NSW lays down 'once-in-a-generation' offer for police force

The New South Wales (NSW) government is granting a "once-in-a-generation" offer to the state's police force, aimed at addressing recruitment and retention challenges while offering competitive salaries.

The offer, which is a $697.6-million investment, will span four years and includes significant pay increases, improved allowances, and streamlined pay scales.

Under the government's mutual gains bargaining framework, the state and the Police Association have agreed to a 19% base pay increase for non-commissioned officers.

This will be complemented by accelerated pay scales and revised allowances to further enhance overall pay, according to the NSW government.

"This is a transformative, once-in-a-generation offer for NSW Police, made possible under Labor's mutual gains bargaining policy," said Treasurer Daniel Mookhey in a statement.

"The agreement demonstrates we can deliver better services to the public that the budget can afford. It's proof our bargaining framework can deliver meaningful pay rises to the essential workers who are our partners on reform."

Other benefits under the offer

The new pay structure also consolidates pay scales, allowing a Constable to reach the top of the Senior Constable level within nine years, which is six years faster than under the previous system. Other parts of the offer include:

• Moving to a full-time equivalent model, giving the police force more flexibility to offer more part-time working arrangements.
• A one-off $5,400 Leadership Retention Payment to senior police officers who undertake a leadership and wellbeing training program focused on supporting and rehabilitating injured officers.

"The offer is now being put to a vote of members and I hope they are satisfied with what the government is offering," said Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley. "Officers risk their lives every day and absolutely deserve a pay rise."

The deal is part of a broader strategy by the NSW government to rebuild the police force and address staffing shortages. This includes initiatives such as paying students to study to become officers, which has already led to a 55% increase in applications from the previous year.