General Secretary's - Queensland Police Union

Queensland Police Union Journal Apr 10 2010 Annual Conference • 17
F THE UNION
Doneman as our Journal Editor and she is going great guns.
She is progressively modernizing the look and feel of the journal
and the feedback that I’m already getting from members is very
positive indeed.
“From Townsville we can service
the Northern Region, Far North
and the Mackay and Whitsunday
areas of the central region.”
Chris Stephens has joined our team as an industrial officer and
is about to undergo a baptism of fire during EB. Donna Black
joined our legal section to support our Lawyers. Calvin Gnech
also came on board in our legal section and Glenn Mitchell left
to sail the world. Allan Sutton has also replaced Robyn Currell
as our bookkeeper.
Delegates, our union now has a dedicated Workplace Health and
Safety Officer. Rosemary Featherstone has already been rocking
a few boats and I know that her recent visit to Townsville was
very much appreciated by our members and we are confident
of significant change in this area. So that is a summary of the
changes we have made in the past year.
By any measure they are substantial. In the next year I
anticipate there will be more changes to your union. One of the
things I think we need to consider is the increasing workload on
our Executive members and branch officials.
“But I do not accept that
Queensland Police should pay the
price for Anna Bligh and Andrews
Fraser’s financial incompetence.”
Delegates, the number of internal investigations is now
enormous. They take an enormous amount of time to deal with
and it’s getting to the point where our Executive members are
getting little time with their families. I will be taking to the
Executive a recommendation that we employ two field officers at
the union. Initially, one officer will be based in Brisbane and one
in Townsville to service the north of the state.
The role of these field officers would be to attend interviews
and branch meetings to alleviate the workload of our regional
representatives and branch officials. The north Queensland field
officer will probably need some secretarial support so that will
mean considering opening an office Townsville. It might also be
prudent to base an industrial officer there, too. From Townsville
we can service the Northern Region, Far North and the Mackay
and Whitsunday areas of the central region.
Delegates, I strongly believe that our members in north
Queensland deserve the same level of service as our members in
the south. Opening an office in Townsville would be a big step
but one I believe that is the next logical step in the evolution of
our union.
Delegates, EB negotiations are not going well. In fact, they’re
not happening at all. Steve Mahoney will give you a
comprehensive briefing on this. It is almost four weeks now since
EB negotiations were supposed to begin but the government
hadn’t until today given their negotiators the authority to
negotiate.
Delegates, the facts we face are these:
• The government offer is 2.5%.
• The Beattie and Bligh governments have turned the state
finances into a financial wreck.
• Queensland has lost its AAA credit rating, is in debt up to its
eyeballs and has an unemployment rate much higher than the
rest of the country.
• And on top of that, we have a Premier who has a history of
being antagonistic towards police.
Delegates, we face a very tough battle this time. But I do not
accept that Queensland Police should pay the price for Anna
Bligh and Andrews Fraser’s financial incompetence. It’s not our
fault that they’ve blown billions on water recycling plants that
will never be used. We will fight for a fair deal for our members.
We have already engaged an experienced barrister who
specialises in industrial matters to provide advice as we proceed
as there is a chance that the Industrial Commission may be
required just to get the government to negotiate in good faith.
Our campaign team, headed by Ross Musgrove, are in full swing
as you can see by the websites and the cartoons. We will fight all
the way for the best possible deal for our members.
Delegates, I want to pay tribute today for a valued member of
our staff who cannot be here. Wendy Macdonald started with us
as a solicitor in September last year and made a big impression
immediately. Members, staff and the Executive quickly came to
rely on her sound advice. She was the writer and co-coordinator
of our very successful submission to the alcohol-fuelled violence
committee. In February, Wendy suffered a stroke in our office
and will be off work for some time to come. She has a terrific
work ethic and a sunny disposition that endeared her to all
that worked with her. I know that we all wish Wendy a speedy
recovery from her illness and look forward to her return to the
mountains of files our legal section deal with.
Delegates, enjoy the debate and our guest speakers over the next
couple of days. Abide by the rules of debate. By all means debate
the motion but remember we are all on the same side. I declare
our 2010 annual conference open.