ADHC members strike for A Real Choice in the Hunter – 6 Nov 2015 (PDF version)

On Wednesday 4 November hundreds of PSA Members across the Hunter successfully took strike action to fight the NSW Government’s wholesale privatisation of ADHC.

Despite inclement and threatening weather, members gathered at Casurina Grove and Tomaree, and in Newcastle 250 members were joined by ADHC clients, families and supporters at a major rally.

The Newcastle rally was addressed by PSA General Secretary Anne Gardiner who said:

“Under the Baird Government, these public services are disappearing under our noses and the dedicated workers who have delivered them are being treated abysmally. People have complex needs and the government has presented no evidence or case to show that these needs are better serviced by private providers.”

See pictures from the rally here

Thanks are due to PSA members and supporters who made the action a resounding success.

The campaign continues

PSA members are continuing the A Real Choice campaign through:

• A rally by ADHC Nepean Blue Mountains members: Penrith, 12–1pm, 20 November 2015
• A strike by ADHC Illawarra members: 3 December 2015
• Letterboxing in Bathurst and a pop-up stall in Orange over the coming weeks.

Take your part

To support your campaign, members are encouraged to:

• Join and support the upcoming actions above
• Work with fellow members, delegates and PSA staff to take action in other regions through NSW.

For information and support in developing and participating in actions, talk to your local delegate or email

The PSA’s A Real Choice campaign is being run across the whole of ADHC & Home Care. The campaign is seeking:

• A Real Choice for employees on whether to transfer to the private sector or access redeployment within the public sector or voluntary redundancy
• A legally enforceable and fair transfer agreement, e.g. the transfer payment for NSW Ferries employees was 30 weeks
• A legal mechanism to ensure that members’ jobs and conditions are protected
• To ensure that ADHC clients can continue to choose ADHC as their provider of choice
• To ensure that the new NDIS money is spent on building capacity in the disability sector, and not wasted on transferring what exists in ADHC to a less regulated and less experienced sector.