George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Home Affairs, in writing, on 1 June 2011:

(1) Why has the Government restricted awarding the National Police Service Medal (NPSM) to officers retiring on or after the 30 October 2008.

(2) Is it a fact that police officers who have served more then 15 years, but retired before the cut off date above, are ineligible to be awarded the NPSM.

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) At the 2007 election, Labor supported a proposal from the Police Federation of Australia to create a National Police Service Medal while the Coalition refused to support the proposal.

On coming to Government, Labor engaged in an extensive consultation process with Federal, State and Territory Police Commissioners and policing unions to formulate the criteria for awarding the NPSM. All these parties contributed their views about the qualification criteria for recipients of the medal and all agreed on the final eligibility criteria.

On 30 October 2008, the Queen gave in-principle approval to create a new Australian police medal. As this was the earliest date that the NPSM had any formal existence, it was decided that a person would need to be a sworn member of an Australian police force on or after this date to be eligible to receive the medal.

I am very pleased that Labor will be the party to deliver on such an important recognition of the fine work Australia's police forces do every day.

(2) Police who retired prior to 30 October 2008 are not eligible for the NPSM. They may however, be eligible or able to be nominated for other awards in the Australian honours system. More information about awards in the Australian honours system, including application and nomination processes, is available at www.itsanhonour.gov.au