Qld police retirement age: Commissioner Steve Gollschewski wants officers to be able to work past 60

Queensland’s police commissioner says he wants to do away with the state’s mandatory retirement ceiling to allow police to continue working into their 60s in a bid to boost frontline numbers. HAVE YOUR SAY

Queensland has the lowest retirement age in any police jurisdiction in Australia. File picture: AAPimage/David Clark

Commissioner Steve Gollschewski says he wants police to be able to retire past the age of 60 to help boost frontline numbers.

Queensland has the lowest retirement age in any police jurisdiction in Australia, with a mandatory retirement imposed on officers with the exception of about 20 senior police ranked Assistant Commissioner to Commissioner on contracts.

Officers ranked to chief superintendent are given a high superannuation of 18 per cent which means changing the retirement age would trigger an argument over entitlements.

Mr Gollschewski said people aged over 60 were valuable to the service and giving officers the option to stay longer should be considered.

“I think that’s really a conversation we’ve got to have and I sit here as someone that’s well past the age of 60, wearing a uniform and still carrying the responsibilities of the office of constable,” he said. “I’ve pulled cars over and done my thing to talk to people about how they should obey the road rules.

“Did I suddenly stop at 60 being able to do that? No, of course not. So this is something you have to talk through. I am certainly in favour. I think the demographics have changed.

“I understand there’s challenges with that and I’m sure that the industrial representatives will be worried about what impacts there will be on superannuation.”

Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service, Steve Gollschewski. Picture: Richard Walker

The Queensland Police Commissioned Officers’ Union previously raised the retirement age issue for its members and at the time a spokesman for Treasurer Cameron Dick said the employer contribution scheme of 18 per cent, higher than other public servants, offset the impact of the mandatory retirement age.

“If the mandatory retirement age was increased, then the employer contribution would have to change,” the spokesman said at the time.

The Queensland Police Union, which has a membership of more than 10,000, has remained opposed to changing the retirement age to protect superannuation entitlements.

Police can already return to the service as special constables past the age of 60 however raising the retirement age could result in more police choosing to continue working.

“So we really need to talk through it because we don’t want to disadvantage our workforce but by the same token we’d really love to keep those people that are adding a lot of value to the organisation,” Mr Gollschewski said.

“I think we’re seeing that right across the community, aren’t we, people are working longer and you know, they’re more healthy, so it’s certainly something worth talking through.”