Police union boss backs deal amid member unrest and government ‘insult’

The news

Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior has described the Crisafulli government’s blanket wage offer as an insult to all frontline workers as he attempts to sell an in-principle deal struck this week to frustrated members.

Prior fronted media in Brisbane on Thursday to apologise to members for failing to have a full breakdown of the proposed pay rise benefits at the time of Tuesday’s joint announcement.

“Now, ultimately, I will be judged on my performance at an election in 2027”: Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt

But he also praised the “cordial” talks and stared down questions about his leadership and criticisms the deal did not deliver enough for his members.

Why it matters

The comments come amid strike action from nurses and teachers, whose negotiations have been sent by the government to the Industrial Relations Commission for conciliation, as some of the first of many state workforces to negotiate new agreements with the new government.

Queensland’s police union, like many others around the country and globe, faces restrictions around industrial action other unions can take to extract better pay and conditions from government.

Prior said this meant his bargaining team had to do all they could in negotiations with government, and touted the fact police had struck a deal while other unions had not, extracting money above the state wage offer of 3 per cent this year, and 2.5 per cent for each of the following two.

But public reaction from some members had forced the union to turn off comments on its Facebook post announcing the deal earlier this week, while some other members and even union delegates have criticised the proposed deal and Prior personally.

What they said

Asked if Premier David Crisafulli was being too stubborn with the wages policy panned by unions even before the June budget, which was built on their acceptance, Prior said it was insulting.

“And it is insulting to every front-line worker in Queensland,” he said, referring to the broader public service also negotiating with the first-year government – or soon set to begin talks.

“But it is up to the appropriate union to go and negotiate in good faith with government, and we did that – we negotiated $163 million above the state wages policy [when including role restructures, boost to penalty rates and an $8000 retention bonus].

“I absolutely understand that not delivering the appropriate information at the time of announcement has resulted in a fuelling of [frustration]. I have every faith that once officers … see what this agreement is going to deliver for [them] … our officers will turn around and see that this is a very reasonable deal.”

Responding to criticism from some members about his absence for part of the negotiations, Prior said he’d had the two-week family holiday planned before his elevation to the role and would not apologise for putting his family first.

He refused to be drawn on questions of what a rejection of the offer when put to members for a vote in September would mean for his leadership, and that of the broader union.

“Now, ultimately, I will be judged on my performance at an election [for union roles] in 2027, but the first ballot that I’m focusing on is September, and seeing whether or not EB 11 will get over the line,” he said.

Another point of view

The Labor opposition’s police spokesman, Glenn Butcher, said he had recently called his twin brother in the service who was with seven other officers when he asked if he thought it was a good deal.

“Seven of them said no. He said no as well,” Butcher recalled. “But it appears that the LNP aren’t listening, not only to police, not only to teachers, and not only nurses, they have flat lined and so is their policy on good wages for their staff.”

“I think they’ve [the union] done the best they could against the government who weren’t listening.”

Crisafulli said on Tuesday: “We’ve delivered certainty when it comes to wages, to conditions, and to resources as well”.

“We’ve spoken a lot about that: making sure that police have that certainty of the ability to do their job.”

What’s next

Presentations and questionnaire sessions with Prior and other union officials across the state will begin across the state from next week ahead of a formal vote on the deal at a yet-to-be-determined time in September.

If rejected, the union and government would then enter arbitration in the Industrial Relations Commission, where the state has proactively sent stalled nurses and teachers talks.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.