Role of the Delegate Training coming to Grafton and Lennox Head
The PSA will be running Role of the Delegate training at Grafton and Lennox Head in October.
Role of the Delegate is a one day course designed to give workplace delegates the skills and knowledge they need to build power at their workplaces.
You will explore the importance of unions, history and the values that underpin them. You will develop your skills utalising tools such as mapping, recruitment conversations and problem-solving frameworks to build power.
You will leave with:
A clear sense of what your role is and how you contribute to the overall goals of the union in growing big and building power.
The ability and confidence to sign-up new members and handle objections about joining the union.
Ability to empower and build confidence in other members about the PSA.
Knowledge to build capacity in the workplace through mapping.
Knowledge of union structures and history.
This course is open to all members whether you are a delegate, thinking about becoming a delegate or would just like to know further about the role. Delegates who have attended this training before are welcome to come for a refresher. All members are entitled to 12 days union training every 2 years.
Morning tea and a light lunch included.
RSVP to Regional Organiser via email Rebecca Reilly and please include any dietary requirements.
Training details
Grafton
Date Wednesday 21 October 2026
Time 9:30am – 4:30pm
Location Grafton venue TBA
Lennox Head
Date Wednesday 28 October 2026
Time 9:30am – 4:30pm
Location Lennox Head at The Lennox Head Cultural Centre
Reminder: NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian members’ meeting today
Your PSA delegates have arranged a members’ meeting today at the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian in Surry Hills.
Have your say
This is your opportunity to help shape the issues the PSA will raise at the upcoming Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting on Tuesday, 22 September.
Come along, share your experiences, raise concerns and contribute to the collective priorities that will be taken forward on behalf of members. The more members who participate, the stronger our voice at the JCC.
We strongly encourage all members to attend, have their say and help ensure the issues affecting our workplace are heard and addressed.
Meeting details
Date Today! 1 September 2026
Time 12:30pm–1:30pm
Location Murrumbidgee Meeting Room, OCG, or online via Teams
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service: PSA workplace visits
PSA Organiser Kim de Govrik will be visiting members at the Northern Inland branches of NSW National Parks and Wildlife offices in September 2026.
Members are invited to come along and discuss industrial issues including recent Change Management Plans affecting some branches, vertebrate pest control, and issues with MyWorkZone; or discuss any individual matters that you may be experiencing.
What does the PSA do?
Advocates for, and protects your rights and entitlements as a Government employee.
Negotiates processes in relation to your Award.
Provides journey insurance if you are injured on the way to and from work (the NSW Government took this ability to claim away in 2012. However, this protection is included in your membership of PSA).
What can you do?
Display this bulletin on your noticeboard.
Ask a colleague to join the PSA.
Enrol for PSA training
Non-members are welcome to come and have a chat about the benefits of joining the PSA. Membership forms will be available.
PSA Organiser Kim de Govrik will be visiting members at Rural Fire Service NSW in September 2026.
Members are invited to come along and discuss industrial issues including award negotiations; taskforce fireguard; Guardian or talk about any individual industrial or workplace matters that you may be experiencing.
What does the PSA do?
Advocates for, and protects your rights and entitlements as a Government employee.
Negotiates processes in relation to your Award.
Provides journey insurance if you are injured on the way to and from work (the NSW Government took this ability to claim away in 2012. However, this protection is included in your membership of PSA).
What can you do?
Display this bulletin on your noticeboard.
Ask a colleague to join the PSA.
Enrol for PSA training
Non-members are welcome to come and have a chat about the benefits of joining the PSA. Membership forms will be available.
Your PSA Organiser Mel Ciraolo will be visiting your workplace. This will be a chance to meet your organiser, ask questions and raise any workplace matters.
Members are encouraged to drop by and say hello and bring along non members who might be looking to join or find out more information about the PSA.
As always for any individual industrial issues or advice for yourself or your colleagues please get in touch with our member support centre on 1800 772 679 or .
Meeting Details
Date Tuesday 1 September 2026
Time 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Location Supreme Court of NSW, Queens Square Law Court Building Lunch Room
Department of Customer Service: have your say in the 2026 People Matter Employee Survey
The annual NSW People Matter Employee Survey (PMES) is now open and will run until Friday, 11 September 2026.
The Public Service Association of NSW (PSA) strongly encourages all members across the Department of Customer Service (DCS) to take the time to complete this survey. The PMES is an independent, confidential, and official mechanism for public sector workers to provide direct feedback about their working environment, workloads, leadership, and wellbeing.
Completing the PMES ensures your voice is heard and provides the PSA with critical, undeniable baseline data to hold DCS senior leadership accountable, challenge unreasonable organizational restructures, and advocate for safer and fairer workplaces.
Why your voice matters: sober lessons from the 2025 PMES results
The 2025 PMES results for the Department of Customer Service painted a troubling and sobering picture of employee sentiment, exposing deep fractures in leadership confidence, severe work overload, and escalating psychosocial hazards across the department.
Key findings from the 2025 PMES report include:
Alarming work overload and burnout:
49 per cent of DCS respondents reported working above capacity (15 per cent well above capacity / too much work; 34 per cent slightly above capacity).
31 per cent of staff reported feeling burned out by their work, with only 41 per cent disagreeing (a negative trend compared to prior years).
34 per cent of respondents reported feeling mentally exhausted by their work on most days, with another 24 per cent feeling neutral.
31 per cent of employees stated they are struggling to maintain enthusiasm for their work.
14 per cent of respondents experienced all three clinical dimensions of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy).
Critical lack of confidence in senior leadership and change management:
Only 39 per cent of staff agreed that change is managed well in DCS—making it one of the lowest-scoring questions across the entire department.
Only 49 per cent of employees agreed that senior executives listen to employees.
Only 55 per cent felt that senior executives provide clear direction for the future of the organisation.
Only 47 per cent of employees expressed confidence that the organisation would act on the results of the survey (dropping by 4 percentage points).
Only 39 per cent believed the organisation had made tangible improvements based on previous survey results.
Among employees intending to leave DCS, 43 per cent cited a lack of future career opportunities, and 21 per cent directly cited poor quality senior leadership.
Psychosocial risks, safety, and erosion of working conditions:
Persistent structural churn, restructures, and creeping workloads continue to impose significant psychosocial hazards on staff.
While satisfaction with workplace support remains fragile, satisfaction with access to flexible working dropped by 4 percentage points, reflecting member concerns over unilateral management shifts and restrictions.
Make your voice heard in 2026
These results demonstrate that management cannot hide behind corporate rhetoric when the workforce collectively speaks out. When PSA members participate in high numbers, the PMES data becomes an indispensable tool for your union representatives to:
Demand immediate mitigation of psychosocial risks and unmanageable workloads.
Hold executive management accountable for poorly executed restructures, casualisation by stealth, and lack of consultation.
Defend vital working conditions, flex agreements, and flexible working arrangements in the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) and Joint Consultative Committees (JCCs).
The survey is completely confidential and anonymous. Individual responses cannot be identified. Complete the survey during your normal working hours.
Do not let management silence your experience—log in and complete your 2026 PMES before closing on 11 September 2026.
Know someone who is not a member?
A strong union creates a safer, fairer workplace. Encourage your colleagues to stand with us by joining the PSA today at www.psa.asn.au/join (https://psa.asn.au/join).
The Public Service Association (PSA) recently completed a review of its Ambulance Cover member benefit. This benefit was originally introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to support members during a particularly challenging time. We recognise that it remains a valued benefit and continues to assist members with rising cost-of-living pressures.
Following the review, the PSA Executive has refined the terms and conditions of the benefit as follows:
A maximum benefit of $2,000 may be claimed by a member within any 12-month period.
Claims may only be made in respect of the member, their spouse, partner/de facto partner, and financially dependent children up to and including 18 years of age who reside in the member’s household.
Claimants must be residents of New South Wales or a recognised NSW border region.
No benefit will be payable for ambulance services utilised while the member or eligible dependent is on holiday.
Where a claim is denied, the member has the right to appeal the decision to the PSA Executive.
There has been no change to the existing eligibility requirements. Members who hold private health insurance that includes ambulance cover remain ineligible to claim this benefit. The requirement for claimants to complete a statutory declaration confirming they do not hold such cover also remains unchanged.
These changes will take effect from 1 September 2026.
All NSW Department of Education: Education Support Staff, Training Services NSW and Early Learning Commission members
Join your Department of Education: Education Support Staff Departmental Committee (DoE ESS DC) delegates and PSA representatives for a member meeting to receive an update on the recent Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting and discuss matters affecting members across the department.
This meeting is an opportunity to hear directly about the issues raised at the JCC, the outcomes of those discussions, and the ongoing advocacy being undertaken by your delegates and the PSA on behalf of members. There will also be time to ask questions, raise concerns, and provide feedback on workplace issues.
Your voice is important, and we encourage all members to come along, stay informed, and be part of the conversation.
Reminder: WSU CPSU NSW Annual General Meeting 2026
You are invited to attend the 2026 WSU CPSU NSW Annual General Meeting.
A key component of the AGM is the election of your WSU CPSU NSW delegates.
We strongly encourage members to nominate and become a delegate on the WSU Branch Team:
To have your say in how your union is run and be a part of a collective effort to improve your rights at work, and
Build strength on the ground to advance and protect Professional Staff interests.
Our unique strength as the Professional Staff Union is the diversity of the membership:
CPSU NSW members work across all faculties and units.
CPSU NSW members work across a large range of vocations and professions.
The WSU CPSU NSW Branch is keen to encourage more members to nominate across the university and vocations to add your experience to the team. If you have ever thought about getting more involved in your union, now is the time!
Below are the positions available for nomination as per the WSU charter:
President, who will, inter alia, preside at meetings of the Branch and Branch Committee
Vice-President, who will, inter alia, deputise for the Branch President
Secretary, who will, inter alia, keep the minutes of all meetings of the Branch and of the Committee
Assistant Secretary, who will, inter alia, assist and deputise for the Secretary.
Women’s Officer, who will inter alia, promote the interests of Women members of the Branch.
Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) Officer, who will, inter alia, support and promote WHS issues to all members of the Branch and represent the Branch on the WHS Committee
If you would like to nominate for a position, you can do so by emailing with Western Sydney University AGM 2026 in the subject line. In the body of the email please indicate which position you are nominating for.
We will also call for nominations from the floor on the day.
Feel free to bring a friend or colleague to learn more about the WSU Branch of CPSU NSW and help shape the future you want at WSU!
“DV Needs Public Services” campaign: do you work on the front lines of Child Protection and Permanency in the south coast and southern NSW region?
The PSA is progressing a critical campaign to address systemic failures in domestic and family violence (DFV) response across regional NSW. Regional Organiser Shane Elliot, and Senior Organiser Belinda Tsirekas will be visiting you!
The “DV Needs Public Services” campaign is calling for a coordinated, publicly delivered system that ensures consistent, accountable, and effective support for victim-survivors, replacing the current fragmented approach.
To strengthen this work, we are inviting all members from Child Protection and Permanency (CPP) to attend a member meeting to discuss the campaign, share insights from the workplace, and identify actions we can take together.
Agenda
Provide an overview of the PSA DV campaign and its objectives
Discuss key issues affecting members working in DFV and related services
Gather member feedback to inform campaign strategy and advocacy
And
Phase 3 of System Reform for Child Protection and Permanency
With the announcement that many CPP staff who have been working in various teams are being returned to frontline casework, it makes it clear that the Department is oblivious to its own structure and has to continue to “rob Peter to pay Paul” to undertake its statutory responsibility.
These changes highlight the serious issues with recruitment and retention of staff. Even with the wage increase for many Caseworkers, the Department of Communities and Justice continues to be unable to recruit and retain staff.
The PSA has grave concerns that, with these proposed changes, many CPP staff will leave the Department. This will lead to greater workloads and vacancies, meaning less service and support to children, young people, families and carers.
The Department needs to listen to its staff, take their feedback seriously and give it proper consideration. You are the people performing the work. You are the people caring for children and young people. You are the people supporting families and carers. Come along and raise your voices!
Save the Dates! Your union, the PSA, will visit Community Services Centres as follows:
Coniston Community Services Centre
Date Monday 31 August 2026
Time 10:00am-11:00am
Location In person at Coniston Community Services Centre
Shellharbour Community Services Centre
Date Monday 31 August 2026
Time 12:30pm-1:30pm
Location In person at Shellharbour Community Services Centre and via MS Teams (link below, all members are welcome to jump on regardless of location or role)
Location: In person at Ulladulla Community Services Centre and via MS Teams (link below, all members are welcome to jump on regardless of location or role)
Location In person at Batemans Bay Community Services Centre and via MS Teams (link below, all members are welcome to jump on regardless of location or role)
Location In person at Queanbeyan Community Services Centre and via MS Teams (link below, all members are welcome to jump on regardless of location or role)
Location In person at Goulburn Community Services Centre and via MS Teams (link below, all members are welcome to jump on regardless of location or role)
Ahpra Bargaining Update: No more delays – let’s get an outcome
Unions attended the second meeting since bargaining recommenced on 20 August with a clear message for Ahpra: our members need a pay rise, and they need it now.
While we would have liked to undertake some truth-telling about the earlier negotiations and document our expectations in a bargaining charter, it had become clear that doing so would be taking time away from pushing Ahpra to deliver an outcome.
Staff made it clear why they rejected the last offer through both Ahpra’s survey and the unions’ survey. Ahpra knows exactly what it needs to change for its position to be acceptable to a majority of staff. It just needs to make those changes.
We cleared the remaining issues from the agenda so Ahpra can come to the next meeting on 2 September and tell us its bargaining position. We can then seek your views and provide our feedback.
Ahpra refuses to confirm backdating
We want members to have more money in their pockets now. If that cannot be achieved, the next best outcome would be for Ahpra to guarantee that, whenever the new EA is finalised, the 2026 wage increase will be backdated to 1 July 2026.
It is worth remembering that these negotiations began in December 2025, after Ahpra had already delayed bargaining for 12 months. Ahpra staff have not received a wage increase since July 2025, while inflation has remained high.
At the previous meeting, we asked Ahpra to provide this commitment on 20 August. Its response was that it was not repared to make that commitment at this stage. This is disappointing.
A quarter of staff told us their predominant reason for rejecting the last offer was that the way bargaining had been onducted highlighted Ahpra management’s ongoing disrespect for staff. This refusal does not give us confidence that Ahpra has listened or intends to change its approach.
Authorised by Stewart Little (CPSU-SPSF Group), 160 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000; Annie Butler (ANMF), 1/365 Queen Street, Melbourne VIC 3000; and Alex Scott (Together Queensland), Level 4, 43 Peel Street, South Brisbane QLD 4101.
Your PSA Organiser and Delegates will be onsite at the AGNSW for a members meeting, providing an opportunity for you to share any questions, concerns, or ideas you would like raised at the upcoming Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting with management.
This is a great opportunity to connect with your PSA staff and delegates, learn more about the important role the PSA plays in your workplace, and discuss how your union can best support you and your colleagues.
If you know any non-members who would like to learn more about your union, please invite them to attend.
Meeting Details
If you are onsite, please join us in person or use the link below to join on Teams.
Date Thursday 27 August 2026
Time 1:00pm- 2:00pm
Location: Centenary Auditorium, or online via Teams
