As a Delegate for Parliamentary and Electoral Office staff, Suzette Meade is often the first port of call for members in a workplace that has been found in the past to be rife with bullying and even violence and sexual harassment and assault.

Ms Meade is a proud PSA member who comes from a large family of trades people, so “it’s no surprise my career started in the construction industry as a project manager.”
However, like many union members, her commitment to a better world goes beyond industrial relations.

When not standing up for workers, Ms Meade is standing up for Sydney’s heritage.

In 2023, PSA member she was appointed as a board director of the National Trust of Australia (NSW).

This came after more than a decade of “high-profile campaigns fighting for Parramatta War Memorial Pool, Parramatta Park, Parramatta Female Factory and Willowgrove”.
Campaigns to protect historical assets such as Willowgrove were supported by the PSA CPSU NSW. She was also part of the community actions to stop the destruction of the Ultimo site of the Powerhouse Museum.

Ms Meade said the position with the National Trust “offers a new platform to continue my advocacy and bring a passionate voice from Western Sydney to the board”.
Ms Meade said her advocacy for the state’s heritage mirrors her work as a union member and delegate.

“As someone who is involved in the union movement as a delegate of the PSA, I see many parallels between being a union delegate and serving as a board director for the National Trust,” she said. “Unions have long fought for workers’ rights, challenging the status quo to ensure that those in vulnerable positions, whether they are in the workplace or in the community, are protected.

“Similarly, as a board director of the National Trust we stand up for the protection of cultural and environmental heritage that can otherwise be neglected or erased due to development pressures. In both instances, the primary focus is on advocating for justice, whether that means fighting for fair working conditions or ensuring that natural and built heritage is preserved for future generations.

“Women have historically led many advocacy campaigns in community and union movements, with one of the most notable being Annie Wyatt, a pioneering figure in the 1940s who played a key role in founding the National Trust to protect Sydney’s important green spaces.

“In her honour, the Trust continues to run a Bushland Restoration service that addresses critical issues such as urban sprawl, climate change, and unsustainable development.”

She said the National Trust’s connection to the union movement goes back to 1970s with Jack Mundey and the Green Ban movement, which prevented the destruction of The Rocks, a historic suburb in inner Sydney.

“Jack’s collaboration with the National Trust President at the time was a hallmark of their shared commitment to advocating for heritage protection,” she said. “If it wasn’t for this unlikely alliance, we would not have many of our much-loved places like The Rocks, Woolloomooloo, and the famous Kellys Bush in Hunters Hill.