Deals assure police compo reforms

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Darin Sullivan in Main

CONTROVERSIAL laws to reform spiralling compensation payouts for injured police are set to pass through NSW Parliament today.

Last night the O’Farrell government secured the crucial support of upper house Shooters and Fishers Party MPs who had opposed the legislation.

Their backing for the bill, with amendments, and that of the Christian Democrats MP Fred Nile, gave the government the numbers it needed to assure the bill’s passage through the upper house last night.

The government spent hours negotiating with the cross-bench MPs to secure their support.
Thousands of uniformed police rallied in Sydney earlier this week in protest against the government’s plans to slash their lump-sum payouts. The auditor-general also warned the growing costs of the scheme had spiralled out of control, delivering average payouts of more than $400,000.

The opposition and police association agree with the government that the police death and disability scheme is unsustainable and in need of reform, but have opposed the bill.

The Opposition Leader, John Robertson, said Labor would support the Christian Democratic Party amendments but oppose the bill. ”The O’Farrell government has put the interests of a private insurance company ahead of protecting injured and disabled police officers with its decision to ram this legislation through the NSW Parliament,” he said. ”The one thing we know for certain is that NSW police will be worse off from Friday morning.”

The Greens MP and law and order spokesman, David Shoebridge, said: ”Police deserve better than this. Slashing benefits will not make the job any safer or reduce the number of injuries suffered by police.”