On 29 June 2026 PSA industrial staff attended a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting with delegates and management from Homes NSW Housing Portfolio.
JCCs are an important platform to address workplace concerns and members are encouraged to reach out to PSA delegates and staff about any workplace issues they would like raised at the meetings. They are an opportunity for members to speak out and ask any questions they may have about workplace rights. Please note only collective issues are discussed at JCCs. Individual matters are managed privately.
Key discussions on 29 June included:
New fixed term roles and contingent labour
Management gave an update on the 67 new fixed term roles. Phase 1 of the workforce stabilisation project is done with 25 roles recruited and phase 2, with 31 roles, is almost recruited. Phase 3, with 11 roles, still needs to be finalised. Management expect the project to be completed by the end of July. Successful recruits will start over the next one-to-two months.
Existing contingent labour have filled most of the roles with fewer recruited internally (six) and externally (seven). Management stated they are working to secure further funding and, if successful, they can offer more ongoing roles.
The main purpose of the new fixed term roles was to reduce reliance on contingent labour, to align with the Core NSW Public Service Work Policy. The policy makes it clear that core work is to be done by government sector employees and defines the types of work that includes.
Backfilling roles
Members have raised a number of concerns around the backfilling of roles when staff go on leave or act up in higher grades. Management said the process of backfilling roles is the same as Housing Services.
Temporary vacancies of more than two weeks are filled using a mix of Personal Development Plan (PDP), Expression of Interest (EOI) and talent pool lists, depending on the length of time the role is vacant. Members are encouraged to ask management for a copy of the process if they are unable to find it on the department’s intranet.
Members who would like an opportunity to act up should make sure it is on their PDP. Management confirmed that long-term vacant roles should not simply be extended to the same employee, if other employees have indicated they would like an opportunity to act up.
Workload
Members have noted that while the higher grade roles tend to be backfilled, the 5/6 roles often aren’t. As a result, work backs up and it becomes difficult to catch up.
Management was surprised to hear that some roles had not been backfilled across teams and stated they would review to make sure it’s ‘consistent’.
When roles can’t be backfilled, members should not be expected to complete the KPIs of absent colleagues in addition to their own. It is the responsibility of line managers to provide direction on what is a priority. If KPIs can’t be met because of a shortfall in staff, then that should be clearly noted. KPIs are an important measure of productivity in the workplace but they should never be used to punish staff for work not done when a team is under resourced.
Members are encouraged to report incidents of high workload and share these reports with the PSA.
NSW SafeWork has important information on its website about workplace stress and members are encouraged to speak up about it.
Psychosocial Action Plan
Role overload is a psychosocial hazard, which management needs to appropriately address. The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 that commenced on 22 August 2025 is clear: workplaces ‘must implement control measures to eliminate psychosocial risks so far as is reasonably practicable’.
From 1 July 2026 SafeWork NSW’s codes of practice became mandatory compliance benchmarks. Employers are obliged to adopt the approved code of practice around managing psychosocial hazards or demonstrate a higher standard of risk management.
Management stated its Psychosocial Action Plan would be developed through its teams. There would be one plan for each team and an overarching one.
Members should familiarise themselves with the process as the action plans would include information about how the workplace is managing psychosocial risks such as role overload, work-related violence and emotional demands.
Work Health and Safety
Management provided an update on the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Committee meeting on 25 May 2026, where they stated there was a strong focus on both physical and psychological safety. We were told the WHS dashboard was 75 per cent complete. It includes organisation-wide safety insights and was designed to improve data visibility and encourage reporting.
There are plans for additional work-related violence training and tailored training for frontline branch teams. eLearning modules have also been updated which now include real-life scenarios.
Members are encouraged to engage with the department’s WHS initiatives and reach out to the PSA if they have any questions or concerns they’d like raised at the next JCC. Management said the committee is committed to continuous improvement.
Training
Management stated Homes NSW was working on a learning and development framework, which would include details on the type of training, the costs and the approval process for rolling it out. Housing Portfolio will develop its training from these established set of rules and review in relation to its concerns and budgets.
The next JCC meeting will be in September. Members can share any issues they have with workplace delegates or PSA organiser, particularly around any of the points raised here. Members can also attend the next statewide members’ meeting, which are held online quarterly. Unionised workplaces can negotiate and address workplace issues more effectively to make sure there are better outcomes for everyone.
Contact
Delegates
PSA Industrial Staff