The PSA got the Crown Employees (Child Protection) Award made by the Industrial Relations Commission. Coming after years of campaigning by your union, this provides separate classification, grading, and pay structures for the child protection workforce, recognising the distinct responsibilities and pressures of their roles. The PSA secured revised salary ranges, automatic advancement of increments, 100 new “Leading Caseworker” roles, and abolished the practice of forfeited hours.
In October, the NSW Government announced its intention to transition the Mount Druitt Family Violence Service from a government-led model to delivery by non-government organisations effective 1 July 2026. General Secretary Stewart Little took immediate action and within hours this disastrous decision was reversed. Mount Druitt Family Violence Services will now be exempt from the commissioning process and funding decisions that threatened the service’s future. The doors will remain open and continue to be delivered by our dedicated DCJ Caseworker members.
Quick action by the Prison Officers Vocational Branch has gained media attention for an inadequate sentence handed down to an inmate who attacked four Prison Officers. The inmate, who could have been released from prison the week the sentence was handed down, now remains in custody in Goulburn. The PSA is campaigning to ensure future sentencing better matches community expectations when prison staff are attacked.
TAFE NSW Administrative, Support & Related Staff now have a new Enterprise Agreement (EA) which gives them a back-paid 4 per cent salary increase for 2024. There will be further increases of 3 per cent in each of the following two years automatically.
Senior Catering Officers at the Office of Sport will not have to transfer to a private employer after 60 roles were outsourced.
The CPSU NSW secured a 12 per cent three-year pay deal for staff at the privately run Clarence Correctional Centre. In addition, there are overtime loading top ups, a retention bonus, improved higher-duties clauses, and better rostering consultation.
Members in Manager Supported Living roles at Aruma have received the 2025 Fair Work Commission annual wage review increases of 3.5 per cent where their wages were aligned with the relevant Award.
Thanks to the PSA, Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) can no longer subject members facing misconduct allegations to long delays. At the initial stage the matter will be reviewed to ensure there is a sufficient and proper basis to proceed with misconduct allegations. CSNSW must inform staff what the allegation is within four weeks. And there are set timelines for the remainder of the process.
The PSA has been front and centre in the media and the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) regarding Transport for NSW’s proposal to cut 950 jobs. Our dispute in the IRC has so far found an additional $103 million in savings from reductions in labour hire and senior executives, reducing the number of job cuts for Award staff. There is more work to do, but the PSA is continuing the fight for members’ jobs.
Without the support of the PSA, which intervened and took the matter to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, a member at the NSW Parliament would have been denied the right to be consulted and the right to procedural fairness.
There is still work to be done, but the PSA has made progress on the formula used to calculate how many General Assistants are required to staff a school. Previously this was solely dependent on how many students were enrolled, rather than factors such as land size and topography.
When a number of staff at the Rural Fire Service were told of a move from Bankstown Airport to Glendenning, the PSA intervened on behalf of several members whose pre-existing work arrangements to accommodate caring responsibilities were at risk. The PSA intervened and a better relocation arrangement was introduced.
The PSA has settled a significant industrial dispute against the NSW Police Force concerning a failure to pay administrative shift workers who are rostered on ‘recurrent leave days’ on public holidays. The parties are currently working through some outstanding issues, but the PSA anticipates that members will be backpaid for the full limitation period by Christmas.
The casual to permanent process in Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) has been implemented. It is now live on the CSNSW portal and advertised on the broadcast.
On 1 August 2025, the PSA and the State Government finalised their settlement of the PSA’s proceedings regarding the Rural Fire Service’s contravention of its award and failure to pay overtime. The settlement sees the distribution of $5 million to affected employees, who will be paid before Christmas.
The PSA has commenced proceedings on behalf of a delegate of the Fisheries Officers Vocational Branch. The delegate was victimised when his manager withdrew his acting-up opportunity and issued a caution in response to him speaking to the media in support of the PSA’s bans on unsafe work.
Without the PSA stepping in, a member’s accumulated leave entitlements from the Art Gallery and NSW Parliament would have been lost.
All Digital Driver Licence staff have been made permanent at their location with a right of return.
The Corrective Services NSW Acute Crisis Management Unit is due to be reopened. This is occurring with consultation and can be pushed back if staff or facilities are not ready.
Meetings regarding one-out medical escorts have occurred with the PSA providing feedback to CSNSW to have the risk assessment and escort procedures changed.
The PSA has successfully demanded extensions to consultation times in a number of restructures. In many instances, the union has successfully demanded the standard two weeks be extended, allowing our union to seek appropriate and necessary input from delegates and members across the board.
While a PSA request to record sick leave reviews was knocked back by the CSNSW, the union succeeded in its request for a support person for all sick leave reviews.
