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SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
APRIL–JUNE 2019

SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT.
Pay your share      Winners are grinners                    Bush whacked
Australia’s worst   Gladys takes a High                     The disappointing
tax avoiders        Court loss                              Nationals

                    PUBLIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION   POST OFFICE APPROVED
                    OF NSW/CPSU NSW              PP 255003/01563 ISSN 1030-0740
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
WHAT STATE WOULD

NSW BE IN WITHOUT

    PARK RANGERS?

SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT.
            Authorised by Stewart Little, General Secretary, Public Service Association of NSW
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
APRIL–JUNE 2019

CONTENTS
04 News     Highlights from our fight for you

08 From the General Secretary
            The most important election in decades

 10 President’s message
            What have the Nationals done for us?

 12 Giving credit
            Behind the franking debate

 13 Avoidance games
            Why Australia’s Treasury has a shortfall

                                                               07
 14         From the Assistant General Secretary
            Who wins in the Coalition’s war on compliance?

 15 Wins    Victories on your behalf

 18 Feature Save the state. Change the government

26 WHS      Keeping safe on site

28 Women at Work
            Meet your new Women’s Officer

30 Election nominations
            Put your hand up                                    18

Managing Editor Stewart Little, General Secretary
                                                             PSA Head Office
Issue Editor       Jason Mountney                            A 160 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW
Art Direction      Mine Konakci                                GPO Box 3365, Sydney NSW 2001
                                                             T 1300 772 679      F (02) 9262 1623
Printers           Spotpress, (02) 9549 1111
                                                             W www.psa.asn.au | www.cpsunsw.org.au
                   www.spotpress.com.au                      E psa@psa.asn.au | cpsu.nsw@psa.asn.au

Enquiries          PSA Communications Unit, 1300 772 679
                                                             All members of CPSU NSW are also members of the Public Service Association.
Membership         T 1300 772 679 E membership@PSA.asn.au    The PSA is the associated body that manages and resources CPSU NSW.
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
NEWS

                                             NSW UNION SECURES
                                             VICTORY IN VICTORIA
                                             THE CPSU NSW’s reach does not stop at the border.
                                               Members at First State Super renegotiated their Enterprise Agreement last year.
                                             The agreement came into effect in September and covered, among other members,
                                             employees in First State’s call centre in Victoria.
                                               The agreement maintained all conditions with a wage increase of 2.5 per cent each
                                             year for two years.
                                               First State has provided superannuation coverage for public servants in NSW for
                                             decades.

CPSU NSW strives for healthy
returns for members
THE AUSTRALIAN HEALTH Practitioners Registry Agency                “We will be looking at real wage increases while maintaining or
has just commenced bargaining with the CPSU NSW to               improving current conditions,” says CPSU NSW Industrial Officer
replace the current agreement, which came into effect two        Graydon Welsh.
years ago.                                                         Formed in 2010, the Australian Health Practitioners Registry
  The Enterprise Agreement will be a nationwide agreement with   Agency administers the National Registration and Accreditation
the CPSU NSW given the role as bargaining agent.                 Scheme across Australia.

4 | RED TAPE     April-June 2019
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
NEWS

Lack of consultation on                                                                                   Numbers out of
shark response policy                                                                                     scale with the job
                                                                                                          STAFF NUMBERS in Fisheries have
THE DEPARTMENT of Primary Industries has not bothered to consult with the PSA before                      failed to keep up with the
seeking “volunteers” to aid its new shark response policy.                                                increasing demands of the job.
   The PSA wrote to the Secretary of Industry on 13 November 2018 seeking clarity regarding a                While staff numbers have
revised policy on this matter, as members had expressed concern that it may affect them. The              remained the same for years, extra
letter reminded management of the obligation to consult, as required both by the award and under          demands on Fisheries staff have
the WHS Act.                                                                                              included multiple fishing licence
   “The PSA and its members in Fisheries do not take lightly any issues that impact on the safety         reforms, a new all-waters fishing fee
of the public,” says Industrial Officer Nick Player. “But this appears to be another example of more      and additional marine parks. Their
being asked of an already overworked group of workers.                                                    work is also governed by a confusing,
   “Management is working on the goodwill of its employees to volunteer. While the agency advises         and increasing, array of acts.
you will be recompensed appropriately if you work outside your usual hours of work, this is still            More ominously, there is still a
additional work for an already overworked workforce and there is a potential risk.”                       high level of organised-crime
                                                                                                          involvement in illegal fishing,
                                                                                                          posing additional workload and
                                                                                                          safety issues.

                                                                                                        BIG PAY
                                                                                                        RISES CREATE
                                                                                                        TOP-HEAVY
                                                                                                        TRANSPORT
                                                                                                        AS NSW TREASURY is looking for cuts
                                                                                                        all over the state public service, the
                                                                                                        Department of Transport is rolling out
                                                                                                        the welcome mat to an ever-increasing
                                                                                                        number of executives earning the big

  Lane Cove Tourist Park falls                                                                          bikkies.
                                                                                                           Comparing the 2016-17 and 2017-
                                                                                                        18 annual repor ts, the Depar tment

  to privatisation mantra                                                                               increased the number of people on more
                                                                                                        than $150,000 by 92 per cent. In nearly
  OPERATED BY the National Parks and               resorts around Australia, including Lizard           every other wage category, numbers
  Wildlife Service, the Lane Cove Tourist          Island, Heron Island, Kings Canyon Resort            dropped.
  Park was an affordable way for thousands         and El Questro Wilderness Park. Delaware                Even category 9 staff members earn
  of people in the Sydney basin to experience      North is also the catering provider for the          less than $150,000 per annum.
  a camping trip to a national park.               SCG and the Sydney Football Stadium.                    In news that will surprise precisely
     So the Government has naturally flogged          Before the sell-off, the tourist park had a       no-one, more than two-thirds of the
  it off to a high-end operator.                   set fee 365 days a year, making it affordable        high-earners were male.
     Over the past few years the caravan           accommodation for families, pensioners                  “While our members struggle with
  park has increased revenue by a couple           and school children.                                 smaller staf f numbers and greater
  of million dollars, ploughing the proceeds          “T his i s yet a n ot h e r b l ow ag a i n s t   workloads, there seem to be a lot more
  back into the nationa l pa r k sys tem.          Australian egalitarianism,” says PSA                 well-paid bosses for them to answer
  However, in a move reminiscent of the            Industrial Officer Michael Sinclair. “This           to,” says PSA Industrial Officer Shane
  handover of the land titles service, the         Government is so close to the big end of             Howes. “It hardly seems fair.”
  State Government has leased the tourist          town that it has been blinded to the joys               The report also revealed more than 50
  p a r k to D e lawa re N o r th Co mp a nie s    an affordable holiday in a national park can         overseas fact-finding trips were billed to
  Australia, which operates a number of posh       provide.”                                            the department.

                                                                                                            April-June 2019 RED TAPE | 5
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
NEWS

YOUR UNION’S SPINE
                                                  Back row; left to right, John McLoughlin
MEMBERS MAY not see the PSA/CPSU                  (Communications), Gwyneth Silva (ETIO),
NSW administrative staff at meetings or
out on the hustings, but your union could
                                                  Christina Joannou (Health and
                                                  Education), Jenny Gleeson (Health and
                                                  Education), Viji Varghese (Justice), Dylan
                                                                                                Hall leading
                                                                                                the retirees’
not do without this diverse section of its
                                                  Moore (Communications). Front row; left
workforce.                                        to right, Meredith Best (Justice), Jennifer
  Each team in the union has administrative       Campbell (Industrial Support), Patrick
staff whose tasks vary from preparing
bulletins for distribution to updating websites
                                                  Norton (Building Management), Melanie
                                                  Green (Secretariat) and Lesley Twigger
                                                  (Secretariat).
                                                                                                march to
and booking space for meetings.
                                                                                                March
                                                                                                AS VOTERS GO to the polls in March,

                  GO WEST
                                                                                                then later when the federal election is
                                                                                                called, an army of true believers will be
                                                                                                aiding the cause.
                                                                                                   The Retire d A ss o ciate s will b e
                                                                                                among people campaigning for an
                                                                                                end to privatisations and a return
                                                                                                to the respect the public sector was
                                                                                                once afforded.
THE CPSU NSW stood up for TAFE during a                                                            One person among the volunteers is
rally in Sydney’s western outskirts.                                                            Bill Hall, who has served as Chairman
   As part of the Don’t Mess With the West                                                      and Secretary of the Retired Associates.
rally in Penrith, CPSU NSW State Branch                                                            Re ce ntl y awa rd e d a n O rd e r o r
Secretary Stewart Little (pictured right                                                        Australia, Mr Hall is a Life Member
with Labor MP Prue Car) talked about the                                                        of the PSA, having worked in the
importance of vocational training.                                                              public service since the 1980s. He
   Mr Little’s defence of TAFE was part                                                         s p e nt m u ch o f h i s c a re e r i n t h e
of a rally highlighting how the Berejiklian                                                     TAFE system – himself a graduate
Government has let down the region.                                                             in Electrical Engineering at Sydney
   Other organisations included groups                                                          Technical College.
opposing the raising of Warragamba Dam                                                             A lifelong unionist, Mr Hall joined
to appease developers and bodies looking                                                        the Electrical Trades Union at the age
for better infrastructure in the region.                                                        of 17.

6 | RED TAPE       April-June 2019
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
NEWS

UNION HITS
THE STREET
THE PSA is continuing to alert voters to the
damage created by eight years of Liberal/
National Government.
   Members, staff and supporters have been
at railway stations, suburban streets and the
Sydney CBD highlighting the Government’s
destruction of the state’s public services in
its privatisation frenzy.
   “We owe it to our members to get on
the street and up close to voters,” says PSA
Campaign Organiser Nigel Miles, who is
coordinating the handouts. “There’s been
an incredibly positive reaction from the
public. They’ve had enough of privatisation
and understand the value of our essential
public services.”
  Read more about our Save the State
campaign on page 18.

  SNAGS SIZZLE AS PSA
  SPREADS THE WORD
  THE PSA PUT ON A BARBEQUE for members at Macquarie
  Tower in Parramatta. It was an opportunity for members
  from several different departments to get together to
  discuss important issues in the lead up to the state election       |   |
  on 23 March.
                                                                  |           |
     The building, with its wide range of tenants, is a great
  chance for the PSA to get its message out to a diverse
  range of members. Departments there include Planning
  and Environment, the Office of Environment and Heritage,
  the Environmental Protection Authority, National Parks
  and Wildlife Service, the Western Sydney Parklands Trust
  and the Departments of Lands and Industry.

                                                                          April-June 2019 RED TAPE | 7
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
COLUMNS

                                   FROM THE GENERAL SECRETARY
                                   STEWART LITTLE

IT’S TIME TO MAKE IT STOP
FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS, the PSA                           H o w e v e r, t o t h o s e m e m b e r s , I      It is important for us all to reflect on these
has been engaged in highlighting what the               respectfully pose these questions: do you           types of issues before we vote. I know I
Liberals and, most recently, the Berejiklian            believe the job you do and the service you          certainly will be.
Government have done to NSW since 2011,                 provide is now of greater benefit to the               For all these reasons and far too many
and how important it is to save our state.              community than before Barry O’Farrell led           others, I truly believe the future of our state
   I make no apologies for this.                        the Liberals into office in NSW in 2011?            rests on the outcome of this election.
   Next month when we vote will be the                     Has the outsourcing or even potential               The privatisation of public services in
moment of truth for NSW.                                offshoring of your job been a positive and          NSW has to stop.
   It is easy, too easy in fact, to distil this         productive development in the delivery of              The sidelining of an expert public sector
situation down to a simple mat ter of                   public services in this state?                      work force and instead favouring and
politics: Liberal/National versus Labor.                   Ha s a sea of consult ants, a vir tual           pouring countless millions of dollars into
   The fact is I have been a Labor voter                secondar y public sector work force                 the non-government and private arena, as
all my life but, under my leadership, this              operating in an almost parallel universe,           has been the case with child protection,
union will always hold the Government                   been of cost effective benefit to the people        must come to an end.
of any political persuasion to account –                of NSW and assisted you in doing your job?             Unions should be free to argue for public
particularly an administration that has                    For those members in regional areas, has         sector wage rises in the Industrial Relations
sold the Land Titles Registry to private                the enormous investment in new stadiums             Commission without a law that caps those
commercial interests, flick passed all                  and toll roads in the Sydney metropolitan           rises to 2.5 per cent a year, irrespective of
moral and ethical responsibility for the                area boosted your local community and               circumstances.
care of people with disability to the non-              economy?                                               TAFE must regain the mantle of being
Government sector and reduced TAFE to                      Has the forced downward spiral of TAFE and       one of the world’s foremost vocational
a shell of its former glory.                            the rise of some less than world renowned           training providers and give our kids proper
   But then this is the same Government                 vocational training providers assisted the          accredited training for their future.
that thought it politically astute to close             career opportunities and employment                    And there is absolutely no reason the
the Epping-to-Chatswood rail line in Sydney             prospects of young people in your region?           State Government should not have a key
for seven months, not just in the lead up to               I raise this to make some critically             role in providing disability services in NSW.
the election but until well beyond the state            important points for us all to consider; it is         Please, join me in resetting the path
going to the polls.                                     not my intention to in any way belittle or          and moral compass of NSW when you
   The puzzling thing is the Government                 patronise anyone.                                   vote in March.
seems to think the tens of thousands

                                                          POVB still up for the fight
o f p e o p l e w h o h ave h a d t h e i r d a i l y
commute turned into a special kind of
hell will thank them for all this pain at
the ballot box.                                           TWO YEARS into her term as Chair of               a Commissioner from the Industrial
   And that appears to have been their                    the Prison Officers Vocational Branch             Relations Commission to come see first
general strategy from the get go; make                    (POVB), Nicole Jess is still fighting to          hand the reality of benchmarking.”
people angry, upend their jobs and lives,                 keep NSW prisons properly staffed.
spend billions doing so and they will vote                  “In the past two years the Government’s
for you.                                                  benchmarking process has threatened
   These are the great strategic minds that               staffing levels,” she says. “But the POVB
run our state, that direct and govern every               has worked to keep disruption to a
aspect of your life.                                      minimum. Strike action kept numbers in
   Yes, I am mindful that some members                    the MSPC and we’ve had wins in
of this union are Liberal or National Party               Goulburn and the MRRC.”
voters.                                                     POVB Assistant Chair Jason Charlton
   I respect that position and their right to             says, “The POVB has succeeded in getting
hold such views.

8 | RED TAPE          April-June 2019
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
NEWS

Corrections staff walk
off the job at MRRC
STAFF AT THE Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (MRRC) went on a 24-hour
strike due to staff being disciplined and an officer being suspended.
   Prison Officers Vocational Branch (POVB) members at the MRRC took the industrial
action in January in support of fellow members who were suspended or facing investigation
from the Professional Standards Branch (PSB).
   POVB members were angry about the length of time it takes the PSB to investigate
matters and reach a decision. The process can often take over two years with Officers

                                                                                               JJs take action
suspended and not allowed to contact friends or colleagues employed by Corrective
Services NSW (CSNSW).
   POVB members were also concerned about the inconsistencies in the final decisions
handed down by the PSB and CSNSW Senior Management.                                            PSA MEMBERS in Juvenile Justice
   The industrial matter was heard in the IRC on Wednesday 30 January before Chief             walked off the job across the state in
Commissioner Kite who ordered that all staff return to work as soon as possible. POVB/         January to put pressure on the
PSA Industrial Officer David McCauley represented the POVB in the matter and                   Government for an enhanced-support
requested greater transparency in the investigation process, as well as greater support        unit for high-risk detainees.
for our members who are suspended. He also requested that regular meetings with the              The walk-off was spurred by
Assistant Commissioner of Governance and Continual Improvement take place to                   Government inaction to a spate of
ensure regular updates are provided in order to assist POVB members who are                    assaults and threats to staff.
suspended or facing investigation.                                                               Since the Chisholm Behaviour Unit
   The POVB State Executive attended a meeting with PSA General Secretary Stewart              for high-risk offenders in the Cobham
Little and Corrective Services Minister David Elliott regarding this issue.                    facility was closed in 2016, dangerous
                                                                                               detainees, including those convicted
                                                                                               of terrorism offences, are housed in

  Legal Fund gives Justice                                                                     the general detainee population.
                                                                                                 The action was recommended by the

  members piece of mind
                                                                                               PSA’s peak state delegates committee
                                                                                               and followed the Department’s decision
                                                                                               to end a moratorium on the transfer of
  IN JANUARY 2019, the PSA established            • M aking a claim under the Victims         dangerous A1(b) detainees. 
  a legal fund as a protective measure for           Rights and Support Act 2013 which
  members who may be charged with a                  arises out of or in the course of
  criminal offence in the workplace.                 employment
     The Justice field can be dangerous, with     • A ny Coronial Enquir y where the
  staff often placed in positions of direct          interests of the member and their
  conflict with inmates, court attendees and         employer diverge
  other members of the public.                    • Any commission of inquiry or tribunal
     This can lead to unfair accusations of          conducting an inquiry whose findings
  criminal behaviour.                                could have an adverse effect upon the
     As the PSA does not provide financial           member of the Legal Fund
  assistance to any member who has
  been charged with a criminal offence,
                                                  To contribute to the fund, contact the
                                                PSA delegate at your workplace for an
                                                                                             Guy and polls: Zangari
  the PSA Executive decided to establish        application form.                            in pre-election talks
  the legal fund.
     The legal fund, modelled on a similar
                                                  Alternatively, talk to the PSA Member
                                                Support Centre (MSC) on 1300 772 679.
                                                                                             with PSA
  scheme available to Prison Officers,          The MSC can also assist if you wish to          OPPOSITION Corrections Spokesperson
  provides a range of enhanced legal            access the fund, with any such requests      Guy Zangari met PSA members in
  ser vices for members commonly                passed on to the trustees.                   Wellington to discuss what an elected Labor
  exposed to dif ficult and dangerous             Only financial members of the PSA are      Government would do for them.
  situations in the course of their             entitled to contribute to the legal fund,       Mr Zangari, who met with members
  employment including:                         which will cost $2.00 per week.              a nd D elegates from Correc tives a nd
     • Alleged criminal offences arising out     The fee is tax-deductible and includes     Juvenile Justice, talked about issues such
        of or in the course of employment       GST.                                         as benchmarking and the need for a secure
                                                                                             unit for high-risk young offenders.     

                                                                                                    April-June 2019 RED TAPE | 9
SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT - Pay your share Australia's worst tax avoiders - Public Service ...
COLUMNS

                               FROM THE PRESIDENT
                               KYLIE MCKELVIE

NSW WITHOUT A REGIONAL VOICE
FOR TOO LONG, the regions have been                  The debacle with the TAFE system shows
let down by the people who swear to               just why regional voters are unhappy with the
represent us.                                     Nationals. In towns such as Quirindi, cuts to
   The junior par t y in the Coalition            TAFE pull money from local communities,
Government, the National Party was formed         dampen already limited employment
in 1920 as the Country Party, from the outset     opportunities for school leavers and create        THE PARTY OF THE BUSH
badging itself as a political organisation with   labour and skill shortages in smaller centres.
                                                                                                     ACQUIESCES WHENEVER
regional interests at heart.                      Even more bizarrely, they limit the scope
                                                                                                     THE LIBERAL PARTY DECIDES
   Nearly 100 years later, the party has          for people to become self-employed
                                                                                                     JOBS NEED TO BE CUT
changed its name and its outlook. Sadly,          tradespeople, which is one of the National
the party is now better known for rubber-         Party’s core constituencies in country towns.
                                                                                                     THROUGHOUT NSW
stamping the decisions hatched in Sydney          The Nationals’ inability to stand up to urban
by the more numerous Liberal Party MPs.           Liberal Party bean-counters is actually            suburbs or a road system in the inner city
   And people in the regions need someone         costing it future voters.                          that even the locals there don’t want. All the
to stand up for them. Public sector job cuts         In 2016, we saw this anger spill out when       while, our water resources are plundered by
hurt wherever they take place – but in the        the voters of Orange went into their booths        big agricultural firms.
regions, the damage is particularly acute.        during a by-election and threw out the                The privatisation of ports in Newcastle and
Lack of other work opportunities often means      National Party for the first time since 1947.      Wollongong, which are conduits to the world
a job loss in a small town leads to an entire     We saw Wagga Wagga voters direct their             for primary products from regional NSW,
family moving elsewhere – reducing the            anger towards the Liberal Party last year,         has also seen the proceeds of our primary
customer base for local businesses, cutting       voting in an independent and voting against        industries go straight to corporate offices in
numbers in local schools and certainly taking     the conservatives for the first time since 1957.   Sydney or abroad.
money out of the local economy.                      And country voters have reason to be               The sell-off of Newcastle’s port has also
   But the party of the bush acquiesces           angry. The Government’s spending priorities        constrained its expansion, further limiting
whenever the Liberal Party decides jobs need      are firmly planted in Sydney: think a shiny        economic growth in the regions. Roads
to be cut throughout NSW.                         new football stadium in the city’s eastern         Minister Melinda Pavey refused to even
                                                                                                     discuss its expansion in Parliament, making
                                                                                                     a mockery of National Party leader John
                                                                                                     Barilaro’s earlier claims that the outsourced
                                                                                                     facility would be accessible to more farmers.
                                                                                                        Sell-offs are a recurring theme in the
                                                                                                     abandonment of regional NSW. Corrective
                                                                                                     Services NSW’s benchmarking process is not
                                                                                                     only making the state’s prisons less safe, it is
                                                                                                     also cutting the number of local workers in
                                                                                                     communities.
                                                                                                        The Pillar superannuation firm sell-off saw
                                                                                                     valuable jobs cut in the Illawarra.

                                                                                                     Many of our regional members have long
                                                                                                     suppor ted the National Par ty and will
                                                                                                     continue to do so. Whatever the result of
                                                                                                     the coming state election, we hope the party
                                                                                                     works harder to return this support to our
                                                                                                     members. And it is up to our members to
                                                                                                     hold them to account.

10 | RED TAPE        April-June 2019
NEWS

             Micromanagement leads                                                                                                             PSA waiting for
                                                                                                                                               next step on
             to FACS work bans                                                                                                                 Schools Pay Equity
             THE PSA has implemented work bans at the Family and Community Services (FACS)
             Helpline after it emerged staff were being micromanaged – to the extent that toilet breaks                                        THE STATE Government is expected to
             were timed.                                                                                                                       lodge its expert evidence on Pay Equity
               “FACS has so far ignored our serious concerns about these changes which allow increased                                         to the Industrial Relations Commission
             monitoring of caseworkers and micro supervision by management, including timed toilet breaks,”                                    (IRC) in late March.
             says Industrial Manager Kris Cruden. “It is unacceptable that FACS is ignoring its work, health and                                  The PSA launched the Pay Equity case
             safety obligations to staff and attempting to introduce employment conditions more commonly                                       in 2017, pushing for better wages for our
             found in off-shore call centres in developing countries. It beggars belief that FACS management                                   members in schools.
             considers it appropriate to introduce a practice which is fundamentally inhumane.”                                                   Your union believes support staff in
               The work bans cover tasks such as code alerts and the observation of calls.                                                     schools are underpaid on the basis that
               “What FACS should be doing is ensuring that the Helpline is properly funded and                                                 more than 95 per cent of them are
             resourced,” says Ms Cruden. “A good place to start would be converting the 45 caseworkers                                         women.
             on temporary appointments to ongoing employment.                                                                                     The PSA filed its evidence in the IRC in
               “Instead of spending large sums of money on external consultants who don’t understand                                           November last year. The evidence
             child protection, funds should be directed to ensuring the Helpline is staffed to meet the                                        compared pay rates for staff in schools
             needs of vulnerable children, young people and families.                                                                          with employees in male-dominated
               “This is yet another case of the State Government getting it wrong by engaging private                                          industries and those with an even split in
             sector consultants instead of seeking the advice of the experts in the public sector – in this                                    men and women.          
             case highly experienced professionals dedicated to child protection.”

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consolidation loans or refinance of existing SCU loans. The 1% rate discount applies for the term of the SCU Loan Contract or until you are no longer a
PSA Member. 2Comparison rate based on a $30,000 loan over 5 years unsecured. Warning: This comparison rate is true only for the example given and
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SCU normal lending criteria. Redraw fees, terms and conditions apply. Full details available on application. All information is correct as at 31.1.2019 and April-June   2019 RED TAPE | 11
subject to change. © Sydney Credit Union Limited | ABN 93 087 650 726 | Australian Credit Licence Number 236476 | AFSL 236476 | BSB 802 084 |
Trading as SCU.
NEWS

SPEAKING FRANKLY
AS THE FEDERAL ELECTION draws near,                  Conservative lobby groups such as the
prepare yourself for a deluge of information      Centre for Independent Studies, as well as
on Labor’s proposed changes to tax laws           poorly disguised front organisations for the
relating to refundable dividend franking          Liberal Party, think differently. They see the
credits.                                          issue as a vote winner, particularly among
                                                                                                   THERE HAS TO BE A MINIMUM
   Under the ALP’s plans, refunds of franking     Baby Boomers.
                                                                                                   LEVEL OF TAX CORPORATE
credits will be phased out. The system,              Cue parliamentary inquiry hearings set
introduced by the Hawke Government in             up by Liberal MP Tim Wilson in retirement
                                                                                                   PROFITS BEAR IN AUSTRALIA;
1987, was designed to prevent the concept         hot spots such as the Sunshine Coast,            IT IS HOW OUR PUBLIC
of double taxation – the idea that company        co mp l ete with fo r ms ha n d e d ou t to      SERVICES ARE FUNDED
profits that have been taxed should not           attendees to join his party.
be ta xed again once they are earned                 The Australia Institute’s submission          pensioners and Canberra.
for shareholders. It was boosted by the           to the inquiry into the implications of             “Th e view that th e co mpa ny is a n
Howard administration, which gave users           removing refundable franking credits found       extension of the individual shareholder
credits back even if tax hadn’t been paid.        that the image of self-funded retirees forced    is somewhat quaint in a world in which
   However, the plan has seen a large             back on to pensions by a draconian change        even very rich individuals rarely have a
shortfall in government revenue, with some        to laws is an exaggeration.                      significant share of the larger companies
rather well-off beneficiaries.                       “Anyone hur t by this plan can most           in which they invest. By the same token
   Labor maintains the changes are                likely rearrange their affairs to minimise       the modern corporation has outgrown its
designed to claw back more than $5 billion        the impact of the change,” reads the             ultimate owners. Natural persons own less
in lost revenue – more than the entire            submission. “To regain full access to            than 10 per cent of Australia’s listed shares
federal education budget. As the Grattan          franking credits anyone adversely affected       for example.”
Institute points out in its report on the         need only change the composition of their           Missing from the opponents’ spin is that
mooted changes, “growing net transfers            portfolio in favour of assets that generate      planned provision to the changes brought
to older households are being financed            taxable returns against which the franking       forward by Labor would protect more than
partly by higher income taxes on working-         credits can be applied.”                         300,000 low and middle income recipients
age Australians and partly by a decade of            As the Grattan report points out, “a self-    from the changes, with pensioners still able
sizeable deficits that today’s young (and         funded retiree couple with a $3.2 million        to claim cash refunds.
perhaps their children) will be left to repay”.   super balance, plus their own home, and             Self-managed superannuation funds that
   “Restric ting the access to ta x-free          $200,000 in Australian shares held outside       had at least one pensioner or allowance
dividends from companies and trusts is a          super, even drawing $130,000 a year in           recipient before March 28, 2018 will also be
fair way to help improve the budget and           superannuation income, and $15,000 a year        spared the changes.
wind back the growing intergenerational           in dividend income, they would report a             General Secretary Stewart Little says this
transfers in our ta x system,” adds the           combined taxable income of just $15,000          shortfall affects the services offered by PSA
Grattan submission.                               and pay no income tax whatsoever”.               and CPSU NSW members.
                                                     The Australian Institute repor t also            “If a big business is owned by wealthy
Liberal MP Tim Wilson is using                    savages the argument that this is a David-       retirees who pay no ta x, any business
franking credits as an election tool              and-Goliath battle between hard-done-by          income they derive is also not bearing tax,”
                                                                                                   he says. “There has to be a minimum level
                                                                                                   of tax corporate profits bear in Australia; it
                                                                                                   is how our public services are funded.
                                                                                                      “Australia has ta x rules that prevent
                                                                                                   employment income being split by a large
                                                                                                   earner amongst his or her associates,
                                                                                                   but the Coalition’s current system allows
                                                                                                   business profits to split and avoid ta x
                                                                                                   altogether. Imputation was not meant
                                                                                                   to be a method by which the profits of
                                                                                                   Australia’s largest business – which thrive
                                                                                                   from our natural resources and political and
                                                                                                   economic stability – avoid tax.
                                                                                                      “Labor’s proposal – together with the
                                                                                                   minimum level of tax on trusts – is the best
                                                                                                   way to assure appropriate funding for the
                                                                                                   needs of all of us.”

12 | RED TAPE        April-June 2019
NEWS

NOT PAYING THEIR SHARE:
AUSTRALIA’S TAX MINIMISATION GAME
ANYONE SCRATCHING AROUND to pay                                                                               work in, gaols we protect, services we offer;
a tax bill – or anyone wondering why their                                                                    these all require citizens and companies
local schools and hospitals are looking a                                                                     paying their fair share.
little shabby – will find journalist Michael                                                                     Falls in revenue give governments licence
West’s recent research on tax minimisation                                                                    to cr y poor and impose wages caps,
                                                       ENERGY AUSTRALIA IS NOW
sobering reading.                                                                                             organise sell-offs and hand out reams of
                                                       RUN FROM A COMPANY IN
   Th e s to r y, w hi ch yo u c a n read o n                                                                 redundancies.
                                                       THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
michaelwest.com.au, lists a number of                                                                            And the ef fects go fur ther than
Australia’s biggest companies that pay little                                                                 underfunded public services.
tax or, in too many cases, no tax at all.                 Taxpayer dollars, it seems, go one way                 As former Treasurer Wayne Swan wrote in
   In many cases, resource companies are               with Lendlease: into its coffers.                      a feature on tax avoidance for news website
the biggest culprits of all. On his site, Mr              More galling, some of the companies                 Crikey, “it is simply not possible to have
West says, “Once again, despite the                    avoiding paying tax are making money from              prosperous middle class societies without a
nosebleed rise in gas prices, the gas giants           enterprises built on previous generations’             level of taxation that can deliver decent
skimped on their ta x. That’s zero from                tax revenues. We pay, they play.                       chances for everyone and sustain successful,
Origin, Shell, Chevron, Santos, BG and                    “Before electricity prices doubled over             legitimate democratic government”.
Exxon. Here they are drilling Australia’s              the past decade, Energy Australia used to                 Mr Swan linked the rise of large scale
natural resources, finite stuff, sending it            be owned by Australians,” wrote Mr West.               companies minimising tax with a loss in
offshore, and paying no tax.”                          “It was the property of the governments of             confidence in the very structures that make
   Companies such as Chevron arrange                   NSW and Victoria, state assets. Chasing a              democracy possible.
loans with subsidiaries in low-tax locations           s h o r t- t e r m b u c k , a n d u r g e d o n b y      “ W i d e n i n g e co n o m i c i n e q u a l i t y i s
such as the Cayman Islands or Luxembourg.              investment bankers and assorted fee-                   driving forms of populism and nativism
This allows them to repatriate the profits to          hunters, politicians sold them off.”                   that raise unsettling parallels with the era
those countries or territories, avoiding                  Energy Australia is now run from a                  that followed the crash of 1929,” he wrote.
paying tax in Australia, where the product             company based in the British Virgin Islands.           “History records that, 10 years after that
was actually extracted.                                It has been four years since the Australian            Wa l l St re et m e l td ow n, Wo r l d Wa r I I
   Of course, the mining tax would have at             Treasury has received a cent from the                  began.”
least negated some of this loss but Tony               company in income tax.                                    As people see services cut and politicians
Abbott and the Liberal Party had hardly                   Members of the PSA and CPSU NSW                     r ubbing shoulder s with t a x- do dging
warmed the Treasur y benches before                    should be concerned – and not just because             corporations, they start looking to the political
scrapping it.                                          they pay a far greater rate of income tax              fringe for solutions, turning their backs on
   Ma k ing the who le dea l even more                 than industrial behemoths with an army of              democratic structures and demonising
unpalat able is that many companies                    creative accountants at their disposal. Our            minorities and foreigners.
minimising their tax bills are the first to stick      members work in jobs that depend on                       Mr Swan stated in his Crikey piece, “Pay
out their hands when public money is being             revenues from Treasury. The schools we                 taxation, buy civilisation.”
spent. One of the country’s most efficient
tax minimisers, Lendlease, is working on
the Berejiklian Government ’s largely
unwanted stadium rebuilds.
   “Lendlease has earned total revenue of
$89 billion over six years, declared profit
before tax of $5.3 billion, paid distributions
to owners of $2.1 billion but still paid no
income tax in Australia,” wrote Mr West in
his expose on the company.
   Lendlease has also won a contract for the
m a i n t e n a n c e o f w h a t t h e c o m p a ny
describes as “maintenance of more than
2,260 traffic assets on behalf of Roads and
Maritime Services in the Metro East Zone
of Sydney” after privatisation.

                                                                                                                      April-June 2019 RED TAPE | 13
WOMEN AT WORK
  COLUMNS

                             FROM THE ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY
                             TROY WRIGHT

THE ENEMIES OF COMPLIANCE
THE ENVIRONMENTAL disaster befalling            from illegal activities such as abalone           realise the sell-off mania displayed by the
our state’s west is not simply the case of      poaching and excessive catches, unaware           current Premier and her two predecessors
not enough rain; it is yet further proof that   of the extent of their legal rights if they get   has its roots in their distrust of the state’s
the Government’s attack on our public           into violent situations.                          common assets. It comes as no surprise that
services affects the entire community.             As we have seen in the case of the dying       the same people who sell off as many public
  Talking to a PSA member who has worked        river and lake systems in the state’s west,       assets as possible have no interest in caring
as a water compliance officer, it is clear      too often compliance officers get in the          for what remains in our hands, and indeed
much of the problem is an unholy alliance of    way of Government supporters making a             display a desire to see them rot instead.
big agriculture and a State Government that     fast buck. Since the election of the O’Farrell       National Parks are seen not as a mode to
believes its mates in business should be        Government in 2011, for example, rates of         preserve our natural assets, but as the
able to do what they want.                      land clearing in northern NSW have more           missed potential for more grazing, mining
  And it is not only the environment that       than tripled. There are now an estimated          and logging land. Limiting irrigation
suffers. Cuts to compliance staff in Roads      14 football fields of koala habitat bulldozed     doesn’t mean more water for those
and Maritime several years back led to          in NSW every day.                                 downstream, just less cotton on the
semitrailers     driving    our    highways        In Fisheries, there is only one officer for    market. A top-heavy semi-trailer on our
unbothered by roadside inspections.             every 8,006 square kilometres of NSW.             highways is more profitable for business,
  Cuts to Rangers in the beleaguered               What is behind this devaluing of the           not a hazard to other road users.
NSW National Parks system have left parks       work performed by our members?                       PSA and CPSU NSW members work hard
in disarray and wilderness open to feral           Too often privatisations and cuts to           to make our state a better, safer, cleaner
animals and invasive plants. On Christmas       compliance rules are sold to the public as        place to live. As we enter the last weeks of
Day, one of the busiest in the year, only       belt-tightening measures to reduce the            a state election campaign, think about
two staff were rostered on at the world         burden on taxpayers. But when sell-offs           how candidates value the work you and
famous Royal National Park.                     include the land title service of Land and        your fellow members do.
  Elsewhere, Fisheries Officers are             Property Information, which earned the
required to protect vast tracts of the state    Treasury about $130 million a year, you

 MEMBER REWARDED FOR SERVING HIS COMMUNITY
 JOHN HUGHES, Chair of the PSA’s
 Communications Advisory Group in NSW
 Police, has been presented with the
 Medal of the Order of Australia for his
 work in NSW Police Radio and his
 volunteering as the Local Controller of
 the Blue Mountains State Emergency
 Service (SES) Unit.
   “This medal is a great honour which
 recognises the skill and dedication that
 John ha s displayed in the f ield of
 emergency management since 1981,
 both in his paid and volunteer capacities,”
 says PSA Organiser Roland Harris.
   “John has been a proud PSA member for
 almost 30 years and contributed
 significantly to representing his fellow
 members as a workplace delegate.”

14 | RED TAPE       April-June 2019
WINS

IRC clarifies its powers
AS REPORTED IN the last issue of Red                     the industrial relations legislation and
Tape, a full bench of the Industrial                     any industrial instrument).
Relations Commission of NSW (IRC) has                    Commissioner Newall decided he was
recently clarified its powers to interpret            not empowered to grant any relief under
documents and to make consequential                   Section 136 of the IR Act, whether in the
orders resolving industrial disputes in               terms of the directions sought by the PSA
arbitration.                                          or relief of any other kind. Even though the
   These powers had been placed in doubt              PSA did not seek any determination under
during a dispute on the suspension from               s 175, Commissioner Newall nevertheless
duty without pay of a Senior Correctional             adopted the approach that:
Officer, Mr Craig Reynolds.                              • the Commission could not grant relief
   T h e P S A h a d co nte n d e d t h at M r              to the PSA without interpreting the
Reynolds should be suspended with pay.                      Premier’s Memorandum;
In the course of a compulsory conciliation,              • t h e o nly p ower to inter p ret th e
Commissioner Newall expressed the view                      Premier’s memorandum is found in                         Above, the new IRC building in
the suspension without pay was contrary                     Section 175;                                             Parramatta
to the Premier’s Memorandum 1994-35,                     • the Premier’s Memorandum is not an
which established guidelines for the                        “instrument” for the purposes of                           • however, the IRC does not have power
suspension of public employees from duty.                   S e c t i o n 17 5 ( b e c a u s e i t i s n o t              under Sections 136 to make a direction
The Department rejected the                                 enforceable and does not create, limit                        w hich wo ul d have th e ef fe c t of
Commissioner’s interpretation of the                        or confirm a right); and                                      requiring the respondent to pay Mr
Premier’s Memorandum, and decided to                     • the Commission was not empowered                              Reynolds during the period of his
continue the suspension without pay.                        to express or state its view as to the                        suspension.
   In the arbitration proceedings before the                proper meaning of the Premier’s                            In his notes on the case, Barrister for the
Commissioner, the PSA sought directions,                    Memorandum “in any formal way in the                     PSA, David Chin, says the decision confirms
including a direction that the decision-                    context of arbitration”.                                 the right of the IRC to “determine any
m a ke r c o m p l y w i t h t h e P r e m i e r ’s      However, the PSA appealed this decision                     question concerning the interpretation,
Memorandum and suspend Mr Reynolds                    in front of a full bench of the IRC.                           application or operation of any ‘instrument’
with pay.                                                The appeal was successful, with the                         within the ordinary meaning of that word.
   However, the PSA did not ask the                   Commissioners ruling:                                          This includes documents or writing of a
Commission to determine the meaning of                   • t he Premier’s Memorandum is an                          formal nature such as the Premier’s
the Premier’s Memorandum pursuant to                        “instrument”..                                           Memorandum and any ‘policy documents
Section 175 of the IR Act, which states:                 • even if the Premier’s Memorandum                         impacting on industrial matters’. Documents
   The Commission may, for the purpose                      w a s n ot a n “i n s t r u m e nt ” u n d e r           that have the necessary quality of formality
   of exercising its functions in connection                Section 175, the Commission can                          are likely to include memoranda of
   with a matter before it, determine any                   interpret it as a necessary step along                   understanding between industrial parties,
   question concerning the interpretation,                  the way to the ultimate exercise of its                  and policy directives promulgated by
   application or operation of any                          a r b i t r at i o n f u n c t i o n s u n d e r t h e   various public sector departments and
   relevant law or instrument (including                    Industrial Relations Act.                                agencies.”

                                                        HEALTH CHECK TO
                                                        REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL
                                                        AFTER PRESSURE from the PSA, Department of Education has agreed that members
                                                        in its Health and Safety Directorate, where Price Waterhouse Coopers is undertaking
                                                        a mental health check, can directly to arrange a confidential appointment with PwC.
                                                           Previously the Department had failed to address privacy concerns and ensure
                                                        members were able to participate in the health check in a fair and confidential manner.
                                                           “The PSA is supportive of the concept of a health check, but the confidentiality of staff in
                                                        this process was vital to ensure its integrity,” says PSA Industrial Manager Kris Cruden.     

                                                                                                                            April-June 2019 RED TAPE | 15
WINS

                                                                                                 CORRESPONDENCE
CPSU NSW member wins
in overpayment stoush                                                                             THANKS
                                                                                                  AND GOODBYE
A TAFE EMPLOYEE called the CPSU NSW               simply sit back and dictate the terms of the
Member Support Centre (MSC) when she              repayment.                                      I AM RELUCTANTLY resigning also
was advised to repay an overpayment in              The member emailed the MSC that               from the PSA as I have resigned from
two instalments.                                  afternoon to report TAFE agreed to the          my position at Family and Community
  When the member requested a more                repayments being made over five instalments.    Services and am now working for the
reasonable timeline of five or six instalments,     The member told the MSC she is very happy     Department of Justice in Victoria and I
TAFE refused, claiming the relevant software      with the advice provided by her union.        have joined the CPSU Victoria.
wa s only pro gra mmed to accept the                                                                 Please may I thank everyone at the PSA
repayments over a maximum of two pay                                                              for all of their help and support over the
periods.                                                                                          years. I have made so many friends through
  The MSC advised her TAFE had provided                                                           my time in the union. The union has always
incorrect information and that the correct                                                        been the main source of strength for me as
process was for the parties to engage in a two-                                                   a child-protection worker. The PSA has
way conversation and work out an agreed                                                           worked solidly for members and for children
repayment plan.
                                                  THE CORRECT PROCESS                             and families and taken up the fight to
  Armed with this information the member          WAS FOR THE PARTIES TO                          government countless times.
contacted TAFE payroll. This time she informed    ENGAGE IN A TWO-WAY                                Best wishes to everyone at the PSA.
them of the advice provided by the union and      CONVERSATION AND AN                                In solidarity, Joy Stevens
the need for TAFE engage in the process, not      AGREED REPAYMENT PLAN

16 | RED TAPE        April-June 2019
WINS

                                                                                                          Balancing act wins
                                                                                                          union support
                                WHO YOU                                                                   A QUICK LOOK at her leave balance had a

                                GONNA CALL?
                                                                                                          PSA member on the phone straight away to
                                                                                                          her union’s Member Support Centre (MSC).
                                                                                                             The member had transferred from NSW
THE MEMBER SUPPORT CENTRE (MSC)                        this is identif ying when a member                 Health to the Justice Department and had
is often the first port of call for members            inquiry requires an individual response,           arranged to transfer all entitlements.
and delegates seeking advice in relation               is a collective issue or is an organising             After she was making inquires to take and
to industrial matters.                                 oppor tunit y. Key to this process is              use her recreation leave, she noticed the
   So what happens if you contact us?                  referring matters on to industrial staff           balance didn’t look correct and contacted the
   The MSC is a structured work                        that require a higher level response.              MSC to see how the PSA could assist her.
environment that responds in a timely                  The Member Support Officer seeks the                  The MSC contacted her payroll manager
manner to high demand from members                     advice of the Supervisor MSC, Manager              with an inquiry and requested information
and delegates. Member Support Officers                 Member Services and other industrial               that would include transferred entitlements
a s s i s t m e m b e r s a n d d e l e g ate s by     staff as required.                                 along with current leave balances.
empowering them to identify solutions                     The Member Suppor t Of ficer is                    With PSA’s inquiry, the payroll department
and actions they can take to resolve                   responsible for ensuring the accurate              noticed a discrepancy and immediately ran an
issues at the local level.                             and real time collection of data, which is         audit and corrected the balances.
   Th ey a l s o p rov id e g u ida n ce a n d         used for analysis and planning across the
industrial advice as required. Part of                 organisation.

                                                                                                            CPSU NSW ends
                                                                                                            decades of temporary
                                                                                                            status for members
                                                                                                            TAFE EMPLOYEES, some of whom
                                                                                                            were employed as temps for more
                                                                                                            than 10 years, have been converted to
                                                                                                            permanent status thanks to work by
                                                                                                            the CPSU NSW.

Wrong amount at wrong
                                                                                                                Work by the union and delegate
                                                                                                            Patrick Kiss secured permanent status
                                                                                                            for five staff, two of whom had been

time sends union into action                                                                                hired as temps for 11 years.
                                                                                                                At the time of press, the CPSU NSW
                                                                                                            was negotiating on behalf of a member
A PSA MEMBER PAID too much by his                      organisation replied acknowledging his               who had worked for an incredible 14
employer has turned to your union’s                    query. GovConnect issued the relevant                ye a r s u n d e r t h e u n c e r t a i n t y o f
Member Support Centre (MSC) to make                    information to our member allowing                   temporary status.
sure he wasn’t drastically out of pocket.              him to be fully advised about what                       Delegate Glenda Pr yor also
   The member wa s contacted by                        went wrong with his pay. Even better,                managed to get five library positions
his manager and advised he had an                      it supplied information to negotiate a               filled in the TAFE system. The positions,
overpayment of $3200 due to the “late                  suitable payment plan.                               in the Blue Mountains and Sydney’s
notification of wage reimbursement                        “This member was lucky to have this               west, had been left vacant following
s c h e d u l e ”. D e s p i t e i t b e i n g t h e   electronic process stopped in time to                retirements, adding to other
department’s error, he was told the entire             have an overpayment reconciliation                   employees’ workloads.
amount would be garnished from his next                process commence due to the delay                        The CPSU NSW also secured
fortnightly pay.                                       in contacting the PSA two weeks after                temporar y status for seven TAFE
   Wo r r i e d h o w t h i s w o u l d a f f e c t    b ein g a d v i s e d,” s ay s P S A M e m b e r     employees who were in long-term casual
his f a mily, th e m e mb e r co nt ac te d            Services Manager Kym Ward. “Members                  positions. One staff member had been
GovConnect about his plight but did                    need to contact the MSC as soon as an                on an ongoing roster for seven years.
not receive a reply. It was then he called             overpayment is advised and to contact                    CPSU NSW Industrial Officer Phoebe
the MSC.                                               their relevant payroll in the first instance.        Dangerfield says these cases “prove the
   Af ter the MSC placed the mat ter                   And always request all information either            need for as many employees as possible
in dispute with GovConnect, the                        by email or mail.”                                   in TAFE to be members of their union”.             

                                                                                                                 April-June 2019 RED TAPE | 17
FEATURE

        SAVE THE STATE.
        CHANGE THE
        GOVERNMENT.
        IN ITS EAGERNESS TO SERVE THE BIG END
        OF TOWN, THE COALITION HAS LET THE
        STATE DOWN

18 | RED TAPE April-June 2019
FEATURE

PRESSURE FROM the PSA and CPSU NSW               TAFE and Skills, Prue Car, promised to “deliver
has extracted promises from Labor and, to        at least 600,000 free TAFE courses in areas
a lesser extent, the Coalition, to do more       with skills shortages, such as childcare, aged
for our members and the vital work they          care, construction, plumbing, renewable
do for the people of NSW.                        energy and many more”. Ms Car has also
   Opposition Leader Michael Daley used an       promised to restrict government funding to        WHAT IS SEPARATING THE
address to members in PSA House to give          TAFE, and not to private operators.               PARTIES IS PRIORITIES
Corrections Officers a commitment for “no           Federally, the Labor Party has vowed to
more privatisation” in the state’s prison        re-energise the TAFE system and ensure               The Government has also been
system, citing the fiasco that has befallen      most public money on vocational education         spectacularly channelling tens of billions of
the revolving door of companies running          is spent in the public sector.                    dollars into infrastructure partnerships that,
Parklea Gaol.                                       Even the Coalition has realised the folly      in the end, will lead to users paying multiple
   He also committed a Labor Government to       of slashing TAFE, announcing 100,000              additional tolls to use the great gift the NSW
ensuring officers receive the same workers’      additional places and a new campus in             Government has dumped on them.
compensation coverage as other ‘first            western Sydney.                                      Equally, few will probably be grateful
responders’, such as police and fire fighters,                                                     for the light rail project that has brought
as well as assuring the members that Long        What is separating the parties is priorities.     central Sydney to a standstill and for a
Bay Gaol would remain operational.               In a letter to PSA General Secretary Stewart      period work was abandoned over not
   On the environment, which has taken a         Little, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet promises      one but two major contractual disputes
battering under the Coalition, the Opposition    to continue to work with “non-profit and
Leader and his deputy are looking to improve     private sector organisations”. So, more
a dire situation.                                outsourcing.
   In a letter to an Environmental Protection       Meanwhile, a staggering sum has been
Agency Delegate, Mr Daley promised to            channelled towards the stadium projects
reinstate biodiversity conservation laws that    by the NSW Government – more than $2
have been neglected to the extent that “land     billion – building replacement facilities at
clearing has tripled the rate of deforestation   Parramatta and Moore Park and refurbishing
in parts of northern NSW”.                       and redeveloping the cavernous ANZ
   Deputy Opposition Leader Penny Sharpe         complex.
has also listened to the PSA, telling a             The existing stadiums of ANZ and Allianz
meeting of National Parks Delegates she          were only ever filled to capacity a few times a
would stop cuts to Ranger numbers and            year for major fixtures such as Rugby League
allow the National Parks and Wildlife Service    State of Origin and Grand Final or visits by
to operate as a stand-alone agency.              a hugely popular English football club or
   The CPSU NSW’s campaign highlighting          American baseball team.
the decimation of the TAFE system has               So, in reality, the Government is forking
gained plenty of attention.                      out billions to house the same few thousand
   In February 2019, NSW Shadow Minister for     fans in new, state-of-the-art arenas.

Below, Michael Daley promises Corrections staff an end to prison privatisation. Above, Treasure Perrottet’s letter refusing to rule
more outsourcing out. A full version of his letter can be found on the PSA and CPSU NSW websites.

                                                                                                         April-June 2019 RED TAPE | 19
FEATURE

                                                                          public disability services and the privatisation   NSW Government agencies that will have a
                                                                          of the 150-year-old Land Titles Registry. In the   direct impact on the quality and provision of
                                                                          west the bone-dry Darling River shows why we       services to the community.
                                                                          need more compliance staff and fewer political        The PSA did the maths and a cut of that
THIS ELECTION IS ONE OF                                                   donations from big agriculture.                    magnitude equates to the loss of roughly
                                                                             While the Government pinches pennies            12,000 jobs. Gladys Berejiklian of course,
THE MOST IMPORTANT TO
                                                                          when it comes to the public sector, it             cried foul over our calculations.
CONFRONT NSW IN DECADES
                                                                          spends big. The pointless relocation of               So what does the Premier think will be cut
totalling more than $1 billion dollars. Yet the                           the Powerhouse Museum from Ultimo to               if not jobs and services?
stadium and roadway issues are really just                                Parramatta has been estimated to blow out             “Child protection workers, prison officers,
the most prominent – and expensive – in a                                 to as much as $2 billion, while almost $1.5        park rangers and countless other vital
succession of poor calls and inept reads of                               billion has been shelled out on hiring a virtual   public -sector jobs across the state will be
the community by the NSW Liberal National                                 alternative parallel universe workforce of         dumped and services cut or reduced so
Government from Barry O’Farrell to Mike                                   private consultants, while the public sector       departments meet the three per cent annual
Baird and now Gladys Berejiklian.                                         continues to be put in a headlock.                 reduction target mandated in the State
  Many of their decisions will have far reaching                             Then there was the ongoing assault              budget,” said Public Service Association
social and economic consequences such as                                  via an increase of the annual “efficiency          General Secretary, Stewart Little. “The end
the destruction of TAFE and the apprenticeship                            dividend” from two to three per cent – a           result will be understaffed jails, degraded
system, the dismantling and total sell-off of                             mandatory cut to the operating costs of all        national parks, schools struggling to meet
                                                                                                                             educational and local community needs
                                                                                                                             and child protection reduced even further.”
                                                                                                                                This election is one of the most important
                                                                                                                             to confront NSW in decades. Think about
                                                                                                                             your vote.

                       WHAT STATE                                                                                            TAFE
                                                                                                                             In a pattern sadly repeated throughout
                                                                                                                             Australia, the NSW TAFE system has been
                                                                                                                             slowly neglected.
                                                                                                                                Smaller centres such as Bega and Quirindi
                                                                                                                             have been kicked in the guts, as local
                                                                                                                             campuses are shut down and the land
                                                                                                                             sold off, with locals looking for vocational
                                                                                                                             education shunted into Connected Learning
                                                                                                                             Centres, which in essence, are rooms with a

         WOULD NSW BE IN
                                                                                                                             number of computers with tuition provided
                                                                                                                             remotely from campuses in larger towns.
                                                                                                                                Facilities such as libraries, workshops and
                                                                                                                             one-on-one teaching have no place in this
                                                                                                                             cut-price learning model.
                                                                                                                                While TAFE has floundered, fly-by-night
                                                                                                                             private colleges receive public money for
                                                                                                                             courses that are often rudimentary at best.
                                                                                                                             There have been multiple examples of colleges
                                                                                                                             going broke before students finish courses, of
                                                                                                                             fraud and of vulnerable people being coerced
                                                                                                                             into debts they cannot pay. All the while, TAFE

                WITHOUT TAFE?
                                                                                                                             enrolments are down 200,000 students.
                                                                                                                                The lack of funding has meant broken lifts
                                                                                                                             in Newcastle and staff and students told to
                                                                                                                             bring their own toilet paper to campuses
                                                                                                                             across the state.
                                                                                                                                In February 2019, NSW Shadow Minister for
                                                                                                                             TAFE and Skills, Prue Car, promised to “deliver
                                                                                                                             at least 600,000 free TAFE courses in areas
       SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT.                                                                                with skills shortages, such as childcare, aged
                              Authorised by Stewart Little, General Secretary, Public Service Association of NSW
                                                                                                                             care, construction, plumbing, renewable
                                                                                                                             energy and many more”.

20 | RED TAPE April-June 2019
FEATURE

   Federally, the Labor Party has vowed to
re-energise the TAFE system and ensure
most public money on vocational education
is spent in the public sector.

Powerhouse Museum
Few areas reflect the Government’s supine
relationship to the big end of town as
much as plans to relocate the Powerhouse
Museum.
   In 2015, the State Government announced
the facility was to be moved to a flood-
prone site by the Parramatta River. The
announcement touted the decision as
bringing a cultural institution to the western
suburbs, downplaying the fact it would also
give developers another crack at land in the
already congested Ultimo-Pyrmont region.
   The decision is understood to have been
opposed by Arts Minister Don Harwin, as                                                                 With the sell-off come concerns about
well as sections of the National Party who                                                           security of financial details and the integrity
were worried constituents visiting Sydney                                                            of the way property is recorded.
would have one less cultural facility to          MOVING THE POWERHOUSE                                 Adding fuel to the fire is that the land
visit. However, the Premier persisted on                                                             titles service was a valuable earner for the
                                                  WOULD GIVE DEVELOPERS
announcing the museum was to move                                                                    Government, bringing in $1.3 billion a year in
                                                  A CRACK AT THE ULTIMO-
– even after it emerged the move would                                                               revenue that could be spent on services such
cost NSW taxpayers more than $1 billion
                                                  PYRMONT REGION                                     as schools and hospitals. Yet the Coalition,
and place several of the museum’s most                                                               again demonstrating its contempt of anything
valuable exhibits at risk of serious damage.      through the public sector has now gone.            in the public sphere, sold the service off for a
   But there is hope. In late 2018, the Labor        The CPSU NSW has been campaigning               fraction of its earning potential.
Party announced the decision would be             intensively for the introduction of a public
reversed if it won power, with a separate         safety net for people with disability, that is,    Housing
facility built in Parramatta and the present      a Government role in their care.
site remaining in use.                               Labor spokesperson Kate Washington              The Coalition is in the process of handing over
                                                  has committed Labor to implementing the            more than a third of the state’s public housing
Disability services                               findings of an Upper House Inquiry in disability   stock to non-government operators. If it is re-
                                                  funding, which has found a need for a public       elected, we can expect this trend to continue.
The St ate Government ’s decision to              safety net – a position even supported by             It has outsourced property maintenance,
completely privatise public disability services   Coalition members of the inquiry.                  resulting in a threefold increase in the amount
has set the scene for a social tragedy on                                                            of correspondence received by the Minister
an unprecedented scale that is already            Land and Property                                  as the backlog of repairs grows ever longer.
beginning to unfold.
   From June 2018, the Government no
                                                  Information                                           Meanwhile, staff, many in temporary
                                                                                                     employment, have been subjected to a
longer had any role in public disability          PSA protests over the sell-of f of the             constant stream of restructures. This adds
services in NSW.                                  land titles division of Land and Property          stress to their already difficult jobs dealing
   The Government simply washed its hands         Information (LPI) even attracted lifelong          with some of the state’s most disadvantaged
of all responsibility and walked away.            Liberal voters who’d normally cross the road       people. On top of widespread bullying from
   NSW is now the only state in Australia         to avoid a trade unionist.                         clients, this has created a toxic workforce for
with no Government disability safety net,            The PSA, along with legal and real estate       many PSA members and their colleagues.
throwing the care of people with disability       bodies, warned this would cost consumers,             The Government’s moves to co-locate
into free fall. Many will land heavily in the     a fact denied by a government spruiking yet        Housing and Family and Community Services
state’s hospitals, mental health facilities       another sell-off.                                  receptions will also adversely affect the
and even the criminal justice system, areas          We’ll let you guess who was right.              safety of clients.
lacking expertise in specialist disability care      Prices have gone up, while in addition,
and already at breaking point.                    management tried to use a loophole in              Schools
   All access to group homes, respite, large      the legislation to charge title fees per
residential units, therapy services, case         search, rather than per customer service           Schools have too many staff employed on
management and behavioural intervention           transaction, as was the case before the sale.      a temporary or casual basis, sometimes

                                                                                                            April-June 2019 RED TAPE | 21
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