Police wages push

By Tania Martin
THE Victorian Police Association gathered at Lilydale last week to campaign for better pay and conditions for police officers across the Dandenong Ranges.
Police Association secretary Senior Sergeant Paul Mullett said the campaign Sign up for Community Safety was calling on Premier Steve Bracks and Victoria Police Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon to sign up to a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for all police officers as soon as possible.
Sen Sgt Mullett said the campaign was being rolled out statewide in both metropolitan and rural areas including the Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges.
He said the campaign was squarely aimed at getting the hardworking police men and women of Victoria a better deal from the Chief Commissioner and the State Government.
“A professionally paid police force in Victoria means a safer Victoria. At a time of historic low unemployment, we need to have a pay structure that will attract people into the policing profession while keeping our experienced police officers in the force,” he said.
Sen Sgt Mullett said the Police Association was seeking an increase of five per cent per year.
He said the proposed increase was reasonable, affordable and more modest than the increases awarded to all politicians across the country.
“Our members put their life on the line for community safety in Victoria and their service deserves better recognition,” he said.
However, Minister for Police and Emergency Services Tim Holding said the State Government had invested massively in Victoria Police since it came to office in 1999.
Mr Holding said the current EBA doesn’t expire until June 2007, and that the Police Association is trying to compel the Government to negotiate now simply through brute force rather than when it expires.
“If every union sought to do this there would be chaos,” he said.
Mr Holding said since being in office the State Government had increased the size of the police force by more than 1600, and has also upgraded or rebuilt 140 police stations and delivered a record $1.6 billion budget to Victoria Police.
“As part of this year’s budget, the Government announced that a new $13.9 million police station would be built in Lilydale, with another $1 million allocated to build a new police station in Yarra Junction,” he said.