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UTS Enterprise Bargaining update. Wins for Professional Staff

UTS Enterprise Bargaining update. Wins for Professional Staff

Your bargaining team has now attended 11 meetings since September 2025 and have secured several wins.

These wins include the ability to cash out annual leave, give a strengthened definition of consultation, more flexibility on evidence requirements to access sick leave and an expanded definition of a household member for the purposes of accessing carer’s leave for people who might be beyond your immediate family.

Key claims the university has rejected include the broadbanding of three classification levels instead of two to ensure greater opportunities for career progression. The university has also rejected administering staff-funded superannuation top-ups when long service leave is taken at half pay and more robust change management frameworks that minimise the use of external consultants. This would have ensured staff input is heard and considered throughout the consultation process.

The university has indicated following the finalisation of several outstanding clauses, they have no more substantive claims to prosecute or draft clauses to submit.

A pay offer is expected to be made by the university soon, pending conclusion of matters. This will help us understand what the overall package is on the table that we will put to you for consideration.

Your union will continue to pursue key claims and negotiate for an overall package that recognises and reflects your hard work and contributions to the university.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your branch delegates or union representatives.

UTS Delegates and Industrial Staff

Andreas Dalman Branch President

Greg Hampshire Branch Secretary

Thomas Dobson Assistant Secretary

Fleur Sargent Women’s Officer

Michael Soo WHS Officer

Mike Galvez Industrial Officer

Jose Vasquez Organiser

Transport for NSW: Work at Rozelle? Come meet the PSA!

Transport for NSW: Work at Rozelle? Come meet the PSA!

Do you work at Rozelle Works Office and are impacted by the restructure? Your PSA Industrial Officer Thomas Gao and Organiser Adalynn Cole will be hosting a members meeting at your worksite to provide industrial updates on the restructure and speak to PSA members about issues happening in your workplace.

Why should you attend?

  • Receive an update about the restructure, including members right to review placement outcomes
  • Raise concerns about issues that are affecting you and your team
  • See the work your Union is doing behind the scenes to ensure that a fairer process is in place for employees at TfNSW

Stronger Together!

Know someone who isn’t a of the PSA member? Invite them along so they can learn more about the work your union is doing!

Meeting details

Date: Thursday 9 April 2026

Time: 12:30pm-2:30pm

Location: G.MR.02 Rozelle Office

PSA Contacts:

Thomas Gao Acting Industrial Officer

Adalynn Cole Organiser

The PSA NSW has over 125 years of proud history, and you stand on the shoulders of more than 40,000 members who know we are stronger together.

Did you know your union also offers you:

Free emergency ambulance cover

Free Journey Insurance – peace of mind if you have an accident travelling to and from work.

FREE  Personal & Accident insurance – lump sum claims for injuries and broken bones and for $11 extra get your whole immediate family covered (exclusive of broken bones )

Substantial shopping discounts with Union Shopper

Free will and Legal services and many other benefits

NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Water Group members’ meeting – your feedback is critical

NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Water Group members’ meeting – your feedback is critical

The Public Service Association met with members in the Water Group on Tuesday 31 March. Members outlined a number of concerns relating to the proposed Change Management Plan (CMP). The PSA has written to the Department seeking clarification on the criteria used to determine whether someone was matched, ringfenced or marked for the Workplace Mobility Process. We have also sought a clear understanding of the savings achieved by not filling the more than 120 vacant roles identified in the CMP.

PSA Industrial Officer Michael Sinclair will be attending in person at the Store in Newcastle and PSA Organiser Michael Parsons will be in person at 4PSQ.

Members are encouraged to share this meeting notice with your colleagues and invite any non-members along if they’d like to find out more about being part of the PSA.

Meeting Details

Date: Wednesday 8 April 2026

Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Locations: Room 8, Level 17, 4PSQ; Room 15, Level 3, The Store – Stewart Ave, Newcastle

and online via teams

Join HERE

Meeting ID: 462 913 492 393 51

Passcode: TF3qE9GE

Your feedback matters

Management have given an undertaking to consult meaningfully on the proposed changes. The PSA is collating member feedback to provide a comprehensive submission on the proposal on behalf of our members.

Consultation is scheduled to run for 4 weeks, closing 22 April 2026.

Please send your feedback – whether positive, constructive, or neutral – to the PSA Member Support Centre at and PSA Organiser Michael Parsons at

Please quote the case number C10014884

Contacts 

PSA Delegates

James Gillespie Water

Cameron Ellis Water

PSA Staff

Michael Sinclair Industrial Officer

Michael Parsons Organiser

Statewide Trustee and Guardian: PSA Public Guardian member meeting

Statewide Trustee and Guardian: PSA Public Guardian member meeting

Your PSA Delegate, Glen Kirk, together with Organiser Alex Sala and Industrial Officer Monika Wunderlin, will host a statewide Trustee and Guardian Public Guardian member meeting on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, from 1:00pm –1:30 pm via MS Teams.

The primary purpose of this meeting is to invite members from the Public Guardian Division to nominate as workplace delegates. Delegate representation at meetings with management through the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) is an important forum for raising and addressing workplace issues.

Members are encouraged to connect with PSA delegates and staff to share any collective concerns they would like raised. The meeting will also provide an opportunity to ask questions about workplace rights.

Please note that JCCs deal with collective matters only. Individual issues are managed confidentially. Union training is available, and release time is provided to attend JCC meetings.

We encourage you to attend (feel free to bring your lunch) and take advantage of this valuable opportunity to connect, have your voice heard, and contribute to the work your union is advancing on your behalf.

Know a non-member? Invite them to attend for the first 5–10 minutes of the meeting.

Meeting details

Date: Wednesday 22 April 2026

Time: 1:00pm to 1:30pm

MS teams details: Join HERE

Meeting ID: 420 966 195 230 33

Passcode: Rp2bt6Ny

Contact 

Alex Sala Organiser

Ingleburn and Macarthur Community Service Centre: come and meet the PSA!

Ingleburn and Macarthur Community Service Centre: come and meet the PSA!

Do you work from 6 Lithgow Street Campbelltown, at either Ingleburn Community Service Centre or Macarthur Community Service Centre? The PSA is holding an in person and online members’ meeting. Whether you’re in the office or working from home Organiser Andrea Cartwright will be available to discuss member issues.

Are you interested in becoming a Workplace Delegate?

We’re looking for passionate representatives from your work site to join us at the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting for the Department of Community Services. This is your chance to have a voice, drive positive change, and represent your colleagues where it really counts!

If you’re keen to get involved and help shape what happens in your workplace, we want to hear from you!

Come along to the lunch time meeting – this is a great opportunity for both members and non-members to:

  • Meet your PSA Organiser.
  • Learn the benefits of using the Workload Planner.
  • Learn more about becoming a delegate and the PSA’s role in your workplace.
  • Share ideas on how your union can best support you and your colleagues.

Whether you’ve got something specific to raise or just want to stay informed, we’d love to see you there.

If you know any non-members’ that would like to learn more about your union, invite them to attend.

Meeting Details

Date: Thursday 9 April 2026

Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Location:  The Conference Room

If you cannot make it in person, there is a Teams option:

Join HERE

Meeting ID: 480 946 280 662 80

Passcode: 3fZ9Th2L

Contacts

Andrea Cartwright Organiser

Graydon Welsh Industrial Officer

The PSA NSW has 125 years of proud history, and you stand on the shoulders of more than 40,000 members who know we are stronger together.

Did you know your union also offers you:

Free emergency ambulance cover

Free Journey Insurance – peace of mind if you have an accident travelling to and from work.

FREE Personal & Accident insurance – lump sum claims for injuries and broken bones and for $11 extra get your whole immediate family covered (exclusive of broken bones)

Substantial shopping discounts with Union Shopper

Free will and Legal services and many other benefits

Key Update from Homes NSW JCC – Don’t Miss the Northern District Meeting

Key Update from Homes NSW JCC – Don’t Miss the Northern District Meeting

PSA delegates and industrial staff met with Homes NSW Northern management for our bi-monthly Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) on 2 March 2026.

The following items were discussed

  • WHS Dashboards for December 2025 and January 2026
  • Northern District HSR Forum
  • Homes NSW WHS Project Officer – Greta Luci
  • Current and ongoing vacancies
  • Expression of Interest (EOI) Process
  • Staff Development
  • Functional Review
  • PSA Issues
    • Use of work mobile phones
    • Referrals to Link 2 Home
    • Onboarding for SCSO
    • Day-to-Day Management of TA
    • Phone Lines
    • Newcastle Access & Demand
    • Portfolios
    • Reporting lines in Trim and in My Work Zone
    • PDP, Recruitment and EOI’s
    • Security Guard Tweed Heads Homes
    • What is the role of the WHS Project Officer
    • First Aid Officer Lismore (currently works part-time)

Functional Review

The Northern Districts review of the “functional review” is due for completion in May and Homes have advised that staff and the PSA will be given the opportunity to provide feedback. The PSA have started to compile feedback already received from members and requests that members start providing this feedback to the PSA via Regional Organiser Rebecca Reilly.

The PSA at our January meeting raised the issue of Team Leaders (TL) taking on the work of previous Housing Managers that have been removed from the district. We were advised that a lot of tasks that were being completed by the Housing Managers were identified to be at the Senior Customer Service Officer (SCSO) or TL level. The PSA has been asked to provide examples where this is happening. If you are completing tasks where the position was removed and it’s not at your level send these examples to Rebecca Reilly.

Phone Lines

The PSA raised the many concerns we have received regarding the phone lines as members have reported the current rostering arrangements are seen as inefficient, as some staff are unable to process certain enquiries and must take messages and refer matters on, further delaying responses. District response is that there is a recognised need for broader district-wide training, with a focus on how to respond to enquiries appropriately, rather than on end-to-end processing. Homes response is that Housing Operations Managers are tasked with supporting line managers to identify training needs across their teams and develop a plan for Director’s review. This will partly inform the training register, and any urgent training to support issues with resolving enquiries at the counter or by phone will be prioritised. Staff that rotate into new roles that they have not performed this recently, training will be provided prior to rotation. We encourage our members to raise your training needs with your manager ASAP. Feedback from members is that these skills take time to develop and staff rotating in and out of roles causes further delays and workload for staff.

Members are feeling pressured from management and feeling micromanaged while rostered on the phone que. The PSA has sent one example to the Director where this has happened and requests members to send other examples to the PSA and we will raise this out of session.

Access and Demand

The PSA raised concerns about the staffing levels in Access and Demand (A&D). While we highlighted the dire situation for Newcastle A & D, this is reflective right across the district. The PSA requested information on what is the expectation on the number of Temporary Accommodation Assessments that should be completed in a day and were advised that with a full team it should be 4. Delegates have provided information that members are receiving requests to “please explain” why they haven’t completed a higher number than this. If this has happened to you, send this information to the PSA.

Portfolios

PSA raised concerns about portfolios sizes exceeding 300 properties and adding vacant portfolios means our members are in fact managing much larger tenancies to manage. This was confirmed by the Directors comments that the line managers of each tenancy team can plan across the team to share the overall priorities ensuring there is equity for all staff. Adding the extra pressure of counter work and phone lines has placed extra stress on our members.

Workload

The PSA will continue to raise workload concerns with Homes NSW Executive however we need your help. While we understand that this creates extra workload, it’s important that you notify Homes of the impact of the high workload on your Psychosocial health via a WHS Safety Suite report. Email this notification to your personal email address, Delegate and /or Regional Organiser. This forms crucial evidence if you need to go on Workers Compensation and for the PSA to prove there is work overload in Homes NSW.

You can download the minutes of the meeting HERE

It is important to read the minutes as there are issues that members have asked the PSA to raise that won’t be detailed in this bulletin.

Northern District Member Meeting 

The PSA will hold a Northern District Member meeting on Wednesday 8th April 2026 at 12:30pm.

When: Wednesday 8 April 2026

Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Information on the fuel crisis for members in Legal Aid

Information on the fuel crisis for members in Legal Aid

The Public Service Association (PSA) has been in discussions with Senior Officers of Legal Aid, including the chief executive, regarding the current fuel crisis.

Regional and remote NSW communities and farmers are disproportionately affected, with fewer fuel outlets decreasing competition and greater daily travel distances at higher speeds leading to higher fuel consumption. Scarcity of fuel is an increasing issue for country and farming communities, leading to higher prices. At the time of writing examples of the cost of fuel included $3.29 per litre for Diesel fuel across New England Tablelands and $2.89 per litre on the Mid-North Coast without taking into account other country regions. In some areas the cost of unleaded 91 fuel is nearly $2.70 per litre.

The PSA has formally requested that Legal Aid allow the current flexible working arrangements, such as work-from-home, to be relaxed. This would take significant pressure off the regions’ fuel supplies also allowing farmers greater access to fuel in remote areas where there is a concern that fuel shortages may lead to food shortages.

Legal Aid provided an update to staff last week and more advice will be provided this week following a meeting of the Senior Leadership Team.

We will update members as soon as we receive further advice from Legal Aid.

Update for Prison Officers

Update for Prison Officers

Correspondence was provided to the Corrective Services NSW on 10 March 2026 requesting the Operational management Plans, updated P28s and approved FTEs (funding) for locations that have had surge of beds implemented across the state.
Fourteen days’ notice was provided with no response provided, as such:

State Executive direction, motion and statements

1. Direction to all sub?branches

The POVB State Executive has issued the following directives:

  • Stop all negotiations regarding any further inmate surge bed increases.
  • Formally decline and deactivate all unfunded surge beds as soon as operationally possible.
  • Return to your approved and funded management plans immediately.
These actions follow sustained pressure to accept additional inmates without corresponding funded posts. This has directly contributed to:
  • increased lock?ins
  • rising tension across centres
  • record?high staff assault rates
  • staffing shortages and operational instability

Upcoming bed closures under the Prison Bed Effectiveness Program will only intensify these pressures. We will not continue absorbing unfunded workloads that compromise staff safety.

2. Motion: Demand for strategic plan

The POVB State Executive has formally demanded that the NSW Government and CSNSW provide the PSA/POVB with the CSNSW Strategic Plan covering:

  • 1?year (short?term)
  • 3?year (medium?term)
  • 5?year (long?term) planning for the custodial system.

This information must be provided within 14 days and must include the commencement of meaningful consultation.

If this deadline is not met:

All sub?branches will be directed to implement an Overtime and Acting?Up Ban.
This will also support CSNSW’s required $170 million budget correction, which cannot continue to be achieved through staff exhaustion.

The system is at breaking point

Members have been clear: the current operating environment is unsafe and unsustainable.

Across all centres we are seeing:
  • chronic understaffing
  • expectations to absorb increased inmate numbers without additional FTE
  • daily unfilled posts
  • reliance on excessive overtime
  • increased violence and operational risk

Staff goodwill is being eroded. Centres are struggling to function day?to?day.

The DCJ Strategic Plan 2026–2031 highlights four pillars:
Visible Leadership, Doing Things Well, Building Capability, Workforce Wellbeing.
CSNSW is currently failing to meet all four.

Rising inmate numbers, falling resources

The POVB acknowledges the Government’s commitment to community safety. However:

Inmate numbers are rising. Resources are not.

This mismatch has resulted in:

  • increased assaults
  • higher operational risk
  • more lock?ins
  • fewer programs, visits, and activities for inmates
  • worsening staff fatigue and burnout
  • AVL suites included in within CESU locations for Bails Court increasing workloads with no additional resources.

We are calling for an urgent statewide review of staffing levels (FTE).

Many centres are carrying significant unfunded workload, and more than 300 FTE are tied up in special projects—roles desperately needed back on the frontline. If those projects require staffing, the vacancies must be filled immediately.

The bottom line

The POVB will not allow centres to continue absorbing unfunded work that puts staff and inmates at risk.

We expect transparency, genuine consultation, and a strategic plan that addresses the realities on the ground.

Further updates will follow as this matter progresses.

In unity,
Darren King
Chair POVB State Executive
On behalf of the POVB State Executive 

Environment Protection Authority member update: Friday 27 March

Environment Protection Authority member update: Friday 27 March

Following on from our previous bulletin, the Public Service Association (PSA) is seeking feedback from members as a matter of urgency. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) restructure and matching process matter was before the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) on Wednesday 25 March.

The EPA confirmed there are 51 positions vacant and 26 staff from the 19 of January Workplace Mobility Placement process. That list is now available to view HERE.

If you believe you should have been matched to one of the 51 vacant roles, please contact Michael Sinclair at  or Michael Parsons at

The matter is scheduled to return to the IRC Wednesday 1 April at 10:00am.

Your delegates

Jane Burgett

Scott King

Fred Hennessy

Georgia Meredith

Hugo Floyd

Simon Lemont

Bree Turkington

PSA staff

Michael Parsons Organiser

Michael Sinclair Industrial Officer

Housing Services: Inner West & South East Sydney Joint Consultative Committee meeting

Housing Services: Inner West & South East Sydney Joint Consultative Committee meeting

The first quarterly Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting for 2026 was held on 9 March 2026 for the Inner West & South East Sydney district. Public Service Association (PSA) industrial staff attend these meetings with workplace delegates and district management.

JCCs are an important platform to address workplace concerns and members are encouraged to reach out to PSA delegates and staff about any workplace issues they would like raised at the meetings. They are an opportunity for members to speak out and ask any questions they may have about workplace rights. Please note only collective issues are discussed at JCCs. Individual matters are managed privately.

Key discussions on 9 March included:

Recruitment and backfilling

The PSA asked how the district is going with backfilling frontline roles. Management explained that they continue to hire above establishment because there is a lot of turnover; however, unplanned leave is more difficult to manage as is planned leave of longer than 2 weeks. (More on leave below.)

Housing Services has a clear process around how to fill temporary vacancies of up to 26 weeks. Members are encouraged to engage with this process and to please reach out with any questions or concerns you’d like raised at the next JCC. Backfilling of roles remains an issue for our members.

New recruits continue to complete the rolling 8-week recruitment process. To better support the transition into the district, the director meets with the new recruits when they are hired, when they start the role and 3 months into the role.

Management said they continue to make direct appointments for staff who meet the criteria and have been in roles for a long time.

Workloads

As the dust continues to settle on the Functional Review, members have been reaching out about workload pressures. Management said they are aware of the high workloads and to help support staff, they’ve turned the focus onto continual improvement rather than targets. They said they want the emphasis to be on people working to capacity. The aim is to build capability so work can be done more efficiently and effectively.

The message from management is that they are there to help staff manage capacity and that the offices work together as a district to support each other. Members are encouraged to speak with managers about workloads and have confirmed in an email what the priority is and what can wait. It’s understood that teams cannot pick up work in other areas of the business without having to drop other work.

NSW SafeWork includes important information on its website about workplace stress and members are encouraged to speak to PSA delegates and staff if they have questions or concerns.

Staff development

Training around managing aggressive behaviour, including on the phones, on the counter and in the field, will be rolled out to anyone who hasn’t completed it yet. Management said they’d also expect all staff to do a refresher course.

The executive director of Housing Services confirmed with the PSA in another meeting that the workplace violence refresher training has started to be rolled out across the state, and that all staff will participate in face-to-face training this year.

Work Health and Safety

Management confirmed it encourages staff to lodge Safety Suite reports and that there continues to be training around its purpose. That includes how to do investigations. Management said it is being actioned in a timely manner and that most are around client verbal abuse.

The PSA reminds members to report all incidents, no matter how small they may seem. Records of your concerns within the department support the PSA to make a stronger case for assistance.

Psychosocial Action Plan

The district’s Psychosocial Action Plan has been finalised and approved. It’s now available in TRIM for all staff to access.

It’s important that members know about and understand the Psychosocial Action Plan as it will provide important agreed actions about how to manage psychosocial hazards such as role overload, workplace bullying, work-related violence and burnout.

The PSA would expect the Psychosocial Action Plan to comply with SafeWork’s Code of Practice.

Leave

Management explained there is a process to follow for leave and that staff shouldn’t book holidays until it’s approved. The PSA understands that managing leave can be difficult and encourages members to give as much notice as possible to assist with planning. However, there will also be instances when members aren’t able to do so, and these should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to your workplace delegates or PSA organiser if you have any questions around your leave requests or entitlements.

Housing survey

The PSA has a housing survey open at the moment and we encourage all our members to complete it. It should take around 10 minutes and will help the PSA better understand the housing issues and needs of your communities so we can advocate on your behalf. The survey is open until 31 March.

The next JCC meeting is scheduled for June. Members are encouraged to share any issues they have with local delegates, particularly if they have anything to add to the topics raised here.

Contacts

Member Support Centre

Delegates

Tina Te Aho-Wilson

Felix Edian

PSA Industrial Staff

Greg Corrigan Senior Industrial Officer

Rachel Eldred Organiser

Department of Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure responding to the fuel crisis

Department of Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure responding to the fuel crisis

Yesterday the Public Service Association (PSA) wrote to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI ) regarding the current fuel crisis.

Regional and remote NSW communities and farmers are disproportionately affected, with fewer fuel outlets decreasing competition and greater daily travel distances at higher speeds leading to higher fuel consumption. Scarcity of fuel is an increasing issue for country and farming communities, leading to higher prices. At the time of writing to the Department examples included $3.29 per litre for diesel fuel across New England Tablelands and $2.89 per litre on the Mid-North Coast without taking into account other country regions.

The PSA has formally requested the Department allow the current flexible working arrangements to be relaxed for regional staff. This would take significant pressure off the regions fuel supplies also allowing farmers greater access to fuel in remote areas where there is a concern that fuel shortages may lead to food shortages.

We are waiting for a formal response from the Department.

Development Coordination Authority: Change Management Plan

The PSA is reaching out to members affected by the proposed Change Management Plan to establish the Development Coordination Authority (DCA), announced to DPHI staff at a Town Hall on 25 March 2026.

DPHI has proposed that from 1 July 2026, the DCA will commence operating under a new integrated organisational model that brings together functions currently performed across the Department and other agencies. While some employees transitioning into the DCA will continue performing work that is substantially the same as their current roles, others will undertake work that is similar in nature or experience changes to accountabilities and role requirements. These changes reflect the DCA’s objective of operating as a single, coordinated point of contact for state input into the NSW planning system.

To support commencement of the DCA from 1 July 2026, a range of organisational, structural and operational changes are proposed to be implemented. This includes establishment of a proposed new organisational structure, workforce planning and internal role mapping, and development of business rules to support consistent and efficient operations. Collectively, these changes are proposed to align with existing and incoming functions with the DCA’s mandate while ensuring continuity of services and a smooth transition for employees.

Advice to the PSA indicates Stage 1 impacts Transport for NSW, the Rural Fire Service and DCCEEW, with further information and drop?in sessions proposed. Other affected agencies may include EPA, DPIRD, Sydney Water, WaterNSW, Hunter Water, Subsidence Advisory, Fire and Rescue NSW and the SES.

The PSA is seeking from DPHI clear detail on consultation arrangements and will advocate for PSA members, to minimise impacts, and ensure consultation and industrial rights are upheld. The PSA will continue to engage with to members to provide feedback to DPHI on the CMP.

Meet your new PSA delegates

The DPHI Departmental Committee recently held its Annual General Meeting, where delegates elected a new Executive. Below is your chance to meet your delegates and learn who will be representing staff over the coming year.

Tom Chapman Chair

Having worked in the NSW Public Service for nearly four years, I became a PSA member and completed delegate training as soon as I secured a fixed?term contract in January 2023. At that time there were no delegates based in Orange, and I was more than happy to step up and help fill that gap.

Since then, I have actively participated in the Joint Consultative Committees for the past two years and have recently been elected Chair of the DPHI Departmental Committee, where I am committed to helping ensure the voices of PSA members are clearly represented within the Department.

Before joining the NSW Public Service, I worked on Sydney Harbour for Manly Fast Ferries and spent three years as a Delegate for the Maritime Union of Australia. During that time, I sat at the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiation table, working to secure full-time employment for what had previously been a 100 per cent casualised workforce.

I strongly believe the union gives individuals a voice and enables constructive, well?managed change.

I look forward to representing PSA members across DPHI and advocating for what is best for workers and staff throughout the Department during these times of change.

Kristy Rizzo Vice-Chair

I became a union delegate to support fair treatment, clear communication, and staff wellbeing within our sector. I aim to ensure employees are informed, supported, and represented, and to contribute to a respectful, consultative workplace that enables strong public service delivery.

Donovan Harris Secretary

I have 25 years’ experience working in the NSW Public Sector across various departments and universities and have been a PSA member since 2001. I have taken on the role of union delegate because I am deeply committed to ensuring our workplace is one where every employee can thrive and because I believe collective action is essential to ensuring we all have access to a fair, transparent and employee-friendly workplace.

I am committed to ensuring our workplace is one where every employee can thrive. I hope that I can do this by ensuring our collective benefits and conditions are maintained and enhanced, based on conditions that reflect 21st-century ways of working, such as embracing technology in ways that enhance what we do rather than be seen as a way to reduce staffing. I want to see the organisation commit to upskilling staff to be able to take on new roles and projects rather than engaging consultants and contractors to do work than can and should be done by departmental staff.

Jack Turner Assistant Secretary

I am a delegate because I know what can be achieved with a strong an active membership in terms of workplace conditions and pay. An active PSA is particularly important during these tough economic conditions and housing crisis.

In my role I hope to provide support for members to resolve workplace issues and grow the membership.

Committee members

Alex Bannister
Alex is a long-term member of the PSA working for Value NSW. She hopes to see the PSA grow and continue to have a voice, especially for rural members.

Arthur Simak
I joined the PSA fairly recently but have always had a long standing respect for what the union does representing its workers. A colleague recommended me and I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to finally get involved and to act on behalf of our workforce.

I know that over the years there have been fewer people joining the union. I’d like to make sure people are aware of their rights, that we are here to support them and that participating as a community and collective is the best way to make sure they are properly heard.

Daniel Keily
Daniel works for the Office of Local Government and has been a PSA member and delegate for many years.

Louis Scipione
I am a Senior Planning Officer with DPHI based on the far north coast. I became a PSA delegate because I value fair, transparent, and lawful workplace practices and believe better outcomes can be achieved through collective representation. My experience as a HSR has also highlighted the importance of advocacy, accountability, and clear communication when issues arise. As a delegate, I aim to support members by being an accessible and reliable point of contact, advocating for fair and transparent work practices, and ensuring employee’s voices are heard in decision making.

Yingyaun (Charles) Liu
I am a software developer and work for Value NSW to support VALNET Property System.

I see many times the people get harassed, disadvantaged from managers or even dismissed. It is not fair for us, I think it is the time to fight back. That is the reason I joined the PSA member and became a delegate.

I commenced as a delegate in February 2026. I have always embraced the PSA community, taken part in union activities, listened to members’ voicesn worked closely with members, inviting more people to join the union and fought for PSA members’ fair rights.

PSA staff

Vivette Horrex Organiser

Anne Kennelly Senior Organiser

Shane Howes Industrial Officer

Faulconbridge Community Service Centre: come and meet the PSA!

Faulconbridge Community Service Centre: come and meet the PSA!

Do you work from Faulconbridge Community Service Centre? The PSA is holding an in person and online members’ meeting. Whether you’re in the office or working from home Organiser Andrea Cartwright will be available to discuss member issues.

Are you interested in becoming a Workplace Delegate?

We’re looking for passionate representatives from your work site to join us at the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting for the Department of Community Services. This is your chance to have a voice, drive positive change, and represent your colleagues where it really counts!

If you’re keen to get involved and help shape what happens in your workplace, we want to hear from you!

Come along to the lunch time meeting – this is a great opportunity for both members and non-members to:

·       Meet your PSA Organiser.

·       Learn the benefits of using the Workload Planner.

·       Learn more about becoming a Delegate and the PSA’s role in your workplace.

·       Share ideas on how your union can best support you and your colleagues.

Whether you’ve got something specific to raise or just want to stay informed, we’d love to see you there!

If you know any non-members’ that would like to learn more about your union, invite them to attend.

Meeting Details

Date: Wednesday 1 April 2026
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Location: The Conference Room, or online via Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 432 959 151 952 97

Passcode: e6Wi9sB2

Contact: Andrea Cartwright Organiser
Graydon Welsh Industrial Officer

The PSA NSW has over 125 years of proud history, and you stand on the shoulders of more than 40,000 members who know we are stronger together.

Did you know your union also offers you:

Free emergency ambulance cover

Free Journey Insurance – peace of mind if you have an accident travelling to and from work.

FREE Personal & Accident insurance – lump sum claims for injuries and broken bones and for $11 extra get your whole immediate family covered (exclusive of broken bones)

Substantial shopping discounts with Union Shopper

Free will and Legal services and many other benefits

Become a member today

JOIN NOW