CPSU Federal Office

The surge in prisoner numbers has been a threat to the health and safety of officers and ancillary staff working in the system.

All jurisdictions reported that the biggest impact on availability of beds was changes to sentencing laws, particularly Victoria and Tasmania where suspended sentences have been abolished, access to bail has been tightened and Tasmania reports that changes are going through Parliament now that will make access to remissions harder therefore further exacerbating the lack of available beds.

A fraud has been perpetrated on ordinary people, whether it be a person working for a Government service, or the community that uses a now privatised/corporatised service.  For the past 25-30 years we, as a nation, have had to deal with a political class (both major parties) who have felt that the way to economic prosperity for our respective States, or our Nation, was to outsource, privatise and downsize the public sector.  It has been done (and continues to be done), in the mistaken belief, that “trickle down” economics is good for everyone, from the highest paid to the lowest.

Save the Date in your city (location details tbc): July 8 in Sydney, July 13 in Brisbane and July 15 in Melbourne.

Amid Federal Budget cuts of a further $83.7 million in funding to the ABC, and in the wake of the Liberal Party Federal Council vote, CPSU and MEAA are joining with Friends of the ABC to hold public protest rallies in defence of the ABC.

CPSU Federal Secretary and Our Victorian Branch Secretary Karen Batt addressed Melbourne's massive Change the Rules Rally outside Flinders Street Station.

‘CPSU members are here today to declare we will fight

We will fight to change the rules for the interest of all our members across the national and state tiers of government.

We are over two million workers

Standing up for public services has always been a fight we’ve taken on

Governments become our employers

Thousands of Tasmanian Unionists marched through the Hobart streets yesterday in bright sunshine to launch the twelve days of national action to change the rules.  Led by ACTU Secretary Sally McManus who promised the ACTU would be upping the ante to push for change in industrial relations rules. Sally McManus said many workers in Tasmania were feeling the "sharp end of trickle-down economics" arguing stronger protections were needed to make sure they get a fair go. 

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Thousands of workplace delegates from every union in Victoria, including CPSU, gathered inside the Melbourne Town Hall this morning to receive a briefing and take a message to all workplaces that we neeed to change the rules.  If we want fair pay increases, if we want to change the rules so working people get their fair share - we will need to fight for it.  Profits are up, productivity is up, but wage growth is at record lows.  We need new rules to balance the power of big business to bring back the fair go for working people.  It’s time to hit the streets and demand new rules so Australia

A big year looms ahead for Australian Unions because this is the year, we come together, to Change the Rules.  To bring fairness back.  To get Australia a pay rise, and a secure job.  The rules are broken.  Inequality is at a 70-year high.  Wage growth at record lows.  40 percent of the workforce is insecure work.  Too many working people are living in poverty, as the cost of everything keeps going up and up.  Big business has never had so much power.  A third of multinational companies in Australia don’t pay any tax.

State branch representatives from child protection came together in Melbourne to talk about their experiences and the similar issues like unsustainable workload, stress and under-staffing, to find a solution.  Workers need a sustainable workforce in order to keep children safe.  Thanks Community and Public Sector Union (spsft) Tasmania for bringing your hearts! ♥️

“The collapse of Carillion in the UK should be seen as a warning to Governments of all jurisdictions to place a moratorium on the current obsession with outsourcing and privatising public sector work.  It's not just the collapse of one company and its impact on the services it was delivering on behalf of Government, but the impact for some 20,000 employees who now have a cloud over their futures, for subcontractors and other providers of services to the prime contractor that are also now in doubt.”

Politicians at all levels of government are recklessly privatising our public services. The Turnbull government has directed the Productivity Commission to conduct an inquiry into how to further privatise our public services, without looking at whether handing over control of our services to corporations is in the best interest of all Australians.