Aruma Joint Consultative Committee bulletin
The first Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting between the CPSU NSW and Aruma was held on 17 March 2026.
The main agenda items for the JCC were:
Work Health and Safety and workers’ compensation claims
Work Health and Safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation claims is a regular agenda item for JCC to help identify any trends regarding hazards in the workplace.
As part of the discussion, Aruma advised the CPSU NSW of its Injury Assist Program. Injury Assist is available 24/7 all year round. It is an opt in externally facilitated Registered Nurse Triage service at no cost to Aruma employees. Injury Assist is not available for participants.
Injury Assist will provide immediate advice to injured workers and where needed, refers them to a general practitioner or physiotherapist for an appointment. These are either in person and close to home, or in remote cases a telehealth appointment.
Injury Assist is very much like Employee Assistance Program (EAP) but focused on physical injury. It does also support psychosocial injury/illness that may be referred to our EAP for specialist help.
Workers accessing Injury Assist are still entitled to see their own health practitioner and/or lodge a Workcover claim.
You can access more detailed information on the Injury Assist Program from Wattson: Injury Assist – ensuring injured workers are well supported. The Injury Assist Hotline number is 1800 319 739
SIL food budgets
Members have raised that they are unable to obtain food while on active night or sleepover shifts. CPSU NSW raised this with Aruma. Weve also heard from time to time, that some staff have been subject to allegations of theft of participants’ food.
Aruma have advised that an adequate meal should be available to staff. The CPSU NSW seeks clarity around communal food, pantry staples and service food budgets. A definition of an adequate meal has been suggested for inclusion in the new Enterprise Agreement.
Use of own cars and reimbursement for fuel
The CPSU NSW raised anomalies in how pool car and private vehicle usage are managed in Aruma. Aruma advises there is a procedure for personal car use for business purposes and that an approvals process is in place.
Logging KMs in Day Force has been identified as problematic by members. Aruma understands that this problem has been fixed. If you are still having issues logging your KMs in Day Force, then please email your line manager and/or make an IT request ticket.
Keep copies of these emails and IT support requests as if your issues arent fixed. The union will need real-life examples when it raises these problems with Aruma.
Reimbursement for fuel is currently paid by Aruma at 88c per kilometre. We all know that fuel prices are currently stratospheric and 88c per litre does not cover bowser prices.
Aruma advised the JCC that the rate is set by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and that this is the legal basis for reimbursement of fuel costs. Unless the ATO increases the reimbursement rate, everyone in the community who uses their personal car for work purposes will be out of pocket.
NDIS Worker Screening Checks and Working With Children Checks
The CPSU NSW requested further discussion around staff ability to work while probity checks are pending as from time to time, there are considerable delays in the processing of these applications.
Holding valid NDIS Worker Screening Checks (NDISWSC) and Working With Children Checks (WWCC) is a condition of employment imposed by the legislation by which Aruma must abide. While there is the possibility that a Probity Risk Management Plan may allow for you to work without these checks, approval is never guaranteed.
It is in your best interests to ensure that you apply to renew your NDISWSC and WWCC well in advance of your current one expiring.
Enterprise Bargaining
After the extraordinary NO vote for the draft Enterprise Agreement Aruma circulated earlier this year, CPSU NSW and the other bargaining representatives have been contacted to resume bargaining.
With the holiday break imminent, it is unlikely that the bargaining committee will be able to meet until after Easter.
CPSU NSW contacts
Shane Elliott Regional Organiser