Victoria Police
Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Community Safety, Minister for Victims, Minister for Racing) (09:48): Police members and PSOs have always deserved a pay rise and conditions that reflect the challenging work they do every day, and I am pleased that members endorsed a pay deal last week. Some 91 per cent of police members and PSOs voted in that EBA deal, and that is the most significant number that we have seen. I want to thank the Police Association Victoria and also Victoria Police for what they have done in reaching this point, and I thank members for the work that they have done right through this process. The new enterprise bargaining agreement endorsed by members includes a significant uplift in wages and allowances, with all members receiving an annual 4.5 per cent increase, an additional 0.5 per cent annual allowance for general duties uniformed members and a minimum of 10 correspondence shifts to be rostered for full-time general duties members at 24-hour stations to deal with paperwork, one shift to be rostered each month. An equalised clothing allowance for detectives will see males receive the same payment amount as females, and there is a new disturbance allowance for special operations group members due to the significant frequency of roster changes. The deal will now go to the Fair Work Commission for formal approval.
We will keep working with the Acting Chief Commissioner of Police and of course the Police Association to support our hardworking police officers and PSOs to address their concerns and ensure they have everything they need to keep Victorians safe. But it starts with recognising their work and ensuring they get the pay deal that they deserve. They backed that in last week. The government will continue to back them, and we look forward to these matters being resolved at the Fair Work Commission to make sure the police get the rewards that they deserve, and they will continue to have the support of this Parliament.