Thousands of Australian Federal Police (AFP) members are demanding the next commonwealth government establish a strong anti-corruption commission that equally investigates politicians and law enforcement, saying police are being unfairly blamed for gaps in the nation’s integrity system.
The Australian Federal Police Association, which represents 4,000 AFP members, has placed the establishment of a “far-reaching anti-corruption body” among its highest priorities ahead of the federal election, alongside improved support for officers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, greater resourcing, and stronger firearms regulations.
The association says the current anti-corruption regime is unequal, holding law enforcement to a far higher standard than politicians. That’s despite politicians having “different but no less extraordinary powers as those held by members of law enforcement agencies, particularly around the awarding of significant funding of public monies”.
The lack of a federal anti-corruption commission is also placing the AFP in an invidious position when it is asked to investigate matters of public sector corruption.
Police say that, in recent years, they have been unable to lay charges over a number of allegations due to the difficulties in proving criminal conduct in such cases and a lack of powers afforded to other state-based anti-corruption commissions, such as the power to compel witnesses. The job of detecting corruption is also highly complex, the association says.
The AFPA also says its members face public criticism when they are hamstrung and unable to act on referrals made to them.
“It has led to hardworking AFP employees being subject to unfair criticism and the independence of investigators being unjustifiably criticised,” the AFPA’s election report says. “This is unfair and unfounded, and a commonwealth anti-corruption body would go far to address this.”
The Coalition promised an anti-corruption commission prior to the last election. But its proposal, widely criticised as weak and ineffective, never came to fruition.
The proposed integrity commission would also have created an unequal system which applied a tougher regime to members of law enforcement, including the prospect of public hearings. Inquiries into alleged public sector corruption would have been heard in private.
The president of the AFPA, Alex Caruana, said members were chiefly concerned that any new anti-corruption commission would create a “two-tier system”.
“It implies that Australian federal police officers are more likely to do something untoward, which isn’t true,” he said.
“When you look at the responsibility or the discretionary power that a police officer has for buying things or handing out contracts, a politician can hand out multimillion dollar contracts to whoever they want without any real rigour.”
The AFPA is now asking candidates to commit to the items on their election wishlist. It will then inform 7,000 AFP employees, their families, and the community about each party’s position.
Labor has already committed to an anti-corruption commission with the strength and powers of a standing royal commission, including the ability to hold public hearings.
Among the other priorities the AFPA has listed is stronger action to help police officers who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder. The association wants a presumption in workplace compensation laws that AFP members who develop PTSD and other psychological conditions did so as a result of their employment.
Police officers should also be entitled to a new “blue card” system, similar to veteran healthcare cards, and the AFPA wants the government to establish a national commissioner for first responder mental health and suicide.
The AFP should be expanded to 8,500 baselines employees by 2025, the AFPA says, and should be exempt from the efficiency dividend applying to federal government departments and agencies.
