PFA success from cohesion
Anyone who ever belonged to a union, or worked in the movement, would
have heard the old maxim: “United we stand, divided we fall.” And
few would argue that cause-driven representative bodies can achieve
anything without unity.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the Police Federation
of Australia has performed – and achieved – beyond expectation. In
the process, it has drawn the admiration of major players on the national
political scene.
But those admirers might never have paused to reflect on the cohesion
that lies at the very heart of the PFA’s successes.
The PFA has, among other things, served as a shining illustration
of the unbreakable unity and sense of collective purpose that exists
among thousands of Australian police, who stand divided only by geography.
From each police jurisdiction, association leaders and members alike
appreciate that their cause transcends parochialism. They understand
that all who practise the police occupation are best served by supporting,
and acting for, one another – even over state boundaries.
But the PFA has succeeded for other reasons as well. It has drawn
on the qualifications and wealth of experience of its Canberra-based
CEO, Mark Burgess, and office administrator, Debbie Martiniello.
Mr Burgess, as a mark of his commitment, moved from his native Newcastle
to take up the CEO role.
Also a key element in the PFA’s success is that those who represent
the nation’s cops – the executive and federal council members – are
themselves police officers. The organization is not one in which outsiders,
with no personal experience of policing, speak for Australian cops.
From an SA perspective, PFA members are fortunate to have the strength
of involvement that comes through the presidency of PASA president,
Peter Alexander.
Even those who care to judge the PFA by nothing but outcomes could
not deny its success. Consider the victory which brought FBT exemptions
to police throughout the land. Just what kind of financial burden
might they have suffered had the PFA not triumphed?
No doubt surprising to some, the Prime Minister of the nation considered
the PFA worthy of his personal involvement when he opened its Canberra
building last year. Few acts could be a clearer indication of the
organization’s standing in the industrial, political and wider communities.
Members should, in their own interests, not only understand but also
value and support all that they have in the PFA.
Honour the fallen
Almost another year has passed since the last National Police Remembrance
Day memorial service at Fort Largs. All within the police family,
immediate and extended, are relieved that, to the list of fallen,
no officer has been added.
But on Wednesday, September 29, pause to reflect on and honour the
55 police officers SA has lost.
