News

Wednesday, 2 June 2021

CPSU NSW wins back staff parking at Western Avenue


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The CPSU NSW has successfully lobbied the university to reverse the decision regarding who can obtain parking permits. The initial decision meant students were able to park at the Darlington/Camperdown campus at all times, rather than after 3:00pm on weekdays. This meant many staff were unable to park on campus and created a range of work, health and safety concerns.

We listened to the concerns of our members, and took action. In April 2021 we launched a petition HERE that has been signed by close to 550 Sydney University staff members. 

The CPSU NSW then wrote to the Vice-Chancellor on 18 May 2021, outlining our concerns and seeking an opportunity to present the petition.

Today the Vice-Chancellor informed the CPSU NSW that the university has decided to restrict access to the Western Avenue carpark to staff permit holders only from 6:00am to 3:00pm, Monday to Friday effective from 26 June 2021. A communique from the university will be sent to all students and staff shortly.

We would like to thank everyone who supported the CPSU NSW in this campaign. It shows that if we are organised and support each other we can win.

We will continue to work with the university to resolve all parking concerns, including re-instating all parking on Camperdown campus back to staff-only until 3:00pm.

Read the Vice-Chancellor’s response to CPSU NSW in full

Thank you for your letter of 18 May. We appreciate your feedback and acknowledge staff frustration with the current situation of parking accessibility being limited relative to demand. In response to staff feedback and as part of a comprehensive review of parking arrangements now underway, the University Executive has decided to restrict access to the Western Avenue carpark to staff permit holders only from 6am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, effective 26 June 2021. This move will alleviate parking pressure on the Susan Wakil Health Building.

Student permit holders will be able to access this carpark after 3pm on weekdays, and any time on weekends, and will be able to park elsewhere on campus as per current arrangements.

On weekdays, the Campus Shuttle Bus is available for students and staff to travel from other locations across campus to the Susan Wakil Health Building. We will be sending communications to our staff and students about these changes soon and appreciate that this change will not resolve all of the current parking issues. However, we want to assure you that our review of parking arrangements will continue.

The health, wellbeing and safety of our staff and student community is always our first priority, and we have had long-term measures in place to support staff and student security and ease of movement around campus, including the following.

  • Protective Services are on campus 24/7 and the team provides security escorts for staff and students who need to move around campus or to transport (such as Redfern railway station) after dark.
  • The University Shuttle Bus operates until 9.45pm throughout the week, aligned with teaching
  • Adequate lighting and CCTV
  • Traffic management planning, including pedestrian-only pathways
  • Loading zones to enable drop off of equipment
  • University vehicles available for staff who require them to transport heavy equipment (with dedicated parking)
  • Access for people with impaired mobility, including disabled car spaces, a University vehicle fitted with a full hydraulic wheelchair lift to assist people with disabilities and other individual accommodations supported by the Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2019-24.

 Any staff with specific or special needs regarding parking are asked to speak with their supervisor, as per the usual accessibility/disability accommodations. These requests can be escalated to our Central Operations Services team.

We are happy for you to present a copy of the staff petition. I have copied my colleague Darren Burdon, who can work with your office directly to confirm a suitable day and time.

Want to know more about the CPSU NSW?

The CPSU NSW has developed a handbook HERE that explains the benefits of being a member of the only union that is exclusively for Professional Staff.

Know someone who is not a member of the CPSU NSW?

Ask them to join the CPSU NSW HERE.

Follow the CPSU NSW on Facebook HERE.

Stand with us today!

Professional Staff: Worth Every Cent!

University of Sydney CPSU NSW Branch Committee

President Grant Wheeler
Vice President Ivan Coates
Secretary Patrick O’Mara
Assistant Secretary Ruth Livingstone
Women’s Officer Rachelle Down
Membership Registrar Holly Eades  

Branch Delegates

Norton Roughley
Peter Adams
Virginia Hilyard
Lachlan Grant
Matthew Etherton
Al Yap
Rachel Hassett

Union support

Member Support Centre 1300 772 679
Industrial Officer Lisa Nelson
Senior Organiser Anne Kennelly