Previous Experience
Wade has extensive industrial relations knowledge, police experience, negotiation skills, and an extensive network of government and public-service contacts. Also extensive is his list of relevant academic qualifications. There are his graduate diplomas in strategic leadership, crisis leadership and portfolio management; his graduate certificates in business administration and applied management.
He also holds advanced diplomas in government (policy and governance) and human resource management. Wade is a fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a professional member of both the Institute of Public Administration of Australia and the Industrial Relations Society of South Australia. He received the Australian Institute of Management prize for the highest subject mark internationally (98 per cent) for business management. His current study is for a Master of Business Administration.
Wade is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a delegate of SA Unions, and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. He is also a member of the Police Superannuation SA board, and member of the Public Safety and Government Industry Skills Council. He is a formidable negotiator because he is first and foremost an accomplished communicator. He responds to members in a way they would expect of their president. And it is a major challenge to come up with a task Wade has not had to confront throughout his policing career of 27 years.
He has undertaken helicopter rescues, applied life-saving CPR, provided dignitary protection to three prime ministers, royals, and sports stars, conducted counter-terrorism operations and fired on an armed offender.
Drunks, thieves, illegal users, assailants, domestic violence perpetrators, murderers… Wade has dealt with all of them, along with sieges, high-speed pursuits and high-risk arrests. And, as all operational cops do, Wade has confronted and managed the aftermath of violent deaths, caused by natural disasters, car crashes, and suicide.
Wade has served on the real-world police landscape on patrols, as an investigator, a STAR Group member, a patrol sergeant and traffic senior sergeant, and as an officer of police.
He even moved to broaden his operational experience when, on leave without pay, he served for 12 months with Australian Border Force. He hunted people smugglers close to Indonesian waters, and illegal fishers and drug runners in the Antarctic.
Wade also responded when crisis struck our near neighbours. As part of a joint Australian police contingent, he supervised reassurance operations in the disaster zone left by the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand in 2011.
Prior to the role of Police Association president, he was on the front line as a District Duty Inspector, working 24/7, side-by-side with operational members.
Outside of his police career, Wade is an endurance sports enthusiast. He has completed multiple sub three-hour marathons, sub-10 hour IRONMAN events and is a three times IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship qualifier. Wade has cycled from Adelaide to Melbourne, helping to raise more than $100,000 for Canteen, which helps young Australians battling cancer.
In 2017, Wade cycled more than 3,000 kilometres in 15 days along the coast from Adelaide to Port Macquarie to the start line of IRONMAN Australia — raising more than $30,000 to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation.No candidate is as infinitely qualified as Wade for the role of Police Association president.
Career
