WA POLICE UNION 87TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE MOTIONS ON NOTICE 1.0 EXECUTIVE
MAJOR CRIME BRANCH 1.1 MOTION: Exemption from State Wages Policy Conference directs the Board of Directors to urgently lobby the State Government to exempt first responders from the State Public Sector Wage Policy.
EXPLANATION: By including first responders in the State Public Sector Wage Policy, it is unfair and does not reflect the unique and high-risk nature of the work. Action should urgently be taken by WAPU in pursuit of this change, including an aggressive media campaign putting our plight in the spotlight, especially through the lens of the upcoming State Election and new Premier. 1. Despite a well-documented hesitancy for first responders to speak openly about psychological injury, the statistics reflect what we already know. Police are, by nature of our work, significantly more likely to be psychologically impacted negatively, as evidenced below: • 11 per cent of Police probably have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: o Compared to 4 per cent of the public (275 per cent difference) o Compared to 8 per cent of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) (135 per cent difference) • 21 per cent of first responders currently experience psychological distress: o Compared to 8 per cent of the public (260 per cent difference) o Compared to 4 per cent of the ADF (525 per cent difference) • 39 per cent of first responders report having been diagnosed with a mental health condition: o Compared to 20 per cent of the public (195 per cent difference) • First responders experience suicidal thoughts at twice the rate than the general public. • First responders are three times more likely to have a suicide plan. • 28 per cent (1 in 4) former employees have thought about taking their own lives. • 25 per cent of Police are physically attacked or assaulted. • 50 per cent of first responders were involved in an incident that was subject to intense scrutiny. • 14 per cent of first responders will make a stress / trauma related mental health claim: o 75 per cent of those will feel it had a negative impact on their recovery. • 23 per cent of former first responders have probable PTSD (32 per cent have high or very high psychological distress) (Source: Answering the Call, Beyond Blue) • 1 per cent of all serious claims submitted to Safe Work are from first responders (claiming a mental disorder) yet: 26 POLICE NEWS DECEMBER 2023
o Mental Disorder claims per million hours worked - first responders 4.6 o Mental Disorder claims per million hours worked - All 0.4 (1,150 per cent difference) o Serious Claims per 1,000 employees – first responders 8.2 o Serious Claims per 1,000 employees – All 0.7 (1,170 per cent difference) o Median Weeks off Work (Mental Disorder) – first responders 26.4 weeks o Median Weeks off Work (Mental Disorder) – All 5.4 weeks (Source: The People Behind 000, Senate Hearing) 2. Police salary is not commensurate to the risk of physical or psychological injury. It is not commensurate to our public standing or community expectations. This has led to enormous attrition and attraction issues, impacting recruiting and training standards. This affects everyone, the community of Western Australia and the Agency’s service delivery, the safety of our colleagues and the perception of policing as a whole. Entry level jobs earning more than junior Police Constables WA Police: Warehouse Packer Medical Admin Assistant University Admin Officer Casual School Shop Assistant Customer Service Manager Zambrero Patient Transport Officer Waste Management Admin Officer Medical Receptionist Fruit Packer Construction Admin Assistance Housekeeping role Personal Assistant Executive Assistant Contact Centre Operator Product Labelling Parcel Handler Accounts Admin Officer Court Transcriber Receptionist Sales Consultant Deliver Driver Storeman Council Ranger Librarian (Source: Seek June 2023)
