No longer a ‘workingman’s paradise’? Australian police unions and political action in a changing industrial environment

The prospects of engaging police unions in a process of police reform is conditioned by the political context and organisational culture that characterises those unions. Understanding the historical formation of unions and the changing nature of their aspirations and interests is critical to appreciating such prospects. The history of Australian police unions, long established and privileged by high levels of acceptance in their political environment, suggests the need for optimism about police union engagement in police reform to be balanced by a realism about the limitations imposed by their primary purpose, to serve the interests of their members.