Acknowledgment and best wishes

The PSA executive, industrial staff and delegates would like to thank our Education Support Staff (ESS) members for your service in 2025 supporting Public Education right across NSW, in all the ways you do in your corporate and field officer roles, and we wish you a peaceful and refreshing festive season and happy holidays.

 Special thanks to ESS delegates

This year the PSA held delegate elections and welcomed a new departmental committee (DC) of delegates with broad representation across divisions and directorates. We thank our long-standing delegates for their unwavering efforts and dedication in supporting members and keeping PSA industrial staff tuned in to member concerns. PSA industrial Staff and the DC delegates gathered at PSA House for two days in November including a day of training and strategic planning, followed by the AGM and DC meeting. We are thrilled to welcome many new delegates and the newly elected DC Executive– Chair, Danielle Fogarty, Vice Chair, Michael Wright, Secretary, Emma Purcell, Assistant Secretary, Kerryn Prior, Women’s Officer, Stephanie Sparke and Youth Officer, Ketaki Gaikwad-Sherratt – and look forward to what we can achieve together in 2026.

Challenges in 2025

We know it has been an especially challenging year for our ESS members, being subject to persistent restructuring and/or Machinery of Government changes. Throughout 2025 the PSA has remained committed to holding the department to genuine consultation and organisational change management practice aligned with the government’s Workforce Mobility Placement Policy 2023. We have required regular reporting on FTE, mobility placements, contingent labour and voluntary redundancies. We have raised the government’s public service staff retention commitment at the highest level, and discussions are ongoing to ensure it is met.

We continue to raise matters of member concern to ensure the department complies with relevant industrial instruments that uphold your working conditions. These include the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Award 2009, the Government Sector Employment Act 2013, and flexible working entitlements under the Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2022 and the Flexible Working Arrangements Procedure.

Flexible working

Flexible working arrangements:

The 50 per cent office attendance directive issued by the NSW Premier and reflected in the department’s policy continues to be a significant issue for members, with a range of concerns being raised. The PSA is aware that the Chief People Officer recently reminded all ESS staff to submit their Flexible Working Arrangements applications for 2026. PSA industrial staff and delegates will continue to advocate for the protection of flexible working conditions for all roles on an “If Not, Why Not?” basis and will support members seeking access to flexibility.

New flexible working hours agreement

The current Flexible Working Hours Agreement 2022 is due to expire, having been established as a three-year local arrangement under clause 10 of the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Award 2009. The parties commenced negotiations for a new agreement in late October, and PSA industrial staff and delegates have held six meetings with Industrial Relations, as well as exchanged correspondence throughout November and December 2025. The PSA is placing particular emphasis on ensuring that flex sheets accurately record working hours and that managers understand both employees’ entitlements and their own responsibilities. This includes providing reasonable access to flexible start and finish times, the accrual of flex, and the approval of flex leave. We acknowledge that bandwidth variations may apply to some roles, and these matters have been raised. Discussions to date have been constructive, with the parties agreeing that the current agreement will remain in operation until a new agreement is finalised following further discussions in the new year.

Time in lieu and overtime

 The PSA is aware that ESS staff may be required to attend school excursions involving work outside standard bandwidth hours (ie, after 6:00pm Monday to Friday or on weekends). Work performed at these times attracts payment at overtime rates or the accrual of time in lieu (TIL), in accordance with the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Award 2009. At present, the PSA is not satisfied that members are consistently recording these hours or being properly compensated. This issue is being addressed through Joint Consultative Committee forums and as part of the ongoing negotiations for a new Flexible Working Hours Agreement, which we advocate should provide for TIL to be recorded as an adjustment on flex sheets.

Pay-rises and salaries award

You would have received your pay rise in July 2025 under the established PSA three-year agreement, which provides certainty around pay increases through the Crown Employees (Public Sector- Salaries 2022) Award. This award applies from 1 July 2022 through to 30 June 2027.

• Three-year Salaries Award:
• 4 per cent pay rise + 0.5 per cent super (2024–25)
• 3 per cent + 0.5 per cent super (2025–26)
• 3 per cent (2026–27)
• Cost-of-living clause: additional payment if Sydney CPI > 4 per cent

Part of the agreement included the PSA negotiating changes to the Managing Excess Employees (MEE) policy to align with the Workforce Mobility Placement (WMP) policy. The new policy was recently released.

Creation of the Early Learning Commission

• At the conclusion of Parliamentary Inquiry into the early childhood sector, the government announced additional funding for ‘boots on the ground’; actions for greater transparency and CCTV trial and passed new compliance legislation. PSA industrial staff and delegates were engaged in the inquiries and hearings at parliament and provided verbal and written submissions on behalf of members.
• Following the Wheeler Review commissioned by the NSW Government, in which the former ombudsman recommended an independent regulator, the Education Secretary announced the regulator of early childhood services would be independent from the Department of Education by the end of the year. This machinery of government change implemented on 1 December 2025 represents a lift and shift of all staff from the department’s Early Childhood and Care Regulatory Authority (ECEC RA) to the newly created Early Learning Commission with the appointment of an Acting Commissioner, reporting directly to the Minister.
• The NSW Minister for Education gave the PSA advance notice of the announcement, and the former ECEC RA leadership has proactively engaged with the union. The PSA remains closely connected with our members and leaders via quarterly consultative meetings and regular out of session meetings, to track an evolving situation. Front of mind is staff wellbeing amidst significant workload and mental stress during this challenging time and in particular field officers facing unrealistic allocations of Assessment and Rating visits. The PSA has already raised these matters with the Acting Commissioner and looks forward to active review of the allocations, work priorities and support for staff wellbeing in early 2026.

Christmas shutdown periods and concessional leave

For your information, the Public Service Holiday has automatically been added in SAP. However, if you are working on 24 December (Christmas Eve) then you are entitled to a half day of concessional leave from midday or after 3½ hours from your start time.

There is no requirement to enter this leave into SAP. However, to ensure your timesheets are not negatively affected, please follow the instructions below:

• Staff members working flexible hours should record the half-day concessional leave on their flex sheet.
• In the “adjustments” column, under “details”, enter: “½ day concessional leave”.
• In the “adjustments” column, under “hh:mm”, enter: 3:30.
• Arrival and departure times should still be recorded so that the time worked, combined with the adjustment, prevents any debit to your flex balance.

Contacts

Katy Ambler Industrial Officer

Peta Noke Organiser

Member Support Centre
1800 772 679;