Police Association president Wade Burns first stepped up to an official union role after he won a by-election for the office of deputy president in 2021. He served in that capacity until July 2024 when he ran for, and won, the first of two contested elections for the office of president. And his impact was almost instant.
After just five months as president, Wade had negotiated an industrially binding EB administrative arrangement. It brought about the highest comparative pay rises since 1995 and secured a range of improved conditions.
In March 2025, Police Association members re-elected Wade president with almost 70 per cent of the vote.
The son of former commissioner Gary Burns, Wade came to the presidency as an inspector with 27 years’ police experience. He had served as a patrol officer, an investigator, a STAR Group member, a patrol sergeant and traffic senior sergeant, and as an officer of police.
Outside of South Australia, Wade served with Australian Border Force. He pursued people smugglers and drug runners close to Indonesian waters, and illegal fishers and drug traders in the Antarctic.
And, after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand, Wade supervised recovery operations in the disaster zone as part of a joint Australian police contingent.
In the non-operational realm, he held positions in the Commissioner’s Support Branch where he specialized in industrial relations and enterprise bargaining. And, in the Industrial Relations Branch, Wade served as project manager and lead negotiator in the bargaining of two enterprise agreements.
Wade holds graduate diplomas in strategic leadership, crisis leadership and portfolio management and graduate certificates in business administration and applied management.
He also holds advanced diplomas in government (policy and governance) and human resource management. Wade is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a fellow of both the Australian Institute of Management and Governance Institute of Australia.
Beyond his qualifications and success as president, Wade has long believed in what is now his catchcry: “We are people before we’re police.” His reputation is that of a president with a razor-sharp focus on member health and well-being.
