In an historic move, and on the back of years of work by public sector unions and civil society allies, the United States Department of Justice announced on 18 August their intention to close all private prisons under contract to the DOJ. The decision comes after a damning investigation found that for-profit facilities consistently performed less well than the publicly run prison system.
Australia now imprisons more people than at any point in its history with 36,134 people incarcerated across eight states as of June 2015. Privately run prisons incarcerate 18.5% of Australia’s prison population and clearly play a large part in the functioning of our custodial system a new University of Sydney Report has found. In fact, Australia has the highest rate of private incarceration per capita of any country in the world.
The characterisation by the Inquiry of public services as simply an item of consumption is problematic argues our joint submission to the Productivity Commission. The issue is much more complex. People accessing public services are not ‘consumers’ and the circumstances of their access are likely to dictate a need for equity, simplicity, clear arrangements around entitlements, and a supportive environment that is people centred. The apparen
Public Services International (PSI) has joined a growing number of voices pointing out that the new wave of so called “trade agreements” no longer have much to do with trade. Rather, these secret agreements create binding laws, away from democratic parliamentary institutions, to give rights to foreign investors and the largest multinational corporations. The Investor State Disputes Settlement (ISDS) system whilst not the only troubling aspect of these agreements has
I want to send my congratulations to you for the work you do everyday. There is no more honorable profession than working as a citizen for the benefit of other citizens.
The 105th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO has been meeting in Geneva and our Senior Industrial Officer Mark Perica has joined the Australian team and is on the committee looking at the social justice declaration. Director-General of the ILO Guy Ryder has told delegates they must assume the responsibilities of the ILO’s social justice mandate if the benefits of transformative change at work are to be realised. Inequality, marginalisation and division are not phenomena to which the world of work must react but “the consequence of what we do, how we behave, wh
Quality public services are the foundation of democratic societies and successful economies. They ensure that everyone has equal access to vital services, including health care, education, electricity, clean water and sanitation.
From 1st July the federal government will take away the fee it pays to the pathology provider that means the pathology test(s) provided to us can be bulk billed. Pathology tests include blood tests, urine tests, swabs (such as pap smears) and tests on other samples of tissue or body fluids. At present the federal government pays the provider but once they stop paying, the pathology providers will be forced to ask patients to pay for these tests themselves. Patients who were previously bulk billed may need to now pay. For mor
NOTICE OF ELECTION FOR OFFICERS IN THE NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH
In accordance with the Directions of the AEC Returning Officer and with the Rule 17 of the SPSF Rules we notify our New South Wales members of an election for officers in the New South Wales Branch.
Election Notice. Nomination form.
NOMINATIONS OPEN ON 14 APRIL 2016.
The US Supreme Court announced that it had reached a 4-4 tie in the Friedrichs case that challenged the legality of allowing unions to charge an agency or fair share fee to non-members. The tie upholds a lower court decision that recognizes the constitutionality of the agency fee system, but does not prevent similar cases from making their way through the federal courts in the coming years. In issuing a 4-4 opinion in Friedrichs v.
