New information reveals AFP superannuation, overtime payment scandal

The Australian Federal Police has underpaid 4000 officers superannuation entitlements, new information has revealed. Hundreds have also not been paid for overtime or excess hours worked.

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Exclusive: A $24 million financial underpayment scandal engulfing the AFP has widened with almost 4000 officers not only being underpaid superannuation entitlements, but hundreds also not being paid for overtime or excess hours worked.

It has been revealed officers have been complaining, in some cases for more than four years, that they have not received overtime payments but their grievances were being ignored or fobbed off.

It is understood officers racked up overtime, particularly on national security matters such as investigating and monitoring wannabe jihadis and terror suspects on control orders, only to be told the overtime payments “blew the budget” for state office and they would have to wait until the following year to be paid.

But that rolled into year after year without the payment.

Australian Federal Police officers, particularly those doing long hours while investigating national security matters, have been underpaid. Picture: Lukas Coch

It is understood the blown budget issue in some cases was “hidden” from Canberra while state offices tried to play catch up with budgets in subsequent years.

Officers were also told HR staff were dealing with the issue but late last year found the emails for those staff were no longer active and phone calls went unanswered.

The AFP is already facing a massive superannuation underpayment bill of more than $24 million, but it is feared that the added overtime underpayment with its complicating financial effects on superannuation will push that figure much higher.

AFP insiders said officers were told the AFP did not have the money to pay the high overtime costs, so they should just record the overtime and “we will work it out later.”

The superannuation bungle is estimated to impact more than half current number of federal police employees across Australia.

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The AFP has already admitted to not paying superannuation on certain employee allowances, but insisted the mistake was “not a conscious omission”.

Australian Federal Police Association president Angela Smith said officers had complained they had not received their correct entitlements and were fearful they may never see those payments.

She said they had also raised the issue that underpayment of superannuation and overtime owed was affecting their personal situations, with some taking large personal debt to cover superannuation shortfall created by the AFP and the time taken to resolve the issue.

“The AFPA has held numerous discussions with senior executive members of the AFP in relation to this issue,” she said.

“The AFPA understands that this is a complex issue involving around 3,700 plus members.

Australian Federal Police Association president Angela Smith.

“The AFP has been proactive in trying to resolve this issue.

“They were forthcoming with the AFPA about the situation and we acknowledge that the repayments to members may not be happening as quickly as the members want.

“We want the AFP to conduct a proper and rigorous assessment to ensure that each member possibly affected was reviewed to ensure that they hadn’t missed out on any payments.”

Australian Federal Police officers. Picture: Supplied

Ms Smith said some of the complexities in dealing with the matter have been:

• Calculating the financial shortfalls of individual members, especially as superannuation calculations are often complicated and have a compounding effect;

• Identifying impacted members who have retired or left the organisation, or are on leave without pay from the organisation. The AFPA suspects there are ex-AFP employees or people seconded to other agencies and organisations who aren’t aware of the situation;

• The sheer scale of the review to determine if a superannuation or excess hours/overtime underpayment occurred.

An Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer holding an MK18 Short Barreled Rifle. Picture: Lukas Coch

Ms Smith said the superannuation underpayments came after changes were made to the wording of the 2007-2011 Collective Agreement, resulting in some allowances becoming eligible for superannuation purposes which previously were not.

The superannuation fund managers, on receipt of the updated superannuation salary information will advise the AFP of the moneys owed.

The AFP has already made provisions to repay $24.5 million in backdated superannuation payments, listed in the 2017/18 annual report.

Originally published as New information reveals AFP superannuation, overtime payment scandal