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The son of disgraced Queensland police commissioner Terry Lewis has launched a bid to replace the president of the state’s police union following widespread discontent.
Senior Sergeant John Lewis said he told president Shane Prior at a union event on Wednesday he would run for the role at the Queensland Police Union of Employees, and later posted online to reveal his intentions to members.
Lewis has been in the service for 33 years, and represents union members in Brisbane’s north.
“I spoke to Shane Prior at the Wall to Wall [police remembrance] ride this morning of my intention to run for QPUE president in the pending election,” he said.
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“I will be getting around to all regions and speaking to our members the best I can.
“I will post more shortly. But for now, can I say, you now have a choice and your voice can be heard.”
The election is expected to take place in the new year, with Lewis the first candidate to announce a challenge to Prior.
There has long been discontent with Prior being elected to his role by union executives following the retirement of Ian Leavers in 2024, with rumblings a senior officer would challenge him when the time came.
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That discontent worsened after a pay deal with the state government that led to lower-than-expected pay rises passed by just 2 per cent last year.
Prior had initially rubbished the offer, before supporting the deal in the lead-up to the vote.
Earlier this year, QPUE Gold Coast branch secretary Billy Kazimierowicz, a supporter of Lewis, said many members had lost faith in Prior.
“Members are disillusioned with Prior, the ‘non-elected’ president,” Kazimierowicz said.
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In a statement, Prior questioned whether Lewis had the experience for the top job.
“A son should never be judged by the sins of his father and John is his own man and should be taken on his own record,” he said.
“My focus has always been delivering for police with better equipment, more resources, stronger laws and a union that has the attention of the government.
“John has spent less than 12 months on the QPU Executive and, let me assure you, there’s a big difference between wanting to lead and having the experience and runs on the board to do it.”
Terry Lewis, who died in 2023, was stood down as commissioner in 1987 after being named in the Fitzgerald Inquiry for his role at the top of a deeply corrupt police force, accused of taking more than $600,000 in bribes.
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Following the inquiry, he was jailed in 1991 and released seven years into his 14-year sentence.
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Julius Dennis is a reporter for Brisbane Times.AdvertisementAdvertisement