Latest news with #IndustrialRelationsCommission
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
New salvo in state's war on WFH
The NSW Department of Criminal Justice will be brought before the Industrial Relations Commission after domestic violence and helpline staff pushed back against a return to work mandate. The Public Service Association (PSA) raised a dispute with the DCJ regarding the department's expectation that call-centre staff return to the office 'principally' or 50 per cent of the time. The mandate would mean staff, including those dealing with DV victims and child protection services, would need to attend the Liverpool or regional office for at least 50 per cent of their shifts. The PSA said the policy came in response to a circular from Premier Chris Minns last year that, while not specifically calling for an end to working from home, said it should not be 'taken for granted'. 'The circular does not strictly prescribe patterns of attendance and allows for ad hoc variations for the needs of employees and organisations,' the PSA said in a statement on Friday morning. 'As per the dispute resolution process, we met with DCJ and asked for feedback as to why they would not consider you for an ad hoc exemption. They have not provided any formal response yet.' NSW Premier Chris Minns said working from home should not be 'taken for granted'. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Due to a lack of response, the service workers union is now seeking 'the assistance' of the state's Industrial Relations Commission, with the first conciliation meeting held on Wednesday. The PSA said it sought to understand the 'specific operation grounds' the DCJ was using to 'deny the ad hoc exemption', with a further hearing on June 17. 'Yet there have been no operational requirements provided, other than simply the Premier's circular,' the PSA said. 'Your delegates and the PSA do not believe there is any valid operational requirement for an increase in office attendance, as the work you perform has been structured around remote working for the past four years or longer. 'You work in the same manner in the office, as you do from home, with the same processes, practices, and structures.' A meeting between the union and helpline and DV line members is slated for June 2. An end to Covid-era work-from-home arrangements and mandated return to the office has been a significant sticking point in both the private and government sectors in recent years. Anthony Albanese and Mr Minns differ on their view of working from home. Jason Edwards / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia In his circular, Mr Minns noted the usefulness of WFH arrangements in 'attracting and retaining talented people' since 2019 but said there were 'many ways' to achieve flexible work arrangements. Mr Minns said WFH arrangements were not available to all government employees, and the starting position is that those staff 'work principally in an approved workplace in NSW'. 'Arrangements to work from home on some occasions must take into consideration the wider needs of departments, agencies, the community and stakeholders,' the August circular stated. Mr Minns' opposition to WFH caused friction during the election. The state premier told reporters during the campaign that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was dealing with different circumstances in his opposition of the Liberals' plan to end WFH for public servants. A report earlier this month found staff at NSW Treasury were in the office only about half the time, or about 2.5 days per week, increasing from an average of 1.7 days per week in July 2024.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
NSW government announces new workers' compensation measures, amid union criticism
The New South Wales government has announced a series of measures aimed at softening its major overhaul of workers' compensation, after a fierce backlash from unions and concerns raised by medical professionals and lawyers. But the planned legislation, which is being introduced to parliament on Tuesday, will still make it significantly harder for workers to claim long-term compensation for psychological injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Under changes announced today, the government has dropped plans to force workers to go to the industrial relations commission to prove they have suffered a psychological injury before they can lodge a compensation claim. That measure will be replaced by an eight-week accelerated process for psychological injuries caused by bullying, harassment or excessive work demands. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said it would mean workers would be able to receive a partial payment while the claim was determined while still making the scheme more sustainable. "The introduction of a fast-tracked assessment process for bullying and harassment fundamentally resolves the problem that is plaguing the current system, which is that ….this category of claim is taking disproportionately longer than any others," Mr Mookhey said. The Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) will have the power to issue stop-bullying orders and enforce remedies ranging from a public apology to damages of up to $100,000. But the government is sticking with another of the most controversial elements of the bill. The planned legislation will require people to prove a 30 per cent whole-of-person impairment if they are seeking support more than two and a half years after a psychological injury. It's a dramatic increase of the current threshold which is 15 per cent, and one that was widely condemned by experts in a snap parliamentary inquiry that was held into the changes. Unions and psychiatrists have claimed the threshold is too high — with some saying it would prevent 99 per cent of people who are still psychologically able to function at work from receiving compensation. In a small concession to that opposition the government will now phase in the changes between now and July next year. Mr Mookhey defended the benchmark. "The reason why is because every state now that have comparable systems to NSW have already made that change and used that threshold," Mr Mookhey said. "I should also stress that NSW is the only jurisdiction in Australia that offers lifetime support above that 30 per cent." It's not yet clear whether the changes will be enough to gain enough support for the government to pass the bill, which has been broadly criticised by the Opposition and crossbenchers, through parliament. Mr Mookhey said the legislation was necessary to ensure people could access workers' compensation. ""Of course I expect that there will still be people opposed to these reforms and I respect their right to do so," he said. "The question now for parliament is are these reforms worse than the status quo and the status quo is failing and doing nothing is not an option."
Sydney Morning Herald
27-04-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Experts say mental health payouts may become impossible
The architect of a globally recognised scale designed to measure psychological injuries in worker compensation cases says changes proposed by the Minns government will effectively kill the scheme by making it next to impossible for injured workers to claim damages from employers. Retired Sydney psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani, who led the design of the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale for the Carr government in the late 1990s, said NSW Labor's proposal to lift the level of Whole Person Impairment needed to claim lump sum damages from employers for psychological injuries from 15 to 30 per cent was tantamount to ending the scheme. 'If you're going to take that step and say 'we're increasing it to 30 per cent impairment', you might as well euthanise the entire scheme and just say: 'We're not paying out any claims for any psychological injury', because that is the effect,' he said. 'They might as well come clean and say that is what they are going to do.' The government's proposals – which it says are still subject to consultation and yet to be finalised – also include plans to require injured workers to take claims to the Industrial Relations Commission before seeking workers compensation. The government says the changes are necessary due to the rising number of psychological injury claims and falling return-to-work rates. Mental health compensation claims have doubled over the past six years, a rise that is placing financial pressure on the state's nominal insurer, icare, and forcing insurance premiums up by 36 per cent over the three years from 2026, the government says. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has said the laws are not about curbing workers' rights; creating a bullying and harassment division of the IRC, he said, would create an avenue for workers to report unsafe workplaces before an injury occurs. 'Far from trying to curb people's rights to take action, this is about expanding them,' he said during an interview last month. But the reforms have drawn the ire of unions, legal professionals and the NSW Greens, who say they will cut workers' rights by severely limiting workers – including nurses or child protection workers – who seek compensation for injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Age
27-04-2025
- Health
- The Age
Experts say mental health payouts may become impossible
The architect of a globally recognised scale designed to measure psychological injuries in worker compensation cases says changes proposed by the Minns government will effectively kill the scheme by making it next to impossible for injured workers to claim damages from employers. Retired Sydney psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani, who led the design of the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale for the Carr government in the late 1990s, said NSW Labor's proposal to lift the level of Whole Person Impairment needed to claim lump sum damages from employers for psychological injuries from 15 to 30 per cent was tantamount to ending the scheme. 'If you're going to take that step and say 'we're increasing it to 30 per cent impairment', you might as well euthanise the entire scheme and just say: 'We're not paying out any claims for any psychological injury', because that is the effect,' he said. 'They might as well come clean and say that is what they are going to do.' The government's proposals – which it says are still subject to consultation and yet to be finalised – also include plans to require injured workers to take claims to the Industrial Relations Commission before seeking workers compensation. The government says the changes are necessary due to the rising number of psychological injury claims and falling return-to-work rates. Mental health compensation claims have doubled over the past six years, a rise that is placing financial pressure on the state's nominal insurer, icare, and forcing insurance premiums up by 36 per cent over the three years from 2026, the government says. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey has said the laws are not about curbing workers' rights; creating a bullying and harassment division of the IRC, he said, would create an avenue for workers to report unsafe workplaces before an injury occurs. 'Far from trying to curb people's rights to take action, this is about expanding them,' he said during an interview last month. But the reforms have drawn the ire of unions, legal professionals and the NSW Greens, who say they will cut workers' rights by severely limiting workers – including nurses or child protection workers – who seek compensation for injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
