The Police Association Journal november 2009

3
President’s Message
By Brian Rix
Police Regulation
Amendment Bill
Finally the ill conceived Police
Regulation Amendment Bill has
been defeated in the Legislative
Council. The Bill proposed by the
Government would have seen the
rights of police officers in Victoria
eroded to the point of extinction.
Time and time again, your Police
Association requested proper
consultation with the Government
over this Bill but it refused to take
on board our legitimate concerns.
Fortunately our democratic
processes allow for informed
debate and differing views to be
heard. Clearly, all politicians other
than the government shared our
view. Bad legislation attacking
fundamental rights should never
see the light of day in Australia and
we are grateful to the politicians
who upheld our rights. We
encourage all members to read
the story on the Police Regulation
Amendment Bill in this issue of The
Police Association Journal.
Variable Roster dispute
Thanks to the solidarity of the
members in Gippsland and in
particular Warragul Police Station,
members can continue with
variable rosters. Where members
embraced variable rosters it has
proven to assist them attain a better
work life balance with no decrease
in service to the community. The
members at Warragul achieved
excellent work statistics, but still
they had to stand up for their right
to continue with a variable roster.
It is unfortunate that this dispute
had to be played out in public and
that The Police Association had
to lodge Notices of Dispute before
the courts. The intransigence of
the Force and its desire to forge
ahead in contravention of the
Enterprise Bargaining Agreement
forced members to take a stand.
The members on rostered shifts at
Warragul were prepared to take
action and risk discipline charges.
They were supported by other work
colleagues and family in a very
public display at the police station
which attracted media attention.
This is a prime example of members
standing united and being able to
achieve an appropriate outcome. In
the lead up to the next Enterprise
Bargaining Agreement and the
State election, it is clear that your
Police Association may need to call
on all members to stand united
if we are to achieve appropriate
outcomes.
Member and family Welfare
The ever increasing demands
on police officers has seen an
increase in the request for services
from The Police Association’s Staff
Assistance Program. The program
is completely confidential and
members and their families have
utilised the free service more than
ever before. We all now recognise
that professional assistance is far
more beneficial than de-stressing
down at the pub with too many
drinks. We encourage all members
or immediate family who feel the
need for professional psychological
assistance to contact our provider
IPS worldwide either direct or via
The Police Association.
Retired and Life
Members’ dinner
The Police Association’s Retired
and Life Members’ dinner was
another great night with retiring
members and the partners catching
up with old squad mates, work
colleagues and friends. Each retiree
received a gift as a memento of
their membership of The Police
Association.
The members on rostered
shifts at Warragul were prepared
to take action and risk discipline
charges. They were supported by
other work colleagues and family
in a very public display at the
police station which attracted
media attention.
Retirement with dignity has been
a catch cry for many years with
The Police Association lobbying for
members to have that right. It was
very pleasing to see the retiring
members enjoying the fruits of their
labour. Going by all the happy faces,
and tall tales told on the night,
there were no regrets.
The Life Members also enjoyed
this year’s event and can all feel
proud that they have played
a significant role in forming
The Police Association into the
professional organisation that it
is today.
www.tpav.org.au The Police Association Journal November 2009