QLD police, nurses furious at David Crisafulli pay rise offer

Furious Queensland cops are warning new David Crisafulli they’ll quit the state police service if the new LNP government doesn’t offer fair pay rises for ‘burnt out’ officers.

Premier David Crisafulli at the Townsville Police Station. Picture: Evan Morgan

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Queensland police officers will quit “in droves” if Premier David Crisafulli does not offer public servants a better pay deal, as the police union warns cops are burnt out from being on the frontline of the new LNP government’s tough-on-crime agenda.

The Australian can reveal the Crisafulli government this week formally offered the state’s public servants – including nurses, police and teachers – a 3 per cent pay rise in 2025, followed by 2.5 per cent annually in 2026 and 2027, as enterprise bargaining negotiations heat up.

Already, workers are furious at the opening offer, which includes the potential for an inflation adjustment of up to 0.5 per cent in the first year, and 1 per cent in the second two years.

Queensland Police Union general president Shane Prior said the offer had stoked “very deep anger and resentment” among his 13,330 members, and that police interstate had been offered pay rises of up to 5 per cent a year. “They’ll be walking out the door in droves (if this offer stands),” Mr Prior said.

“If you’ve got a neighbouring state that is getting offered 19 per cent over four years, and their colleagues here in Queensland are seeing other jurisdictions receiving a bigger pay rise than them, they’ll simply go to another state.

“I have grave concerns – given that we have seen at least 40 general duties police officers leave the job this year, that if we do not have a successful EB this year, we’re going to see a significant reduction of police in this state.

“Police are burnt out, in particular around domestic and family violence issues.”

Mr Prior said the LNP’s ­election commitments included reducing youth crime. “The ­government’s agenda is based on law and order … and in order to achieve the reduction in victim numbers, they’re going to need police on the front line doing that very hard work they do every day,” he said.

“And two things to achieve that is fixing domestic and family violence legislation and delivering an enterprise bargaining agreement that will incentivise members to stay in this job and encourage people to join the Queensland Police Service.”

Mr Crisafulli and acting Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy in Brisbane last week. Picture: Josh Woning

Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King said the offers “didn’t pass muster”.

It is understood some unions were considering protected industrial action, after Ms King in January foreshadowed mass rolling strikes at schools and hospitals if pay rises were not sufficient.

“We have received an inadequate offer from the government which is not in the ballpark of expectations from our members,” Ms King said.

“We would expect in the coming weeks for the government to reconsider and put a more realistic offer on the table.”

Nurses at public hospitals in Cairns and Townsville have already voted to reject the new pay deal, and workers at other Queensland Health facilities across the state will vote shortly.

Their current agreement expires in a fortnight, and a new one has to be signed by April.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union secretary Sarah Beaman said the government had to explain how it would fulfil the LNP’s election promise to maintain “nation-leading wages and conditions for over 50,000 nurses and midwives”. “It’s in the government’s interests to deliver on their promise given the current workforce crisis and increasing demand for nursing and midwifery in Queensland,” she said.

According to Labor’s last budget, taxpayers will be slugged an extra $352m a year for every percentage point salary rise for public servants above the 2.5 per cent budgeted.

Read our weekly Queensland politics column Feeding The Chooks

theaustralian.com.au or the app