Push to reinstate exiled police union members Chief Inspector Darren Cornell, Sergeant Joe McDonald and Senior Constable Kerry Rouse ahead of Police Association of SA general election

Delegates of South Australia’s police union have been urged to overturn the “grossly punitive” expulsion of three serving officers, as nominations are called for an upcoming election.

Delegates of South Australia’s police union have been urged to overturn the “grossly punitive” expulsion of three serving officers – including one cancer survivor who has been stripped of his life insurance.

The push to reinstate the memberships of Chief Inspector Darren Cornell, Sergeant Joe McDonald and Senior Constable Kerry Rouse comes as nominations are called for the upcoming Police Association of SA (PASA) general election.

Chief Inspector Cornell contested a by-election for the position of president last year but lost to successful candidate Wade Burns by less than 50 votes.

He was then expelled from the union over his public calls for Mr Burns to resign following claims made by an MP under parliamentary privilege that he indecently assaulted a female SA Police employee at a social function.

Mr Burns was demoted over the 2017 incident but never criminally charged, and has dismissed it as “an internal workplace matter that was dealt with many years ago”.

The PASA committee of management’s decision to expel Chief Inspector Cornell has rendered him ineligible to run again against Mr Burns at the general election, when all roles including president will be vacated.

Chief Inspector Darren Cornell. Picture: Supplied

PASA president Wade Burns. Picture: Brenton Edwards

It has also had the effect of leaving him without the legal protection and life insurance coverage that come with union membership.

Sergeant McDonald and Senior Constable Rouse, who had supported calls for the removal of Mr Burns, were also expelled following last year’s by-election.

Detective Brevet Sergeant Chris Walkley, a member of the PASA committee, last week wrote to union delegates urging them to support a motion that would reinstate the memberships of all three.

“It is evident the membership expulsions were, and remain, grossly punitive,” he said in an email.

“It should be noted that at the time of their expulsions, all expelled members had some form of public contact contained in their duties.

“Without legal protection, this makes work life precarious.”

Brevet Sergeant Walkley said Chief Inspector Cornell is a cancer survivor and has been left without life insurance “in the unfortunate possibility of cancer relapse”.

“If you think the removal of their delegate positions and rights to Group Life coverage for some time is punishment enough, then I invite you to vote to rescind the decisions,” he said.

Even if the three had their memberships reinstated, they would not be eligible to contest the election and would not be returned to their former delegate roles.

Two-thirds of current delegates must support the motion for it to be successful.

The Advertiser asked Mr Burns whether he supported reinstatement of the memberships and associated industrial protections – but he did not respond to the inquiry.

Nominations for the PASA election close this Thursday, before voting opens in February and closes on March 20.