“Jabs in jail” urgently needed as COVID-19 encroaches on NSW’s prisons

Prison officers are still waiting to get vaccinated even as COVID-19 case numbers begin to seriously test their efforts to keep NSW's jails virus-free, with the union calling on Justice Health to reinstate the on-site vaccination rollout. The Public Service Association said another round of workplace vaccinations for prison officer was urgently needed to make sure there isn't mass spread inside any prison. "Prison is…

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Deputy Premier's plan for fruit picking public servants highlights regional jobs failure

The Public Service Association has lodged a dispute over a plan to get NSW's public servants to harvest fruit and grains, saying it is a pie in the sky idea from the Deputy Premier. The union lodged the dispute after the Deputy Premier Paul Toole announced a plan to offer Department of Regional NSW week-long harvest leave to meet workforce demands in the agricultural sector.…

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Report reveals public sector workers are pillars of South Coast economies - 15/11/2021

Groundbreaking report reveals public sector workers are the pillars of South Coast economies Public sector wages disproportionately supported regional NSW economies during the prolonged crises of Black Summer bushfires and COVID-19, according to a new University of Wollongong report which for the first time has measured the economic contribution at a local government level. The report, commissioned by the South Coast Labour Council, measured the…

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Media Release: RFS boss dragging the chain on volunteer vaccination - 11 Feb 2022

Rural Fire Service Commissioner Robert Rogers is yet to require COVID-19 vaccinations for volunteers, despite a mandate for salaried RFS officers and all other NSW volunteers. The Public Service Association said members who are employed by RFS as well workers with firefighting duties in National Parks and Wildlife Services and the State Forest Corporation have consistently raised concerns about the vaccination status of RFS volunteers.…

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Feral horses plan requires well-resourced, and protected, NPWS staff - 22 Feb 2022

The NSW Government's ambitious plan to protect Kosciuszko National Park and reduce the number of feral horses will require permanent, well-resourced National Parks and Wildlife Services staff. "Conservation measures must always be lead by science, not emotions or nostalgia for long gone highland cattlemen that existed in Banjo Patterson's poems," said Stewart Little, general secretary of Public Service Association. "The science is in and it…

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