A year of many positives and significant negatives, 2025, will likely be remembered for the negatives, and there can be no greater negative than the disaster that befell members at Porepunkah.

The loss of two members and a third injured in performing their duty is a pain that all police and many in the community share.

The Bondi massacre that followed, although interstate, also had a profound impact and raised genuine concerns about where this country is heading, which can produce murdering thugs to promote and obscure ideology and hatred towards one class of Australians.

We think all Australians will cast doubt over the claims that these thugs were acting alone.

Was this pronouncement deliberately designed to allay community fear because it is difficult to accept and gives rise to scepticism that they acted in isolation from their families, social contacts and others in the community that share their twisted logic?

The CAA, however, has been very busy all year and has achieved some notable goals.

We have achieved 176k website visitors from a reach of over 43k. We propose to extend those numbers in 2026.

The headline numbers are solid; however, the quality of our message recipients is our outstanding strength.

Established in 2015 and now entering its 11th year, the CAA continues to grow as a reasoned voice for the community.

The highlight of the years in many ways was the appointment of Mike Bush as Chief Commissioner.

We had worked with several of the executive and Chief Commissioners, but none instilled great confidence in leading the necessary reformation of Victoria Police.

We were amazed by the lack of corporate acumen displayed by these Senior people; many did not understand corporate basics such as the fundamental concepts of proactive versus reactive policing, and, more damning, many did not understand the difference between Service delivery and Service efficiency.

Some were, and probably still are, wedded to the failed Matrix management system, likely because it avoided accountability for their actions or inaction.

The future looks particularly bleak for the careers of those who ascribe to this philosophy.

We therefore held high hopes for the new appointee, who was recruited from New Zealand and came to VicPol with few prejudices and certainly no baggage.

The average Police member is not too innate to these issues, but at the corporate level, they are foundational.

The organisation and how it functions at a corporate level have a direct correlation with the Police at the sharp end, and VicPol’s failure as an organisation has a lot to answer for.

The CAA had been invited to meet formally with the Chief Commissioner Bush on the day of the Porepunkah murders, and the postponed meeting happened in December when the Chair and CEO met with the Chief and his immediate staff.

From the CAA perspective, the meeting was very refreshing, as Bush focused on the Force’s corporate governance and how it could be improved, including a significant reorganisation of the Corporate executive structure to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Simply put, the executive would be trimmed to create a sharper, pyramidal structure, with decisions delegated down the organisation to the area where the decision-makers are closest to the consequences of the decision.

Many other matters discussed at the meeting led us to conclude that Bush was the right man for the job, and his obvious energy would drive the Force in a better direction than recent leadership efforts.

The CAA team was delighted that many of the initiatives the CAA has promoted over its decade are foremost in Bush’s mind. Although we disagree on a few matters, Bush agrees with many of the CAA’s positions.

It would be helpful for any Police member aspiring to promotion to be familiar with the CAA Plans at https://caainc.org.au/.

Although many issues were discussed, we do not propose to breach the confidentiality of the meeting; however, we can disclose one area: the relationship between the CAA and the CCP.

The direct link between the CCP and the CAA was first established during the tenure of former Chief Commissioner Patton. This worked, but we are delighted that CCP Bush has grasped the concept and built upon it, strengthening the connection.

He clearly sees the benefit of the alternative flow of un-sanitised information to support his role.

As to our assessment of Bush, he is the real deal, and we implore all members to keep an open mind as change is introduced, as the big picture instils confidence that Victoria Police will regain the mantle of the best Force in Australia.

We look forward to again being a voice of reason for the community in 2026.