PSA representatives met with the Department of Planning and Environment and Office of the Valuer General (VGNSW) staff on Wednesday 14 September as part of the consultative obligations upon the agency when addressing agency reform.
Previous meetings with members had highlighted several levels of concern about the proposed change where there was:
- a fundamental lack of direct appointment to roles;
- a change in Role Descriptions that is used to require a further merit selection process instead of using assignment to role provisions in the GSE Act;
- a change in Award coverage away from the Professional Officers Award to the Administration and Clerical Award;
- a truncated consultation timeline impinging on real and effective consultation and;
- a conflicting approach to potentially affect so many VGNSW staff when there is an understandable lack of qualified valuations staff with the marketplace. The process seems like an opportunity for the Office of VGNSW to pick and choose those more senior staff going forward.
Consultation extension request
PSA representatives commented on the lack effective consultation in that two weeks’ notice for a process of major reform is not satisfactory. The Executive Director has stated he is unwilling to extend the consultation any further despite there being so many outstanding matters.
The rationale being the want to have reform finalised before the Christmas break. Obviously, the PSA was less concerned about the Christmas break as no members have sought for this process to be expediated. With so many matters outstanding, it is obvious to the PSA and consultation should continue. It was further highlighted that several training and development courses being offered after such time as the proposed EOIs are meant to have already started.
Strike 1: Direct appointments
PSA representatives highlighted the concern that there were very few proposed direct appointments in grades 7/8 and above. The rationale being that the scope of positions had sufficiently changed as well as the proposed transfer of staff to the A&C Awards. Whilst DPE representatives and the Executive Director made commitments to review the role descriptions for Grade 7/8 positions, there was no commitment for Grade 9/10 and 11/12 roles to be reviewed in the same way.
One part of the VG argument was that there needed to be better leadership qualities for senior staff with the concern that senior valuations qualifications did not necessarily always mean that they were mutually exclusive. The PSA argues that the VGNSW has been in significant flux since the deletion of the Assistant Valuer General as well as the Director of the Just Terms team in December 2021.
Strike 2. Award Coverage
The PSA argument was that the premise for the establishment of the Award provisions contained under Professional Officers Award remained. The proposal to transfer staff to the Administrative and Clerical Award was argued by VGNSW representatives to give it more flexibility to administer assignments to other roles within the Office of the VG and give staff experience and professional development. The argument made by the PSA is that the Office of the VG had already previously administered such assignment to role so why now treat the matter differently and make staff subject to anxiety and intrusion effectively re-applying for their positions.
Strike 3. Where to From Here?
Understandably, the PSA and members of VGNSW are less than happy with the responses and have seriously questioned the rationale of the reform.
Accordingly, the PSA has advised DPE representatives that a dispute will be filed with the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW if the period is not extended so that there is real and effective consultation on this major reform.
The PSA has received significant information from our membership as part of our submission on the proposed reform.
Any further representations can be sent to Industrial Officer Shane Howes at .