Thank you to all CPSU NSW Professional Staff members that attended the State of the Sector briefing to hear about the issues faced by universities not just in NSW but across the country. It was great to see so many of you online.
We would also like to thank our hard-working branch delegates in each university, and Vice President Shelley Odewahn for facilitating the briefing.
Australia Institute damning report and news on international students
As reported at the meeting, the Australia Institute report on Elective Spending at Australian Universities paints a grim picture of the use and misuse of funds across the university sector. The union will be actively pursuing reviews across universities to ensure non-staff related spending is cut before jobs are lost.
The same day we were meeting to discuss these issues, the announcement came that there would be changes to the Federal Government’s caps on international students. The CPSU NSW will be raising this with each university proposing cuts as a matter of urgency.
The union will be continuing the fight, taking it direct to the decision makers in both State and Federal parliament. We will keep members informed as we progress. If you are interested in getting more involved, get in touch with the union.
Keep an eye out for our bulletins which will provide links to write to your MP, information about any organised activities in your universities and contacts for your branch delegates.
Two easy things you can do to support your union:
Support the work of the CPSU NSW and delegates by asking your colleagues to JOIN their union.
If members you work with have not received this bulletin and are already members forward this bulletin to them and ask them to update their details through our Member Area
If you have any questions about this bulletin, please contact the Member Support Centre on 1800 772 679.
Want to be a voice for your workplace? Join the PSA delegate information session
You’re invited to an online seminar to learn what it means to be a PSA delegate – a key role representing PSA members in the workplace.
With elections currently running for the Schools Departmental Committee, now is the perfect time to get involved. You’ll have the opportunity to represent your colleagues and raise their issues at a peak level, and help improve the working lives of your fellow PSA members.
If you’re interested in becoming a delegate, but are just not sure what it entails, or if you’re curious about it, please come along! You’ll have an opportunity to have any questions answered!
Why become a PSA delegate?
As a delegate, you’ll be the day-to-day face of the PSA — leading on workplace issues, connecting members with the union office, and helping protect and advance your colleagues’ workplace rights.
Whether you’re just curious or ready to step up, this session is for you!
Member meeting: Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority
Your PSA Representatives and Delegates warmly invite all Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority members to attend an online member meeting scheduled for Wednesday 13 August 2025.
This meeting will provide a crucial platform to collectively discuss, share, and raise concerns.
Details
Date Wednesday 13 August 2025 Time 2:45pm-3:30pm
The meeting will be held via Microsoft Teams using this link. Meeting ID 442 599 317 212 Passcode Tf2Mr6Hf
We strongly encourage all PSA members to take part in this important meeting. Your insights, experiences, and perspectives are invaluable to our collective efforts. We genuinely want to hear from you about what is happening within your specific area.
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water – meet your organiser at 4PSQ
Your PSA Organiser Michael Parsons will be visiting NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) members at 4PSQ. Michael will be available for all members and any interested non-members who would like to know more about our union.
Bring a non-member
With recent changes and realignments in DCCEEW, now is a good time to bring a non-member along to see the benefits of union membership.
Details
Date Thursday, 7 August 2025
Time 12:00pm-1:30pm
Where Level 13 lunchroom, 4PSQ
Michael will be making plans to visit members across DCCEEW sites in the coming months. If you have workplace issue which requires immediate support, please email at or contact the PSA Member Support Centre on 1800 772 679
You’re invited: PSA CPSU NSW Mental Health Conference 2025
The PSA CPSU NSW will be hosting our biannual Mental Health Conference on 15 October 2025.
This year’s theme, ‘Healthy Minds, Stronger Communities,’ aims to show the connection between workplace mental health and the broader general well-being of the community.
The conference will be an opportunity for you to actively participate in improving mental health in your workplace by connecting, learning, and collaborating with fellow union members from across the public sector. It is also a fantastic opportunity for Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) to come together to discuss workplace wellbeing and build safer workplaces.
The focus of the conference is the relationship between self-care and resilience, emphasising the importance of supporting members’ well-being without normalising unsafe work conditions.
The conference sessions will examine strategies for building resilience through self-care and preventing vicarious trauma, while also exploring the strong links between physical and mental health for a more holistic approach to workplace wellness. We have an interesting line-up of presenters, and we look forward to sharing more information with you over the coming months.
The conference will give you the tools and the confidence to speak up and make an active contribution to your workplace and get involved in your union.
This conference is very popular, and spaces are limited. Expressions of Interest close Monday, 15 September 2025 – register your interest HERE.
Death by a thousand cuts: essential workers say enough is enough
The 300 jobs announced overnight to go at WaterNSW are just the latest in 1515 job cuts across essential services in NSW that have been revealed in the last two weeks.
Yesterday 300 staff critical to flood plain mitigation, dam safety and water quality testing were told they would be joining the unemployment queues.
This comes on top of an announcement last week by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development that 165 jobs would go even though they are vital for natural disaster response and in controlling pests like fire ants and varroa mite.
In recent weeks Transport for NSW also announced 950 jobs would go and TAFE NSW announced it would be cutting 100 jobs from regional centres including Dubbo and Orange.
Public Service Association General Secretary Stewart Little said regional communities will be without essential frontline workers if hte cuts aren’t reversed.
“These are researchers who provided safe drinking water to communities in Lismore and northern NSW during recent flood events,” said Mr Little.
“These are people who work in flood mitigation to try and protect communities from one in 100 flood events like we saw hit Eugowra in 2022.
“You can’t jobs like this and expect it not to impact flood response or water quality.”
ASU NSW & ACT Secretary Angus McFarland said the decision was devastating.
“This decision to cut hundreds of essential water jobs is a devastating blow to the workers and the communities they serve each and every day. It’s outrageous that WaterNSW is slashing hundreds of jobs at a time when their expertise and labour has never been more essential.”
“With climate impacts escalating, it’s hard to see how a state-owned corporation can justify cutting the very jobs that protect our water and communities.
“What plan does the state government have in place for the next inevitable flood? How can the state government expect to respond to the climate crisis challenges if critical capacity is stripped away?
“Gutting the workforce now will only cost the state more in the long run. Plus just last week, IPART gave WaterNSW permission to increase their prices by 10 per cent per year for the next three years.”
Your union, the CPSU NSW was invited to a meeting WaterNSW on 4 August 2025 to be advised of a call for expression of interest for Voluntary Redundancies of some 300 roles.
This announcement and the budget hole that WaterNSW finds themselves in has come as a shock to us and we want to hear from you.
Your feedback on the proposed changes as advised by WaterNSW is important to us and we are scheduling two meetings on Wednesday 6 August 2025.
Please join your Industrial Officer, Xanthe Thomson and delegates at 10.00am and 2.00pm using the below teams meeting link.
Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development Reform – PSA’s Initial Response
Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development (DPIRD) members have now been formally informed of the proposed reform and the substance of the 10 Change Management Plans that includes the proposed deletion of 266 roles. DPIRD has now begun ‘consultation’ on the reform.
After the initial shock, comes the anger and the worry about what that means for affected members and how they have their say.
How Does Reform Take Place?
Reform processes between the PSA and Public Service agencies are managed via Agency Change Management Plans. They outline the rationale for change, the extent of change in terms of work and roles, and the means to place affected staff. Consultation on the plans takes place between DPIRD and the PSA.
You can see your Change Management Plan (CMP) in the below links.
Before entering into any consultation on the proposed reform, the PSA and its membership should be fully informed. This involves the exchange of information on all sorts of matters.
The PSA Assistant General Secretary has already written to the DPIRD Secretary and sought information as well as certain commitments. They include but are not limited to:
Identified Organisational data
Information on the number of Executives, Temporary Staff & Contingent Labour across the various divisions
Information on current vacancies across the respective Divisions of DPIRD
Information on the ages of affected employees
Information on proposed created role locations
Proposed work transfer to LLS
Outsourcing of functions (Lab, Education & NSW Resources)
A proper timeframe for the administration of consultation. The PSA has posed 8 weeks. Why? It’s simple – 266 roles and 39 different worksites across the state. This is major reform and accordingly needs the time for real and effective consultation between the parties.
Media & The Public Servant
Several members have told the PSA that external groups like Growers Groups or funding bodies have sought to understand what the changes means for their projects/programs and have expressed frustrations that this is something that they have not been informed about.
Staff are reminded that they are subject to a code of conduct and the making of public comments without authorisation could be against that code. Those groups who wish to provide support to affected staff should be directed to PSA Industrial Officer Shane Howes or one of the PSA workplace delegates.
What isn’t being spoken about (and should) is the reputational risk that such an extensive reform places on current operations. Many affected staff proposed for deletion have spoken to the PSA about continuing to administer millions of dollars in programs. Some have contracts in place up to 2028.
It’s almost like telling everyone that you are future fitting the agency for success when in reality it is about reducing the capacity for the agency to undertake scientific research and development as well as limiting the capacity to react and coordinate the response to serious biological incursions. Not to mention the elephant in the room – the outsourcing of functions and breaking a basic Labor election commitment to end such privatisations.
From an overall view, what industry group or funding body will provide vital research and program dollars to DPIRD not knowing if there will be staff to administer their programs into the future?
What Now?
To date, DPIRD is yet to respond to the PSA letter sent Friday 1 August 2025 seeking information and various other commitments.
If the agency agrees to the PSA requests for information and time extensions, then it gives the PSA the proper time to plan, meet and discuss these proposals with affected staff. If not, then there are other escalation factors for the PSA to consider.
Considering the reform encompasses 266 affected roles and more than 39 worksites across the state it’s a lot to formulate.
In the meantime, the PSA requests that members take the time to provide meaningful feedback to their respective reform processes and consider providing the material to the PSA as part of our feedback and consultation with the organisation.
This is some of the largest reform proposed by the agency since the dark days of 2012. Interesting how some of those affected now, were affected then also. Is it a case of out with the old, in with new? Only time will tell.
Join PSA Regional Organiser and departmental delegate Christine Harvey for a pizza lunch paid for by the PSA. We know you have busy schedules and are at the mercy of the courts as to when you can take your lunch break so we will plan to sit in the conference room over two hours so we can catch you.
