Premier firm on police closures
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused to interfere on the decision to close down police communication centres in Mount Isa and Innisfail.
It comes after Ms Palaszczuk overruled Police Commissioner Ian Stewart over plans to shut down the communications centre in Ipswich.
Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Stewart didn’t consult her on the plans to shut down the centres in Mount Isa and Innisfail.
The Together Union has lodged an industrial relations dispute over the planned closure of the centres.
Under Mr Stewart’s proposal, the Mount Isa centre will be merged with Townsville, and Innisfail with Cairns. “As I said, my Government a government of consul-
is tation,” Ms Palaszczuk said while in Townsville yesterday.
“I want to ensure we get the process right. If that involves staff being transferred from one particular region to the next particular region, we need to make sure not only the staff are consulted but also the local members ... as well.”
With Mr Stewart seeking reappointment to his role when his three- year term expires at the end of October, Ms Palaszczuk said the appointment would be handled like any other.
“The Commissioner’s appointment will come up in due course and that is a process that will be implemented and followed,” she said.
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said he was concerned with the lack of consultation but supported the decision to merge the communication centres in North Queensland.
“What this situation highlights is that the Police Commissioner’s ‘ Newman Government era’ way of unilaterally making decisions without consultation with the police he purports to lead, and the community as well, is inconsistent with best practice of how a good head of department should operate,” Mr Leavers said.