IN THE TASMANIAN INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION

Industrial Relations Act 1984

This application by the Commissioner of Police was lodged jointly with Matter T173 of 1985 and arose as a consequence of my recommendations in Matter T106 of 1985.1 T106 came before the Commission pursuant to Section 29 of the Act and related to the proposed integration of Sea Fisheries Inspectors and others into the Police and Departmental Employees' Awards. The dispute was eventually settled following acceptance of, or consequent on further discussions arising from those earlier recommendations.

This application therefore now seeks to have suitable provision made in this award for an entirely new area of police activity.

In settling upon a mutually acceptable method of brining under the control of the Commissioner of Police work which was previously within the exclusive domain of the Sea Fisheries Department, a number of options were considered.

The agreed arrangement involved the majority of Sea Fisheries Inspectors becoming police officers and one becoming a police departmental employee. This application seeks inclusion of appropriate provisions in this award for that one employee. It will also cater for the future appointment or transfer of other employees to perform inspectorial work in the Marine Divison.

In order to accommodate this it will be necessary to import from the present Sea Fisheries part of the existing classification scale for Fisheries Inspectors. The parties have agreed therefore to include Classes I and II of the salary range applicable to Sea Fisheries Inspectors.

Although the only person likely to be immediately affected is classified as Class II, it is considered desirable to include the entire Class I/II range in order to cater for any future departmental employee who may be appointed or transferred to the Marine Division.

It will also be necessary to ensure that an appropriately qualified departmental employee authorised to perform Marine Division work will be eligible for certain special allowances of a discrete nature payable under the terms of the Police Award. These named allowances will only be attracted in circumstances where the laid down criteria in the Police Award, Police Regulations or other instruction authorising payment of such allowances are met.

In particular it should be understood it will be necessary for a departmental employee to serve the same qualifying period of three years (or the equivalent thereof) before becoming entitled to payment of the Specialist Allowance applicable to police officers attached to the Marine Division.

As none of the proposed variations to this award is considered to be outside the present wage fixing guidelines, the application will be granted with effect from today's date, or from the date of transfer from the Sea Fisheries Award, which occurs first.

L A Koerbin
PRESIDENT

1 Decision dated 7 June 1985