcher<br />

shop, or boss, would be able to offer that<br />

sort of comfort? <strong>The</strong> police were amazing,"<br />

says Renae.<br />

Together, the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> and<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong>’s welfare services work to<br />

relieve the burden for members in times<br />

of trouble.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Hughes’ hotel expenses were paid<br />

from the <strong>Police</strong> Provident Fund, a trust<br />

fund set up in the 1930s from the estate<br />

of a police widow. It pays for emergency<br />

accommodation when a member, a<br />

member’s partner or a dependent child<br />

ring Kaye and she would know what was<br />

available to us."<br />

Part of Kaye’s role is to inform members<br />

who aren’t aware of available entitlements.<br />

For instance, the <strong>Association</strong> will<br />

reimburse members for long term<br />

hospital car parking and recently paid<br />

a bill of $1,651. It can also pay a $500 a<br />

week sickness benefit up to six months<br />

when a member’s annual and sick leave<br />

is exhausted.<br />

After his experience, Shane finds a<br />

greater passion to assist the many<br />

needy children he confronts as part of<br />

his job. "I went to a house (a domestic)<br />

where there were three kids under<br />

the age of five. One kid was asleep in<br />

a capsule while another kid was lying<br />

on the floor with a doona over her.<br />

<strong>The</strong> mother was 19. I was thinking that<br />

these kids are perfectly healthy and she<br />

was treating them like this. I went over<br />

and above to try to get this girl and her<br />

kids somewhere safe for the night and<br />

make sure they got there safely.<br />

"I get pretty upset when I see kids with<br />

no health problems, but the parents are<br />

not giving them the best chance at life."<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

15


A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY<br />

WITH ONE BIG DIFFERENCE –<br />

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Here are some great benefits in owning your own<br />

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• Make way-above the average weekly income<br />

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• Be part of a proven system (21 years)<br />

• National Company with International backing<br />

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• Melbourne CBD<br />

• Berwick/Hallam/Cranbourne<br />

• Mornington Peninsula<br />

• Sunshine/Western suburbs<br />

• Mildura<br />

• Horsham<br />

• Yarra Ranges/Upper Ferntree Gully<br />

• Melton/Bacchus March/Derrimut<br />

• Knox/Rowville/Dandenong<br />

• Ballarat SOLD<br />

• Carlton/Brunswick SOLD<br />

• Doncaster/Greensborough SOLD<br />

• Rowville/Dandenong SOLD<br />

• Bendigo SOLD<br />

• Benalla/Wodonga SOLD<br />

• Shepparton SOLD<br />

• Warrnambool SOLD<br />

• Seymour SOLD<br />

Interested?<br />

Log on our website: www.lifetimedistributors.com<br />

Contact: Keram on 03 9796 3433 or email: keram@lifetimevic.com<br />

Lifetime is unique in its approach.<br />

Marketing is provided at a national level by the Franchisor and at a local level by the Master Franchise who regularly<br />

provides training sessions. Excellent contemporary livery on our vans clearly spells out who we are and what we do.<br />

Secret shared<br />

Franchisee Michael Mifsud’s positive approach<br />

is his secret to success with Lifetime Distributors.<br />

Lifetime Distributors<br />

proudly supports<br />

What made you turn to franchising?<br />

<strong>The</strong> ability to increase my income in a<br />

business that guaranteed I would make more<br />

money than I ever did as regular employee<br />

and the ability to control my own destiny<br />

and secure my family’s financial future.<br />

Franchising with Lifetime allows me to run<br />

my own business and in the knowledge I am<br />

receiving the backing of a major company<br />

and that motivates me even more.<br />

How do you benchmark your performance?<br />

<strong>The</strong> founder of this business has an<br />

enthusiasm unlike ay other person I have<br />

met, he set the standard for this business and<br />

if I can emulate 50 per cent of what he has<br />

achieved then I know I am doing it right.<br />

Our local master franchise regularly provides<br />

training sessions to keep us fresh and to think<br />

outside of the square. At the end of the day<br />

we have to realise that whatever it was that got<br />

us to where we are today may not be sufficient<br />

enough to keep us there. Lifetime is unique in<br />

its approach and we simply benchmark against<br />

past performances, and through training<br />

and performance evaluation we strive to<br />

exceed our personal and business goals.<br />

How do you market your business?<br />

We have very good contemporary livery on<br />

our vans that clearly spells out who we are<br />

and what we do and we have a website to<br />

complement our core business activities.<br />

Marketing is provided at a local level<br />

by the master franchise and at a<br />

national level by the franchisor. But<br />

what gives us the best marketing is to<br />

directly approach our target clients<br />

using cold calling which in our<br />

industry has a 70 per cent plus<br />

success rate. After that, and<br />

once the consumer can see the<br />

benefits of shopping with<br />

us, the customer actually<br />

provides marketing for us<br />

in the way of referral, by far<br />

the best way to market Lifetime.<br />

What has been the secret to<br />

your success?<br />

Trying to remain as positive as possible<br />

in all situations. Trying to invest as much<br />

as possible in myself and my personal<br />

growth, Biting of more than I can chew<br />

and chewing like crazy!


THE POLICE ASSOCIATION<br />

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> staff, Executive and delegates.<br />

Members please note that the <strong>Association</strong> offices will be closed for a short time over the Christmas and New Year period.<br />

We will be closed from midday on Friday 23 <strong>December</strong> 2011 and will reopen at 8.30am on Tuesday 3 January 2012.<br />

We know that the holiday season is a demanding time for some members and many of you will be working through this<br />

period − please stay safe and enjoy as much time as you can with your families.<br />

We will provide after-hours contact for any members with urgent matters on the following numbers:<br />

Industrial: Chris Kennedy 0418 500 857<br />

Legal/Welfare: Tony Walsh 0417 313 383<br />

General: Sylvia Loveless 0418 555 704<br />

We wish all our members and their families a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.<br />

Our Christmas savings<br />

are as unreal as Santa!<br />

At no cost to you, we help you save<br />

time and money at Christmas on:<br />

• electrical and white goods<br />

• gifts<br />

• groceries<br />

• holiday costs<br />

• and much more…<br />

VIC T O RIA<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

17


New staff photo by gregnoakes.com<br />

Meet your new<br />

<strong>Association</strong> industrial<br />

relations officers<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong>’s<br />

highly-regarded industrial<br />

relations section has just<br />

got a whole lot stronger<br />

following the addition of<br />

two new well-credentialed<br />

industrial officers.<br />

Communications Officer,<br />

Caitlin Walsh, recently<br />

caught up with them to talk<br />

about their new role and life<br />

outside the <strong>Association</strong>.<br />

Since commencing with the <strong>Association</strong><br />

in September, the two new additions<br />

to our industrial relations team,<br />

Laura Miller and Peter Gioulekas, have<br />

been learning the ‘ins and outs’ of life<br />

at the <strong>Association</strong> and getting a feel for<br />

many of the unique issues affecting police.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y now feel they’re ready to sink their<br />

teeth into these issues and assist members<br />

in the process.<br />

Laura came to the <strong>Association</strong> from the<br />

Finance Sector Union (FSU) where she was<br />

working as an IR officer. Much of her work<br />

involved advocating for members across<br />

all facets of workplace relations including<br />

bullying, discrimination and harassment.<br />

But her speciality is workers’ compensation,<br />

having spent two years working for a law<br />

firm where she focused on WorkCover<br />

matters after completing a law degree at<br />

Australia National University in Canberra.<br />

Always supportive of workers’ rights, Laura<br />

decided to move away from practising law<br />

to get more "hands on" with the workplace<br />

issues which interested her.<br />

18 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au<br />

"Working in industrial relations, you have<br />

a lot more contact with the people you’re<br />

helping, it’s quite personal and I really like<br />

that," said Laura.<br />

As well as her general IR role, Laura will also<br />

be taking on specific women’s issues involving<br />

the <strong>Association</strong> and will be our representative<br />

on the Women’s Council at Trades Hall.<br />

"I’ve really enjoyed a bit of everything so<br />

far, there is so much to take in and I’m still<br />

learning the ‘police speak’ but that’ll come<br />

with time," she said.<br />

Laura, a country girl from Albury, is also<br />

a keen netballer and Carlton supporter.<br />

And with that competitive edge she’s<br />

eager to get stuck in to her new role at the<br />

<strong>Association</strong> and assist our members in need.<br />

"It’s nice to be part of such a strong effective<br />

body, it gives me confidence that we can<br />

take on anything and get the right results<br />

for members."<br />

Peter Gioulekas agrees. <strong>The</strong> born and bred<br />

Melburnian couldn’t be happier to be part<br />

of the <strong>Association</strong>’s industrial team.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> <strong>Association</strong> is such a strong union,<br />

it seems to have defied the trend of<br />

other unions around the country because<br />

membership is still growing and growing<br />

strong," said Peter.<br />

As with Laura, Peter has also been thrown<br />

into the deep-end, but he is bringing<br />

with him a wealth of knowledge and<br />

experience quite different to that of his<br />

new colleagues.<br />

After completing a science degree at RMIT,<br />

Peter went on to work as a biomedical<br />

scientist for over a decade, working at some<br />

of the largest hospitals in the state.<br />

While he was quite familiar with unions,<br />

having previously been a health and safety<br />

representative for the Hospital Employees<br />

Federation, it wasn’t until he was working<br />

at Western Health that he decided to try his<br />

hand at something different.<br />

Peter was heavily involved with the Health<br />

Services Union (HSU) and volunteered as a<br />

delegate with the Medical Scientists <strong>Association</strong><br />

(HSU branch 4) when he was asked by the<br />

Secretary to join them full-time. He took<br />

a 12-month career break and participated<br />

in an ACTU traineeship in 2005, which just<br />

happened to coincide with the introduction<br />

of the contentious Work Choices laws.<br />

"I was so involved with the industrial issues<br />

at that time and I decided that’s what I<br />

wanted to do," said Peter.<br />

So he became an IR officer, working mainly<br />

with pharmacists, psychologists and medical<br />

scientists. It was at the HSU where Peter<br />

attained the bulk of his IR experience. This<br />

mainly involved working on EEO matters,<br />

enterprise bargaining negotiations and<br />

industrial campaigns, advocacy at Fair Work<br />

and dealing with many member grievances.<br />

"I hope to bring the knowledge base that<br />

I have from years of working in a different<br />

industry to my new colleagues and<br />

members," said Peter.<br />

And while he admits that the terminology<br />

and technical details will take some getting<br />

use to, he doesn’t feel he’ll have too much<br />

trouble adjusting.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> work we do (as industrial bodies) is very<br />

unique but it’s universal, we all just want to<br />

help our members obtain and sustain the<br />

best working conditions possible."<br />

Peter also hopes to finish off his postgraduate<br />

law degree in the near future,<br />

which he has been doing part-time since<br />

2003. But when asked if there are any plans<br />

to don the white lab coat any time soon,<br />

Peter assures us he is here to stay.<br />

"My career path has taken some turns but I do<br />

this now because I love it and I believe in it."


Above: New industrial officers Laura Miller and Peter<br />

Gioulekas collaborate in their new workplace<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

19


Advertorial<br />

DID YOU WORK FOR<br />

THE POLICE IN THE UK?<br />

THE UK POLICE PENSION FUND PROVIDES<br />

EXCELLENT BENEFITS, BUT THERE ARE<br />

SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES AVAILABLE<br />

BY TRANSFERRING YOUR PENSION TO<br />

AUSTRALIA.<br />

Michael Bennett<br />

Director – Chief Executive<br />

UHY Haines Norton<br />

Chartered Accountants<br />

If you worked for the <strong>Police</strong> in the<br />

UK you have probably subscribed to<br />

the <strong>Police</strong> Pension Fund. This is one<br />

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and provides excellent benefits to<br />

its members. You can transfer your<br />

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superannuation system; the systems<br />

are regulated differently and there are<br />

a number of factors to be considered<br />

before transferring your fund to<br />

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Your <strong>Police</strong> Pension currently provides<br />

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the event of your death it also provides<br />

for a reduced rate of pension to be<br />

paid to your surviving spouse and<br />

dependent children. <strong>The</strong> promise of a<br />

guaranteed income in retirement offers<br />

a real feeling of security and is definitely<br />

not something that should be given up<br />

easily. However, there are number of<br />

advantages available should you decide<br />

to transfer, for example:-<br />

• If you leave your pension fund in the<br />

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on retirement which is completely tax<br />

free in the UK but part of which will<br />

be taxable in Australia. Lump sums<br />

paid on retirement from Australian<br />

superannuation funds are not taxed.<br />

• Any pension you receive from your<br />

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in Australia and will be taxable<br />

regardless of whether you actually<br />

bring it into Australia or not.<br />

• If your UK pension is used to provide<br />

you an income in Australia, it will be<br />

subject to exchange rate fluctuations.<br />

People living in Australia who rely<br />

on UK pension payments have seen<br />

their ‘living income’ fall by 24% during<br />

the last 3 years. If you transfer your<br />

fund to Australia, you will receive<br />

a consistent tax free income in<br />

retirement.<br />

• Once transferred, you can continue<br />

to grow your superannuation fund<br />

during your retirement. In the UK your<br />

pension will be a fixed amount with<br />

inflationary increases.<br />

• On your death the entire unused<br />

balance of your superannuation fund<br />

can be passed to your nominated<br />

beneficiaries. This is a significant<br />

benefit when compared with the<br />

reduced benefits paid from the UK<br />

pension scheme.<br />

You are required to pay tax on the<br />

growth within the fund from the date you<br />

became tax resident in Australia to the<br />

date of the transfer. This tax can be paid<br />

by your superfund at a rate of only 15%<br />

rather than your personal tax rate. <strong>The</strong><br />

payment of this tax is generally a small<br />

price to pay for the future tax benefits<br />

gained by making the transfer.<br />

Your visa status is also relevant when<br />

considering whether or not to transfer.<br />

Whilst there are tax benefits to be<br />

gained by doing so within 6 months<br />

of your arrival in Australia, there are<br />

‘pitfalls’ that are often overlooked.<br />

If you are attracted by the advantages<br />

of transferring we would recommend<br />

you seek financial advice. We can help<br />

you with the decision making process<br />

through our free consultation service<br />

and the production of a free transfer<br />

report which includes a tax analysis.<br />

Having obtained your report you are<br />

under no obligation to use our transfer<br />

service. We want you to be absolutely<br />

sure that you are doing the right thing<br />

for yourself and your family before you<br />

decide to proceed.<br />

If you do decide to proceed to<br />

transfer, our specialist team would be<br />

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of the cost of the service before<br />

proceeding.<br />

If you would like to know more please<br />

contact us.<br />

CONTACT DETAILS<br />

pensions@uhyperth.com.au<br />

16 Lakeside Corporate<br />

24 Parkland Road<br />

OSBORNE PARK WA 6017<br />

Telephone:+ 61 (8) 9444 3400<br />

Facsimile: + 61 (8) 9242 3762<br />

www.uhyperth.com.au<br />

AN ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT FIRMS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND AND A MEMBER OF UHY,<br />

AN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTING AND CONSULTING FIRMS


Holster injuries<br />

− there is no need to go at it alone<br />

After 17 years of service, Leading Senior Constable Karen Nottingham was earlier<br />

this year ill-health retired as a result of a back injury sustained at work. Karen’s case<br />

contains lessons for all members, says Slater & Gordon.<br />

Her debilitating back pains have<br />

been attributed to the wearing<br />

of her police equipment belt, and<br />

she was recently awarded a sixfigure<br />

compensation entitlement.<br />

Karen joined <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> as a police<br />

officer in 1994, later obtaining the rank<br />

of Leading Senior Constable. Over more than<br />

a decade she wore the police-issued leather<br />

equipment belt while on duty.<br />

Her back problems became apparent in early<br />

2006, becoming increasingly painful when<br />

she wore the belt, and by the end of a shift<br />

she would be in considerable discomfort.<br />

<strong>The</strong> distribution of weight around the belt<br />

was uneven and placed additional strain<br />

on her lower back when she was seated<br />

during patrols.<br />

After lodging her WorkCover claim Karen<br />

underwent a series of injections and<br />

ultimately three major back operations,<br />

culminating in spinal fusion surgery. During<br />

this process Karen required lengthy periods<br />

off work for recovery and rehabilitation. After<br />

her first two operations Karen managed to<br />

return to work in various non-operational<br />

positions, however after the spinal fusion,<br />

a return to work became impossible.<br />

She was thankful for the support she<br />

received first from <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

and then from Slater & Gordon. "While I<br />

was going through this process <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong> was there to help me through<br />

the ordeal. If it wasn’t for their support,<br />

I probably would have been ill-health retired<br />

a long time ago," Karen said.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Association</strong> referred her to a Workers<br />

Compensation lawyer at Slater & Gordon,<br />

who evaluated her situation and advised<br />

her on how best to go about pursuing<br />

compensation for her injuries.<br />

"Slater & Gordon was great in the way they<br />

handled the case," Karen said. "<strong>The</strong>y guided<br />

me through the whole process and kept in<br />

regular contact."<br />

"I put my faith in their expert advice and I am<br />

satisfied with the result. At the end of the<br />

day all decisions were mine, but I wouldn’t<br />

have had the result I did without them.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> compensation doesn’t fix my back but<br />

it gives me financial security and allows<br />

me to concentrate on being as healthy as<br />

I possibly can."<br />

"This injury is lifelong and something that<br />

I have to manage on a daily basis. I will need<br />

medication and physiotherapy for the rest<br />

of my life," she said. "I’m not in a situation<br />

where I am able to work, so being able to<br />

resolve my WorkCover claim and access<br />

the ESSS pension is a big relief."<br />

"While Karen may have lost her career,<br />

the settlement of her case means she<br />

hasn’t lost her independence," says<br />

Workers Compensation lawyer Craig<br />

Sidebottom, who handled the case.<br />

"Sadly, Karen’s situation is not unique.<br />

<strong>The</strong> physical impact of carrying standard<br />

issue equipment has been a major<br />

occupational health and safety issue for<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> and led to hip and back<br />

injuries for many officers. While <strong>Victoria</strong><br />

<strong>Police</strong> has recently sought to rectify this<br />

issue by making available load bearing vests<br />

and thigh holsters, this is too little too late<br />

for officers such as Karen who continue to<br />

endure lifelong pain and suffering as a result<br />

of these injuries," Sidebottom added.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>re are police officers out there who<br />

don’t realise that there is a way to claim<br />

compensation for these injuries," said Karen.<br />

"I encourage people to seek advice and not<br />

think that they have to go at it alone. <strong>The</strong>re<br />

are support services out there."<br />

If you are suffering from a back injury<br />

attributable to the equipment belt, and<br />

would like to explore your prospects<br />

of claiming compensation, please<br />

contact Les Beslis or Paul Mangan at<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> on (03) 9468 2600<br />

to arrange an appointment in order to<br />

obtain further advice.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

21


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Delegate Profile<br />

Delegate Mick Palmer talks policing<br />

and tackling the summer crowds down<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong>’s Surf Coast<br />

Why and when did you join the job?<br />

I joined and graduated in 1991. I’d always<br />

wanted to join but after I left school I<br />

started an apprenticeship and wanted<br />

to finish that first.<br />

What did you do before joining the job?<br />

I was a qualified gardener.<br />

Why did you become a delegate?<br />

I was an assistant delegate first then I<br />

became a delegate to fill a newly created<br />

position after the Surf Coast PSA was<br />

formed after boundary changes commenced<br />

in 2010. I became a delegate to represent<br />

the members and so they could have a voice<br />

within TPA.<br />

What do you hope to achieve<br />

as a delegate?<br />

I hope to achieve the respect of the<br />

members in my area by representing them<br />

impartially and to the best of my ability.<br />

How can your members best help you?<br />

Members can help me by contacting me as<br />

soon as they have an issue. I certainly don’t<br />

have all the answers but will be able to put<br />

them in contact with the appropriate people<br />

at the <strong>Association</strong>. I don’t need to know the<br />

ins and outs of the issue just the basics so<br />

they can get the best advice.<br />

What do you like most about working<br />

in your area?<br />

I like the fact that my area includes some<br />

of the most picturesque places in <strong>Victoria</strong><br />

like Apollo Bay, Lorne, Torquay, Otway<br />

Ranges and the Great Ocean Road. This<br />

also means we deal with a lot of tourists<br />

and at summer time there is a significant<br />

increase in population in some coastal<br />

towns which puts a strain on our resources.<br />

Places like Lorne and Torquay also have to<br />

deal with schoolies.<br />

What is your favourite war story?<br />

I was working at the FRU and performing<br />

duties out at Frankston. I was living in<br />

St Kilda and my car was stolen. A few days<br />

later we got a job to recover a stolen vehicle<br />

from a block of flats in Frankston. It was my<br />

car. When we got to the flats, the guys I was<br />

working with went and had a look around and<br />

came back and said that they had overheard<br />

people talking in one of flats about a stolen<br />

car. A member sat off the flats while we went<br />

back to the station and got a warrant and<br />

more troops. Some of the property from<br />

my car was inside the flat and this guy was<br />

trying to tell me the property was his mate’s,<br />

Mick Palmer. Finally I said to him, look<br />

mate I know it’s stolen it’s my property and<br />

showed him the name on the property and<br />

my name tag. He made full admissions.<br />

What has been your career highlight?<br />

Passing Detective Training School and<br />

also being commended for the rescue of a<br />

wounded member, other police members<br />

and a civilian after a shooting incident in<br />

Kangaroo Flat near Bendigo in 1999.<br />

What do you do outside the job that<br />

would be of interest to members?<br />

I spend as much time as I can with my son.<br />

He stays with me about 3 nights a week.<br />

I believe that family is very important and<br />

sometimes as police we spend too much<br />

time helping others with family matters<br />

instead of looking after our own.<br />

How would you like to be remembered?<br />

While I’m not as dashingly handsome as<br />

some of my fellow delegates, I would like<br />

to be remembered as taking each day as<br />

it comes and enjoying life.<br />

TPAV MEMBER BENEFITS >><br />

Are you taking unpaid leave?<br />

Did you know you can defer your <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> membership? If you are going on<br />

unpaid maternity leave, leave without pay or are on an ESSS pension, your <strong>Association</strong><br />

membership can be deferred.<br />

Please call Tracey Morgan or Sue Thorley on 1800 800 537 from the Membership team<br />

to discuss your options.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

23


TM 6 May 11.pdf 1 6/05/11 10:52 AM<br />

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War stories of the month<br />

We all know most police members have a warped and dark sense<br />

of humour. It helps maintain their equilibrium given the trauma they<br />

deal with on a daily basis.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se war stories from some of our delegates here in <strong>Victoria</strong> are indicative<br />

of the unique sense of humour shared by police officers the world over.<br />

We hope you enjoy them.<br />

Saying ‘I did’ to the<br />

stolen wedding dress<br />

Years ago when working at a<br />

northern suburban police station<br />

we were being pretty hard hit with<br />

burgs on businesses where a<br />

variety of clothing was being stolen,<br />

including a wedding dress from the<br />

local dry cleaners.<br />

Sure enough, while patrolling<br />

during my night shift we caught<br />

a male offender on the hop<br />

committing a burg.<br />

During the old typed record<br />

of interview we were putting<br />

everything to him from all the CO<br />

and MOs we had. He was denying<br />

everything until about question<br />

100 or so when I asked if he looked<br />

pretty in the wedding dress. He<br />

proudly smiled and said ‘yes’ and<br />

then signed up for all of our burgs (we also<br />

got the wedding dress back and returned it<br />

to the bride).<br />

Bloody Mary ... Bloody idiot!<br />

We had a recent after-hours XPCA where a<br />

thirsty patron had numerous drinks at the<br />

local pub, paused consumption briefly to<br />

drive her four kids home before returning a<br />

short time later to continue drinking.<br />

She then began abusing and challenging<br />

several males at the bar to a fight, then<br />

assaulted one of them before shaping up<br />

to the female publican who promptly threw<br />

her out.<br />

Feeling victimised and emotional, she drove<br />

directly to my (one-member) station and<br />

parked up the driveway, knocked on my front<br />

door and, after waking up the household,<br />

commenced to explain in fluent, slobbering<br />

gibberish that she’d been assaulted at the<br />

pub. Needless to say, 30 months on foot and<br />

a hefty fine might just help her to improve<br />

her questionable social and parenting skills,<br />

not to mention responsible driving!<br />

Just one goat!<br />

One shift I responded to a request to deal<br />

with an errant Mountain Goat on the loose<br />

in South Yarra.<br />

Surprisingly, I had little trouble locating it in<br />

its path whilst south bound on Chapel Street<br />

given the look on the faces of all the children<br />

and other fragile souls it left in its wake.<br />

Following a lengthy foot pursuit I challenged<br />

the hungry animal in the now-deserted food<br />

court at Prahran Central.<br />

I resolved the situation and brought it to a<br />

successful conclusion using a combination<br />

of both the eight-step and traditional Mick<br />

Dundee method of animal negotiation.<br />

Speedos, a fluoro pink<br />

buoyancy vest, and a handful<br />

of penalty notices<br />

On New Year’s Eve a few years ago a young<br />

male on a jetski decided not to provide his<br />

correct details to me as he was required to<br />

do in the circumstances.<br />

Sometime later, a couple of minutes before<br />

midnight, I advised him to wait for his<br />

friends inside the police station.<br />

Speedos, a fluoro pink buoyancy vest and<br />

a handful of penalty notices may get him<br />

the wrong type of attention on the streets<br />

of Footscray. His parting comment was<br />

"and a Happy New Year to you too."<br />

Do you have a good war<br />

story you’d like to share?<br />

Send in the stories of your<br />

dumbest crooks or most<br />

unusual arrests.<br />

Simply email:<br />

journal@tpav.org.au<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

25


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Dealing with emergencies, accidents and injuries<br />

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in an emergency, without hesitation. St John<br />

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THINKING OF MAKING<br />

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Slade People Solutions is a specialist provider<br />

to <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> in Career Transition Services.<br />

If you need assistance in developing:<br />

a new Career Path<br />

a review and refresh of your Resumé<br />

a Job Search Strategy<br />

Interview training<br />

Contact us on (03) 9235-5100 or email<br />

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Proudly supporting the men and women of the <strong>Victoria</strong>n <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

in crime control and public safety, Helping keep the community safe.


Trivia Quiz<br />

Test Your Brain and win a copy of<br />

the Andy McDermott's international<br />

bestseller Temple of the Gods<br />

How is your general knowledge? Try and answer the 20 questions and test the knowledge of<br />

your colleagues around the mess room table without peaking at the answers printed at the<br />

bottom of the page. And if you think you know the answer to the ‘Who Am I?’ question, send<br />

your answer to the <strong>Association</strong> and go into the draw to win a copy of Temple of the Gods by<br />

Andy McDermott.<br />

Archaeologist Nina Wilde’s life has fallen apart. Her husband, ex-SAS solider Eddie Chase is<br />

on the run, falsely accused of murder, and her only distraction has been investigating the<br />

origin of three strange statues stolen from her just before Eddie’s disappearance. When Nina<br />

discovers they may be relics from the lost civilization of Atlantis, it’s clear that she has to get<br />

her head back in the game, and fast.<br />

Meanwhile, Eddie tries to remain free as he hunts the man responsible for his fugitive status.<br />

A mysterious benefactor offers the information he needs − but the price will put him in direct<br />

conflict with his wife.<br />

1 During our summer months what time<br />

of day would it be in <strong>Victoria</strong> when it’s<br />

6pm in Western Australia?<br />

2 How many people have held the<br />

position of Chief Commissioner of the<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force since 1990?<br />

12 A combined total of approximately how<br />

many Australians lives have been lost<br />

in all wars fought?<br />

a) 20,000 b) 50,000 or c) 100,000<br />

13 <strong>The</strong> first casino in Australia was<br />

established in which state?<br />

Correctly Answer Who<br />

Am I? for a chance to win<br />

Who am I?<br />

3 Where will the 2018 Commonwealth<br />

Games be held?<br />

4 <strong>The</strong> ANF is a union representing<br />

workers in what occupation?<br />

5 Who is <strong>Victoria</strong>’s minister for planning?<br />

6 In what year is the next Australian<br />

federal election due?<br />

7 Which <strong>Victoria</strong>n golf course hosted the<br />

recent Presidents Cup event?<br />

8 My Sharona was an international<br />

number one hit in 1979 for which<br />

Los Angeles-based rock quartet?<br />

9 Valarie Taylor is best known for her<br />

association with what type of fish?<br />

10 Which African nation is the world’s<br />

newest country, having formally come<br />

into existence on 11 July 2011?<br />

11 Which car maker currently produces<br />

an i range of vehicle models?<br />

14 Deoxyribonucleic acid is better known<br />

by what abbreviation?<br />

15 Grocery giants Coles and Woolworths<br />

are respectively aligned with which fuel<br />

retailers?<br />

16 <strong>The</strong> 60-year military alliance between<br />

Australia, New Zealand and the United<br />

States is commonly identified by what<br />

acronym?<br />

17 <strong>The</strong> tune of the late 19 th Century song<br />

Lily of Laguna is adopted by which AFL<br />

club as the tune of its theme song?<br />

18 Which capital city is located closest<br />

to the Equator?<br />

19 <strong>The</strong> governments of which two fiscallychallenged<br />

European nations recently<br />

made way for unelected technocrats to<br />

guide their country through economic<br />

turbulence?<br />

20 Which former Australian Prime<br />

Minister is credited with the phrase,<br />

‘Life wasn’t meant to be easy’?<br />

Quiz Answers> 1. 9pm 2. Five − Kel Glare, Neil Comrie, Christine Nixon, Simon Overland and Ken Lay 3. Gold Coast 4.<br />

Nursing (Australian Nursing Federation) 5. Matthew Guy 6. 2013 7. Royal Melbourne 8. <strong>The</strong> Knack 9. Sharks 10. South<br />

Sudan 11. Hyundai 12. c) 100,000 13. Tasmania 14. DNA 15. Shell and Caltex 16. ANZUS alliance 17. Carlton 18. Quito,<br />

Ecuador 19. Greece and Italy 20. Malcolm Fraser<br />

1. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii<br />

in August 1961<br />

2. My father was a Kenyan<br />

economist<br />

3. In 2005 I was elected as a US<br />

Senate representative for the<br />

state of Illinois<br />

4. I was the successful<br />

candidate in the United States<br />

Presidential election in 2008<br />

5. My middle name is Hussein<br />

Last month’s Who Am I?<br />

Answer − I am 1995<br />

To enter the prize draw all you have to do<br />

is answer the ‘Who Am I’ question send<br />

your entry along with your contact details<br />

to ‘Who Am I?’, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, PO<br />

Box 76, Carlton South 3053. <strong>The</strong> completed<br />

‘Who Am I?’ must arrive by Friday 23<br />

<strong>December</strong> to be eligible for the prize draw.<br />

<strong>The</strong> first neatest correct entries will be the<br />

winners. <strong>The</strong> judge’s decision is final and no<br />

correspondence will be entered into.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

27


P O L I C E A S S O C I A T I O N<br />

> Around the country<br />

NATIONAL<br />

Round-up<br />

What’s happening to police around the<br />

country? Read on to find out about the issues<br />

and challenges facing police in the other<br />

states and territories.<br />

SA<br />

Country housing<br />

O F S O U T H<br />

A U S T R A L I A<br />

<strong>The</strong> South Australian government has over<br />

many years provided rental concessions as<br />

an incentive to attract and retain police in<br />

rural locations.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> has long represented<br />

its members’ interests, in terms of the<br />

provision of quality housing and significant<br />

concessions, through its position on the Public<br />

Employee Housing Advisory Committee and<br />

direct communication with government.<br />

To serve in country locations, some police<br />

officers make significant sacrifices involving<br />

personal development and promotion, while<br />

their families lose out on many fronts as well.<br />

When planning medium- to long-term<br />

commitments to rural postings, officers<br />

consider their entitlements, including rental<br />

assistance, as a basis on which to make<br />

their decisions about country service.<br />

On <strong>December</strong> 19, 2008, the government<br />

announced an asset sales programme<br />

of excess government employee housing.<br />

At a PEHAC meeting on March 17, 2009,<br />

officials from the Department of Treasury<br />

and Finance advised that it was "not<br />

intended that employees be disadvantaged<br />

by the new arrangements".<br />

Concerns arose after the emergence of a<br />

proposal that housing would no longer be<br />

provided within 100km of Adelaide. But also<br />

announced was that exemptions to this<br />

proposed concept could apply.<br />

Several members have now been advised<br />

that they will no longer receive concessions<br />

as of <strong>December</strong> 2012. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong>’s position is that members<br />

currently receiving rental concessions should<br />

continue to receive them until they transfer<br />

from their posts.<br />

28 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au<br />

Indeed, after several meetings with<br />

government officials, the association<br />

has now notified the employer, SAPOL,<br />

of a dispute as per clause 7 of the South<br />

Australia <strong>Police</strong> enterprise agreement.<br />

NT<br />

<strong>The</strong> NTPA is currently negotiating with the<br />

NT Government to conduct an audit of police<br />

resources.<br />

<strong>The</strong> project is aimed at assisting the NT<br />

<strong>Police</strong> in better use of resources to provide<br />

better policing services to the community.<br />

It is hoped that this project will allow an<br />

open look at options to utilise resources<br />

to their optimum.<br />

<strong>The</strong> NTPA is also in negotiations with the NT<br />

<strong>Police</strong> Force in relation to the interpretation<br />

of clauses from the 2011 Consent<br />

Agreement; specifically in respect of the<br />

payment of the on call allowance.<br />

"We are trying to avoid a dispute in the<br />

<strong>Police</strong> Arbitral Tribunal however the<br />

intransigent view of some of managers<br />

within the <strong>Police</strong> Force may ultimately lead<br />

us there," NTPA president Vince Kelly said.<br />

NSW<br />

Reforms to police oversight urgently<br />

needed<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> of NSW is calling for a<br />

complete overhaul of police oversight bodies,<br />

after scathing criticism of the existing<br />

<strong>Police</strong> Integrity Commission, by its own<br />

independent inspector.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Integrity Commission (PIC)<br />

was established 15 years ago on the<br />

recommendation of the Wood Royal<br />

Commission to oversee integrity issues<br />

within the NSW <strong>Police</strong> Force.<br />

However there have been at least 11 reports<br />

by the Inspector of PIC, including his last<br />

annual report, which have criticised the<br />

actions of the PIC.<br />

"<strong>The</strong>re is something badly wrong with<br />

the system when the body established<br />

to ensure integrity is itself under a cloud,"<br />

<strong>Association</strong> President Scott Weber said.<br />

Mr Weber said the latest annual report<br />

confirmed the <strong>Association</strong>’s views, citing<br />

that the PIC was biased, ruined careers and<br />

reputations for no reason, and routinely denied<br />

procedural fairness to police witnesses.<br />

"Good police officers are being persecuted<br />

by a commission whose extraordinary<br />

powers are not balanced by proper<br />

accountability. <strong>The</strong> inspector upheld<br />

numerous complaints and yet the PIC<br />

has denied any wrongdoing. It’s time for<br />

the inspector’s recommendations to be<br />

taken seriously and for the PIC to admit<br />

its mistakes."<br />

<strong>The</strong> botched handling of a PIC investigation<br />

that has damaged the careers of two of<br />

NSW’s most highly respected detectives<br />

was the last straw and has led to a vote of<br />

no confidence by the commissioned officers’<br />

branch of the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong>.<br />

Detective Inspector Paul Jacob is one NSW’s<br />

most respected detectives. However a report<br />

by the PIC, the Rani Report, recommended<br />

DI Jacob and his colleague Detective<br />

Sergeant Ritchie Sim be dismissed for their<br />

investigation into the disappearance of a<br />

Bathurst woman, Janine Vaughan.<br />

"This investigation by the PIC into the way<br />

police handled the Janine Vaughan case has<br />

been unprofessional and highly damaging to<br />

the police involved," Mr Weber said.<br />

"All it has done is waste time and money,<br />

and cast a shadow over two of Australia’s<br />

finest, most respected detectives. DI Jacob


and DS Sim have more than 56 years’<br />

experience between them and have worked<br />

on some of Australia’s most high profile<br />

homicide investigations."<br />

A special report by the Inspector of the<br />

PIC later found that none of the adverse<br />

findings made in the Rani Report against<br />

either DI Jacob or DS Sim were justified.<br />

Mr Weber said, "<strong>The</strong> inspector has found the<br />

Rani Report significantly misrepresented<br />

evidence, contained unjustified findings and<br />

severely damaged the reputations of both<br />

DI Jacob and DS Sim.<br />

"If the PIC can get it so wrong, what faith can<br />

the public have in them to properly investigate<br />

matters of actual police misconduct?"<br />

<strong>The</strong> crisis over PIC has caused the<br />

<strong>Association</strong> to renew calls for one oversight<br />

body for police, currently both the PIC and<br />

the Ombudsman play this role.<br />

"Our current system of oversight is<br />

cumbersome and complex when you take<br />

into account the Ombudsman’s interference<br />

in police matters as well," Mr Weber said.<br />

"<strong>The</strong> <strong>Association</strong> would like to see a<br />

reformed PIC as the single oversight body<br />

for the NSW <strong>Police</strong> Force.<br />

"Having said that, it is critical that the<br />

principles of procedural fairness are<br />

enshrined in the investigative processes of<br />

the oversight body. <strong>The</strong> current situation<br />

is unsustainable and totally unfair to hard<br />

working police officers in this state."<br />

QLD<br />

QPS puts off 300+ civilians<br />

Hot on the heals of the decision of<br />

Queensland Industrial Relations<br />

Commission’s Full Bench to increase the<br />

Queensland Government’s offer of 2.5% to<br />

3.8% for all the State’s <strong>Police</strong> Officers, the QPS<br />

have been told by the Bligh State Government<br />

that they will not be funding the increase<br />

leaving the QPS to fund it internally.<br />

To fund the pay increase all operational<br />

budgets are being cut and the number of<br />

civilian staff slashed by 300+. All policing<br />

operations will now be effected as officers<br />

are drawn away from traditional roles<br />

to attend to the ever increasing call for<br />

paperwork and bureaucracy.<br />

V8 cars are not being replaced and officers<br />

are no longer working weekends in regional<br />

areas where penalty payments would<br />

ordinarily be paid.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Queensland <strong>Police</strong> Union has commenced<br />

a public State-Wide campaign including<br />

television commercials, billboards and bumper<br />

stickers to put more feet on the beat. 2012 will<br />

be an interesting year as both Government<br />

and <strong>Police</strong> Commissioner face renewal.<br />

PFA<br />

<strong>Police</strong> Federation appears before fly-in<br />

fly-out, drive-in drive-out (FIFO/DIDO)<br />

federal parliamentary inquiry<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Federation of Australia (PFA) has<br />

been invited to appear before the Federal<br />

Parliament’s Standing Committee on<br />

Regional Australia’s Inquiry into the use of<br />

FIFO/DIDO workforce practices in regional<br />

Australia on its first day of Hearings in<br />

Parliament House Canberra. <strong>The</strong> Inquiry<br />

has drawn in excess of 100 submissions<br />

from across Australia. <strong>The</strong> PFA was the only<br />

‘police’ submission to the Inquiry.<br />

Within the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference, we<br />

pointed out that there were a number that<br />

had direct impact on policing. <strong>The</strong>se included:<br />

> > the effect of a non-resident FIFO/DIDO<br />

workforce on established communities,<br />

including community wellbeing, services<br />

and infrastructure;<br />

> > the impact on communities (of) sending<br />

large numbers of FIFO/DIDO workers to<br />

mine sites;<br />

> > provision of services, infrastructure<br />

and housing availability for FIFO/DIDO<br />

workforce employees;<br />

> > strategies to optimise FIFO/DIDO<br />

experience for employees and their<br />

families, communities and industry; and<br />

> > current initiatives and responses of the<br />

Commonwealth, State and Territory<br />

Governments.<br />

In our submission and in oral evidence to the<br />

Inquiry we pointed out that police officers do<br />

not have the luxury of being part of a FIFO/<br />

DIDO workforce. Current policing strategies are<br />

predicated on ‘community policing initiatives’<br />

and as such, <strong>Police</strong> officers are expected<br />

to be domiciled in, and become part of, the<br />

community in which they serve. <strong>The</strong> role of<br />

the local police officer in a rural, regional or<br />

remote community is far more than simply a<br />

‘law enforcer’. <strong>The</strong>re are numerous examples<br />

of where police officers use their expertise<br />

to work on establishing strong community<br />

interaction through local community<br />

policing initiatives. This includes assisting to<br />

resolve local conflicts and engaging in crime<br />

prevention activities with local youth.<br />

In many FIFO/DIDO locations, the cost of<br />

housing, family essentials (groceries and other<br />

services) and other infrastructure is extremely<br />

expensive. This places a great financial<br />

burden on police officers and their families,<br />

as well as their respective state/territory police<br />

departments/governments. For example, the<br />

extra competition for housing, owned or rented,<br />

pushes up the price of housing for police officers<br />

and other service providers in the community.<br />

Another area of concern is that police officers<br />

cannot earn any-where near the amount<br />

of income that mine employees receive.<br />

It therefore becomes difficult for police<br />

departments/governments to retain these<br />

members as many seek higher incomes by<br />

resigning from the police and taking up mine<br />

employment. Research has already been<br />

undertaken by some jurisdictions indicating<br />

that this will be a big issue over coming<br />

years as the mining boom continues.<br />

If there was a major change in the current<br />

FIFO/DIDO practices in remote mining<br />

towns to a more permanent population,<br />

it would require additional infrastructure<br />

and community services in those towns as<br />

the "permanent" population expands − this<br />

would a mean bigger police presence in<br />

those towns over time as the towns become<br />

a larger meeting point for social purposes −<br />

entertainment, medical services, domestic<br />

interaction, etc.<br />

If that was the case, then governments<br />

would need to be mindful that if incentives<br />

are going to be introduced to encourage<br />

population migration to regional centres<br />

over the medium to long term, the<br />

expansion of local communities over<br />

time must also include a built-in capacity,<br />

based on "scientific" or evidenced based<br />

methodology, to increase in community<br />

support infrastructure − including an<br />

appropriate increase in the police presence<br />

in those towns − over time.<br />

For a full copy of all submission and the<br />

transcripts of evidence go to − http://www.<br />

aph.gov.au/house/committee/ra/fifodido/<br />

index.htm<br />

TAS<br />

<strong>The</strong> year that was<br />

This year has shown us a glimpse of the<br />

challenging times ahead for both the<br />

Department and the <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong>.<br />

<strong>The</strong> doom and gloom of the state’s budget<br />

implications on their employees is yet to<br />

really impact, but it’s coming like a train that<br />

cannot stop. Frontline services across the<br />

policing, health and education sectors have<br />

been hit hardest. Those who are in need and<br />

who are most vulnerable, our children who<br />

are the next generation of leaders and the<br />

community who want to feel safe and rightly<br />

deserve a prompt policing response in times<br />

of crisis are going to suffer. And of course<br />

our members will likely face increased<br />

risk to their safety and bear the brunt of a<br />

frustrated and dysfunctional community<br />

who lack the supportive services they need<br />

from their Government. It is a disgrace.<br />

<strong>The</strong> next state Government election (must<br />

be held before March 2014) will be an<br />

interesting one. We sincerely hope the<br />

parties are doing their homework!<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

29


Classifieds<br />

MEMBER<br />

CLASSIFIEDS ><br />

As a full financial <strong>Association</strong> member you can<br />

advertise for free on these pages<br />

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Discounted rates to TPA members: $550 week<br />

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holidays. Contact via email for photos.<br />

Contact ><br />

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DAYLESFORD − Midweek Special<br />

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Echuca/Moama<br />

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Contact ><br />

Robyn<br />

0404 836 463<br />

robyn.dalton@live.com<br />

HIGH COUNTRY ACCOMMODATION<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Alpine Club lodge is<br />

available for rent by all emergency services<br />

members, friends and family, PSOs, retired<br />

members and Legacy widows. Located in<br />

Buttercup Road, Merrijig, the lodge is 15<br />

kilometres east of Mansfield and 20 minutes<br />

from Mt Buller. Sleeps up to 34 people with<br />

costs from $12 a night. Local activities<br />

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conferences. For more information visit our<br />

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Contact ><br />

VPAC president<br />

(03) 5968 9604<br />

0421 634 335<br />

FULLY FURNISHED BEACH HOUSE<br />

− holiday let/permanent:<br />

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Blow up mattresses available if needed.<br />

Includes: treadmill, games for kids, DVDs/<br />

movies/books/Playstation 2, washing<br />

machine. Discounted rates for TPA members/<br />

family/friends. Rates $400 pw all year round.<br />

Daily or shorter periods available. Pets<br />

welcome.<br />

Contact ><br />

Anj<br />

0402 483 032<br />

flangio_esq@optusnet.com.au<br />

Noosa Heads − great value<br />

holiday accommodation<br />

Three bedroom house available in the Noosa<br />

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<strong>The</strong> beach is close by (1 min car/10 min<br />

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Looking for responsible tenants who will look<br />

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Contact ><br />

Darren<br />

0400 121 124<br />

sunrise.beach.noosa@gmail.com<br />

FULLY FURNISHED GOLD COAST<br />

APARTMENT − SURF PARADE RESORT<br />

Ocean facing 1 bedroom unit on the 7th<br />

floor of a boutique 9 floor professionally<br />

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facilities and bathroom with large spa, widescreen<br />

television with Foxtel, balcony and<br />

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underground car park, large swimming pool,<br />

gym, sauna and BBQ. Close to the beach,<br />

Jupiter’s Casino, restaurants, shops, beach<br />

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Contact ><br />

Kevin Halsted<br />

0417 004 711<br />

kevinhalsted@bigpond.com<br />

Order great memorabilia gifts<br />

for xmas new ‘National <strong>Police</strong><br />

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We can professionally court mount your police/<br />

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We also supply replica or missing medals.<br />

We specialise in, Retirement Frames. We can<br />

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Contact ><br />

Andrew Drinkwater<br />

0416 221 335<br />

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Port Douglas holiday<br />

accommodation<br />

Privately owned executive suites in the<br />

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Offering lagoon pool, swim-up bar, cocktail<br />

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to famous Four Mile Beach. All rooms feature<br />

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bed, tea/coffee making facilities and fridge.<br />

30 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au


Send your Member Classified advertisement to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, PO Box 76, Carlton South 3053<br />

or email journal@tpav.org.au. For more information contact the Assistant Secretary - 9495 6899.<br />

Classifieds > Only 100 words > Classifieds need to arrive by the 1st of the month prior to month it is to appear<br />

> Each classified will only appear in one issue of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> Journal.<br />

Inter-connecting rooms are also available for<br />

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facilities and are professionally serviced.<br />

Discounts to police members and their<br />

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Contact ><br />

Chris<br />

0438 640 214<br />

House for Rent - Ripponlea/<br />

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TPAV MEMBER BENEFITS >><br />

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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

31


YOUR SAY<br />

Your say ><br />

Email journal@tpav.org.au or write to us at<br />

PO Box 76, Carlton South 3053<br />

Thanks<br />

On the 19 October 2011 I lost my wife<br />

Samantha in a motorbike accident. This<br />

single tragic event took away my life as<br />

I knew it. <strong>The</strong> following days and weeks<br />

were close to unbearable. Samantha, as a<br />

member’s partner, was a supporter of our<br />

cause, of our job. She was always proud<br />

that I served not only the community but<br />

the members. It would be in her wishes I<br />

continue to do this. I am writing to thank you<br />

all for the support I have received. <strong>The</strong> way<br />

members have locked arms and supported<br />

my family and I has made me very proud to<br />

be police. Thank you.<br />

Kind Regards<br />

Jason Kisielis<br />

Leading Senior Constable 32803<br />

On Behalf of my members, I would like to<br />

express how humbled and grateful we are<br />

for the continued contribution from your<br />

colleagues to our Canterbury Earthquake<br />

Fund. I refer to the cheque presented to<br />

our delegate at your recent conference in<br />

addition to the large contingent of <strong>Victoria</strong><br />

officers that assisted at the time and the not<br />

inconsiderable financial contribution those<br />

members made.<br />

At a time when journalists blow up incidents<br />

between our sporting fans to fill papers we<br />

just need to remind ourselves how close we<br />

all are. Thank you again and I look forward<br />

to the opportunity to reciprocate should the<br />

need ever arise.<br />

Yours sincerely<br />

Greg O’Connor<br />

President − New Zealand <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

My wife and I would like to sincerely thank<br />

each and every one of you that were<br />

responsible for undertaking the Retired and<br />

Life Members’ Dinner. What a sensational<br />

evening and finally some gratitude for all<br />

our years of service. <strong>The</strong> atmosphere in the<br />

room that evening was electric, which will<br />

take a lot to be surpassed. From the bottom<br />

of our hearts, thank you all so very much<br />

for your past and continued efforts and<br />

recognition in giving respect to us all.<br />

Yours sincerely<br />

Charlie Bezzina<br />

Senior Sergeant 17886<br />

I wish to thank you and <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong> for the Retired and Life<br />

Members’ Dinner on the 14 October 2011.<br />

My wife and I had a wonderful time catching<br />

up with friends and past colleagues. It was a<br />

great night and typical of a very professional<br />

and generous organisation. For me also<br />

the night meant some closure in leaving<br />

<strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> after 37 years. I never really<br />

appreciated the importance of belonging to<br />

the organisation until I was gone.<br />

Once again, thank you to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />

<strong>Association</strong> for all the support over the years<br />

and thank you for a great night.<br />

Kind regards<br />

Paul Evans APM<br />

Assistant Commissioner 18146<br />

I would like to take this opportunity to<br />

express my thanks to the <strong>Association</strong> and<br />

especially to Kaye Murphy for the assistance<br />

she provided to me last year after my heart<br />

surgery. After some 3 months in hospital<br />

Kaye assisted me in applying for 3 months<br />

extraordinary leave. At the time I was in no<br />

condition to even contemplate applying for<br />

anything, without her assistance I would<br />

not have applied. I would also like to thank<br />

David Billiet and the management and<br />

staff of the Covert Support Unit for their<br />

assistance during the time I was in hospital<br />

and the following year during my recovery.<br />

I am slowly recovering back to where I was<br />

prior to my operation, the assistance of<br />

the <strong>Association</strong> and the staff of the Covert<br />

Support Unit has truly assisted me in this.<br />

Phillip Kerridge<br />

Detective Sergeant 20176<br />

I’m writing to express my sincere thanks<br />

to the <strong>Association</strong> and to Kaye Murphy in<br />

particular, for the assistance and support<br />

provided by the <strong>Association</strong> to me and my<br />

family after the floods of January 2011 that<br />

devastated western <strong>Victoria</strong>. As one of three<br />

members at a small country station, all of<br />

whom had flood waters pass through their<br />

houses, it was comforting to know that the<br />

<strong>Association</strong> did not need a request from any<br />

of us for help but put a substantial amount<br />

of money into our bank accounts so that<br />

we did not have to worry about paying for<br />

necessities at a time when we did not even<br />

know if we would have a place to live.<br />

Kaye’s continued contact over the weeks<br />

that followed was a comfort and her<br />

understanding of the stresses we were<br />

under trying to look after not only our<br />

families and ourselves but the communities<br />

we live in as well, was and is still greatly<br />

appreciated. I can safely say on behalf of<br />

other members and myself that having an<br />

organisation such as <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />

looking out for our welfare certainly makes<br />

the difficult job of policing that little bit<br />

easier. Thank you.<br />

Mick Jablonka<br />

Leading Senior Constable 31087<br />

I want to convey my sincere thanks and<br />

appreciation to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> for the<br />

wonderful night my wife Cheryl and I enjoyed<br />

ate the Retired and Life Members’ Dinner<br />

on 14 October. As a life member of TPA I<br />

have been very fortunate to attend these<br />

dinners previously but this year was special<br />

as it was my retirement as well. <strong>The</strong> whole<br />

evening was truly memorable and the very<br />

kind words that the <strong>Association</strong> expressed<br />

about me during the presentations made<br />

me realise how privileged we are to belong<br />

to such an organisation. On a closing note<br />

you have achieved an excellent and well<br />

deserved result with EB 2011, so well done<br />

with that and it’s just another reason why<br />

TPA plays such an important and vital<br />

support role for all members.<br />

Kind regards,<br />

Graeme Larkin<br />

Senior Sergeant 16174<br />

32 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au


This is just a quick note of thanks to the<br />

<strong>Association</strong> in relation to the recent Retired<br />

and Life Members’ Dinner held at the Hilton<br />

on the Park. It was a terrific night and it<br />

was good to catch up with some people<br />

that I had not seen in a long time. I really<br />

appreciated the invitation, the night itself<br />

and the retirement gift. Good luck to you<br />

all and keep up with your very necessary<br />

work. Oh that note, I think the <strong>Association</strong><br />

deserves a big pat on the back for the recent<br />

wage claim outcome.<br />

Yours faithfully<br />

Ken Mahon<br />

Detective Senior Sergeant 19133<br />

Thanks to the <strong>Association</strong> for the invitation<br />

for my wife and I to attend the Retired and<br />

Life Members’ Dinner held on 14 October<br />

2011. <strong>The</strong> function was most enjoyable and<br />

the organisation, venue and company of<br />

other guests were excellent. It was great<br />

to catch up with many people I had not<br />

seen for a few years. Thanks again to all<br />

involved at the <strong>Association</strong> and also for the<br />

retirement gift.<br />

Peter Gibbons APM<br />

Senior Sergeant 15804<br />

Retirements<br />

It is with a great deal of reluctance that<br />

I advise you of my resignation from <strong>The</strong><br />

<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, effective from 29<br />

October when I retire from <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong>.<br />

My membership with the <strong>Association</strong> has<br />

included the honour of some active service<br />

in my earlier years as a delegate, member<br />

of the Executive and other committees.<br />

<strong>The</strong> experience of working arena with such<br />

august executive members undoubtedly<br />

contributed to my continued career.<br />

In return I received great personal support<br />

and saw invaluable assistance given to<br />

my personnel who needed any of the<br />

many services which have evolved to<br />

benefit members of the organisation. <strong>The</strong><br />

<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> remains one of the few<br />

industrial organisations which have not<br />

succumbed to those recent pressures<br />

imposed upon other unions in a effort to<br />

decrease their effectiveness. I will continue<br />

to support and take an interest in the<br />

progress of the <strong>Association</strong> from the bench.<br />

Yours faithfully<br />

Eric Duffy<br />

Senior Sergeant 16931<br />

I retired, ill-health, from <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> on 7<br />

October 2011 after almost 33 years service.<br />

I was assaulted on duty in 1987 and those<br />

injuries continue to impact on my quality of<br />

life. Over the course of my career I have had<br />

to call on TPAV several times to assist me to<br />

receive my entitlements through WorkCover.<br />

I take many great memories of a great<br />

job, and great friends, in to the next phase<br />

of my life. I was thrilled to have Bruce<br />

McKenzie attend my send-off and make a<br />

presentation on behalf of TPAV. I was also<br />

pleased that Les Beslis and Kaye Murphy<br />

were able to attend and would like to<br />

acknowledge the services that they have<br />

provided me over the years.<br />

Yours sincerely<br />

Lindy Kerr<br />

Inspector 21333<br />

I retired from the <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force on<br />

7 October 2011 after 40 years service. I<br />

have been a <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> member<br />

since 1971 and I would like to thank all the<br />

<strong>Association</strong> Executive members, delegates<br />

and staff who, over those years, have done<br />

a great job in representing a supporting<br />

members. I have been fortunate enough not<br />

to require the assistance of the <strong>Association</strong>’s<br />

legal or welfare support. It has been a great<br />

moral support to know that these services<br />

are available if needed. I have known or<br />

worked with members who have required<br />

assistance and the <strong>Association</strong> can be proud<br />

that the feedback has always been very<br />

positive. Please keep up the good work.<br />

Kind regards<br />

Paul Cassidy<br />

Detective Senior Sergeant 16847<br />

We welcome your letters to the Journal.<br />

In all cases the writer’s name must be supplied.<br />

Names will be published unless there is<br />

a good reason for anonymity. <strong>The</strong> editor<br />

reserves the right to edit, abridge, or decline<br />

letters without explanation. Letters under<br />

400 words are preferred. Send your letters to<br />

journal@tpav.org.au<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

33


Executive Minutes<br />

Your <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> Executive: Left to Right: Dermot Avon, Dean Anderson, Dean Thomas, Diane Wilson, Brigette De Chirico, Phillip Pearson, Karl David APM, Colin Birch,<br />

Paul O'Connell and John Laird. (Absent: Mark Rose and Maurie Banks.)<br />

Minutes for the VICTORIA<br />

POLICE BRANCH OF THE POLICE<br />

FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA<br />

Date: TUESDAY 4 OCTOBER 2011<br />

Location: POLICE ASSOCIATION<br />

BOARDROOM, 1 CLARENDON<br />

STREET, EAST MELBOURNE<br />

Time: 8.12am<br />

Present:<br />

JC Laird (Senior Vice President)<br />

PJ Pearson (Junior Vice President)<br />

KM David, APM (Treasurer)<br />

D Avon (Assistant Treasurer)<br />

DB Anderson<br />

M Banks<br />

CW Birch<br />

B De Chirico<br />

P O’Connell<br />

M Rose<br />

DJ Thomas<br />

D Wilson<br />

GJ Davies Chief Executive Officer<br />

BI McKenzie Executive Officer<br />

Apologies:<br />

1. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES<br />

"that the minutes of 6<br />

SEPTEMBER 2011 be confirmed."<br />

2. ADOPTION OF ORDER<br />

OF BUSINESS<br />

"THAT THE ORDER OF BUSINESS<br />

BE ADOPTED."<br />

Election of Branch Officers<br />

(20051)<br />

Circulated - Memo from Secretary, dd<br />

28/9/11<br />

Jeff Webb and Shane Lanning from the<br />

Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)<br />

34 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au<br />

attended the meeting to conduct the<br />

election for the position of President to fill<br />

the vacancy created by the retirement of<br />

Brian Rix.<br />

As a result of these elections, the positions<br />

of Junior Vice President and Delegate to<br />

Federal Council became vacant and a ballot<br />

was conducted to fill the positions.<br />

Executive members elected to office bearer<br />

positions were as follows: -<br />

President Phillip Pearson<br />

Senior Vice-President John Laird (existing<br />

incumbent)<br />

Junior Vice-President Paul O’Connell<br />

Treasurer Karl David APM (existing<br />

incumbent)<br />

Assistant Treasurer Dermot Avon (existing<br />

incumbent)<br />

Delegate to Federal Council Diane Wilson<br />

3. MAINTENANCE<br />

3.1<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting adjourned at 9:00am and<br />

resumed at 12:36pm.<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting adjourned at 1:30pm and<br />

resumed at 1:58pm.<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting closed at 3:06pm.<br />

minutes FOR THE<br />

EXECUTIVE Meeting<br />

Date: TUESDAY 4 october 2011<br />

Location: POLICE ASSOCIATION<br />

BOARDROOM, 1 CLARENDON<br />

STREET, EAST MELBOURNE<br />

Time: 9.03am<br />

Present:<br />

JC Laird (Senior Vice President)<br />

PJ Pearson (Junior Vice President)<br />

KM David, APM (Treasurer)<br />

D Avon (Assistant Treasurer)<br />

DB Anderson<br />

M Banks<br />

CW Birch<br />

B De Chirico<br />

P O’Connell<br />

M Rose<br />

DJ Thomas<br />

D Wilson<br />

GJ Davies Secretary<br />

BI McKenzie Assistant Secretary<br />

Apologies:<br />

1. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES<br />

"THAT THE MINUTES OF 6<br />

september 2011 BE CONFIRMED."<br />

2. ADOPTION OF ORDER<br />

OF BUSINESS<br />

"THAT THE ORDER OF BUSINESS<br />

BE ADOPTED."<br />

3. STRATEGIC<br />

3.1.1.1.1 Concerns Regarding Use, Safety<br />

and Equipment Incompatibility<br />

of IOEV - Ballistic Vests<br />

Mr David provided the Executive with<br />

a demonstration of the ballistic vest<br />

highlighting the overall deficiencies in its<br />

design. He emphasised the importance<br />

of the vest being compatible with the<br />

equipment belt, as currently the two do not<br />

sit well together. <strong>The</strong> vest poses serious<br />

occupational health and safety issues for<br />

our members.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Secretary advised that the new police<br />

uniform will be coming out in January which<br />

will hopefully see improvements to the<br />

current uniform, including the ballistic vest.


"THAT THE LETTER OF MEMBERS<br />

CONCERNS REGARDING THE<br />

USE, SAFETY AND EQUIPMENT<br />

INCOMPATIBILITY OF IOEV -<br />

BALLISTIC VESTS FROM KARL DAVID<br />

BE RECEIVED".<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting adjourned at 10:00am and<br />

resumed at 10:17am.<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting adjourned at 11:12am and<br />

resumed at 11:14am.<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting adjourned at 11:24am and<br />

resumed at 1:32pm.<br />

3.1.2 Administration<br />

3.1.2.1 Recommendations from<br />

Delegates’ Conference Held on<br />

Thursday 8 September 2011<br />

"THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS<br />

FROM THE DELEGATES’<br />

CONFERENCE OF 8 SEPTEMBER<br />

2011, AS LISTED ABOVE, BE<br />

ENDORSED."<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting adjourned at 1:57pm and<br />

resumed at 3:06pm.<br />

4. OPERATIONAL<br />

4.1 SECRETARY’S REPORT<br />

"THAT THE SECRETARY’S REPORT<br />

BE RECEIVED."<br />

4.2 FINANCE REPORTS<br />

4.2.1 Financial Management Report<br />

"THAT THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT<br />

REPORT BE RECEIVED."<br />

4.3 MEMBERSHIP OF THE POLICE<br />

ASSOCIATION<br />

"THAT THE 103 APPLICATIONS LISTED<br />

BE ACCEPTED FOR MEMBERSHIP OF<br />

THE POLICE ASSOCIATION."<br />

5. MAINTENANCE<br />

5.1 ITEMS FOR INFORMATION ONLY<br />

5.1.1 <strong>Police</strong> Graves Restoration<br />

and Maintenance<br />

<strong>The</strong> Secretary provided background advising<br />

that there has been recent publicity around<br />

the state of disrepair of the graves of police<br />

officers killed in the line of duty. As a result<br />

the <strong>Association</strong>, the Blue Ribbon Foundation<br />

and the <strong>Police</strong> Historical Society have<br />

come together to work towards rectifying<br />

the issue. A letter has been sent to <strong>The</strong><br />

Hon. Peter Ryan, Minister for <strong>Police</strong> and<br />

Emergency Services to explore funding and<br />

Government support necessary to restore<br />

the graves to their former glory.<br />

5.1.2 Correspondence<br />

"THAT THE CORRESPONDENCE<br />

BE RECEIVED."<br />

<strong>The</strong> President thanked the Executive<br />

members for their attendance and declared<br />

the meeting closed at 4:02pm.<br />

Minutes for the VICTORIA<br />

POLICE BRANCH OF THE POLICE<br />

FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA<br />

Date: MONDAY 24 OCTOBER 2011<br />

Location: POLICE ASSOCIATION<br />

BOARDROOM, 1 CLARENDON<br />

STREET, EAST MELBOURNE<br />

Time: 11.55am<br />

Present:<br />

PJ Pearson (President)<br />

JC Laird (Senior Vice President)<br />

P O’Connell (Junior Vice President)<br />

KM David, APM (Treasurer)<br />

D Avon (Assistant Treasurer)<br />

DB Anderson<br />

CW Birch<br />

B De Chirico<br />

M Rose<br />

DJ Thomas<br />

D Wilson<br />

GJ Davies Chief Executive Officer<br />

BI McKenzie Executive Officer<br />

Apologies:<br />

M Banks<br />

1. ADOPTION OF ORDER<br />

OF BUSINESS<br />

"THAT THE ORDER OF BUSINESS<br />

BE ADOPTED."<br />

2. STRATEGIC<br />

2.1 REVIEW OF STRATEGIC AND KEY<br />

FOCUS AREAS<br />

2.1.1 EB 2011 PLANNING<br />

Circulated - Memorandum from PFA<br />

Branch Chief Executive Officer with<br />

attachments<br />

Moved Mr O’Connell, Seconded Ms de Chirico<br />

1. "That the BRANCH Executive<br />

receives the memorandum of<br />

the Branch Chief Executive<br />

Officer on the OFFER FROM<br />

GOVERNMENT ON 2011 ENTERPRISE<br />

BARGAINING."<br />

CARRIED<br />

Moved Ms Wilson, Seconded Mr Avon<br />

2. "That the BRANCH Executive<br />

recommends acceptance of<br />

the offer and the calling of a<br />

specially convened delegates<br />

meeting and a Special General<br />

Meeting of the membership."<br />

CARRIED<br />

Moved Mr Laird, Seconded Mr Thomas<br />

3. "That the BRANCH Executive<br />

directs the Administration<br />

to convene a special GENERAL<br />

meEting of members for<br />

Thursday 3 November 2011<br />

TO CONSIDER THE OFFER OF<br />

GOVERNMENT ON 2011 ENTERPRISE<br />

BARGAINING."<br />

CARRIED<br />

Moved Mr Birch, Seconded Mr David<br />

4. "THAT THE BRANCH EXECUTIVE<br />

AUTHORISE THE IMMEDIATE LIFTING<br />

OF PROTECTED INDUSTRIAL<br />

ACTIONS AS A DISPLAY OF GOOD<br />

FAITH."<br />

CARRIED<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting closed at 11.59 am.<br />

TPAV MEMBER BENEFITS >><br />

Is safety an issue in your workplace?<br />

Tell your Health and Safety Representative today.<br />

HSRs help to ensure your safety and well being in the work place.<br />

When OH&S issues arise, HSRs can make a real difference in ensuring<br />

the Force keeps your safe at work.<br />

To find your local HSR, jump on to the TPAV website www.tpav.org.au.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> Journal <strong>December</strong> 2011<br />

35


association delegates<br />

<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> Delegates<br />

workgroup rank delegate work location phone<br />

Corporate Services 1 (Education Department) Sergeant Glenn Whyte Centre For Foundation Training 9566 9566<br />

Corporate Services 2 (BMD, BITS, HRD, & CSPD) Sergeant Terence MacManus Transport Support Unit 9380 7254<br />

Crime Department 1 Sergeant Michael Gunn Armed Crime Taskforce 9865 2368<br />

Crime Department 2 Sen Con Matthew Merrigan Fraud Extortion Squad 9611 8512<br />

Eastern, (Bass Coast, South Gippsland) Sen Con Sydney Hadley CIU-Bass Coast 5672 2761<br />

Eastern, (Baw Baw, Latrobe) Sen Con Graeme Carter CIU-Baw Baw 5622 7151<br />

Eastern, (Boroondarra, Monash) Sen Con Mark Smith UNI-Clayton 9543 3888<br />

Eastern, (East Gippsland) Sergeant Andrew Bills UNI-Bairnsdale 5150 2600<br />

Eastern, (Greater Shepparton) Sen Con Paul Shortis CIU-Shepparton 5820 5800<br />

Eastern, (Knox, Maroondah) Sen Con Robyn Waite CIU-Maroondah 9871 3052<br />

Eastern, (Mitchell, Benalla) Sergeant Darren Murphy UNI-Kilmore 5782 1211<br />

Eastern, (Wangaratta, Wodonga, Moira) Sergeant Henry Clarke UNI-Wodonga 02 6049 2600<br />

Eastern, (Wellington) Sen Con Keith Patterson UNI-Sale 5143 5015<br />

Eastern, (Whitehorse, Manningham) Sen Con Elizabeth Sidiropoulos Multicultural Liaison Eastern Region 9871 4104<br />

Eastern, (Yarra Ranges) Sen Con Ben Aulich UNI-Yarra Junction 5967 1104<br />

Ethical Standards Department Sergeant Brad Curtin Conduct & Prof Standards Div 9247 3644<br />

Forensic Services Sergeant Thomas Brady Fingerprints Management Unit 9865 2890<br />

Intelligence and Covert Support Sen Con Luke Woods Surveillance Services Division 9804 3599<br />

Legal Services Sergeant Adam McCormack Melbourne Prosecutions 8628 3200<br />

North West Metro, (Banyule, Nillumbik) Sen Sgt Damian Oehme UNI-Greensborough 9435 7001<br />

North West Metro, (Brimbank, Melton) Sen Con Jason Kisielis UNI-Caroline Springs 9361 4700<br />

North West Metro, (Hume) Sen Sgt Andrew Foot Risk & Audit Unit 9744 8111<br />

North West Metro, (Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay & Wyndham) Sergeant Terence West UNI-Altona North 9392 3111<br />

North West Metro, (Moonee Valley, Moreland) Sen Con Craig Zeehar UNI-Fawkner 9484 4645<br />

North West Metro, (Whittlesea, Darebin) Sergeant Jason Gaffee UNI-Epping 9409 8100<br />

North West Metro, (Yarra) Sen Con Steven Boskovski CIU-Yarra 8420 3600<br />

North West Metro, Melb .2, (Melb. West, VPC, Melb. TMU) Sen Con Steven Cox UNI-Melbourne West 9247 5362<br />

North West Metro, Melb.1, (Melb East. Nth Melb/Carlton, St Kilda Rd UNI) Sergeant Maxwell Jackson UNI-Melbourne North 8379 0800<br />

Operations Co-ordination Sergeant David Short Planning & Special Projects 9247 3058<br />

Operations Response UNIt Sergeant Alex Stewart Operations Response Unit 9247 5482<br />

<strong>Police</strong> Bands Constable Brett Staley Bands 9489 2257<br />

Southern Metro, (Casey, Cardinia) Sen Con Matthew Carson Crime Desk-Narre Warren 9705 3110<br />

Southern Metro, (Frankston) Sergeant John Carter UNI-Carrum Downs 8770 4100<br />

Southern Metro, (Greater Dandenong) Sergeant Phillip Hulley UNI-Dandenong 9767 7444<br />

Southern Metro, (Kingston, Bayside, Glen Eira) Sen Con Timothy Barratt UNI-Mordialloc 9588 2988<br />

Southern Metro, (Mornington Peninsula) Sergeant Jamie Stuart UNI-Hastings 5970 8600<br />

Southern Metro, (Port Phillip) Sergeant Douglas Bowles UNI-South Melbourne 9690 3088<br />

Southern Metro, (Stonnington) Sergeant John Pattison UNI-Malvern 9822 2487<br />

SSD - Emergency Response 1 (Air Wing, Dog Squad, Mounted Branch) Sergeant Wayne Gatt Mounted Branch 9682 4733<br />

SSD - Emergency Response 2 (SAR, Water <strong>Police</strong>) Sen Con Matthew Blythe Water <strong>Police</strong> 9399 7500<br />

SSD - FRU/SOG Sen Con Damien Peppler Special Operations Group 9247 5578<br />

SSD - <strong>Police</strong> Communications Division Sergeant Adrian Hurring <strong>Police</strong> Operations Centre (D24) 9247 3222<br />

SSD - Protective Services Unit PSO Peter Marsden Protective Services Unit 9603 6215<br />

TTSD - Traffic Support Division Sen Con Trevor Collins Major Collision Brunswick 9380 7299<br />

TTSD - Transit Safety Division Sen Con Richard Field Transit Safety Division 9247 3300<br />

Western, (Ballarat, Moorabool) Sen Con Ivan Blomeley Ballarat Prosecutions 5336 6074<br />

Western, (Campaspe) Sen Con Rodney Pell UNI-Echuca 5482 2255<br />

Western, (Colac - Otway/Surf Coast) Sen Con Michael Palmer CIU-Colac 5231 2613<br />

Western, (Greater Bendigo, Macedon Ranges,Central Goldfields) Sen Con Sean Dickson UNI-Wedderburn 5494 3300<br />

Western, (Greater Geelong) Sen Con Thomas Dempsey UNI-Geelong 5225 3100<br />

Western, (Horsham, West Wimmera, Hindmarsh) Sen Con James Richardson UNI-Goroke 5386 1004<br />

Western, (Mildura) Sen Con Michael Baldock UNI-Mildura 5018 5300<br />

Western, (Northern Grampians) Sen Con Darren Brown UNI-St Arnaud 5495 1000<br />

Western, (Southern Grampians, Glenelg) Constable Jack Fletcher UNI-Portland 5523 1999<br />

Western, (Swan Hill, Gannawarra, Buloke) Sen Con Shane Hardinge UNI-Koondrook 5438 7333<br />

Western, (Warrnambool, Moyne) Sergeant Christopher Brown UNI-Warrnambool 5560 1333<br />

36 Protect Represent Support. www.tpav.org.au


Above & beyond<br />

the call of duty<br />

<strong>The</strong> men and women of the force<br />

protect us all by bravely putting<br />

themselves in harm’s way.<br />

All our team would like to extend<br />

their grateful, ongoing and<br />

heartfelt thanks.<br />

We wish you a happy and safe<br />

Christmas.

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