'Well overdue,' David Pocock urges better resourcing for 'lowest paid' Australian Federal Police

Mr Pocock has told The Canberra Times he's backing the Australian Federal Police Association's push to expand the workforce by about 10 per cent to 8500 officers by 2025, as well as its call to improve the AFP's budget and better support officers who have served.

He is also asking, days out from the 26^th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, why Australia does not have a national firearms registry, as well as backing Senator Jacqui Lambie's call for a "blue card" to support officers who need help.

"There needs to be more support for them," he said. "They're also the lowest-paid police force in the country which to me doesn't seem right given the role that they play."

"We've heard a lot about the ADF and growing that to deal with uncertainty. I think there's a really strong argument that the biggest threats are actually homegrown and we need to ensure that the AFP is well resourced to deal with them."

The climate and integrity focused independent's push into the policing and national security space is part of his bid to unseat the ACT's sole federal Liberal representative Zed Seselja or Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher. The former Wallabies captain drew fifth position on the May 21 senate ballot last Friday and, in seeking to be the main challenger, is up against fellow independent Kim Rubenstein and Greens candidate Tjanara Goreng Goreng.

The AFPA is advising all its members about federal election policies and candidate positions. Top of its list is a federal anti-corruption commission. There are approximately 7000 AFP employees of which around 700 are engaged in local policing in the ACT.

After meeting AFPA president Alex Caruana last week, Mr Pocock described the AFP as "stretched" and "not well resourced" while the Australian Defence Force [ADF] is earmarked to grow, under the Coalition, by 30 per cent by 2040.

The former footballer said government rhetoric about keeping people safe must be followed through.

"It's just political will. It's actually just having the political will to do it," he said. "And to be able to resource that."

"We've seen, was it 30 per cent proposed for the ADF by the government? We're not seeing that same ambition for the AFP who are doing so much work to keep Australians safe here in Australia."

"[They also] deal with some pretty awful cases around child exploitation and those sorts of things which the community want to be kept safe from and want the best people working on those issues."

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The Climate 200-backed candidate described the AFP as being let down. The recent ACT Policing shift to online reporting for burglaries is, according to Mr Pocock, a recurring complaint.

"A shortage of officers on the ground has been raised with me time and again across the territory," he said.

The AFP also supports regional security, such as the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). Mr Pocock described the Solomons security pact with China and the last minute dash by Senator Seselja, the Minister for the Pacific, to the capital Honiara as a "big failure".

"We have to improve our diplomacy in a world with even more uncertainty," he said.

"We simply cannot just talk about expanding the military without actually putting more effort into diplomacy and working with our neighbours."

Among the aspirant politician's wishlist for the AFP is a 10 per cent increase in the number of fully funded officers to 8500 by 2025 and an improvement in the AFP's operating budget by exempting it from the efficiency dividend which has been applied to departments and agencies.

He said AFP pay and conditions required a "serious overhaul" and he is also backing the AFPA's idea to build a state-of-the-art policing college at Majura to operate as a national training centre of excellence.

"I think having a facility that could be used by the AFP, but also potentially up-skilling police around the country and ensuring when they go on joint operations that they're all up to the same standard is potentially huge for Canberra," Mr Pocock said.

He backs Senator Lambie's call for the introduction of a "blue card" mirroring the DVA "white card" for ADF veterans, and he said further firearms reform after what then prime minister John Howard introduced in 1996 is well overdue.

"This week is the anniversary of Port Arthur and we still don't have a national firearms registry, which doesn't make sense to me and talking to the AFPA is a real concern for them," he said.