The NSW police wage deal, which properly recognises and respects the contribution of police officers, stands in jarring contrast to the deal the Albanese Government wants AFP officers to accept, according to the Australian Federal Police Association.
Police officers in NSW will receive a substantial pay rise from the Minns Government of up to 40% over the next four years. The salary for a level-three senior constable will jump from $107,600 to $146,600 by mid-2027, an increase of $39,000.
By contrast, the deal being offered by the Albanese Government to AFP officers is 11.2% over three years, with some adjustments made to allowances and sick leave entitlements. The offer was calibrated for public servants, not operational police officers, forensic scientists and cyber experts.
AFP Association President Alex Caruana said the difference in the deals was stunning.
“When you look at the NSW deal it’s tough to see what the Albanese Government is offering AFP officers as anything short of blatant disrespect,” Mr Caruana said.
“From a moral perspective the Albanese Government’s deal is clearly inadequate. AFP officers put their safety and health on the line dealing with the worst of humanity so the rest of us don’t have to worry about it. Paedophile rings, international drug trafficking, illegal arms dealers, murderous terrorists. AFP officers have to enter these dark worlds at risk to their physical and metal well being,
“But even if you don’t care about fairness, undervaluing AFP officers creates a huge problem for the national interest. If you don’t care about offering a fair deal to AFP officers, then you don’t care about the threat of terrorism. You don’t care about cyber crime and online child exploitation material. And you don’t care about our role in the Pacific.
“The Albanese Government has dragged AFP officers through months and months of gruelling negotiation before deciding on a low ball offer. Unless they genuinely believe that AFP officers are nowhere near as important as state police then they need to do better.
“Many AFP officers are fatigued and the Albanese Government is exploiting that fatigue because they know officers are keen to get some kind of deal done. But this New South Wales deal will leave an incredibly bitter taste in their mouths and for those who haven’t voted yet I can’t see many voting yes.”
