Australian Unity Joint Consultative Committee bulletin
Your union, the CPSU NSW, along with local workplace representatives continues to meet with your employer Australian Unity (AU) for our regular Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting. The most recent meeting with AU management was held on 17 March 2026.
The three key agenda items for JCC included:
Recruitment
The CPSU NSW has provided consistent advice to AU that members considered the organisation was understaffed. This impacted not only on the ability to take leave, but when leave was taken, proper backfilling had not occurred. This meant that after leave, members returned to a large backlog, often comprising urgent matters which had not been attended to while they were on leave. The flow-on effect could lead to customer dissatisfaction and heightened risk of churn.
AU established the Resilience Team based on feedback from the union to help manage, among other things, programmed staff leave to ensure continuity of service provision to customers.
The CPSU NSW had made submissions that the national approach really didnt seem a good fit for the needs of Care Partners. At the JCC, AU advised adjustments had been made to the operation of the Resilience Team which would have members of that team concentrate on a more localised approach, rather than its initial national approach.
Further, AU advised it has commenced recruitment of 20 new Care Partners as this recruitment aims to alleviate workloads and is welcome news.
AU advised that external recruitment could take up to 12 weeks with internal transfers being faster and further AU highlighted its ongoing efforts to improve recruitment speed and develop career pathways
The CPSU NSW has asked AU to provide information on how new recruitment for Care Partners is triggered as this is presently not well understood.
The CPSU NSW suggested AU should be preferring to recruit internally for the Resilience Team, due to the breadth and depth of knowledge it will require.
It was acknowledged the Resilience Team required highly experienced and knowledgeable staff and that external recruits may struggle with the learning curve. That knowledge can only come with time and hands on experience in AU as a Care Partner.
We also raised member concerns around internal transfers as it appears that AU was using a rigorous recruitment process along the lines of outside hires. AU management agreed that this seemed unnecessary since existing staff had already gone through an external hire recruitment process.
AU advised it would review present transfer processes, however, as more than one person may be interested in a transfer, some form of selection process would need to be implemented.
Workloads and allocations
The CPSU NSW continually raises members’ concerns around unrealistic expectations around key performance indicators (KPIs) and workloads. Given AU is embarking on recruitment of 20 new Care Partners, it seems the union’s submissions are being treated seriously.
AU have advised that the KPI of having to work at 110 per cent has been reduced to 100 per cent. The CPSU NSW raised questions about how staff can work to 110% or even 100% as this didnt seem to include daily breaks (such as lunch), leave (such as programmed annual leave or unprogrammed personal leave) or training. AU advised that 25 per cent was apportioned to address those concerns.
The CPSU NSW raised that this was not understood broadly by its workforce and that better communication from AU was needed to explain allocations and KPIs would be helpful. AU is looking at producing information around these topics. The CPSU NSW offered to assist in this process to ensure that the information AU provides is best suited for Care Partners to better understand these elements of the business.
Poor corporate culture
The CPSU NSW has relayed member concerns around fear of reprisal for participating in AU programs such as completing Done Safe reports.
Done Safe reports are essential data which assists AU to manage its work health and safety (WHS) obligations. Members have advised that they are scared to lodge a Done Safe report. Additionally, members have raised that there is no follow-through once a Done Safe report is submitted.
While we know that this is not always the case as most managers are supportive of members’ concerns, CPSU NSW has been told there is a fear in some neighbourhoods that their local manager may take a Done Safe report poorly and become hostile.
AU advised it does not condone behaviour that increases workplace psychosocial hazards and that interactions between staff at all levels should be professional and courteous.
AU has confirmed that Done Safe reports can be lodged to bypass local management by marking the report as confidential. AU reported to JCC that every Done Safe report is scrutinised by upper management and/or the WHS unit and each report was treated seriously.
The CPSU NSW advised AU that members believe there was little to no point in completing Done Safe reports and expressed disappointment that they saw no outcome or result as part of the Done Safe reporting process.
AU management took our submissions on Done Safe reporting seriously and advised it would look at the process and see how and where improvements could be made so staff could see value and gain confidence in the Done Safe system.
These perceptions illustrate elements of poor corporate culture at AU. A more recent example the CPSU NSW raised at JCC was that members advised some of the AU listening circles seemed to have been stage managed. A few local managers appeared to have provided guidance to team members on how to comport themselves and what should or should not be said during the listening circle.
AU noticed this had occurred and was disappointed that some of the listening circles’ fearless and frank information sharing had been stymied. AU advised the JCC that the listening circle program was a genuine attempt to engage with staff to learn the good, the pain points, suggestions and feedback to help improve the workplace.
CPSU NSW made submissions that the listening circles example which AU had noted prior to feedback from the union at JCC was indicative of the poor corporate culture that exists in isolated pockets of the AU business. AU management at the JCC expressed that the company would not accept bullying and harassment in the workplace and were committed to making AU a psychologically safe workplace.
Resulting from JCC, the CPSU NSW encourages members to complete Done Safe reports even if they have previously been discouraged by their local managers. If you are worried about reprisals, take advantage of the ability to bypass your local manager by selecting confidential on the report.
Consultation continues
Meetings between AU management and the union are regular and ongoing. Resulting from JCC, AU will be writing to CPSU NSW with further information about the issues raised on behalf of members.
Should you have any feedback, please contact your local CPSU NSW representatives so that the union can collate feedback and concern for relaying to AU.
We are also interested in expanding our representation at JCC by including local representatives from metropolitan, rural, and regional locations and occasionally, the union will seek time release from ordinary duties to allow members to participate in consultation around workplace issues and JCC sub-committee projects. Your time to participate in JCC is paid work time.
If you would like to become more active, please make your interest known to your union contacts.
Your feedback will help ensure the unions advocacy accurately aligns with member interests and concerns.
Contacts
Julie Smith Delegate
[email protected]
Leonie Bere Delegate
[email protected]
Shane Elliott Regional Organiser
[email protected]
Alex Sala Sydney Metro Organiser
[email protected]
Anthony Wright Industrial Officer
[email protected]
