PSA meets with FACS on NDIS transition

PSA meets with FACS on NDIS transition – February 2016 (PDF version)

On 19 January 2016, PSA staff and a Departmental Committee delegate met with Family and Community Services representatives to continue discussions about the implementation of the Baird Government’s privatisation of disability services. This meeting followed the meeting with the Minister for Disability Services, John Ajaka on 8 December 2015.

Read our previous bulletin on the meeting with the Minister HERE

Briefing on NDIS transfer strategy

FACS advised us the NDIS transfer strategy is still in draft form and has not yet gone to government. It remains at a high level and deals broadly with service streams and types rather than specific jobs.

During the briefing we were advised:

• the strategy outlines how services will be put out to expression of interest (EOI) to the private sector

• the expressions of interest to the private sector will identify the market interest and capacity. This will include the minimum groupings that providers will be able to tender for. For example, it could be a cluster of group homes, including their management structures. At this stage this is not fully determined

• once this is identified, the gaps will be assessed

• parent forums have been taking place over the past few months and unsurprisingly a number of parents have stated at the forums that “they want ADHC and only ADHC”. It was not made clear the exact volume of attendees who provided this feedback

• the PSA’s own feedback from parents is that these forums provided very little information about what was going to happen and that they wanted to stay with ADHC as their provider of choice

• the transition to the private sector will be broken into two stages, with the locations with more complex clients being transitioned in 2017

• feedback sent to the Working Together website is being assessed and responses prepared

• a mobility program will be developed, overseen by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Your PSA representatives will continue to communicate information as we receive it and will work hard to ensure consultation on how this affects members. In particular, we must focus on the obvious gaps that will arise through the tender process and the clear message that many parents would choose to continue using ADHC if that choice were not being ripped away.

This is why the PSA remains steadfast in our position that ADHC must remain a provider of disability services and will continue to campaign for “a real choice” including:

• client choice: maintaining client right to access ADHC as a service provider

• employee choice: the right to choose to remain in the public sector or have the option of a voluntary redundancy.

It is imperative through this process that we continue to fight for clients to be able to choose ADHC as their provider and to ensure the new NDIS money is spent on building capacity in the disability sector, and not wasted on transferring what exists in ADHC to a less regulated and less experienced sector.

PSA reiterates living wage concerns

In our last meeting, the Minister and the Secretary claimed research showed the NDIS would provide sufficient funding for staff employed privately in accommodation services, and also showed very little difference between award wages in the public and private sectors. They undertook to provide the PSA with that information.

We have not yet received this information and your union representatives repeated our request that this be provided so that we could scrutinise the data. While the position of the PSA is clearly against privatisation of disability services it is imperative that conditions of employment be protected across the industry to ensure a living wage into the future.

NDIA jobs

As members would know there has recently been a call for expressions of interest in positions at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

FACS advised us last year an agreement was negotiated that ensured that FACS disability staff are able to apply for these roles prior to them being advertised to the general public. These positions will not be advertised to the general public until the first offer process is completed. Members would have received information regarding this in December 2015.

Members have raised with us a concern over portability of entitlements from FACS to the NDIA. We raised this on your behalf and were advised:

1. employees who were successful in gaining a position at the NDIA would begin their employment with 23 days sick leave
2. if you become seriously ill, you may access your sick leave balances from the State Government at the discretion of the CEO of the NDIA.

The PSA sought further information on the process which will be used to determine whether access to State Government sick leave balances will be granted. At this stage we have not been provided with this information.

If you have questions about the EOI process or how this may impact you it is important to contact your HR/IR department.

Talk to your colleagues about joining the PSA

Now more than ever it is important for ADHC staff to be part of the PSA. Talk to your colleagues today and ask them about joining the PSA.

It is important that as many people as possible take an active part in in the campaign. Together we must fight for choice, for protection of jobs and conditions.

Contact your organising team to get involved in the campaign at