Asbestos, it seems, is everywhere. Every few months the state lurches to a new crisis and yet another group of PSA CPSU NSW members are thrust into the spotlight.

Floods? Time for the bright yellow uniforms of our State Emergency Service (SES) members and their cohort of volunteers to take up space on our TV screens come news time.

In the brutal bushfires of 2019-20, the SES, the Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue, National Parks and Forestry earned praise worldwide as they battled blazes.

Now it is the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) arriving to clean up the mess.

In early 2024, asbestos was found at the parklands built as part of the WestConnex interchange in Rozelle, in Sydney’s inner west. Then more was found in other parks. Suddenly the material was everywhere.

Students and staff in numerous schools look like spending up to two years in different campuses as their sites are cleaned up. Train stations have been affected, while Mardi Gras Fair Day was cancelled after the deadly material was found in Sydney’s Victoria Park.

It is the EPA that is charged with the task of cleaning up the mess; testing areas, organising the safe disposal of waste and checking that sites have been completely cleaned up.

These members join the ranks of our Champions of the State whose work is vital to the operation of NSW. For example, we have members in the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the Audit Office and the NSW Law Enforcement conduct commission all working for better governance and policing.

The election last year of the Minns Government was seen as a chance for PSA CPSU NSW members to be better recognised for their work.

Certainly a better pay rise and more permanency for our members in schools have been welcome developments. But we will always be vigilant and protect the workers who protect NSW.