Taking Action — Winning for Members
Police Association president Wade Burns vowed he wouldn’t be an office-bound leader when members elected him to the job.
On a tour of Hindley St during night shift, he listened to a member talk about the increasing amounts of alcohol-fuelled violence levelled against front-line officers.
On a visit to the far north, a member told him about the need for greater regional incentives.
In the mid north, a member expressed the long-held desire for the rank of brevet sergeant to be recognized in regional FVIS.
At a metro station, a member explained in detail exactly how other agencies intensify SAPOL workloads.
Following hundreds of conversations like those, Wade set about securing improved conditions and the highest comparative EB pay increases for members since 1995.
Re-elect President Wade Burns
In just a few short months as president, Wade has already achieved some significant outcomes for Police Association members.
“EB was always a clear priority for members and it took on heightened importance, given the retention issues in SAPOL,” he says.
“It was a complex job, so I attacked it from my first day. I knew there was a lot of work to be done to arrive at a deal.
“The outcome we’ve been able to secure was exceptional for members and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“That’s been really pleasing to hear, because the outcome came after hundreds of direct conversations I had with members over the last six months.
“While it’s obviously impossible for any single EB outcome to address every problem within SAPOL, this binding arrangement does address a number of significant and historical issues.
“But the job isn’t finished. There are more conditions I’ve put on the agenda for continued negotiations.”
Wade’s direct engagement over the past several months with key government figures including the premier, attorney-general, the police minister and other senior industrial relations representatives — combined with positive and long-standing professional relationships — proved to be instrumental in achieving a successful outcome.
Wade knows that members want to be rewarded and recognized for their job, but also informed of the association’s progress on a range of issues.
“Members clearly want someone to fight for them, but also someone who’ll communicate that fight,” he says.
“They want to be kept informed about their association, and they want their individual voices to be heard. I completely understand and agree with that perspective.
“And, under my leadership, I think members have seen me work hard to open up those lines of communication and revitalize the association so that it’s a strong, stable, organization that members know they can rely on.
“Since taking on the job I’ve had thousands of conversations with members about the current state of SAPOL. I see their frustration, because I’m out there visiting them, supporting them in active ways.
“One of the biggest problems is how members are forced to carry the can for other agencies. Those agencies aren’t pulling their weight. I think we should drill down a bit further on that. It’s something I intend to do if members re-elect me to a full term.”
Some of Wade’s achievements in just over six months as president include:
- The best comparative police pay outcomes since 1995.
- The expansion of extended-hours rostering into more work areas.
- Joining forces with the PFA to advance the campaign for mortgage salary sacrifice, FBT improvements and a medical blue card.
- Abolition of time limits for regional incentives.
- Abolition of junior cadet salary rate.
- Classification of brevet sergeant in FVIS.
- New classification of sergeant first class.
- The first-ever increase in the Flexible Shift Allowance.
- Transition of on-call allowance to an hourly rate.
- In-situ progression from senior sergeant to senior sergeant first class reduced to five years of service.
- Schedule four allowances converted from a fixed dollar amount to a percentage.
- New allowance for operational senior sergeant positions within metropolitan districts and regional LSAs.
- Advancing the status of police security officers toward becoming members of the association, as per the member plebiscite.
- An additional payment for APY lands members.
- State government to consider bail and suspended sentence reforms for assaults on police.
- Advancing advocacy for changes to in-person police station crash reporting thresholds.
- Lobbying for amendments to the Coroner’s Act in respect of Tier 2 investigations.
- SAPOL to expedite processes in respect of awarding service medals.
- Making the association books of account available to members online and published quarterly.
- Increased growth of Police HomeCare Services.
- Regional medical and travel claims reimbursements outcomes for members —with SAPOL to review the policy in its entirety.
- Lobbying the state government to support the creation of a new offence in legislation, pertaining to intimidating police officers and their family members.
- Advocating for improved safety and security measures for country police stations.
- Calling on the state government to change processes in respect of MR29 vehicle inspections in country locations.
But Wade says these outcomes, and others, are just the beginning.
“SAPOL has smothered itself with irrational bureaucracy and demands from other agencies that serve no purpose except to overwhelm members,” he says.
“That’s one of the things I plan to address if I’m elected to a full term of presidency.
“There are also other issues on the table for negotiation which will begin the process of restoring the job of policing in this state to where it should be, and where it needs to be.
“The schedule of conditions that we’ll continue to negotiate with the government include, for example, changes to superannuation, country housing arrangements, provision of allowances to defined workgroups and specialist areas, other retention and recognition initiatives and, of course, future pay rises.
“It doesn’t matter where a member works or what their rank or role is — I’ll continue to give members absolutely everything that I’ve got.
“Under my leadership, the Police Association as an organization is on track. It is delivering results for members, and it has become a stable organization both industrially and administratively. I intend to continue that.
“And I think it’s critical for us to maintain this momentum into 2025 and beyond. We’ve got a big opportunity to enact real, impactful change for members and SA policing.”
RE-ELECT PRESIDENT WADE BURNS
