Key Update from Homes NSW JCC – Don’t Miss the Northern District Meeting

PSA delegates and industrial staff met with Homes NSW Northern management for our bi-monthly Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) on 2 March 2026.

The following items were discussed

WHS Dashboards for December 2025 and January 2026
Northern District HSR Forum
Homes NSW WHS Project Officer – Greta Luci
Current and ongoing vacancies
Expression of Interest (EOI) Process
Staff Development
Functional Review
PSA Issues
- Use of work mobile phones
- Referrals to Link 2 Home
- Onboarding for SCSO
- Day-to-Day Management of TA
- Phone Lines
- Newcastle Access & Demand
- Portfolios
- Reporting lines in Trim and in My Work Zone
- PDP, Recruitment and EOI’s
- Security Guard Tweed Heads Homes
- What is the role of the WHS Project Officer
- First Aid Officer Lismore (currently works part-time)

Functional Review

The Northern Districts review of the “functional review” is due for completion in May and Homes have advised that staff and the PSA will be given the opportunity to provide feedback. The PSA have started to compile feedback already received from members and requests that members start providing this feedback to the PSA via Regional Organiser Rebecca Reilly.

The PSA at our January meeting raised the issue of Team Leaders (TL) taking on the work of previous Housing Managers that have been removed from the district. We were advised that a lot of tasks that were being completed by the Housing Managers were identified to be at the Senior Customer Service Officer (SCSO) or TL level. The PSA has been asked to provide examples where this is happening. If you are completing tasks where the position was removed and it’s not at your level send these examples to Rebecca Reilly.

Phone Lines

The PSA raised the many concerns we have received regarding the phone lines as members have reported the current rostering arrangements are seen as inefficient, as some staff are unable to process certain enquiries and must take messages and refer matters on, further delaying responses. District response is that there is a recognised need for broader district-wide training, with a focus on how to respond to enquiries appropriately, rather than on end-to-end processing. Homes response is that Housing Operations Managers are tasked with supporting line managers to identify training needs across their teams and develop a plan for Director’s review. This will partly inform the training register, and any urgent training to support issues with resolving enquiries at the counter or by phone will be prioritised. Staff that rotate into new roles that they have not performed this recently, training will be provided prior to rotation. We encourage our members to raise your training needs with your manager ASAP. Feedback from members is that these skills take time to develop and staff rotating in and out of roles causes further delays and workload for staff.

Members are feeling pressured from management and feeling micromanaged while rostered on the phone que. The PSA has sent one example to the Director where this has happened and requests members to send other examples to the PSA and we will raise this out of session.

Access and Demand

The PSA raised concerns about the staffing levels in Access and Demand (A&D). While we highlighted the dire situation for Newcastle A & D, this is reflective right across the district. The PSA requested information on what is the expectation on the number of Temporary Accommodation Assessments that should be completed in a day and were advised that with a full team it should be 4. Delegates have provided information that members are receiving requests to “please explain” why they haven’t completed a higher number than this. If this has happened to you, send this information to the PSA.

Portfolios

PSA raised concerns about portfolios sizes exceeding 300 properties and adding vacant portfolios means our members are in fact managing much larger tenancies to manage. This was confirmed by the Directors comments that the line managers of each tenancy team can plan across the team to share the overall priorities ensuring there is equity for all staff. Adding the extra pressure of counter work and phone lines has placed extra stress on our members.

Workload

The PSA will continue to raise workload concerns with Homes NSW Executive however we need your help. While we understand that this creates extra workload, it’s important that you notify Homes of the impact of the high workload on your Psychosocial health via a WHS Safety Suite report. Email this notification to your personal email address, Delegate and /or Regional Organiser. This forms crucial evidence if you need to go on Workers Compensation and for the PSA to prove there is work overload in Homes NSW.

You can download the minutes of the meeting HERE

It is important to read the minutes as there are issues that members have asked the PSA to raise that won’t be detailed in this bulletin.

Northern District Member Meeting

The PSA will hold a Northern District Member meeting on Wednesday 8th April 2026 at 12:30pm.

When: Wednesday 8 April 2026

Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Consultation on Hybrid Working Model and Flexible Working Policy

The Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) opened a period of consultation on its Hybrid Working Model and Flexible Working Policy.

The Public Service Association (PSA) has already received some feedback from members to include in its response and is seeking any additional comments.

We strongly encourage members to provide any and all feedback through the internal online feedback form. This can be found in the communications sent out on Wednesday 25 March from the OCG People and Culture email.

Further if you have comments or feedback, you can send it through to the PSA and quote Case ID C10016961 and we will incorporate it into our feedback.

PSA visit to Penrith Radio Operations and Penrith Police Station (Unsworn)

Come and speak with your union representatives, organiser Michael Petersen and workplace delegate John Hughes, about their role in your workplace and how the union can support you.

Whether youve got something specific to raise or just want to stay informed, wed love to see you there, for a meet and greet.

Everyone is welcome. Feel free to bring along a non-member colleague so they can learn about the benefits of being part of your union.

Meeting details

Date	Thursday 9 April 2026
Time	10:00am-12:00pm
Location	Lunch Room, Level 2, Penrith Police Station
Contact:	Michael Petersen PSA Organiser John Hughes Workplace Delegate

Become a delegate

Are you interested in knowing your rights and getting more involved in your union by becoming a Workplace Delegate?

Your union would like to receive expressions of interest from members interested in becoming a workplace delegate. Training and support will be provided.

If you would like further information, please contact your organiser Michael Petersen. Contact details are in the blue box. above.

Housing Services: Sydney district PSA Joint Consultative Committee meeting

The first quarterly Joint Consultative Committee meeting (JCC) for 2026 was held on 16 March 2026 for the Sydney district. PSA industrial staff attend these meetings with workplace delegates and district leadership from Homes NSW.

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 16 March included:

Recruitment and backfilling

Management advised that staff in acting up positions, and are eligible, continue to be converted to ongoing roles and new recruits receive ongoing support to help transition them into the district. They also mentioned that there were no Client Service Officer vacancies.

Housing Services has a clear process around how to fill temporary vacancies of up to 26 weeks. Members are encouraged to engage with this process and to please reach out with any questions or concerns youd like raised at the next JCC.

Staff development

Management said they have a new training calendar in draft and that the district has partnered with other districts to make sure training is more accessible for staff.

Refresher training in managing workplace violence is to be rolled out across the district this year. The executive director of Housing Services confirmed in a meeting last Friday that the training would be delivered face-to-face every 2 years with online refreshers in alternate years.

The PSA asked about assistance provided to support staff through LEAP and management confirmed staff are given additional time to complete the training. Leadership said they are alerted if anyone falls into the at-risk category and can provide the appropriate supports.

Work Health and Safety

Management said the districts Psychosocial Action Plan has been done and will be presented at the next Town Hall. At the Housing Services JCC last Friday, the executive director said the Psychosocial Action Plans had been finalised in accordance with SafeWork NSW guidance and that reviews would be scheduled every 6 months to reflect staff feedback.

It’s important that members know about and understand the Psychosocial Action Plan as it will provide important agreed actions about how to manage psychosocial hazards such as role overload, workplace bullying, work-related violence and burnout.

The PSA would expect the Psychosocial Action Plan to comply with SafeWorks Code of Practice.

Action on the People Matter Employee Survey

Linked to the Psychosocial Action Plan is the People Matter Employee Survey (PMES) subplan. Leadership said it focuses on 3 primary areas, including:

Supporting Client Service Officers on the floor, particularly around de-escalation
Wellbeing and burnout
Communication and support on the floor, to improve consistent messaging

Management said the plan would speak to the people on the frontline. In the Housing Services JCC last Friday, management noted that Client Service Officers recorded the highest number of Safety Suite incidents. Again, members are encouraged to engage with the plan and reach out if they have any questions or concerns.

Renovations for Strawberry Hills office

Staff have been told about the upcoming renovations to the Strawberry Hills office and have been shown a mocked up model. Front and back spaces are to be done, including booths and rooms. Please reach out to your workplace delegates or PSA staff if you have any concerns about the upcoming renovations.

The next JCC meeting is scheduled for June. Members are encouraged to share any issues they have with workplace delegates or PSA staff, particularly around any matters raised here. The more you get involved, the stronger and more united your workforce will be, to better negotiate workplace rights and conditions.

Contacts

Member Support Centre

Delegate

John Grusovin

PSA Industrial Staff

Greg Corrigan Senior Industrial Officer

Rachel Eldred Organiser

Knowledge is power: Meal breaks

Know your rights. Strengthen your workplace.

Many members dont realise that under your union-negotiated award conditions, you are entitled to:

a paid 10-minute morning tea break
a paid 10-minute afternoon tea break
an unpaid standard lunch break of one hour (minimum 30 minutes; maximum 2.5 hours).

These breaks are not optional nice to haves, they are your rights. They exist to support your wellbeing, reduce burnout, and ensure you can do the demanding work of child protection, safely and sustainably.

Directions that reduce your entitlements

If you ever receive directions from your manager about changes to your conditions, without consultation, that may be incorrect information and your union can help you.

Have you been told:

you can eat your lunch in the car (while driving for work purposes)
sometimes you can only take 15 minutes it all evens out in the end
add an extra half hour to the end of the day (but dont go over 35 hours a week)
eat at your desk, as everyone else does.

If your manager makes any of the suggestions, they may be breaching your Award conditions. The PSA strongly advises you to take your prescribed breaks in full as they are an entitlement and are there for a reason, which has been negotiated and agreed upon by all parties involved.

Why you should take your breaks

breaks reduce stress and fatigue
they support better decision making
they help create a calmer, more respectful team environment
they reinforce that workers wellbeing matters.

Child Protection work is intense, emotional, and high stakes. Taking breaks is part of looking after yourself and each other. A respectful, healthy workplace culture starts with the basics: knowing your entitlements.

Below are relevant extracts from the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Reviewed Award 2009 regarding meal breaks.

Morning and Afternoon Breaks

Employees may take a 10 minute morning break, provided that the discharge of public business is not affected and, where practicable, they do so out of the view of the public contact areas. Employees, other than the 38 hour week workers, may also take a 10 minute afternoon break, subject to the same conditions as apply to the morning break.

Meal Breaks

15.1 Meal breaks must be given to and taken by employees. No employee shall be required to work continuously for more than 5 hours without a meal break, provided that:-

15.1.1 where the prescribed break is more than 30 minutes, the break may be reduced to not less than 30 minutes if the employee agrees. If the employee requests to reduce the break to not less than 30 minutes, the reduction must be operationally convenient; and

15.1.2 where the nature of the work of an employee or a group of employees is such that it is not possible for a meal break to be taken after not more than 5 hours, local arrangements may be negotiated between the Department Head and the Association to provide for payment of a penalty.

Standard Working Hours

20.1 Standard hours are set and regular with an hour for lunch

Flexible Working Hours

21.8 Lunch break – The standard lunch period shall be 1 hour. With the approval of the supervisor, the lunch period may be extended by the employee up to 2 and 1/2 hours or reduced to not less than 30 minutes within the span of hours determined by the Department Head.

New South Wales Department of Community Services Field and Standard Flexible Working Hours Agreement

Meal breaks

Subject to subclauses 12(ii) and 12(iii) a flexible meal break of not less than half an hour, and not more than two and a half hours, can be taken at any time during core time.
This meal break cannot be taken as the first or last hour of core time and ideally, the break should occur in the middle of time on duty but at least after no more than 5 hours continuous duty. Any time worked during the meal break will not be credited to flexible leave balance.

Standard Flexible Working Hours Agreement

Meal breaks

Subject to subclauses 12(ii) and 12(iii), a flexible lunch break of not less than half an hour and not more than two and a half hours can be taken between 11.30am and 2.30pm.
This meal break cannot be taken as the first or last hour of coretime and ideally, the break should occur in the middle of time on duty but at least after no more than 5 hours continuous duty. Any time worked during the meal break will not be counted as AWT and will not be credited to flexible leave balance.

New South Wales Department of Community Services Field and Standard Flexible Working Hours Agreement

Meal breaks

Before any member of staff proceeds on a meal break for substantially more or less than one hour, they must check with their supervisor that it is convenient and desirable for them to do so.
The meal break must be shown in the adjustments column in hours and minutes. Any second meal break must also be shown in cases where officers work during a normal day and also during the evening.
No member of staff is permitted to record less than 30 minutes for a meal break. Any person absent for more than two and a half hours must immediately apply for recreation leave in quarter day multiples.
Breaches of the meal time provision can result in members of staff being instructed to work standard hours or having disciplinary action taken against them.

The next time the PSA is at your office for a meeting come along, meet other PSA members, and learn more about your rights, your protections, and how we can work together to improve workplace culture in Child Protection.

Together we can build a workplace where respect is the norm – not the exception.

PSA contacts

Andrea Cartwright Organiser

Graydon Welsh Industrial Officer

Happy Easter! Remember your extra half-day flex

Did you know that in your Flexible Working Hours Agreement, there is a clause granting an extra half-day of flex leave if you are on duty and work a half day on Thursday (2 April) before Good Friday. After working three-and-a-half hours on Thursday morning you can take the afternoon as an extra half-day of flex leave, in addition to whatever you have already accrued.

If it is not possible to take a half-day flex due to the operational requirements on that day, then it can be carried over, so that your maximum for the flex settlement period is 6.5 days instead of six days.

If you need to point your manager to the relevant provisions, the entitlement is in Clause 19 of the Flexible Working Hours Agreement, as follows:

Easter Concession

19.1 Employees working flexible working hours under this agreement may be granted, subject to operational requirements, an additional half day flex leave on the Thursday preceding the Good Friday public holiday.

19.2 Employees who wish to take the additional half day flex leave on the Thursday preceding the Good Friday public holiday must work a minimum of three and a half hours on that day.

19.3 Employees may be granted the additional half day flex leave on another occasion within the applicable settlement period if they apply for the half day flex leave but are required to work on the afternoon of Easter Thursday.

The PSA would also like to take the opportunity to wish members a very happy Easter with families and friends and a restful break.

End of Term Wrap Up: new pre-schools, school devices, unauthorised roles and more

With Term 1 coming to a close, we hope you all have a well-deserved break over the school holidays.

Throughout the term your PSA industrial representatives and committed delegates have been working hard on the issues and concerns most important to members.

This bulletin provides an update for members on key matters raised at the Term 1 Schools Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting.

In this update:

Mandatory Training: new modules and chemical safety
Incorrect use of Recovery at Work Employee Functional Summaries
Schools advertising unauthorised roles
Professional Learning and Development
Distinction between SAM and BM roles
School buses and driving
School devices: laptops
Grown Your Own Program
Domestic and Family Violence
Onboarding new casuals
New Preschools: workload

Mandatory training

The department has advised that new mandatory training modules will be introduced for all school?based staff, with a completion deadline set for the end of the year. The training will include general K12 content along with role?specific requirements. Members have sought clarification on whether chemical safety content, currently being reviewed, will be incorporated into the condensed mandatory training package. The PSA will continue to pursue clear advice to ensure no additional training burden is placed on SASS.

Incorrect use of Recovery at Work Employee Functional Summaries

The PSA has been made aware that some schools have incorrectly used the Employee Functional Summary, obtained through the Recovery at Work process, as a substitute for the Statement of Duties.

Members are reminded that:

Functional Summaries exist solely to support an injured worker who is on an active return?to?work plan and is being assisted by a Recovery at Work Advisor.
These documents must not be used to define or replace an employees Statement of Duties.

Members who encounter misuse of these documents should report it immediately to the PSA.

Schools advertising unauthorised roles

The PSA continues to see examples of schools advertising positions that fall outside established SASS and GA classifications. A frequent example is a combined Student Support Officer (SSO) (a non?SASS role) and SLSO position, and a broadening of the General Assistant responsibilities including driving and a required skill level that goes beyond minor maintenance.

Members are encouraged to notify the PSA if they see such advertisements so they can be raised directly with the department.

Professional Learning and Development

The PSA continues to raise concerns regarding equitable access to Professional Learning (PL) for SASS.

Despite the Secretarys indication that SASS should have access to PL during the four School Development Days (SDDs) at the beginning of Term 1, practice across schools remains inconsistent. The PSA has included this issue as part of its Award negotiations and continues to advocate for guaranteed and meaningful PL access for SASS during SDDs.

Distinction between SAM and BM roles

The PSA is continuing its work to clarify and reinforce the distinctions between Business Manager (BM) and School Administrative Manager (SAM) roles. Further updates will be provided as discussions progress.

School buses

Throughout 2025 PSA continued to seek information from the department regarding the number of schools that currently operate one or more bus to demonstrate the widespread use of busses in schools and address the resulting increased workload for GAs and SASS, supervision concerns and request the implementation of appropriate WHS protections for staff undertaking this work.

The Department have clarified its position that neither GAs or SASS should be directed to drive vehicles (only GA Drivers) and that the employment of temporary staff must not be conditional upon their acceptance to drive vehicles to transport students.

PSA has made a Government Information Public Access or GIPA request for the required data. We will continue to support PSA members who are directed to carry out this work, and we will keep advocating to ensure the Department properly recognise and address the increased workload it creates.

School devices

This item was raised due to recent comments regarding the provision of laptops to all teaching staff and concerns about a lack of consideration for SASSparticularly around asset administration.

The department advised:

Device oversight will be managed through the Device Asset Management Portal.
The new system is intended to reduce, not increase, administrative workload for SASS.

Further information is expected to be provided.

Grow Your Own Program

The PSA raised concerns about ongoing access for interested SASS to participate in the Grow Your Own (GYO) Program. The department confirmed that it continues to support SASS participation in the program. The PSA will monitor access issues and advocate for opportunities to remain open and equitable.

Domestic and Family Violence (DFV)

The PSA received an update on the departments work to educate on the expanded support for staff experiencing DFV. This includes improved communications, posters, and access materials via the DoE portal.

Key updates for members:

The DFV leave declaration has been removed and other privacy issues continue to be worked through.
Members may access up to 20 days of paid DFV leave per year.
Updates will be reflected in the SASS Handbook and the current award negotiations will be used to ensure the DFV conditions in the SASS Award align with the changes to the entitlement.
PSAs factsheets on Domestic and Family Violence can be accessed HERE

Onboarding new casuals

The PSA has raised multiple concerns regarding the onboarding of casual staff, including:

Ensuring Working With Children Checks (WWCC) are completed prior to engagement.
ClassCover not guaranteeing that WWCC verification has occurred, leaving the administrative burden on SASS.
The implications for admin staff when making mandatory declarations when entering data to onboard new personnel by checking the I confirm that all identification checks have been sighted box.
Access to mandatory training for new casuals during work time.

The PSA is awaiting further advice from School Workforce.

New preschools

The PSA has received a comprehensive briefing on training associated with the rollout of new preschools. The list of locations for new public preschools can be found HERE with more information available for staff HERE.

Courses will be run over three cohorts through 2026. Recruitment is being facilitated by school Principals in participating schools who have been encouraged by the Department (with support and advocacy from PSA) to, where needed, extend the invitation more broadly across other schools. Permanent, long-term temporary and temporary SLSOs are encouraged to apply by reviewing available information from the Department, and to seek further information via participating schools.

However, questions remain regarding the impact on workload for School Administrative Staff and General Assistants (GAs). The PSA will continue to seek clarity and ensure workload concerns are addressed.

Historic win for casual Field Officers

If they walk and talk like an ongoing employee, can they still be a casual? No.

The Public Service Association (PSA) has achieved a significant win for the rights of ongoing and casual employees employed under the Government Sector Employment Act 2013 (NSW) in the Industrial Court of New South Wales.

On Friday 27 March 2026, Justice Chin issued his decision in the matter of Public Service Association and Professional Officers Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v State of New South Wales [2026] NSWIC 10.

The proceedings were brought by the PSA as a test case and focused on the circumstances of Craig Jackson, Community Services Field Officer within CSNSW. The PSA did so in order to get a ruling that it could rely upon for other casuals in similar circumstances.

The PSA alleged, and the Industrial Court has accepted, that Mr Jackson is not a casual employee as the nature of his employment is not irregular, intermittent, short-term, urgent or other work. Further, the Court accepted Mr Jackson is engaged as an ongoing employee, noting that the nature of his work was regular and systematic.

The State opposed the PSA and argued (among other things), that the fact that Mr Jacksons employment contract used the word casual in reference to his employment, that he must be a casual employee. The Court rejected the States arguments.

Ultimately, Justice Chin agreed with the PSA’s position, saying that the word casual is not determinative of a persons employment status and that an objective assessment of the nature of a persons employment, including the availability of ongoing work and a regular pattern of undertaking work are determinative of the nature of employment.

Therefore, it was declared in our test case that the employee was for the entirety of their employment employed on an ongoing basis.

This declaration was the culmination of a dispute that commenced in April 2024 and was arbitrated in early 2025. It is a historic win, that will positively affect not only the employment status of CSNSW Field Officers, but also other people employed as casual employees pursuant to the Government Sector Employment Act 2013, the Transport Administration Act 1988 (NSW), as well as other pieces of public service employing legislation. Special thanks should be given to our lawyer Nathan Keates, barrister Leo Saunders and delegate Craig Jackson.

Going forward, the PSA will be contacting CSNSW on behalf of the rest of our Field Officer members, to see their employment recognised as ongoing.

Contact

Member Support Centre
1800 772 679

PSA visit to NSW Treasury

Come and speak with your union representatives, organiser Vivette Horrex and workplace delegate Veronika, about their role in your workplace and how the union can support you.

Whether youve got something specific to raise or just want to stay informed, wed love to see you there, for a meet and greet.

Everyone is welcome. Feel free to bring along a non-member colleague so they can learn about the benefits of being part of your union.

Visit details

Date Tuesday 7 April 2026
Time 12:00pm-1:30pm
Location Meeting room L28 Guriidja, 52 Martin Place Sydney

Become a delegate

Are you interested in knowing your rights and getting more involved in your union by becoming a Workplace Delegate for NSW Treasury?

Your union would like to receive expressions of interest from members interested in becoming a workplace delegate. Training and support will be provided.

If you would like further information, please contact your organiser Vivette Horrex. Her details are below.

Contacts

Vivette Horrex PSA Organiser

Veronika Bonora Workplace Delegate

Meeting for PSA members at the Reconstruction Authority

You are invited to attend the upcoming PSA members meeting for employees of the Reconstruction Authority.

This meeting will be held in a hybrid format, with members located at Parramatta Square invited to attend in person to meet with your delegates.

The meeting provides an excellent opportunity to engage with your PSA staff and delegates, learn more about the vital role the PSA plays in your workplace, and discuss how your union can best support you and your colleagues.

Agenda

Results of the PSA Survey and People Matters Survey
Suspension of Flex
Office Locations
General Business

All members are strongly encouraged to attend. Your participation is important, this is your chance to meet your delegates, stay informed, and ensure your voice is heard.

Meeting details

Date Wednesday 5 November 2025
Time 12:00pm1:00pm
Location 6PSQ-L11.N.24

Members working offsite can join via Microsoft Teams using this link.
Meeting ID 421 934 217 803 4
Passcode BW9uE9sA

Together, we are stronger.

Contacts

McNeill

Pete Christie

Pete Cross

Adam Tran

PSA staff

Shane Howes

Industrial Officer –

Senior Organiser

Information on the fuel crisis for members in Legal Aid

The Public Service Association (PSA) has been in discussions with Senior Officers of Legal Aid, including the chief executive, regarding the current fuel crisis.

Regional and remote NSW communities and farmers are disproportionately affected, with fewer fuel outlets decreasing competition and greater daily travel distances at higher speeds leading to higher fuel consumption. Scarcity of fuel is an increasing issue for country and farming communities, leading to higher prices. At the time of writing examples of the cost of fuel included $3.29 per litre for Diesel fuel across New England Tablelands and $2.89 per litre on the Mid-North Coast without taking into account other country regions. In some areas the cost of unleaded 91 fuel is nearly $2.70 per litre.

The PSA has formally requested that Legal Aid allow the current flexible working arrangements, such as work-from-home, to be relaxed. This would take significant pressure off the regions’ fuel supplies also allowing farmers greater access to fuel in remote areas where there is a concern that fuel shortages may lead to food shortages.

Legal Aid provided an update to staff last week and more advice will be provided this week following a meeting of the Senior Leadership Team.

We will update members as soon as we receive further advice from Legal Aid.

Housing Services: Inner West & South East Sydney Joint Consultative Committee meeting

The first quarterly Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting for 2026 was held on 9 March 2026 for the Inner West & South East Sydney district. Public Service Association (PSA) industrial staff attend these meetings with workplace delegates and district management.

Key discussions on 9 March included:

Recruitment and backfilling

The PSA asked how the district is going with backfilling frontline roles. Management explained that they continue to hire above establishment because there is a lot of turnover; however, unplanned leave is more difficult to manage as is planned leave of longer than 2 weeks. (More on leave below.)

New recruits continue to complete the rolling 8-week recruitment process. To better support the transition into the district, the director meets with the new recruits when they are hired, when they start the role and 3 months into the role.

Management said they continue to make direct appointments for staff who meet the criteria and have been in roles for a long time.

Workloads

As the dust continues to settle on the Functional Review, members have been reaching out about workload pressures. Management said they are aware of the high workloads and to help support staff, theyve turned the focus onto continual improvement rather than targets. They said they want the emphasis to be on people working to capacity. The aim is to build capability so work can be done more efficiently and effectively.

The message from management is that they are there to help staff manage capacity and that the offices work together as a district to support each other. Members are encouraged to speak with managers about workloads and have confirmed in an email what the priority is and what can wait. Its understood that teams cannot pick up work in other areas of the business without having to drop other work.

NSW SafeWork includes important information on its website about workplace stress and members are encouraged to speak to PSA delegates and staff if they have questions or concerns.

Staff development

Training around managing aggressive behaviour, including on the phones, on the counter and in the field, will be rolled out to anyone who hasnt completed it yet. Management said theyd also expect all staff to do a refresher course.

The executive director of Housing Services confirmed with the PSA in another meeting that the workplace violence refresher training has started to be rolled out across the state, and that all staff will participate in face-to-face training this year.

Work Health and Safety

Management confirmed it encourages staff to lodge Safety Suite reports and that there continues to be training around its purpose. That includes how to do investigations. Management said it is being actioned in a timely manner and that most are around client verbal abuse.

The PSA reminds members to report all incidents, no matter how small they may seem. Records of your concerns within the department support the PSA to make a stronger case for assistance.

Psychosocial Action Plan

The districts Psychosocial Action Plan has been finalised and approved. Its now available in TRIM for all staff to access.

Its important that members know about and understand the Psychosocial Action Plan as it will provide important agreed actions about how to manage psychosocial hazards such as role overload, workplace bullying, work-related violence and burnout.

The PSA would expect the Psychosocial Action Plan to comply with SafeWorks Code of Practice.

Leave

Management explained there is a process to follow for leave and that staff shouldnt book holidays until its approved. The PSA understands that managing leave can be difficult and encourages members to give as much notice as possible to assist with planning. However, there will also be instances when members arent able to do so, and these should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to your workplace delegates or PSA organiser if you have any questions around your leave requests or entitlements.

Housing survey

The PSA has a housing survey open at the moment and we encourage all our members to complete it. It should take around 10 minutes and will help the PSA better understand the housing issues and needs of your communities so we can advocate on your behalf. The survey is open until 31 March.

The next JCC meeting is scheduled for June. Members are encouraged to share any issues they have with local delegates, particularly if they have anything to add to the topics raised here.

Contacts

Member Support Centre

Delegates

Tina Te Aho-Wilson

Felix Edian

PSA Industrial Staff

Greg Corrigan Senior Industrial Officer

Rachel Eldred Organiser

Key Update from Homes NSW JCC – Don’t Miss the Northern District Meeting

Northern District Member Meeting

Recent News

Consultation on Hybrid Working Model and Flexible Working Policy

Recent News

PSA visit to Penrith Radio Operations and Penrith Police Station (Unsworn)

Recent News

Housing Services: Sydney district PSA Joint Consultative Committee meeting

Recent News

Knowledge is power: Meal breaks

Directions that reduce your entitlements

Why you should take your breaks

PSA contacts

Recent News

Happy Easter! Remember your extra half-day flex

Recent News

End of Term Wrap Up: new pre-schools, school devices, unauthorised roles and more

Recent News

Historic win for casual Field Officers

Contact

Recent News

PSA visit to NSW Treasury

Visit details

Become a delegate

Contacts

Recent News

Meeting for PSA members at the Reconstruction Authority

Agenda

Meeting details

Recent News

Information on the fuel crisis for members in Legal Aid

Recent News

Housing Services: Inner West & South East Sydney Joint Consultative Committee meeting

Recruitment and backfilling

Workloads

Staff development

Work Health and Safety

Psychosocial Action Plan

Leave

Housing survey

Contacts

Recent News

Become a member today