Alex Robert BUNT

Police go on contracts, union appalled

By TONY WRIGHT .

Police officers and public servants in the Australian Federal Police force will work under virtually identical conditions following radical new employment arrangements to be introduced next year.

Both police officers and public servants will work under contract for fixed terms, ending tenure of service within the force. The length of contracts has not been decided, but their renewal will be based on performance.

The decision, announced in letters sent to all members of the AFP in the past two days, constitutes the most far-reaching change in employment conditions for AFP members since the force was set up a decade ago.

The 600 public servants employed by the force currently work under the Commonwealth Public Service Act. Under the new scheme, known as a “unified police force”, they would be covered by an amended Australian Federal Police Act, and would be subject to disciplinary conditions similar to those of the 2800 police officers.

Legislation for the new deal is expected to go before Parliament in the Budget session beginning in August, and the arrangements are planned to be introduced next year.

It would create an Australian precedent: the country’s first police force employing all its members on fixed term contracts.

Although the AFP Commissioner, Peter McAulay, issued a discussion paper on the proposals in February, the announcement this week that the new arrangements were to be introduced caught unions by surprise, and infuriated the Australian Federal Police Association.

The association has flatly refused an invitation to discuss with the AFP implementation of the scheme.

The association’s national assistant secretary, Dale Small, said, “I am absolutely appalled by the AFP’s complete lack of accepted industrial-relations behaviour in the way they have handled this.

“They have taken away all our rights as a legitimate industrial body – they have not undertaken any negotiations with us. They have simply told us that this is what they are going to do. It came out of the blue. They have told us they will not be involved in negotiations over the introduction of a unified work force or fixed-term contracts.

“The AFP has said the only thing to discuss is the implementation of the new scheme. We will not be involved in any discussions under those conditions.”

Mr Small said his association had written to the Attorney-General, Lionel Bowen, requesting clarification of the Government’s intention in the matter and asking for consultation.

The assistant secretary of the ACT branch of the Administrative and Clerical Officers Association, Mr Peter Southwell, knew nothing of the announcement until contacted by The Canberra Times last night.

Mr Southwell said ACOA, which represents many of the public servants employed by the AFP, had been aware that “proposals along these lines were being developed”.

“But requests for further information have brought no response [from the AFP],” he said. “We are strongly concerned about possible losses of conditions of service, losses of job security, a potential move to individual contracts of employment [outside award structures] and the use of police disciplinary powers against civilians.” Mr Southwell said ACOA would meet other unions next week to discuss a coordinated response to the AFP announcement. About 10 unions represent employees of the AFP, though some have few members in the AFP.

It is understood Federal Cabinet approved the new arrangements about three weeks ago.

In the letter announcing the new deal, the officer in charge of the AFP’s industrial relations division, Commander Alex Bunt, said the proposals were “consistent with the Government’s objective for a more efficient and effective AFP making use of modern management techniques, new employment arrangements and a better educated, skilled and trained work force focused on major national criminal investigations”.

The main features of the plan are:

The introduction of fixed-term contracts for all AFP employees:

award-based for all ranks below Commander or Senior Executive Service equivalent, and award-free for Commanders and above.

The creation of a unified workforce under the AFP Act.

As far as practicable, similar terms and conditions of employment for all, and similar disciplinary arrangements.

The introduction of a scheme to compensate employees for loss of tenure, subject to a qualifying period.

The Commissioner would have the power to determine terms and conditions of employment of all AFP employees (outside those already specified in awards) subject to broad government wages policy considerations.

Police union threat on Christmas Island force

Police on Christmas Island, 2625km north-north-west of Fremantle, Western Australia, may be withdrawn the week before Christmas unless an agreement can be reached on police numbers on the island.

The national secretary of the Australian Federal Police Association, Chris Eaton, said yesterday that he had been informed that from December 13 the number of police on the island would be reduced from six to two. In view of the “serious occupational risk” AFPA members would then face, the association would withdraw them and “alternative law-enforcement arrangements” would have to be made.

He said three of the Australian Federal Police officers stationed on Christmas Island completed their secondment in early December and would not be replaced. One officer was on indefinite sick leave on the mainland. From December 13 there would only be two AFP officers on the island of 1000 people.

Police on Christmas Island were supplied by the AFP but administered, paid and managed by the Department of Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories, he said.

The department had banned overtime from November 10. Many of the additional duties performed by police ( including manning the fire brigade, Customs duties, and manning air-sea emergency services ) were already frequently unmanned. Staff cuts would mean these services would “hardly ever be manned.”

The population of the island was “depressed, angry and mostly out of work” and this was “a recipe for trouble,” he said. “It only takes one armed offender, or one hostage or siege situation, and these police are in isolated peril,” Mr Eaton said.

He warned that “the same bureaucrats” responsible for administering the police on Christmas Island would soon be administering a self-governing ACT. “I have no doubt the AFP have had no part to play in this [ decision to cut police numbers ],” he said.

The Chief Superintendent of the AFP’s industrial-relations section, Chief Superintendent Alex Bunt, said last night that the AFP had “no intention of leaving only two AFP members on the island”.

He said the number of AFP officers made available for duty on the island was decided by consultation between the department and the AFP, based on what level of policing the department requested, and what the AFP agreed was reasonable. The AFP had invited the AFPA’s comments on staffing levels in August and discussions had already taken place between the AFP, the department and the association on the matter. Discussions were continuing between all parties.

Chief Superintendent Bunt said the officer who completed his secondment to Christmas Island on December 13 would be replaced either by another person or by extending his service there until a replacement could be arranged.

He said that should an emergency situation arise the AFP was in a position to send reinforcements.

“We have put [extra] police on the island before at short notice when the situation required it,” he said. “We are in a position to assist police on the island if anything does happen. The AFPA is not the only organisation concerned for the welfare of AFP members,” he said.

Police patrol cars may be issued with AIDS kits

The Australian Federal Police industrial relations division will put a proposal to the AFP Commissioner, Mr Grey, for the issue of AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) kits to all operational police vehicles.

A report prepared by the division after consultation with the Australian Federal Police Association included the recommendation for the kits, to give police additional security against not only AIDS but other contagious diseases such as Hepatitis B.

Chief Superintendent Alex Bunt, the commander of the industrial division, said the report also recommended that a formal education program be established to complement programs already run by police surgeons in the ACT during national training courses.

Some emergency vehicles were equipped with gloves, antiseptic foam and face masks earlier this year and, in July, the provision of those items was extended. Free vaccinations against Hepatitis B have been available to AFP members for some time.

Chief Superintendent Bunt estimated the cost of equipping vehicles with the kits would be “considerably cheaper” than the $20,000 figure suggested by the Australian Federal Police Association.

New head ‘no stranger’

By KEITH GOSMAN, Police Reporter

Chief Inspector Bunt

Chief Inspector Alex Bunt says that he does not intend to institute any radical changes at Belconnen police station.

Inspector Bunt, a former member of the Commonwealth Police, took up his new duties yesterday as the officer-in charge of the station.

He is the first former senior Commonwealth Police officer to take command of a former ACT Police station under the Australian Federal Police.

Given the traditional rivalry between the two former forces, Inspector Bunt said his reception had been very good.

“There has certainly been no indication to me of any resentment” he said “If there is any resentment, I certainly will do my best to overcome it”.

Inspector Bunt joined the Commonwealth Police in 1974 after reaching the rank of sergeant in the NSW Police. He attended a senior officer’s course run by the FBI in 1974 and has a Diploma of Criminology from the University, of Sydney.

He is studying for a law degree

through Macquarie University. His last position in the Commonwealth Police was officer-in-charge of the currency squad in Melbourne.

On his new position, Inspector Bunt said, “I have had a lot of experience in the general policing area. I am not a stranger to these parts”.

While in the NSW Police, he was stationed at Cooma between 1964 and 1966, and he relieved at Captains Flat and Michelago.

“I propose to do everything I can to ensure that the high standard of policing in the ACT is maintained”, he said. “The ACT has a very good reputation and while I am at Belconnen I will work to ensure that our good relations are maintained with the community. I do not plan to make any radical changes which will disturb the relationship between the police and the community. In fact, I will try to cement these relations”.

He sees his new job as a challenge and intends to move around the area and attend local meetings.

IN BRIEF

Police post

MELBOURNE: Inspector Alex Bunt, of the Commonwealth Police Force, formerly of Sydney, has been appointed chief of the currency squad in Melbourne. He will succeed Inspector V. W. Anderson, who is to be promoted to headquarters in Melbourne.