Police in Victoria will vote on whether to stop issuing fines to most speeding drivers as a bitter pay dispute threatens to drag into the new year.
If the ballot to step up their ongoing industrial action is successful, officers would no longer penalise most speeding drivers, refuse to appear in court and stop taking on extra duties.
That could impact policing arrangements at the Australian Open tennis tournament, as officers usually volunteer to take on extra shifts to cover major events.
The Police Association of Victoria has been pushing for a 4% pay rise and better conditions, such as nine-hour shifts, during five months of negotiations.
Up to 18,000 officers have imposed work bans, which include attempts to slash state government revenue from lucrative speeding fines, and are writing messages on police vehicles.
The union’s secretary, Wayne Gatt, said his members did not want to escalate action but felt they had no alternative as there had been no negotiations in December.
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“It’s not action that they want to take, it has never been,” Gatt said. “However, they have been left with no choice.”
Under the proposed action, officers would stop issuing penalty notices – except for drink or drug driving and serious offences that trigger an immediate loss or suspension of a licence.
The further 18 proposed work bans include stopping extra duties, such as taking on extra shifts to police major events, and refusing to appear as informants or witnesses at the supreme and county courts.
Gatt said escalating action would free up time to focus on the community so the public could expect to hear a lot more from officers directly.
“They will tell Victorians in their own voice just how government’s cuts on policing services are impacting community safety and the health and wellbeing of police and PSOs,” Gatt said.
Voting opens on Christmas Eve and will close on 29 December.
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