❓ The Minister for Police provides an update on the McGowan Labor government's commitment to introduce new arrangements for police officers forced to retire on medical grounds, ensuring they can do so with dignity by separating medical retirements from misconduct-related retirements under the Police Act.
AnsweredQoN 937Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE —
MEDICALLY RETIRED OFFICERS
937. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the Minister for Police:
Can the minister update the house on
how the McGowan Labor government is delivering on its commitment to introduce
new arrangements to ensure that police officers who are forced to retire on
medical grounds can do so with dignity?
MEDICALLY RETIRED OFFICERS
937. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the Minister for Police:
Can the minister update the house on
how the McGowan Labor government is delivering on its commitment to introduce
new arrangements to ensure that police officers who are forced to retire on
medical grounds can do so with dignity?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Girrawheen
for her question and I acknowledge her ongoing commitment to police and other emergency services personnel who have found
themselves having to medically retire because of an illness or injury that they
have received in the course of doing their duty. Members may recall that back
at the 2015 WA Police Union conference, the then opposition leader, the
member for Rockingham, made a commitment to that conference that should we be
elected to government, we would introduce legislation that removes some of the
indignity that police officers forced to medically retire have to suffer.
Members may be aware that officers who are required to be medically retired, retire under section 8 of the Police Act.
Unfortunately, this is the same section of the Police Act under which
those whom the commissioner loses confidence in, because of misconduct or
similar matters, also retire. This adds to the indignity of those who are
boarded out medically unfit through no fault of their own, but because of the
work and duties that they have undertaken. This is not right. It provides a further
indignity at a time when they and their families are already suffering.
I was very pleased, in under two years
since our election, to advise the police union conference yesterday morning
that we had legislation well advanced and drafted to deal with that. The
medical retirement of police officers will be dealt with under a standalone
separate section of the Police Act. I am delighted to say that that news was
greeted very favourably by the Medically Retired Western Australian Police
Officers Association and also by the board of the police union. I expect that I
will be able to bring that legislation into Parliament towards the start of
next year when the house reconvenes after the summer break. This will be great
news for many serving police officers. Nobody joins the police service
expecting that they will find themselves in a position of having to medically
retire. We need to honour those persons and treat them with dignity, and that
is what we are aiming to do by having this legislation drafted and introduced
next year.
for her question and I acknowledge her ongoing commitment to police and other emergency services personnel who have found
themselves having to medically retire because of an illness or injury that they
have received in the course of doing their duty. Members may recall that back
at the 2015 WA Police Union conference, the then opposition leader, the
member for Rockingham, made a commitment to that conference that should we be
elected to government, we would introduce legislation that removes some of the
indignity that police officers forced to medically retire have to suffer.
Members may be aware that officers who are required to be medically retired, retire under section 8 of the Police Act.
Unfortunately, this is the same section of the Police Act under which
those whom the commissioner loses confidence in, because of misconduct or
similar matters, also retire. This adds to the indignity of those who are
boarded out medically unfit through no fault of their own, but because of the
work and duties that they have undertaken. This is not right. It provides a further
indignity at a time when they and their families are already suffering.
I was very pleased, in under two years
since our election, to advise the police union conference yesterday morning
that we had legislation well advanced and drafted to deal with that. The
medical retirement of police officers will be dealt with under a standalone
separate section of the Police Act. I am delighted to say that that news was
greeted very favourably by the Medically Retired Western Australian Police
Officers Association and also by the board of the police union. I expect that I
will be able to bring that legislation into Parliament towards the start of
next year when the house reconvenes after the summer break. This will be great
news for many serving police officers. Nobody joins the police service
expecting that they will find themselves in a position of having to medically
retire. We need to honour those persons and treat them with dignity, and that
is what we are aiming to do by having this legislation drafted and introduced
next year.
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