Police on Strike

We have written frequently on The Unshackled about the problem of violent crime and a lack of justice in the state of Victoria. Crime frequency spikes have occurred during the past two Melbourne summers, but it is a social crisis the state is still dealing with that has lead to police going on strike.

Below is the next in a series of articles exploring a particular aspect of Victoria’s violent crime problem and the inadequate law and order response.

Victoria Police have begun industrial action this week. This is a result of negotiations breaking down between the Police Association of Victoria and the Victorian Andrews’ Government over police pay and conditions.

The Police Association had been lobbying for 4% annual pay increases to reflect the demanding workloads faced by police officers. The Andrews’ Government is not budging from its proposed 2% cap on annual pay increase.

The Police Association Secretary Wayne Gatt has described the Andrews’ Government pay offer as “outrageously offensive” and “Two percent is insulting, our members know they’re worth more, the community knows they’re worth more and until the government places an appropriate value on their work, there will be a fight.”



The Police Association’s 17,200 members voted overwhelmingly in support of industrial action. The industrial action involves officers refusing to work overtime without prior approval, writing messages outlining their frustrations on police vehicles and refusing to issue speeding fines to motorists, as well as alerting them to fixed speed cameras in their vicinity.

The Police Association is promoting its industrial strike action on social media with the hashtag #protecttheprotectors



The industrial action will not impact important law and order maintenance for serious violent crime and community disorder. The fact that they are refusing issue to speeding fines as part of this industrial action further fuels motorists’ suspicions that speed cameras are primarily only revenue-raising devices of governments.

The Police Association had been threatening industrial action since the beginning of November. This was the period during which Victoria Police had to maintain order at the IMARC conference at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre with Marxist activist groups attempting to blockade the conference.

Police officers present used plenty of muscle to make sure aggressive disruptors were moved on or arrested. The Marxists cried police brutality and even accused one officer of being an alt-right racist.

But Victoria Police were unapologetic and stood by their officers’ conduct at IMRAC. It was a clear indication that Victoria Police officers had had enough of Marxist professional protestors in the city of Melbourne.

The previous month Victoria Police had to deal with Rebellion Week with climate change radicals supergluing themselves to Melbourne CBD streets during peak hour blocking traffic for hours at a time.

For the previous two summers, they have also faced the challenge of keeping Melbourne’s African Youth Gang Crime Wave under control which has seen our beaches terrorized, gang brawls in public places and the outer suburbs terrorized by home invasions and carjackings.

The Victorian people will firmly be on the side of their police officers. They know our police officers want to protect and serve the people to the best of their abilities but are crippled by restrictions on their ability to enforce the law and other budgetary and bureaucratic restraints.

The Andrews Government only has itself to blame for this industrial action. They have offered other public sector unions sweetheart pay increases but now have found they are short of funds to properly compensate our most indispensable public servants.

While Victorian motorists will enjoy not receiving speeding fines overall better pay and conditions for the state’s police force will be well worth the extra taxpayers’ expenditure and if it improves law and order enforcement significantly in the state it may even provide the taxpayers’ a dividend.



If recent history is anything to go by, in the face of this industrial strike action the Andrews Government will soon run out of ticker and cede to the Police Association’s demands.

Author Details
Tim Wilms is the Founder and Editor in Chief of https://theunshackled.net. the Host of Tim’s News Explosion, the WilmsFront interview program and The Theorists with Andy Nolch. He based in Melbourne, Australia where he also conducts field reports.
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Tim Wilms is the Founder and Editor in Chief of https://theunshackled.net. the Host of Tim’s News Explosion, the WilmsFront interview program and The Theorists with Andy Nolch. He based in Melbourne, Australia where he also conducts field reports.