“Nobody knows more than I just how inherently dangerous police work is,” Said Mr Donato, who served as a police officer for over 20 years in the NSW Police Force.

“Sadly, the dangers to our police sometimes results in death, but it often results in injury and illness to our men and women in blue, both physically and psychologically.

“We are now seeing our police facing a new danger on the front line, too, with potential contact with Coronavirus as they’re expected to enforce new legislation and public health orders to keep our community safe.

“The last thing our police need to worry about when they suffer injury or illness at work is their income.

“So when I learned two years ago that when a police officer turns 60, their income protection benefits dropped significantly, to the point where it could not sustain an injured or his family financially.

“Since then I’ve been strenuously lobbying both the former and the current Police Ministers to provide equitable income protection to all police, irrespective of whether they’re in their twenties or in their or sixties.

“Our Governments expect us to work longer, so an aging front line of the police force will increase, especially since we want all the wealth of their experience to make critical decisions and to lead our younger cops.

“I was both pleased and relieved to learn yesterday, the very day when the Police Minister’s answer to my most recent official question to him on this important matter, that he answered me on the due date with the announcement that an $18.5 million package for equitable income protection would now be afforded to police aged 60 to 65.

“I’ll always fight for the protections of our brave police who face danger twenty-four seven to keep us safe.

”We just now need to see our police and other emergency service workers kept safe on the front line from COVID-19, and issued with appropriate PPE. I will be pushing for that.” Mr Donato said.

Media inquiries:
Philip Donato 0414 913 872
Brett Cooke 0439 210 396

Photograph caption: “Former NSW police officer and now Member for Orange Phil Donato MP keeps fighting to support the men and women in blue, who face danger each day and night to keep us safe. Mr Donato is pictured here with Constable Sayers (L) and Senior Constable Pearson (R) at Parkes.”

LINKS:

Notice of motion 20/09/18
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/papers/pages/notice-tracking-details.aspx?pk=7670

Question on Notice 19/09/18
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/papers/pages/qanda-tracking-details.aspx?pk=240295

Question on Notice 29/05/19
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/papers/pages/qanda-tracking-details.aspx?pk=241608

Question on Notice 26/02/20
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/papers/pages/qanda-tracking-details.aspx?pk=244774

Announcement from PANSW 02/04/20
https://pansw.org.au/news/articles/ip-over-60.html