Founded 1917 Key people Ron Iddles, secretary | Members 13,000 Office location Melbourne, Victoria | |
Full name Police Association of Victoria Affiliation Police Federation of Australia | ||
The Police Association of Victoria is the union organisation representing about 11,000 members of the Victoria Police. The alliance is affiliated with the Police Federation of Australia, representing over 50,000 Australian Police Officers.
History
The (former) Police Association was formed in 1917 arising from low wages and poor working conditions being endured by Victorian police officers at the time. Police had a long-standing grievance regarding their pension scheme abandoned by the Victorian Government in 1902.
After the 1923 Victorian Police strike, which the organisation never sanctioned, the Police Pensions Act 1923 recognized the organisation as the one employee body with which the State Government would deal on police welfare and efficiency matters. A substantial pay rise and improved working conditions resulted from the Act, however it also made it illegal for members of the force to join a ‘political or industrial organisation’, and it threatened a twelve-month prison sentence for any member who withheld his services or caused disaffection.