PANSW – ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU
Maintaining your health and wellbeing is essential to performing your duties at work to the best of your capability and leading a fulfilling personal life outside of your employment.
From the time you start at the NSW Police Force Academy in Goulburn through to your last day and retirement, the PANSW provides members with access to a full range of services and member benefits to ensure that your mental health and all aspects of wellbeing are supported throughout your career.
Welfare Assistance Scheme
Administrated by the Member Support Coordinator and the PANSW Executive, The PANSW Welfare Assistance Scheme is funded by members for members - designed to help those in need of urgent assistance in times of distress. During the past three years, more than $2 million has been spent to support members to pull through in these challenging situations.
Access to the PANSW Welfare Assistance Scheme supports members who find themselves facing financial difficulties beyond their control due to circumstances such as hospitalisation, an accident, illness, injury, or illness to members' dependents. This also extends to include assistance for members impacted by natural disasters including the current Northern Rivers flood crisis.
This assistance is coordinated by a full-time Member Support Coordinator and backed up by a network of Branch Welfare officers. Practical assistance can range across arranging accommodation needs, meeting travel and incidental costs, and hospital TV hire.
Advocating for your rights
The PANSW is committed to advocating for better working conditions for members and defending their entitlements to ensure that you and your families lead healthy, happy lives with financial security.
The PANSW has negotiated the best possible outcome for each round of the Industrial Award. The Award determines fundamental conditions of your employment such as remuneration, allowances, leave entitlements, and related working conditions.
The PANSW achieved Award outcomes of 1.75% in 2020, and in 2021 secured three years of 2.5% - along with protecting the Death and Disability Scheme (PBRI), Concessional contributions cap reimbursement, Aware Superannuation Default Insurance premium (Death/TPD), and the Police Exemption to Workers Compensation cuts.
In 2021, The PANSW successfully advocated for an Optional Disengagement Scheme - enabling eligible police officers to pursue an alternate career or life path by transitioning from the NSWPF in a dignified and supportive manner that recognises their contribution to policing in NSW. The first round opened in January 2022 with an overwhelming uptake.
Industrial + Information Officers Centre – Here To Assist
Our dedicated team of Industrial Officers and Information Officers are here to assist you in responding to queries about the conditions of your employment.
The Industrial Division works tirelessly to assist as many members as possible with industrial disputes concerning entitlements and rights concerning carer's leave, medical retirements, injury, and more.
The team works closely with the NSWPF on a broad spectrum of policy and guideline amendments to improve your working conditions and pathways such as resignation and retirement, promotions, and organisational change policy.
Responding to the hundreds of emails and calls, the IOC staff provide initial assistance on all incoming member enquiries – responding to a range of welfare-related issues.
Organisers – a 24/7 response
In-person and over the phone, our dedicated team of Field Organisers has a 24/7 callout response whenever a Critical Incident (CI) occurs - one of the most challenging and stressful events that a member can experience. During a CI, which may take many months to be resolved, our Organisers ensure that our members know their rights and obligations and will be on hand to ensure procedural fairness, advise access to legal advice, back in recognition of entitlements and provide welfare support as needed.
Our Organisers undertake hundreds of visits across all areas of the state, including metropolitan, regional and specialist branches – securing staffing increases, property upgrades, specialist uniforms, and equipment upgrades.
During special operations and deployments, including the most recent Northern Rivers Flood Operation, our Organisers communicate with members on the phone and on the ground in impacted areas to ensure they are aware of their entitlements and welfare is prioritised.
Branches
The collective strength of our Branches, reinforced by Branch forums and focus training, and the depth and breadth of our broader support networks, allows us to achieve our advocacy and activism-related outcomes.
Through our organising approach, our members mobilise to directly lobby politicians and campaign for industrial entitlements, legislative changes, and raise any issues that directly affect the health and wellbeing of police officers in NSW including:
• Advocacy campaigns such as the successful Back The Blue campaign for increased staffing
• Making Parliamentary submissions and appearances at hearings on important issues such as Mandatory Disease Testing
• Ongoing representation in decision-making processes within the NSWPF, including upgrades to uniforms, equipment, vehicles, and property
• Active input into and feedback on operational processes, as occurred regularly during Covid-19 deployments in 2020-2021
Legal Assistance Scheme
You may be subject to complaints, inquiries, or investigations as a subject officer or a witness officer during your career. These matters can be dealt with in many internal or external legal environments, including Criminal, Coronial and Industrial jurisdictions. Therefore, every member must be aware of their Rights and Obligations and seek advice as soon as possible.
The PANSW operates a comprehensive Financial Legal Assistance Scheme to assist members who may encounter job-related problems. This includes an internal legal practice and retaining an external panel of experienced legal firms to help members with medical, employment, or criminal matters. NOTE: The PANSW is committed to the notion of the Professional Police Practitioner and is not prepared to support officers who are guilty of criminal or serious misconduct.
Member Benefits
The PANSW is proud to bring added value to our members by delivering a range of member discounts and exclusive offers with a range of selected retailers and providers including Police Bank, Bupa, Police Health, Maxxia, Smart Salary, Hertz, Union Shopper, Oakley, Rossi, Samsung and Iron Edge.
HERE TO HELP
For more information about the health and wellbeing benefits of your PANSW membership, contact the Information Organising Centre at (02) 9265 6777 or info.centre@pansw.org.au.