When the PSA CPSU NSW wins, it is not just its members who benefit, it is the people of NSW who face a better future. The state is affected by the extraordinary economic, social and technological changes gripping our planet. Whether it is technical disruption in our workplaces, adjusting to a changing climate or dealing with increasing inequality and political polarisation, PSA CPSU NSW members are there, helping the people of NSW.

A safer future
This year the union launched a campaign to better coordinate services available to those experiencing domestic violence. On the back of a successful campaign to strengthen bail laws, our push for a government-led service to respond to domestic violence will save lives.

Members are found in the shining example our campaign is based on; the Mount Druitt Family Violence Service.

These are just some of the members fighting for a safer future. Whether it is NSW Police staff examining crime scenes and protecting buildings, Prison Officers operating gaols or members ensuring our courts operate efficiently, there are PSA CPSU NSW members working to protect the people of the state.

During crises such as bushfires, floods, pandemics and economic downturns, it is PSA CPSU NSW members who coordinate responses, deliver assistance and ensure continuity of essential services. Private markets alone cannot guarantee universal access, fairness or long-term planning in areas such as health, education, housing and infrastructure.

PSA CPSU NSW members in agencies such as Naitonal Parks, the Rural Fire Service, the State Emergency Service, and Fire and Rescue are there to protect people when nature goes rogue: an increasingly common event as the climate changes.

A smarter future
In a changing world, public schools, universities and TAFE are vital. Members in all three sectors are creating a workforce that can respond to a world earlier generations would fail to recognise.

Public schools give everyone in NSW a chance at a world-class education. They produce the workers, thinkers and consumers of tomorrow.

True examples of public service, the schools run by the state of NSW are open to all, regardless of income, religion or academic ability. Not only are they open to all, PSA members are working at these schools, ensuring students get the most from their educational experience and their best chance at a brighter future.

For many students, the PSA member working as a School Learning Support Officer (SLSO) is vital for their ability to keep up with lessons.

“Working in the public schooling system for the past 20 years I have seen a huge increase of enrolments in kids with disabilities, whether that be physical, behavioural or diagnosed disabilities,” said SLSO Lisa Craddock, who works at Kincumber Public School in the Central Coast (pictured below). “The role of an SLSO has certainly changed and honestly if we were not boots and eyes on the ground, teachers would drown.

“I love my job. I believe schools would suffer drastically without us as part of the team.”

In addition to her role as Senior Vice-President of the PSA, Juliette Sizer is a School Administrative Manager (SAM) at a school in the Northern Rivers region.

“People like Lisa hold our schools together,” said Ms Sizer, who also chairs the union’s Schools Departmental Committee. “It is vital our schools do their utmost for all students, including those with disability who may otherwise be left behind.”

As a SAM, Ms Sizer is among the PSA members in offices keeping schools operating. In addition to these members, there are General Assistants in the grounds, Farm Assistants at certain schools, as well as Aboriginal Liaison Officers, Student Support Officers and Psychologists ensuring NSW schools are gearing towards a better future.
“Our state’s public schools are producing the thinkers and leaders of tomorrow,” she said. “It is vital they be funded and our members supported in this goal.”

NSW’s universities are engines of economic development and social advancement. With our members keeping them operating, they educate hundreds of thousands of students, conduct world-class research and act as anchors for innovation across industries such as health, technology, engineering and renewable energy.

Beyond their economic contribution, universities play a crucial civic role. They are spaces for critical inquiry, evidence-based debate and the development of new ideas. CPSU NSW members’ work helps governments make better decisions, supports industry innovation, and addresses pressing social issues facing our future, from climate science and medical breakthroughs to public policy and education reform.

“Universities like to brag that they are an important source of overseas revenue, and that is true,” said PSA CPSU NSW Vice-President Shelley Odewahn, who works at Macquarie University and has previously been employed at the University of NSW and Southern Cross University. “But it is important we acknowledge they are also gearing up our state for the future.

“The research and teaching, all supported by our hard-working members, is vital to give NSW the skills to navigate an uncertain future.

“As their union, we are there for members, fighting insecure work, funding volatility and market-driven models that prioritise short-term revenue over education. Protecting universities as public institutions rather than commercial enterprises is essential for NSW’s long-term prosperity, and your union is up for the fight.”

TAFE NSW is one of the most powerful tools available to future-proof our economy. A shining beacon of vocational education, it provides practical, industry connected education that equips people with skills for existing jobs and emerging industries. TAFE plays a particularly important role in the future prosperity of regional NSW, supporting local economies and providing pathways for young people, career changers and those facing barriers to employment. It is also critical for retraining workers as industries evolve, especially in the context of technological change and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

When TAFE is underfunded or undermined by excessive privatisation, skills shortages deepen and inequality widens. Our union will fight to keep it strong.

“I’m there for students studying via our online campus, which is a growing percentage of those in TAFE,” said Kristy Quill (pictured below) who works in Education Administrative Support. “We support the teachers, so they spend more of their focus on teaching the students rather than administrative tasks.

“TAFE is important for our state’s future. It is a central part of our community, providing the training a large percentage of our community members need to provide service for our state to operate.

It is a way people can get the training they need for their first job, to re-enter the workforce or change their careers.”

“We train the tradies to use new technology that is coming in and helping provide the technical skills and the environmental skills our state will need in the future.”

A fairer future
Members and the huge variety of roles they play in the workforce are the backbone of a fairer, more productive NSW. The state’s world-class public sector plays an indispensable role in ensuring that NSW functions effectively and equitably.

Like much of the world, NSW has seen social divisions widen, with a future that sees a bigger gap between the haves and have-nots.

With housing becoming increasingly out of reach, members in areas such as Homes NSW, Planning and Service NSW play a vital role now and into the future in ensuring a roof over one’s head is not an unattainable dream.

In her role as Senior Client Service Officer Specialist at Homes NSW, Mary-Ann McPherson works with some of the most vulnerable people in the state.

“The local Housing office will often be the first point of contact for people in crisis,” she said. “The capacity of staff to meet those people where they’re at, whilst offering support and knowledge of services available cannot be underestimated.”

Ms McPherson said the housing crisis gripping the country makes the work she and her fellow members perform vital for a fairer future.

“The complexity of social , health and safety issues people are experiencing has been on an ever-climbing trajectory for many years,” she said. “And Homes NSW workers are the ones staffing that frontline when those people reach out at the end of the road.

“Thes vital workers show up every day with the compassion and skills to assist in any way they can within the provisions of policy.”

The PSA CPSU NSW knows the housing crisis is hitting our state hard, and will campaign on this issue in the coming months.

With the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) under increased scrutiny, it is inevitable that the states take up more of the responsibility towards disability services. A strong disability sector would enable more people with disability to live with dignity, independence and inclusion. They reflect a future where diversity is increasingly taken into account.

The disadvantage faced by Aboriginal people blights Australia’s future. Whether in schools or government departments, it is members of the PSA CPSU NSW, one of the first unions in the country with an Aboriginal Council, looking to redress inequality and right historic wrongs.

A cleaner future
Whether in our cities or the untouched wilderness that blesses NSW, there are PSA CPSU NSW members working for a cleaner future for our state.

Daniel Cain (pictured below) is a Team Leader with the Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

“We’re working hard to protect the environment and threatened species for the next generation,” said Mr Cain. “We protect landscapes as diverse as Lord Howe Island, the rainforests of nothr east NSW and the arid deserts in the far west.

Mr Cain said the work of members such as him results in an improved in national parks, crown land and private holdings.

PSA CPSU NSW Assistant General Secretary Troy Wright said members such as Mr Cain are just part of the picture.

“Our guardians of the natural world include those in National Parks, Fisheries, Local Land Services and Forestry Corporation, to the Environment Protection Authority and its staff cleaning up polluted sites, PSA CPSU NSW members are leaving us with a cleaner, greener future,” he said. “A cleaner future also relies on the research produced in our universities and TAFE colleges and in our electricity providers.

“Without our members, and a union backing them, NSW would be a far less clean place to live.”

A wealthier future
PSA CPSU NSW members are essential for economic stability. The pay rises won by our union provide badly needed incomes for our state, particularly the regions that so often bear the brunt of economic fluctuations and environmental degradation.

Their work also creates the foundations for a more dynamic, forward-facing economy. We work together to create a smarter, better-educated workforce and safe, dynamic conditions for businesses to operate.

“We know that a well-resourced public sector can drive what is already the nation’s wealthier state,” said Mr Wright. “It provides certainty and security for businesses to thrive.”

A certain future
As NSW grapples with increasingly complex challenges, strong public administration will be even more critical.

Undermining the public sector through chronic understaffing, outsourcing or wage suppression weakens the state’s capacity to meet these challenges.

Our union is also here for the members facing an entirely new challenge; artificial intelligence. A tool that can enhance our productivity and output, but comes with the risks associated with an all-encompassing change to the way we work.

In an era of uncertainty and rapid change, one lesson is clear: the future of NSW is built not by diminishing the public good, but by strengthening it as we face the future together.

The PSA CPSU NSW will guide its members as they guide the rest of the state towards a better tomorrow.

An exciting future
The PSA CPSU NSW is more than a movement fighting on industrial issues.

In recent years it has examined what sort of society its members live in.

“We are part of the country’s biggest social movement,” said Mr Little. “This year we have aimed higher and are campaigning on issues that blight our state, such as domestic violence and the housing crisis.

“These are important issues to be addressed for the sake of everyone in NSW.

“With our union fighting hard alongside our members, we can together make the most of the dramatic upheavals we face. We can adapt to a changing future and create better workplaces, work in better conditions and create a better NSW for all.”