Join us at the Australian Financial Review Higher Education Summit Rally
Join us and other unions at the Our Unis Our Future rally on Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday August 19 2025, the AFR Higher Education Summit is set to take place in the Sydney CBD, which will see key decision makers and thought leaders in the Higher Education sector gather to discuss the current and future state of the sector.
As part of our ongoing campaign against the cuts to professional staff across the different universities, it is critical that the decision makers at the summit hear our message loud and clear: No to professional staff cuts!
The exorbitant cost of a ticket to attend the summit only reinforces the inherent problems of this sector currently plagued by the corporatisation of models of governance within a highly competitive and unregulated market. This has resulted in an absence of accountability to staff, students, and the governments, and is an erosion of the public missions that these universities were established to fulfill.
Join us at the Rally
When Tuesday August 19, 2025 at 8:30am
Where Martin Place, between Pitt Street and Castlereagh Street
As this is not protected industrial action, you will need to seek approved leave or access flexible working provisions if this rally is during your work time.
Please contact us if you have any issues or questions about what forms of leave or flexible work provisions can be taken.
Please share this with your colleagues and if they have not yet joined the union, please encourage them to do so HERE.
Members of the PSA CPSU NSW are invited to join fellow unionists and supporters in calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza and a vigil for the people who have already lost their lives to this conflict.
We call for:
The end of the war in Gaza.
For food and aid to be immediately provided to the people of Gaza; and
The immediate release of all hostages.
The vigil will hear from union speakers and conclude with time to reflect on the need for peace in around the world.
Details
Date Thursday 21 August 2025 Time 5:30pm Location Sydney Town Hall (between Town Hall and St Andrews Cathedral)
CPSU NSW at the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator — Safety and Compliance Officer Conference
CPSU NSW Organiser Shane Jobberns will be attending the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Safety and Compliance Officer Conferences being held at the Novotel Brighton Le Sands over the next four Wednesdays from 4.30 pm – 6.30pm.
Shane will be located in Coco’s on the Beach on the Ground level of the Novotel to provide information regarding CPSU NSW union benefits and to discuss members concerns and/or industrial issues.
The PSA is calling a meeting for members in the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) to discuss upcoming changes within the regulator. The PSA is aware of organisational change at NRAR, including role conversions, delimited roles, changed reporting lines and new roles. The change management plan is expected to be released soon.
Bring a non-member
With the proposed changes impacting all staff in NRAR, now is a good time to bring a non-member along to see the benefits of union membership.
Meeting details
Date Tuesday, 19 August
Time 12:30pm-1:30pm
Where 4PSQ (meeting room 17.06) and online via Teams
You are invited to meet your new Public Service Association (PSA) representatives Vivette Horrex and Sharny Chalmers, who are you PSA contacts for Court Reporters.
The meeting is also a chance to catch up with your Delegates in person and via MS Teams.
We can give a brief update on PSA industrial activities and hear from you on workplace issues.
Details
Date 19 August 2025 Time 1:10pm-1:40pm Location Level 7 Lunch room
The meeting will also be conducted via Microsoft Teams Join the meeting here Meeting ID 440 022 874 802 3 Passcode UW2YE9K2
Confirmed that Flexible Working Hours Agreement is back on the agenda at Sydney Joint Consultative Committee meeting
The quarterly Joint Consultative Committee meeting (JCC) was held on 7 August 2025 for the Sydney district. PSA Industrial staff attended with your elected delegates and district leadership from Homes NSW.
JCCs are an important platform for discussions on matters affecting our members in the district. Key discussions on 7 August included:
Recruitment
Leadership confirmed new recruits for the district. The new induction program means there is an eight-week lead in to take up new jobs. Reports about the new induction program have been positive with LEAP now well embedded.
It was also noted that 400 long-term temp roles have been converted to ongoing roles.
Flexible Working Hours Agreement
It was confirmed that discussion around the Flexible Working Hours Agreement is back on the agenda.
The Flexible Working Hours Agreement, about working flexible hours, is not to be confused with the Flexible Work Policy, about providing flexible work, which may include but is not limited to working from home and scheduling. Please reach out to your delegates for support around any of your flexible working arrangements.
The next JCC meeting is scheduled for November. Members are encouraged to share any issues they have with local delegates. If you have any specific concerns about the concierge model you can reach out to Regional Organiser Rebecca Reilly: . There are ongoing concerns with the model and the PSA has raised a dispute about it.
Stay active with your union: An exclusive Osara Health webinar for members
Your union is always there for you and your fellow members. PSA CPSU NSW partner Osara Health is hosting an exclusive webinar for members, Stay Active – The Benefits of Exercise During and After Cancer Treatment.
This webinar will give participants tips on how staying active can help manage treatment side effects, boost energy levels, and enhance overall well-being for those living with cancer.
All PSA CPSU NSW members are invited to attend this free-of-charge event.
Overview
The course will examine how physical activity can help manage cancer-related fatigue, improve strength, and enhance mental health. We’ll also provide practical tips on incorporating exercise into your routine in a safe and sustainable way.
Participants will learn:
The science behind exercise and its impact on cancer treatment and recovery
How exercise can reduce fatigue, improve strength, and support mental health
Safe exercise routines for individuals undergoing or recovering from cancer treatment
How to set realistic fitness goals
The long-term benefits of staying active after cancer treatment.
Available to PSA CPSU NSW members and their families, Osara Health is transforming the way we provide cancer care by empowering people and organisations affected by cancer to thrive using expertise, empathy and technology. Participants gain access to digital tools, dedicated health coaching and evidence-based educational resources, assisting them to feel supported, informed and in control of health outcomes and their wellbeing.
Cancer Coach by Osara Cancer Coach is an education, support and behaviour change program designed by oncologists to help people take back control of their cancer care and achieve better outcomes.
Cancer Caregivers by Osara Cancer Caregivers is designed to equip people with the support, information and skills to best look after their loved one living with cancer and improve their clinical outcomes.
Both programs are delivered flexibly and confidentially over 6 – 12 weeks through a mix of telephone calls with a Health Coach, via email and in-app. When you enrol, you will be contacted by a Health Coach who will walk you through everything.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Osara Health landing page for further information and access to the two enrolment methods for either program: www.osarahealth.com/en-AU/psacpsunsw or reach out to
Office of Local Government: PSA meeting for members in Nowra
Your union, the PSA, will visit your workplace on Wednesday, 20 August 2025.
We will be available to discuss issues affecting members at the Office of Local Government, including your access to flex leave and the State Government’s attack on the workers’ compensation system that protects you.
If you know a non-member, being them along so they can see the benefits of joining their union.
Details
Date Wednesday 20 August 2025 Time 1:00pm-2:00pm Location M-NOWRY-OLG-Level 2-Large Board Room
The meeting will also be held via Microsoft Teams Join the meeting here Meeting ID 285 540 957 827 6 Passcode Z4uX7vX7
Agenda
Your Flex Agreement
Proposed changes to workers compensation
Member benefits ranging from Union Shopper to the free will service for members.
Join your PSA Organiser, Claudia Bianchi and delegates for a members’ meeting to discuss how your union can best support your workplace.
This is an opportunity for members and non-members to meet with your Organiser and Delegatess to learn about the role of the PSA in your workplace and discuss any issues.
Members are encouraged to send any agenda items that they would like discussed to
If you know any non-member who would like to learn more about your union, invite them to attend.
Details
Date Tuesday 19 August 2025 Time 1:00pm-2:00pm Location Sovereign Room “Rum Hospital” – The Mint
The meeting will also be conducted via Microsoft Teams Join the meeting here Meeting ID 485 309 659 928 Passcode KV3xe25Y
PSA Workplace Delegates
Joseph Campbell
Richard Xuereb
Ramyana Clegg
Cameron Allan
PSA contacts
Claudia Bianchi Organiser
Greg Shaw Industrial Officer
We are stronger together! 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.
Art Gallery of NSW: Extraordinary members’ meeting notice on the proposed Change Management Plan
Further to our earlier bulletin sent on 12 August 2025, the Public Service Association (PSA) and your Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) workplace delegates have set this time for an extraordinary members’ meeting to consider your concerns and feedback from the Change Management Plan.
We strongly recommend your attendance at this meeting either in person or online so that feedback can be collated as part of the PSA submission to management.
PSA members are also invited to forward their concerns and feedback to or 1800 772 679 by close of business 29 August 2025. This is slightly earlier than the internal timeline to allow the PSA to collate feedback for its submission.
An offer of sorts: Fisheries Employees Award negotiations and the Industrial Relations Commission
The Public Service Association (PSA) has waited and waited for an offer from NSW Treasury with respect to the Fisheries Employees Award after the PSA advised that we had exhausted our endeavours with representatives of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Unable to put our members at further disadvantage, the PSA filed a dispute with the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to make sure that any outcome would involve the administration of backpay. The PSA was informed on several occasions that another offer was to be made. However, nothing has materialised. No one is advising who is the holdout on the offer: the PSA is of the opinion that it rests with your agency.
So now, the only offer was the one provided in April that was roundly opposed by the PSA and the Fisheries Officers Vocational Branch (FOVB) Executive as being entirely unsatisfactory because it involved an expanded FO3 classification, smaller increases, no Allowances or increases in annual leave.
The offer for Fisheries Technicians would not include keeping flex provisions nor would it review the current gradings of roles before transition would be considered.
Fisheries employees have every right to be furious. And it’s not like the PSA hasn’t been baited and switched before this with the previous bargaining team being let go and a hiatus of six months before the agency entered into discussions again with new participants and new terms.
Before Commissioner Webster on Friday 8 August, the Commissioner made the following recommendation in conciliation:
The respondent provide an interim pay increase to the employees the subject of the dispute in the amount of 4%.
The employees the subject of the dispute and the PSA does not engage in any industrial action in respect of the matters in dispute while it is before the Commission in either conciliation or arbitration.
As per the PSA’s rules, your union is obligated to provide this offer to our Fisheries Employees membership for endorsement. The PSA Executive and the FOVB Executive recommend that the Fisheries Employees membership accept the interim offer because:
It is an immediate increase backdated to the first pay in July
It partially deals with the now historical determinants posed by an MoU that was not adhered to and previous agreement from the PSA and Fisheries Employees to accept 3 per cent on the basis that Award negotiation that has not been finalised
The interim offer allows the PSA to continue with the negotiation or arbitration of the substantive issues with respect to the Fisheries Award unencumbered.
Whilst the Fisheries Employees Award encompasses all Fisheries employees, the negotiations have been kept separate because of the different structures and claims.
The PSA invites all ranks of Fisheries Officers and Fisheries Technician and Hatcheries Staff members to meetings on Friday 15 August 2025 to discuss the pay offer and strategy of the PSA going forward.
The FOVB Chair has already provided Fisheries Officers with a link to the meeting between 12:00pm-1:00pm.
The link for the Fisheries Technician & Hatcheries Staff meeting between 1.00pm-2.00pm can be found below.
After the meeting to discuss the interim pay offer, the PSA asks that Fisheries Employees provide their response as part of our democratic processes by filling in the survey HERE.
The PSA apologies for the rushed timing of this however, we are required to inform the NSW of our intentions to follow the recommendations by Monday 18 August.
Confirmed: Extension of Transport Senior Service Managers expressions of interest for early exits
Following the most recent “Sub Group on Change” meeting on Tuesday 12 August, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) confirmed that expressions of interest for an early exit for Transport Senior Service Managers (TSSM) employees assigned to TfNSW will now remain open until 5:00pm on Friday, 22 August 2025.
The Public Service Association (PSA) welcomes this extension. TfNSW reported that the response to the EOI was “strong”. When the PSA pressed for the specific number of responses TfNSW had received, the agency responded it would get back to us.
TfNSW provides further details on how it came to “950 positions”
TfNSW indicated that its estimate on the number of positions needed to be cut to save $279 million was based on roughly 150-200 TSSM roles needing to be cut, and 750-800 Award roles needing to be cut.
If the response to the TSSM early exit is “strong” we would expect that the number who have requested an early exit would be significantly higher than 150-200 TSSM roles, and TfNSW should look to make as much of its savings as possible from the TSSMs who have indicated they would like an early exit.
As TfNSW has said it is looking for a dollar figure ($279 million) every TSSM who chooses to “exit early” prevents the need for an Award employee to have their job cut.
Protection Racket for Senior Executives continues
Noting that TfNSW has only reduced its Senior Executive size by 200 over the previous two years, this means the agency is comfortable with cutting four times more Award staff than Senior Executives before the end of this year in order to find its savings.
The PSA maintains the Government needs to end the protection racket for the more than 1000 Senior Executives that Transport have chosen to keep employed at the expense of TSSM and Award staff.
As previously flagged, the PSA is developing a template letter, which you may wish to amend as you see fit, in order for you to ask your elected Member of Parliament what their position is on the plan to protect Senior Executives, whilst cutting workers across TfNSW. This letter will be distributed in a separate communication.
Common questions from members
The PSA would like to address some common questions we have received throughout our member meetings.
What is the Workforce Mobility Placement (WMP) Policy?
The WMP Policy applies to non-executive (Award employees) and aims to retain staff in the public sector, prioritising ongoing employees who have had their position affected by change, with a view of placing them in vacant roles at the same level within the Government Sector. This occurs through an eight-week redeployment period where a centralised WMP team attempts to identify suitable roles for the affected employee to be matched to.
More detailed info on the mobility program can be found HERE.
If I am in the WMP Program, will I be offered a Voluntary Redundancy?
If after eight weeks, a suitable role is not found, the impacted employee will then be offered a Voluntary Redundancy, as per the usual Managing Excess Employees policy.
I’m a TSSM, why can’t I have access to the WMP?
TSSMs across TfNSW are not eligible for this program, as they are above Award level. Practically, as you are above Award level, there would be very few similar or suitable roles across the wider Government Sector to be placed in. While TSSMs are not eligible for the WMP, there may be opportunities for “mobility” into equivalent roles (Grade 9 and above) within TfNSW that may exist throughout the detailed design process. It is important not to confuse “mobility” in this context, with the WMP Policy.
What are the tax implications for a TSSM “early exit”?
The PSA cannot provide financial advice of this nature, as there are strong penalties for doing so unless an individual or entity holds an Australian Financial Services (AFS) license. We encourage you to review the terms of your contract, which may detail the compensation payable if your position is terminated and seek the relevant tax advice as to how those payments may be considered by the ATO.
Can I withdraw my “EOI” for an early exit if I change my mind?
The PSA is seeking further information for members around this. However, if a TSSM has put their hand up for an early exit, and TfNSW agrees that the position the individual holds is potentially “excess”, TfNSW can enforce the provision of Section 68N of the Transport Administration Act to end their employment, triggering the compensation terms of their contract, and their “early exit”.
How does the RMS No Forced Redundancy protection interact with this process?
The RMS No Forced Redundancy protections (contained within a MoU and the RMS Dissolution Legislation) in relation to the dissolution of RMS back in 2019 is still in place. There was no time limit, other than it remaining in place whilst the RMS Awards remain in place. In the last round of Award discussions, the RMS Award was simply varied to allow that provision to continue.
If a member was in an RMS Award covered role back in 2019, they remain protected from being made forcibly redundant, UNLESS they are now in a TSSM or TSSE role, which does extinguish this protection.
