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| Police Federation of Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | Police Federation of Australia |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Membership | Police associations and federations (state and territory) |
| Leader title | President |
Police Federation of Australia
The Police Federation of Australia is a national peak body representing police associations and federations across Australian states and territories, coordinating collective positions among bodies such as the New South Wales Police Association, Victoria Police Association, Queensland Police Union, Western Australia Police Union, and the Australian Federal Police Association. It engages with federal institutions including the Australian Parliament, the Attorney-General's Department (Australia), the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Australian Institute of Criminology, and the Australian Human Rights Commission on matters affecting serving police and policing policy. The federation interacts with international counterparts like the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Federation of England and Wales, the International Criminal Police Organization and regional bodies such as the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Conference.
The federation was established in the late 20th century to provide a national forum linking state and territory organizations including the New South Wales Police Force, the Victoria Police, the Queensland Police Service, the South Australia Police, the Tasmania Police, the Western Australia Police Force, the Northern Territory Police, and the Australian Federal Police. Early meetings referenced industrial relations instruments such as the Fair Work Act 2009 (Australia) and the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Australia), and engaged with inquiries like the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and reviews by the Australian Law Reform Commission. Over time the federation participated in national debates involving legislation such as the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 amendments and national security frameworks tied to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979.
Membership comprises constituent associations from jurisdictions including the New South Wales Police Association, the Police Association of Victoria, the Queensland Police Union, the Western Australia Police Union, the South Australia Police Association, the Tasmanian Police Association, the Northern Territory Police Association, and the Australian Federal Police Association. The governance model typically includes a federal council and executive positions such as president, vice-president, and treasurer drawn from member organisations with links to state bodies like the Police Federation of England and Wales counterpart meetings and representatives who liaise with institutions such as the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and the Council of Australian Governments. The federation's legal status and industrial coverage intersect with agencies including the Fair Work Commission and the Australian Public Service Commission.
The federation coordinates national advocacy on matters like operational safety, welfare, and benefits, interacting with bodies such as the Comcare, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention, and the Australian National Audit Office on oversight issues. It develops model policies referencing standards from the Australian Institute of Criminology, participates in joint committees with the National Mental Health Commission and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on officer wellbeing, and provides submissions to parliamentary inquiries like those of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee and the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs. The federation also organizes conferences drawing attendees from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and police leadership from the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The federation has taken positions on subjects including firearms regulation debates that involve the National Firearms Agreement (Australia), counterterrorism measures tied to the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Foreign Fighters) Act, surveillance laws such as amendments to the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, and criminal justice reform discussed alongside the High Court of Australia jurisprudence and state-based legislation such as the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). It lobbies federal ministers like the Minister for Home Affairs (Australia), the Attorney-General of Australia, and engages with national policy processes coordinated through the Council of Australian Governments and the Australian National Audit Office on resource allocation and oversight. The federation has submitted evidence to inquiries by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and engaged with the Australian Human Rights Commission on custodial practices.
The federation maintains formal and informal relationships with federal agencies including the Attorney-General's Department (Australia), the Department of Home Affairs (Australia), and the Australian Federal Police, as well as with state police executive leadership such as commissioners of the New South Wales Police Force and the Victoria Police. It interacts with industrial actors including the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Independent Education Union of Australia, and state unions via institutions like the Fair Work Commission. On policy and oversight it liaises with independent bodies such as the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, and parliamentary committees including the Senate Estimates process.
The federation has been involved in public controversies when its stances intersected with high-profile matters like inquiries into police conduct conducted by entities such as the Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service (Wood Royal Commission), reviews by the Crime and Misconduct Commission (Queensland), and legal challenges adjudicated by the High Court of Australia. Media coverage in outlets such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Australian, and The Sydney Morning Herald has documented disputes over industrial action, lobbying on legislation like the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 (Cth), and debates about public accountability connected to state integrity commissions including the Independent Commission Against Corruption (New South Wales). Instances of contested testimony to parliamentary inquiries and criticisms from civil society groups such as Amnesty International and the Human Rights Law Centre have also featured.
The federation issues policy statements, submissions to federal and state parliamentary committees such as the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee and the House of Representatives Standing Committee; publishes reports referencing research from the Australian Institute of Criminology, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; and circulates media releases picked up by outlets like the ABC News, SBS News, and The Guardian (Australia). Communications involve conferences with partners including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and collaboration on research with academic bodies such as the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, and the Monash University.
Category:Law enforcement in Australia Category:Organisations based in Canberra