Thank you to all our Field Officer members who voted on whether to create a proposal for a Pilot Program for ongoing employment or cease further negotiations and ask Justice Chin to publish his decision.
The voting ended at close of business Thursday, 24 July 2025.
In total, 25 members voted with 19 of those members electing to cease any further negotiation and ask Justice Chin to publish his decision.
Based on the majority decision of 76 per cent of our membership, The Public Service Association’s solicitor will advise the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) that we wish to proceed to judgment.
We are unable to say when the decision will be handed down by the IRC but anticipate that it should not be too long. We will advise our members once we receive the decision.
Transport minister running protection racket for fat cat bureaucrats
Transport Minister John Graham is running a protection racket for fat cat bureaucrats in his department who’ve been quarantined from the massive jobs cuts announced on Wednesday, the Public Service Association can reveal.
On Wednesday the government announced almost 1000 jobs would go from NSW’s transport department with a workforce of 16,000 but the PSA has since established the bloated executive of 1,100, who earn between $250,000 and $700,000, will be immune.
This is despite NSW’s transport department having far more senior executives than any other department.
The department has one in four of all the senior executives in the entire public sector despite being made up of only 16,000 people and the public service having over 400,000 staff.
The enormous voluntary redundancy entitlements of senior executives, which entitle them to up to $400,000, or 38 weeks pay, if they are sacked is one of the reasons they are hard for governments’ to dismiss.
This entitlement can only be changed by legislation.
The PSA is meeting its affected members who haven’t ruled out widespread industrial action.
Public Service Association General Secretary Stewart Little says the Minister needs to cut fat cat bureaucrats.
“Transport Minister John Graham is running a protection racket for senior executives, he needs to bite the bullet and clear the decks so people who perform direct frontline services keep their jobs,” said Mr Little.
“The truth is it just costs too much to sack these fat cat executives, they’re entitled to voluntary redundancies of 38 weeks pay which can be up to $400,000, so they hang around for years while our members on $75,000 get punted.
“But it’s more than that, these are the staff the Minister meets with, the ones he runs into in the tearoom, the ones he knows by name, it’s hard to sack these people, as opposed to the frontline staff who are just numbers on a page to him.
“The Transport Minister needs to toughen up and sack a few more of these pen pushers, rather than the hardworking people on $75,000 who actually keep traffic flowing and trains running.
“The head of the department has admitted that from 2021 to 2023 his department added an average of two new senior executive roles every week, that’s madness.
“The Transport Minister needs to change legislation so they don’t have to pay these executives these huge Voluntary Redundancies, these huge golden parachutes of $400,000, so they’re easier to hire and fire.
“If this department has to cut 950 jobs you keep the hardworking people at the transport management centre, the accident response drivers in the harbour tunnel and on The Sydney Harbour Bridge, and sack the pen pushers at the top, not make them immune.
“Every day 2.5 million car trips are made, and 3.2 million people commute on public transport, sacking 1000 people is going to cause chaos.”
Following the Delegates to Management (DTM) meeting held in Sydney I would like to keep members up to date on what meetings and roles the State Executive have been undertaking over the past few weeks.
State Executive met with Statewide Operations this week to provide feedback for consideration on potential changes introduced by the Custodial Operations Policy and Procedures Team.
These change meetings occur bimonthly with members of Senior Executive Advisory Group and the Commissioned Officers Vocational Branch (COVB), a lot of policy changes go through this process.
The State Executive utilises members from all over the state assisting with feedback as part of this process, we call them the “Review Crew”. If you like reading policies and wish to assist please contact the State Executive.
State Executive has attended Shortland Correctional Centre on 22 and 23 July as part of the Hybrid Operational Review, these meetings have been meaningful. Shortland Delegates are very positive on obtaining a positive outcome for members of Shortland.
Delegate training has been conducted at Macquarie Correctional Centre on 16 and 17 July for Western Delegates. Another delegates course is currently being conducted in Sydney 23 and 24 July for Metro and Regional Delegates.
State Executive attended Metropolitan Special Purpose Centre and Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre for the Acute Crisis Management Unit recommissioning as part of the outcome from the motion from the DTM. These meetings progressed well at both locations with ongoing consultation/timelines to be held prior to endorsement from the commissioner.
It has been requested from the DTM that all Section 24s be reviewed with all escorts to be conducted two out, this was raised due to safety concerns of members performing one out escorts with no real procedure on what actually occurs when conducting S24s one out.
A further meeting has been set down for 21 August with stakeholders. The State Executive have begun collating issues with one out, meal breaks, Professional Standards and Investigation matters resulting from issues such as one out escorts.
Tablet consultative meetings continue to be held with one held on 24 July 2025
The POVB intends on meeting with the COVB in the future to establish where each sub branch stands in regards to functions perform. Hopefully this will allow us to send out a final spreadsheet on who does what functions.
Industrial Officers and members of the State Executive have attended several Academy Class sign ups at both Junee and Sydney promoting the POVB with 100 per cent uptake from these meetings.
Hopefully this email assists in improving our communication and what is actually being undertaken.
Please don’t hesitate to contact anyone of us with suggestions on how we can do things better.
Language Services Member Meeting – Multicultural NSW
Your PSA Organiser Alex Sala, Industrial Officer Anthony Wright and PSA Delegates will be holding a Language Services member meeting on the 31st of July at 4.30 pm via Teams to discuss any issues or concerns, and strengthen our collective voice, ahead of the upcoming Language Services Joint Consultative Committee Meeting (JCC) with Director of Language Services MNSW Breda Diamond.
Please come along and take advantage of this excellent opportunity for all of us to connect!
Open Discussion:
This is your chance to raise any issues you are facing at work with the union. We value your input and want to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.
CPSU NSW invokes dispute resolution procedures with Aruma
Manager Shared Living (MSLs) CPSU NSW members have raised concerns about the following direction from their Regional Manager:
Effective immediately, there will be zero Overtime granted, we simply don’t have the funds for OT and if I can kindly remind you, your wages are from our participants funding.
Disability Support Worker (DSW) members have advised CPSU NSW that their Manager Shared Living (MSLs) have emailed to advise of this immediate ban on the payment of overtime (OT).
Instead, according to formal advice members have shared with CPSU NSW, Aruma will only allow for Time Off In Lieu (TOIL).
The House With No Steps Enterprise Agreement 2013 (HWNS EA 2013) deals with TOIL and overtime payments. It’s clause 23.2 says:
23.2 Time off instead of payment for overtime
By mutual agreement, an employee may be compensated by way of time off instead of payment of overtime (hour for hour) on the following basis:
time off instead of payment for overtime must be taken at ordinary rates within three months of it being accrued
where it is not possible for an employee to take the time off instead of payment for overtime within the three month period, it is to be paid out at the appropriate overtime rate based on the rates of pay applying at the time payment is made. However. an employee may request an additional period of up to 3 months in which to take accrued time off in lieu of overtime; and
an employee cannot be compelled to take time off instead of payment for overtime.
The RMs direction to MSLs forces Disability Support Workers (DSW) members who agree to cover staff emergency shift relief onto TOIL.
Members should note that CPSU NSW was not involved in bargaining for the HWNS EA 2013. TOIL at ‘hour for hour’ conversion provides no benefit to any worker agreeing to cover roster shortages under the current enterprise agreement.
To improve working conditions for members, CPSU NSW has consistently pushed in bargaining that the ‘hour for hour’ conversion of worked OT should be removed in the next enterprise agreement.
Where’s the consultation?
Such a significant change to CPSU NSW members conditions of employment must be consulted with the union, prior to implementation in the workplace. Aruma has not consulted with CPSU NSW about this change.
CPSU NSW views the Regional Manager’s instruction to MSL forcing TOIL to be unlawful. Any MSL who refuses to issue an instruction forcing TOIL and removing the workers choice to be paid OT will have the support of CPSU NSW should any disciplinary action arise.
The RMs communication to MSLs includes an implication that OT is being abused by DSWs. CPSU NSW rejects any suggestion that DSW members abuse OT.
Very clearly, Aruma has problems attracting and retaining staff which leads to short shifts and inadequate staffing numbers to properly support participants.
Removing any real reward for being a team player and taking on an extra shift to support participants does nothing to incentivize new employees or keeping existing employees.
Super-hero MSLs to the rescue!
The RMs instructions to MSLs indicates that they will have to step in and cover staff shortages on the floor.
With an increase in complexity of the MSL role now looking after three or four sites, how on earth can RMs expect them to cover DSW absences?
Any MSL member who can be working on multiple sites at once should immediately contact the union and share their secret ability.
What’s next?
Under the HWNS EA 2013 Aruma are required to meet with the CPSU NSW to attempt to resolve the dispute.
Until the dispute is resolved, CPSU NSW members should seriously consider whether they benefit from being a team player and taking on extra shifts if Aruma will only compensate the extra work with TOIL on an hour for hour basis.
CPSU NSW has requested that Aruma immediately retract the Regional Manager’s unlawful direction to MSLs. Further, CPSU NSW has requested that any MSL who has emailed a blanket ban on paid OT to DSWs should also be withdrawn.
Your union is presently awaiting a response from Aruma. Members will be updated as the dispute progresses.
On 2 July you may recall that PSA members and industrial staff attended a briefing by the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) regarding the 2025-26 budget and a proposed restructure.
On 4 July the PSA provided members’ a bulletin confirming that the PSA had attended the Commissioner’s briefing and had received a copy of the change management plan. The bulletin can be seen HERE.
At a meeting of NSWEC members on 21 July 2025 members indicated some concerns around some of the detail of the proposal and some related issues not contained within the proposal. The PSA will be requesting more information around the number of temporary staff and contingent labour currently employed prior to the announcement of this restructure and the impact of this proposal on those staff, and also, how ramping up resourcing for the 2027 state election is related to or influenced by this proposal. The PSA encourages members to forward any concerns or alternative suggestions to the current proposal to senior industrial officer by close of business 26 July.
The PSA intends to provide the NSWEC with a feedback submission before the end of the proposed consultation period on 29 July 2025. Members should feel free in sharing this bulletin with work colleagues. Please note, a meeting will also be requested with the NSWEC to deal with these matters. A PSA members’ meeting will be convened after this and a report back date will be advised
For details on becoming a PSA delegate or ongoing union support contact PSA member support on 1800772679 or .
Your Union Back for Term 3: award negotiations, professional learning and more
We hope your first week back has been good and you are settling back into the flow of school life after the mid-year vacation period.
Thank you to all the schools and networks that invited PSA representatives to attend your Staff Development Days.
PSA organisers will continue to visit schools to say hello and to organise your Term 2 meetings.
If you would like a PSA meeting in your school contact your PSA organiser or email us at .
Your delegates and PSA staff are working tirelessly to pursue action on the issues important to members. You can assist this work, so we can get better outcomes for everyone, just by asking your colleagues to JOIN
Delegate Committee for Schools – interested in getting more involved?
Would you like to become more involved in your union?
Are you interested in working with PSA members in your school and with others in your school network to resolve issues and help to grow the union?
The PSA has recently called for nominations for the Schools Departmental Committee (DC). The DC is a group of PSA members in schools who work together to involve more people in the union and help to resolve issues with the support of our organisers and industrial officers.
Once you are a member of the DC you become a delegate and are protected under legislation and your award.
Look for the email with the subject line Schools Departmental Committee – Call for Nominations and nominate today.
PSA Award Negotiations
The PSA is set to resume discussions with the department on our points of interest. The big three for the PSA are –
Fix the formula
Improved Professional Learning
Better pathways to permanency
In addition to these three areas which affect all SAS staff classifications, this is also an opportunity to look at a number of other issues which have been identified by PSA delegates to improve SAS Staff conditions of employment.
Professional Learning – face to face and role specific
The PSA recognises the work of the departments Learning and Development Directorate and there has been very positive feedback from delegates around the induction, mandatory training and other packages delivered to SAS Staff.
However, there is still a widely held view being raised with the union across all SAS staff classifications for more face to face and role specific training and the return of something similar to the conferences when the SASS Reference Groups were running until they were discontinued in 2018.
This has been raised with both the Deputy Premier and Secretary as a priority area for our members.
School Development Days
The PSA has raised concerns with the additional school development days for teaching staff and a possible unintended impact for long-term temporary employees if it sees the start date put out by 4 days which will have a negative effect on vacation pay.
Along with our ongoing push for better PL for our members the PSA will be looking to ensure that there are no losses to our members.
Brand, Digital and Communications – feedback on proposed restructure
Your union has received a response to feedback in relation to the proposed restructure as follows –
Workload
These concerns have been noted and discussed at length during consultation. Regular workload reviews will be undertaken to ensure the new model has been adopted and adhered to. Our new service levels will be communicated across the Department of Customer Service.
Changes to Role Descriptions
Role descriptions will be updated to reflect the final structure as required, and they will be shared with staff. Given the level of change proposed, it was not feasible to provide update role descriptions for consultation, especially as changes were expected as a result of the feedback provided during consultation.
Employees will be directly assigned to roles in Stage 2 if there have been no changes, or minimal changes to their roles. If employees have not been directly assigned, they will participate in Stage 2 of the Restructure Management Plan and they will be provided with all relevant role descriptions.
Temporary Employment
All temporary employees have been included in the consultation process and provided with the opportunity to provide feedback. It has been clearly communicated that existing temporary arrangements remain unchanged as they relate to backfill or project funded arrangements.
Further, we have offered a meeting with this cohort to hear any additional concerns and answer any specific questions.
If you have further questions or concerns, please contact member support on or call 1800 772 679 and quote reference number 10007647.
Housing Services – Functional Review – consultation and implementation update
Following the town hall meeting with Housing Services staff last week, the PSA met with senior officers of Housing Services and went through the presentation that was delivered to staff.
At the meeting the department confirmed that Homes NSW remains in the consultation phase and that outcomes may vary across districts.
The PSA raised the issue of some members having already been informed of changes that would effect their roles. Senior officers at the meeting confirmed that it is not consistent with Homes NSW’s approach and should not have occurred.
If members have been informed of changes to your role please email the PSA Member Support Centre at with the subject line – Housing Services Functional Review.
Next Steps
Your senior delegates and PSA staff will meet again with Housing Services in early August to discuss Change Management Plans and start the formal period of consultation.
We will be seeking your feedback, comments, questions and suggestions which will be consolidated and form the basis of the submissions and consultation your delegates and PSA staff will have with the department during the formal consultation period.
TfNSW announces “savings target” targeting a reduction of 950 positions
The Public Service Association of NSW (PSA) is aware that communication has gone out to staff outlining TfNSW “savings targets” which they envisage will be found from a reduction of approximately 950 TSSM and Award grade positions across TfNSW. The government’s own policy requires TFNSW to actively redeploy affected staff in the government sector and PSA will support members throughout this process.
Consultation expected throughout rest of 2025
The update sent out states that TfNSW expects consultation to begin for some branches in August, with an aim for all branches to be determined by the end of 2025.
Early exit and mobility options for TSSMs
The update references that TfNSW will be introducing an “early exit” and “mobility options” for TSSM’s. The PSA is seeking further information from TfNSW around these details and how it will interact with individual branch designs and consultation processes. The PSA would expect that before any reduction of positions for Award staff are explicitly identified, that this “early exit” program be allowed to run its course, to mitigate adverse effects on staff of this proposed major change.
Senior Executives and Contractors
While the announcement does reference that TfNSW has already delivered a reduction of 200 (out of 300) Senior Executive roles, the PSA is seeking further information on the cost savings already achieved, the cost savings still required, and what other options have been, or can be, explored to find savings. If savings need to be found, they should be made from these areas first and foremost.
Workforce Mobility Placement Policy
Before consultation on TfNSW’s proposed changes begin, you can view the NSW Government’s “Workforce Mobility Placement Policy” which is required to apply to “ongoing non-executive employees” impacted by change, here.
Support from the PSA
In the immediate term, the PSA will be arranging a meeting of delegates to discuss the announcement made this morning. Whilst consultation on the announcement has not yet begun and specific designs have not been shared with the PSA at this time, there has never been a more important time to join the PSA.
‘Guidance’ on Flexible Work Update – positive discussion and consultation with Legal Aid
Further to our Bulletin on Tuesday 15 July 2025, the PSA is pleased to be able to report that a meeting between senior management of Legal Aid and the PSA (consisting of PSA Delegates and Industrial Staff) was held yesterday.
Legal Aid clarified that it was developed as a guide to assist SIC’s in developing office plans and that it is not a set of mandated parameters.
As reported in the CEO Update to staff yesterday It does not change or override the Flexible Work Policy. For example the guidance refers to attending their principal place of work a minimum of 60 per cent of their working time, this is a guide and not a mandated requirement.
Members can be assured that individual arrangements can be made that take into account your individual needs as well as the needs of Legal Aid.
The Flexible Working Policy allows SIC’s (with Director approval) to consider any factor in making individual arrangements including;
Location where the member lives
Compassionate arrangements
Nature or function of your role
Legal Aid confirmed that workplace adjustments are separate and distinct from flexible work arrangements. The guidance has no impact on members with workplace adjustments.
Next Steps
The PSA will write to Legal Aid today and set out the concerns and issues raised at the meeting and Legal Aid will respond in writing. This will ensure that we have clarity about the issues and just as importantly the areas upon which we agree.
Another meeting will be held with Legal Aid to resolve any outstanding issues.
Members will be further updated on progress next week.
Health Care Complaints Commission – Come and meet the PSA!
Do you work at Health Care Complaints Commission? PSA Delegate Maryanne Rogers, Senior Organiser Belinda Tsirekas and Industrial Officer Graydon Welsh will be visiting your site on Wednesday 30 July 2025 from 12:00pm-1:00pm.
Please come and grab a donut and have a chat with Belinda and Graydon in the Acacia Room on level 13 or online via MS Teams.
Everyone is welcome, so feel free to bring a non-member to show them the benefits of being part of your union.
This visit will give members the opportunity to come along and raise any issues or concerns in your workplace. Come and say hello and get to know your union.
Details
Date 30 July 2025
Time 12:00pm-1:00pm
Where In person: Acacia Room Level 13/323 Castlereagh Street SYDNEY or online –
