Negotiations on pay and conditions for SA Police conducted by the Police Association of SA.

The Police Association of South Australia (PASA) has negotiated a historic enterprise bargaining deal for its members, with lead negotiator and president Wade Burns saying it’s a necessary outcome in the quest to avert the retention crisis gripping policing in SA.

Pivotal to the new arrangement are increased wages, starting on the first full pay period on or after 1 January 2025, that represent the highest comparative pay rises for SA police since enterprise bargaining began in 1995.

In addition to wage outcomes, the deal also comes with an extensive suite of improved conditions.

And, because the deal is an administrative arrangement rather than a conventional three-year agreement, a broader list of conditions and new initiatives are on the table for ongoing negotiations between the association and the state government — ensuring police retention issues continue to be examined.

The negotiated pay rises include a significant percentage increase, but also a police-specific retention salary increase (added into base salary) and a police-specific retention payment (one-off payment) in January 2025 and January 2026 respectively.

In the period up to January 1, 2026, those pay rises provide for minimum increases ranging from 11.2% to 17.9%, depending on rank and increment.

The association also negotiated to have the junior cadet rate abolished. This outcome, along with the pay increases, delivers new recruits under the age of 21 an astonishing 47.4% immediate pay rise.

“These are historic pay rises but the broader scope of this outcome includes so much more,” President Burns said.

“The government, to its credit, has taken the retention crisis in policing seriously. Officials sat down with us for extensive negotiations during which I presented to them a clear path forward.”

“I have said all along this would likely be our last chance to prevent a mass exodus from SAPOL. The government did listen to those concerns — and it needed to.”

“There is an extensive list of improved conditions that will be implemented as part of the arrangement, and many more on the table for future negotiations, with the view of safeguarding policing in SA.”

Some of the improved conditions include:

-Classification of brevet sergeant for members in regional Family Violence Investigation Section.

-Establishment of the new classification of sergeant first class (attracting a percentage allowance) and the implementation of the Response Extended-Hours Roster within 24/7 regional general duties, dog operations unit (general handlers) and consideration for expansion into other workgroups.

-A new allowance for defined operational senior sergeant positions within metropolitan districts and regional LSAs (senior sergeants working in a district/LSA will be paid an operational allowance of 10% of salary).

-In-situ progression from senior sergeant to senior sergeant first class will be reduced to five years of service.

-Increase in the Flexible Shift Allowance from 18.5% to 20% — the first improvement to the FSA since its inception.

-On-call allowance will also transition to an hourly rate.

Upon future ratification of a new formal EA, Schedule 4 allowances (e.g. brevet sergeant, senior sergeant first class, rotational shift allowance for long term patrol officers, prosecution, STAR, detective, etc.) will be converted from a fixed dollar amount to a percentage.

For some ranks and increments, this arrangement up to January 1, 2026, delivers a better outcome than the total increase provided by the entirety of the 2021 enterprise agreement. It represents the largest base pay increase, comparatively, since the first SA police enterprise bargaining outcome in 1995.

“And the extraordinary pay rise to young recruits, as a result of the abolition of the junior cadet rate, is a massive boost for SAPOL’s recruiting team,” President Burns said.

“It’s a historic outcome and a significant step forward for the future of policing in this state. It will help to restore policing as a job of choice for young people.”

Residents and businesses in the Far North of the state have long fought for 24 hour police, given the levels of crime experienced over many decades. 2024 is seeing elderly residents become the new soft target for robberies and abuse.

Coober Pedy Residents believe that the state government has been approached many times about the urgency for 24-hour policing in the past several decades. Far North residents feel that their needs are ignored because remote areas don’t have enough voting strength to warrant political consideration.

In September this year, the Police Association of South Australia’s President Wade Burns released in a public statement to the media that Coober Pedy requires 21 full-time officers but has only 13 police on rostered duties. “Our country communities deserve exactly the same level of police service as our metro communities”, said Wade Burns.

We thank Wade Burns for all of his support, and now for this grand outcome. We look forward to further results of the work of individuals like Wade Burns and the all-important Police Association that advocates not just for the rights of its members but for that which will benefit an entire population.

COOBER PEDY’S ELDERLY TARGETED IN ASSAULT & ROBBERY CRIME WAVE
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