Public Service Association of NSW Post Office approved PP 255003/01563 ISSN 1030–0740 Red TapeJanuary–April 2016 www.psa.asn.au PSA confronts private jail plans The State Government’s obsession with privatisation continues, this time with plans to 'market test' the operations of NSW prisons. However, the PSA’s Steve on performance targets for the state’s inmate population passes MacMahon is not convinced. first time” and “an independent 12,000. “We have been trying to work consultant has been engaged to Interview on the ABC, Minister with the Baird Government in analyse public prison operations Elliot described NSW prisons as “a fixing the overcrowding crisis in in NSW and compare them to the growth industry”. our jails, but this is purely about private sector as well as public As the Government ponders more selling off public assets to get prisons in Queensland”. privatised options, a report from their hands on more money.” However, the benchmarking the University of Sydney has found privatised prisons “will not lead to In a recent performance audit, process will not apply to the John increased public accountability”. Corrective Services NSW Morony prison, which is going was urged to “complete its straight to ‘market testing’. “There are many instances of benchmarking exercise on public private prison failure,” reads The correctional centre performance”. The Government’s moves, teamed Costs of Commissioning by Associate with a boost in bed numbers in The report found that “individual Professor Jane Andrew, Dr Max Berrima and Cessnock, come at Baker and Dr Philip Roberts. public correctional centre a time when prison numbers are performance could not be “Recent examples include the determined as correctional skyrocketing. death of Mr Ian Ward during a centre KPIs [key performance The performance auditor report transportation by G4S, the serious indicators] and benchmarks were said NSW has “experienced misconduct by Serco staff at Mount not clearly set”. significant growth in its inmate Eden NZ, and the mismanagement of Melbourne Metropolitan population”, growing 20 percent In response, Minister Elliot Women’s Correction Centre by the in two years, with recent riots in announced “public prisons will Corrections Corporation of America.” be required to meet and report Goulburn and Wellington as the The PSA will be working with officer in, not just NSW, but the staff at the John Morony medium- country, is under threat from this security jail near Windsor, north- heavy-handed tactic.” west of Sydney, to prevent its The ‘market testing’ at John Call to arms over outsourcing operations falling into the hands Morony Correctional Centre will of the private sector. be overseen by Professor Gary PSA General Secretary Anne Gardiner speaks to some of the department’s critical roles, which bring After announcing plans to Sturgess, holder of the NSW Land and Property Information (LPI) employees $100 million a year into government coffers. ‘benchmark’ the operations of Premier’s Australia and New outside Queen’s Square, Sydney in February. For a full report on the protest, plus news on a the state’s prisons, Minister Zealand School of Government Workers later marched on the nearby State Government back-down over LPI outsourcing, turn for Corrections David Elliott Chair of Public Service Delivery at Parliament to protest against plans to outsource to page 9. announced plans to “market the University of New South Wales. test” the possibility of a private In 2000, Professor Sturgess worked operator running the John Morony for the Serco Group, a company medium-security jail near Windsor, that runs prisons in the United north-west of Sydney. Kingdom and parts of Australia. “Privately run prisons in New Serco was found to have covered Zealand have been a debacle with up the sexual abuse of immigrants inmates setting up fight clubs and under its watch at Yarl’s Wood posting videos of their fights on Immigration Removal Centre social media,” says the PSA’s Prison prison in Britain. Officers Vocational Branch head Steve McMahon. Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald in the week the plans “There is no accountability or for John Morony were released, transparency. Sturgess denied the NSW “The NSW public jail system boasts Government was planning the best officers in the world.” outright privatisation. McMahon adds that a week before “The point of the exercise is not the announcement, “the Minister to outsource the management was announcing bravery awards of NSW prisons, but to create an for our members, who faced environment where cost and service life-threatening incidents in our quality are measured, facility by overcrowded jails”. facility, and where management Interviewed on Seven news, Mr is held to account for a persistent McMahon said, “Every prison failure to deliver,” he wrote. Anne Gardiner From the General Secretary The PSA is taking action As you'll be painfully aware, the individual and collective needs of PSA members are increasing due to this Government’s escalation of restructures, privatisation, performance management, badly supported IT projects and targeting of conditions. These attacks are unprecedented in in mainstream newspapers on the The MSC managed to completion 7,500 against PSA advice, this may affect what NSW public service history and have also importance of the work being done by cases arising from these calls. assistance the PSA can provide. resulted in massive work overload for PSA members. In order for the PSA to continue to Finally, it is recognised that there are still many members. The PSA has also established a Member focus resources on delivering a positive areas where improvement is needed in In addition, the NSW Government has Support Centre (MSC) in order to service outcome for the greatest number of the way the PSA is working. changed the way it manages staff through increased member needs. members, we currently triage calls using However, PSA staff are committed to the GSE Act and the creation of the Public The MSC allows all members equal the following principles: continuous improvement and to assisting Service Commission. members with the very challenging access to the PSA and has also resulted • When members contact the MSC, our This means the PSA and its staff have had in the creation of a comprehensive environment now being faced. staff will discuss how we can assist to to adapt to these changed circumstances database of issues. resolve the issue raised. Anne Gardiner and adopt a different approach. This database has allowed the PSA to General Secretary • For every issue, the PSA will assess, on As part of this changed approach, the quickly identify emerging issues and to behalf of all our members, what can and PSA has developed a proactive media and reallocate internal resources. can’t be done, and what will and won’t advertising focus. A recent example of this was the hundreds be done, in respect to the issue. The aim of this has been to lift the profile of temporary jobs saved as a result of a of public sector workers and also raise coordinated and proactive approach taken For example, we cannot assist if the caller concerns in the community about the by the PSA and its members. is not a financial member of the PSA or if the issue arose before the member joined. direction the NSW Government is heading In 2015, Advocacy and Case with its mass privatisation of public services. Management Officers in the MSC were Importantly, where assistance has In the last six months, the PSA has the first point of contact for almost previously been requested about the same had four opinion pieces published 28,000 calls from members. or a similar issue, or if the member goes Special constables get deserved recognition Congratulations to NSW Special Constables. Special constables were presented with the inaugural National Medal, recognising their critical work serving the people of NSW. General Secretary Anne Gardiner joined invited guests to see acting Commissioner Catherine Burn present the well-deserved medal. PSA members will remember it was the brave work of Special Constables who averted further tragedy when public servant Curtis Cheng was murdered in Parramatta. Special Constables play important roles in security and protection as part of NSW Police Counter Terrorism Command. March for equality The double standards PSA members and staff marched from the union’s headquarters to the applied to male- and female- Industrial Relations Commission to dominated industries were protest about the lack of consultation highlighted in a PSA march over the total privatisation of parts of Disabilty Services. through Sydney. The Commission was concilliating the dispute about the lack of consultation lodged by the PSA. Marchers pointed out conditions for employees of the privatised ferry system were much more favourable than those in ADHC, which has more women employed in its ranks. 2 – Red Tape January–April 2016 Back in black: Member profile Jules Bros PSA wins money NPWS owed to SAS staff Jules Bros has been working as a ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife Services in Oberon’s Kanangra Area office for 18 years. The PSA has helped win back PSA brings festive cheer What does your job involve? NPWS being helicoptered into a remote pay for three School Learning Kanangra Area staff manage 21 fire; assisting in a search and rescue; An ADHC employee has described the reserves, from Jenolan Caves in the rescuing wildlife, usually snakes from Support Officers (SLSOs) who PSA as an “amazing organisation” after east to Wyangala Dam in the west. buildings or injured wildlife along had been underpaid for years. his union prevented him being stood Our core business involves managing; roadsides; get called out to a law down just before Christmas. pest and weed control programs; park enforcement issue on park; assist in Three staff members at the one school Lindgren Farley was one of a number infrastructure; looking after visitor hazard reduction burns; or it could turn were at times engaged less than the of disability support workers required and recreational facilities; threatened- out to be just a busy day catching up minimum two hours per day.