Security at federal parliament, airports and politicians’ events will be noticeably thinner as federal police officers prepare to go on strike for the first time this century over a “toxic” pay deal.
Federal police officers will withdraw from duties in key locations such as Canberra Airport and the federal parliament during sitting weeks.
Politicians and political events won’t be guarded by AFP officers unless there is a “significant” threat rating, and officers will be temporarily pulled from investigating crimes related to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Australian Taxation Office.
Federal MPs and senators were notified about the impending protected industrial action on Sunday.
The breakdown in pay negotiations comes after Commonwealth public servants, including federal police, were offered an 11.2 per cent increase across three years with added work-from-home provisions.
But the Australian Federal Police Association president Alex Caruana said the offer placed officers in the same category as desk job public servants, leaving them no choice but to take their first industrial action this century.
“It was accepted by public servants because it included new work-from-home entitlements,” Mr Caruana said.
“But work-from-home entitlements are useless to an AFP officer who cannot investigate international paedophile syndicates or take a bullet for the prime minister from home.”
Under pressure and under-resourced, six per cent of members surveyed indicated they would leave the AFP immediately if the deal was enforced while more than two-thirds said they would actively look for jobs elsewhere.
“The deal currently being presented is toxic,” Mr Caruana said.
“AFP officers deal with the worst of humanity and have to enter the dark worlds of paedophile rings, international drug trafficking, illegal arms dealers and murderous terrorists every day.”
Uncompetitive wages and conditions would lead to an exodus of officers from the force to other sectors, Mr Caruana warned.
“People will not do it when they know they can be treated much better by a different employer,” he said.
“The skills of AFP officers are in high demand, not just from other state police services but from the public service and from the private sector, like banks.”
While the police association had committed to not engage in any activities that would risk danger, officers on strike were prepared to be “extremely disruptive” in their fight for a reasonable deal, Mr Caruana said.
