PSA raises dispute: Tuggerah Homes Concierge Model
The Public Service Association of NSW (PSA) has notified Homes Executive of an Industrial Dispute regarding serious concerns about the new concierge model at Tuggerah Homes:
Lack of Consultation: No evidence of meaningful consultation with staff or the PSA on the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Risk Assessment in relation to safety concerns raised about the concierge.
No consultation on the change from appointment only to all clients without an appointment.
Inadequate Training: Thrive training is incomplete and outdated. Training was rushed despite long lead time.
Security Guard Concerns: Starts same day as public opening. No clarity on training or coverage during breaks.
Staffing Clarity: Confusion over whether all staff or only nominated staff are required at the desk.
Risk Rating Discrepancies: Tuggerah concierge rated Medium Risk despite 11 assaults in 2025. Lismore concierge rated High Risk.
Child Protection Staff have declined to work at the concierge: Not reflected in Risk Assessment.
Workload Impact: Increased workload due to concierge.
Unclear Role Definition: No written guidance on concierge responsibilities
Design Standards Conflict: Department of Communities and Justice design contradicts WHS and security standards.
WHS Regulation Compliance: PSA requests explanation of how WHS Regulation 2017 was applied to the concierge.
Booth Safety Standards: Booths are not WHS compliant.
The PSA directs all members not to work at the concierge desk while we are in dispute.
Any Homes NSW members who would like to provide feedback about the dispute and the concierge model contact Regional Organiser Rebecca Reilly
The annual People Matter Employment Survey (PMES) will be closing this Friday 12 September 2025. Your union encourages and urges all our valued members to take a few moments to complete the PMES survey.
Here’s why your participation matters:
Drive improvements Your candid responses help us drive improvements in various aspects of our workplace. The insights gained from your feedback can lead to positive changes that benefit everyone.
Support union submissions The PMES results yield valuable statistics that we use to advocate for our members on a wide range of employment-related matters. Your input provides us with evidence to back our proposals and negotiations.
Make your voice heard We encourage you to participate actively in the survey and share your thoughts and experiences. Your perspective matters, and by having your say, you contribute to shaping the future of your workplace.
This survey provides you with a confidential platform to express your views on how Corrective Services NSW is being managed. Your feedback is vital; and entirely confidential; and can serve as a catalyst for positive changes within your workplace.
Your voice matters, and your feedback is invaluable.
University of NSW: Restructures in People & Culture and the Nura Gili Centre
Your union was made aware of change proposals announced this week Thursday 14 August for People & Culture and the Nura Gili Centre.
Consultation
Consultation has commenced for both change proposals. If you have feedback that you would like the CPSU NSW to submit, de-identified, on your behalf please send this to , noting the following:
People & Culture – Consultation closes on Monday 15 September. Please reference C10009839 in your submission and submit by close of business on Friday 12 September.
Nura Gili Centre – Consultation closes on Friday 19 September. Please reference C10009840 in your submission and submit by close of business on Wednesday 17 September.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact:
Shelley Odewahn Branch President
Liam O’Donoghue Branch Vice President
Your UNSW Branch Delegates are also here to assist with any workplace questions, provide advice and support, and advocate for your interests:
Delegates Consultative Committee Clarence Correctional Centre: August 2025 DCC
On 7 August your delegates and CPSU Industrial staff met with the General Manager of Clarence Correctional Centre for our bi-monthly Delegates Consultative Committee (DCC). Please find the meeting minutes HERE. Our next DCC meeting is 1 October.
Your CPSU Delegates are:
Mark Bathgate
Keri Parbery
Craig Dennis
Kody Richards
Luke Binskin
If you have colleagues who are not yet a member of the PSA/CPSU send them this bulletin and ask them to join HERE.
Don’t know what the added Member benefits of joining your union are? Then look HERE Member Benefits.
Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure: Flexible Working Hours Agreement update
Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) has now provided staff with their Flexible Working Hours Agreement proposal for consolidation and have identified the following Flexible Working Hours Agreements that they maintain, are in scope:
Botanic Gardens Trust Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2007
Department of Finance, Services and Innovation Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2015
Department of Justice Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2017
Department Premier’s Cabinet Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2022 (BDA)
Department Premier’s Cabinet Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2010 (part OLG)
Trade and Investment Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2013
Crown Employees (Planning Officers) Award – Annexure A^
(^Employees not employed under Planning Officers Award E.g. Employed in role under Administration and Clerical Award but flex conditions currently covered by Annexure A, are in scope for the proposed Flexible Working Hours Agreement)
DPHI representatives have provided comparison data to other flex arrangements in operation as part of the information sharing processes.
The last agreement is providing levels of consternation from our members. It appears that the agency is trying to split hairs between those employed under Planner classifications contained in Clause 4. Classifications and Salary Structures, and those who are not. It also buys into a long-standing PSA argument that staff are being mis-classified as Clerks rather than Planners.
What the members have already told the PSA:
They don’t want to lose banking
They have questioned the bandwidth requirements between 6am to 10pm and that this provides some sort of managerial expectation that staff will avail themselves in working unsocial hours for insufficient recompense
They have expressed the desire to expand banking to a consolidated agreement
They have mentioned why there is so much regulation placed on staff when senior managers are not living up to their requirements to stop staff from forfeiting hours
What’s next?
The PSA has now written back the DPHI representatives and advised of our initial concerns.
The PSA has:
made it clear to DPHI that staff who derive their flex conditions from the Planning Award should be out of scope
asked for information on the number of staff who would be considered as Clerks under the Planning Award
information on the amount of forfeited flex hours from each one of the Flexible Working Hours Agreements that are currently in operation
The PSA has said that if the membership were to even consider more unsociable elements of the DPHI proposed model for consolidation, then banking of flex must be back on the table.
Members are reminded that is a process of negotiation between the parties not consultation.
Yes, the agency has every right to discuss the proposals and consult with their workforce however, any outcome requires PSA agreement and that agreement is derived from you – our membership.
Members are asked to think about what they want from a Flexible Working Hours Agreement and of equal importance as telling us what you don’t want.
School Psychologists member meeting 11 September 2025
Come along to the PSA member meeting with your fellow School Psychologists, Advisory Group delegates and PSA industrial staff.
PSA will provide an update on the JCC meeting held quarterly with the department and we want to hear from you, on issues of concern including, staff wellbeing, health and safety, flex sheets, recording hours worked overtime and managing workloads.
On Tuesday 2 September 2025 the Museums of History NSW (MHNSW) wrote to the Public Service Association of NSW (PSA) to inform of an underpayment that has occurred in the salaries of Part-Time Visitor & Interpretation Officer and Visitor Services Experience Officers with the organisation.
Following an internal review, it has been identified that the Part-Time Visitor & Interpretation Officer and Visitor Services Experience Officer roles are entitled to receive shift loadings in accordance with Section 87.1 and 87.2 of the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Award.
Eligibility for shift loadings commenced following changes to the roster working patterns from January 2013. The review included analysis of more than 90,000 shifts worked from January 2013 to August 2025 and took nine months to complete.
MHNSW has consulted with Government Shared Services, myWorkZone (mWZ), and will commence repayments from payday 11 September for those staff still on mWZ. This will include monies owed up to 20 June 2024 (reflecting transition date to mWZ).
Affected staff will be notified in writing from Monday 1 September, including the number of shifts involved and the total amount due. The Director, Heads of Portfolio and Visitor Service Coordinators (managers and supervisors of the roles) have been updated and together with MHNSW P&C will support staff with any questions.
Where applicable Shift Loadings will be paid to staff automatically through mWZ from 11 September 2025.
Those staff no longer employed by MHNSW will be contacted, asked to submit documentation, onboarded to mWZ, paid, then offboarded.
For the period 21 June 2024 to 19 August 2025 shifts on mWZ are being analysed. When completed any outstanding monies will be paid in the following payday.
MHSW has made every effort to expedite the repayment as quickly as possible and has apologised to staff for the inconvenience caused.
Any PSA member who has any ongoing concerns in relation to this matter please contact or 1800 772 679. Please quote Case ID C00220341.
The PSA will be holding a members’ meeting onsite, on Tuesday 9 September 2025.
This is an opportunity for members and non-members to meet with your PSA Senior Industrial Officer, Organiser and delegates, to discuss any issues or concerns you might have, and to learn about the role of the PSA in your workplace.
The PSA is also seeking expressions of interest, from any member that is interested in becoming a workplace delegate for ICAC. If you are interested, please contact to discuss.
Members are encouraged to send any agenda items that they would like discussed to
If you know any non-members’ that would like to learn more about your union, invite them to attend.
Meeting Details
If you are onsite, please join us in person or use the link below to join on Teams.
Representatives of the Prison Officers Vocational Branch (POVB) Executive attended Goulburn Correctional Centre to establish roles and responsibilities and update post duties into the Statement of Duties format.
Casual-to-Permanent Process
The POVB Executive has been consulting with Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) to streamline the process by which casual staff can transition into permanent positions.
CSNSW is currently developing the policy.
Section 24s
The POVB has been in consultation with CSNSW regarding one-out C classification escorts. CSNSW has agreed that all C1 Cat 3 escorts will be two-out for the initial escort, with the arrangement reviewed after the inmate is admitted; subject to the risk assessment process.
Consultation on this issue continues, with the POVB Executive and Medical Escort Unit Delegates currently providing feedback to the department.
Shortland update
The proposed hybrid model for Shortland Correctional Centre has been submitted.
Shortland Correctional Centre is now awaiting feedback from CSNSW.
POVB and COVB meet over Roles and Responsibilities
The POVB and Commissioned Officers Vocational Branch (COVB) Executives recently held a meeting at PSA House to discuss duties and roles.
The meeting aimed to provide a clear guide on the functions each branch will undertake moving forward. It was relatively positive, with common ground found on most issues.
More information will be provided once the process is complete.
Special Operations Group
Special Operations Group (SOG) has commenced consultation on a new SOG P28 to include Junee Correctional Centre within its staff profile. Four new delegates have stepped up at SOG to assist.
Colleagues not receiving bulletins/Updating details
If you know a fellow PSA member who is not receiving bulletins, please ask them to log in at www.membership.psa.asn.au using their membership number and password. If they don’t have a password, they can generate a new one on the same page.
Once logged in, they should scroll down to Communication Preferences and ensure that Main Members List is ticked.
It’s also important to ensure your own details are correct. Classifications and work locations are often not updated when Officers are promoted or change roles. Keeping your information up to date ensures proper coverage and effective communication.
Crown Solicitor’s Office: Information on overtime and meal allowances
Not sure if you should be paid overtime? Are you entitled to a meal allowance?
The Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Review Award 2009 (Conditions Award), SECTION 8 – SHIFT WORK AND OVERTIME contains the provisions for when overtime and a meal allowance should be paid.
Click HERE to view the Conditions Award. These provisions apply to all employees who are covered the Conditions Award. Entitlement to these provisions is not subject to different interpretation by individual Managers and should be clearly explained to employees on request.
Meal allowance
You are entitled to a meal allowance while working overtime if the following conditions apply:
Overtime Meal Allowances
94.1 If an adequate meal is not provided by the Department, a meal allowance will be paid by the Department at the appropriate rate specified in Item 19 of Table 1 – Allowances of Part B, Monetary Rates, provided the Department Head is satisfied that:
94.1.1 the time worked is directed overtime;
94.1.2 the employee properly and reasonably incurred expenditure in obtaining the meal in respect of which the allowance is sought;
94.1.3 where the employee was able to cease duty for at least 30 minutes before or during the working of overtime to take the meal, the employee did so; and
94.1.4 overtime is not being paid in respect of the time taken for a meal break.
If you think you have not been paid correctly email Sharny Chalmers at or call her on 1800 772 679.
Service NSW: Payment of overtime and application of rounding rules
The Public Service Association of NSW (PSA) is aware that members at Service NSW are not being paid overtime for time worked past the end of their rostered shift, if that time is less than 15 minutes (in Service Centres and Middle Office) and eight minutes (in Contact Centres). We understand this is due in part to the ‘ “rounding rules” that have been applied to the relevant systems used by employees in Service NSW.
Under the Service NSW (Salaries and Conditions) Employees Award 2024, clause 19 provides the following:
Overtime 19.1 Full-time employees shall be paid overtime for all time worked:
(a) outside the spread of operating hours of duty as set out in clause 11 – Spread of Operating Hours, for which they are rostered.
(b) before or after the daily ordinary hours of duty set out in the roster described in the provisions of clause 17 – Rosters and worked within the spread of hours of duty as set out in clause 11 – Spread of Operating Hours.
19.2 Part-time employees and casual employees shall be paid for time worked in excess of the full-time hours of the classification, or outside the spread of operating hours of duty as set out in clause 11, at the appropriate overtime rate.
Clause 11 of the Service NSW Award identifies the relevant spread of operating hours as set out below:
Spread of Operating Hours
The standard hours of work shall be worked within the spread of operating hours as follows:
11.1 Service NSW Service Centres
(a) Monday to Friday 6:30am to 7:30pm
(b) Saturday 7:30am to 3:30pm
11.2 Service NSW Contact Centres
(a) Monday to Saturday 6:30am to 7:30pm
11.3 Service NSW Corporate Office
(a) Monday to Friday 6:30am to 7:30pm
Clause 19 prescriptively identifies conditions relating to overtime, crucially, it does not include any minimum amount of overtime which must be worked before payment arises. It is the PSA’s position that SNSW is required to pay overtime to employees for all hours worked which meet the circumstances in cl 19.1, this includes where an employee works less than 8 minutes past the end of the rostered shift. A failure to pay this overtime worked is a breach of the Service NSW Award.
What is the PSA doing?
The PSA have written to the Department of Customer Service (Department) concerning its position and requested that the Department:
take urgent steps to remove the relevant Rounding Rules within all systems utilised by SNSW employees to ensure that all time worked before or after an employee’s rostered shift can be claimed and paid as overtime in accordance with cl 19.
undertake an audit of all records to ensure all time worked before or after each employees shift has been treated as overtime (subject to the other conditions applying to overtime in the SNSW Award); and
based on this audit, pay its employees within SNSW for any identified overtime which it has failed to pay in accordance with cl 19.1(b), as soon as reasonably practicable upon completion of the audit.
The PSA is seeking further information from members about the current application of the rounding rules and impact on the payment of overtime, and is giving consideration to commencing proceedings against the Department for contravening the Service NSW Award. To assist in this process, we need evidence from members across all three work areas: Contact Centres, Service Centres, and Middle Office, about how these rules have impacted you.
Please take five minutes to complete our short survey. You can access the survey HERE.
For any questions or assistance, contact the PSA Member Support Centre on 1800 772 679 quoting reference number 10007778.
Special Education Working Group update: buckling, buses, excursions and more
The Special Education Working Group met last week at PSA House in Sydney, your School Learning Support Officer (SLSO) and SLSO Student Health Support (SHS) delegates worked through many workplace issues impacting members.
In this update:
Consultation on SLSO Statement of Duties
“Other related duties”: what can you be asked to do?
Excursions and Overtime
Buckling and Driving Buses
School Crossings – keep yourself safe
Consultation on SLSO Statement of Duties
In 2022 following the finalisation of the School Administrative and Support Staff Award negotiations a new Statement of Duties for SLSOs was published by the Department of Education. The PSA was not provided an opportunity to consult on the document at that time. This year the department has agreed to enter into consultation around the Statement of Duties based on concerns raised by the union on behalf of members and delegates.
The PSA welcomes the opportunity to consult on the updating of the SLSO SoD. Since your SoD was updated in 2022 the differences between the SLSO and SLSO SHS roles has been an ever-present issue for our members schools.
When accepting the Departments invitation for consultation we reiterated the PSA position that ‘Health Support’ is not a broad umbrella term that refers to the many aspects of delivering support to students with health needs during the school day but directly replaced the Health Care Procedures.
“Other related duties”: what can you be asked to do?
It is important that you understand your statement of duties as this will give you confidence when discussing and negotiating the boundaries of your role. As union members we can’t rely on others to do this for us, we need to stand together and push back where appropriate.
An often used catch all when directing members to work outside their role is the reference on your Statement of Duties to “Other related duties”. If you are directed to perform other related duties as referenced in the Statement of Duties, the work must directly relate to the duties of your role. You cannot be directed to work in areas outside your Statement of Duties (SoD).
We encourage you to join the SLSOs PSA NSW facebook page and take up opportunities to hear from other SLSOs about their experiences and how they approach conversations where they are being asked to perform tasks outside their SoD. If you would like a copy of your SoD, or require support and guidance please contact the Member Support Centre.
Excursions – time off in lieu and overtime
SLSOs are entitled to paid additional hours or overtime when assisting students on school excursions/camps.
Approval for overtime payments when supporting on excursion outside of normal school working hours must be obtained prior to attendance. Forms for requesting Overtime or TIL are to be completed and signed by the Principal or supervisor, forms can be found on the intranet and with Human Resources. A detailed itinerary should be developed to clarify the SLSO’s role on each excursion or camp which considers the health care plans, behaviour plans, risk assessments and/or learning plans of individual students.
Time in Lieu (TIL) or payment of Overtime needs to be agreed prior to and calculated on the hours worked and rate of pay. Time in Lieu accrues at the Overtime rates and includes travel time. For example, where an employee is asked to attend school at 6am to get on the bus for an excursion. Overtime rates are clarified in Clause 20 of your Award, linked below.
Buckling/ Driving Buses
PSA maintains our long-held position that securing students into vehicles is not contained in the SLSO or SLSO SHS SoD and is therefore not the responsibility of our members. We acknowledge the Departments position that it is the schools responsibility to ensure students are safely secured in vehicles, however continue to highlight that accountability should reflect corresponding levels of authority.
SLSOs should not be driving buses, this is not referenced in the SLSO SoD and there is no requirement for an SLSO to hold a driver’s license. We therefore continue to reiterate that no SLSO should be transporting a busload of students, this duty should be directed to someone with a corresponding level of authority.
School Crossings
Supervising school crossings outside school property is not the responsibility of an SLSO. School Crossing Supervisors, or Lollipop people as you may know them, are employed under their own classification by Transport for NSW. Crossing duties require specific training, meaning if you have not undertaken this training, you are putting yourself or students at risk by undertaking work that is not within your duties.
Where schools require School Crossing Supervisors it is the responsibility of the School Executive to advocate their school’s need.
Link to your Award
Crown Employees (School Administrative and Support Staff) Award with updated rates of pay through to FY26/27 is linked HERE. We recommend bookmarking this page so you can easily find it when you need it.
