Public Service Association of NSW
Encyclopedia
The Public Service Association of NSW is a union which represents New South Wales Government, NSW university and related private sector employees. The union is registered under New South Wales
state legislation.
The members of the PSA are also members of the Community and Public Sector Union, which is a national union registered under Commonwealth legislation. See entry on Community and Public Sector Union
.
The PSA represents members on all aspects of their working life and provides some value-added services on top of this. Members are represented collectively and individually.
The Provisional Committee set up to establish the organisation stated that the Association would not have a political character nor would it be a trade union. Thirteen years passed before the union was established in 1899.
The first edition of the Association's newspaper, The Public Service Journal, appeared on 4 January 1900 and carried the historic story of public servants meeting to consider the union's draft constitution.
The Chairman, Mr. Beauer, Clerk of the Peace, in addressing the meeting said,
The constitution was then submitted to the Premier, G H Reid and the Public Service Board. Both parties approved of its contents. The Association's first Chairman was Mr. Cornelius Delohery with Mr. W.A. Thomson elected Secretary.
In October 1900, the first country branch was formed at Moree. Others quickly followed in Armidale
, Goulburn, Hay
, Newcastle
, Forbes
and Orange
. In November of the same year, Mr. John Osbourne was appointed as the first permanent Secretary and the first Council was elected to conduct the business of the PSA.
In 1908, the Industrial Arbitration System was established in NSW. The PSA was not only excluded from that system but had its membership of approximately 3,300 fragmented by the creation of other unions such as the railways and teachers.
1910 saw the PSA's first major campaign covering equal pay, superannuation and conditions.
In 1915, it had to be decided whether to register as a trade union under the Industrial Arbitration and trade Union Acts. The proposal fired spirited debate but a referendum resulted in 670 members supporting registration with 538 votes cast in opposition. The PSA subsequently became registered as a trade Union under the trade Union Act and an Industrial Union under the Industrial Arbitration Act. Four internal divisions were established - Clerical, General, Professional and Education.
By 1920, a vocational structure was emerging - the division and representation of members by the jobs they did - and the PSA's first awards were lodged.
In 1922, new legislation again excluded the PSA from the arbitration system. In an attempt to correct this situation the PSA waged a major political campaign between 1925 and 1930 to regain access to the system. The Lang Labor Government
eventually amended the legislation. Four sections then emerged - Clerical, General, Professional and Government Agencies - plus a Women's Auxiliary.
In July 1927, the Association changed the name of its newspaper from The Public Service Journal to Red Tape.
During the Great Depression years - 1930 to 1945 - the Association fought a rearguard action to protect members and conducted campaigns to maintain jobs. While job losses were minimised, the State Government slashed public servant salaries and raided the monetary resources of the State Superannuation Fund.
It was years before the Association was able to restore pre-depression salaries and was not until 1944 that the State Government repaid the money taken from the Superannuation Fund.
In 1944 the Crown Employees' Appeal Board was established. The creation of the body was one of the PSA's earliest objectives.
Somewhere between 1948 and 1953, the PSA affiliated with NSW Labor Council, now known as UnionsNSW.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
state legislation.
The members of the PSA are also members of the Community and Public Sector Union, which is a national union registered under Commonwealth legislation. See entry on Community and Public Sector Union
Community and Public Sector Union
The Community and Public Sector Union is a national trade union in Australia.- History of The CPSU :...
.
The PSA represents members on all aspects of their working life and provides some value-added services on top of this. Members are represented collectively and individually.
History
The first attempt to form the Association was made in April 1886 by Arthur Josling and P.H. Somerville. Their actions may have been prompted by similar moves in Victoria and by growing concerns of political patronage within the service.The Provisional Committee set up to establish the organisation stated that the Association would not have a political character nor would it be a trade union. Thirteen years passed before the union was established in 1899.
The first edition of the Association's newspaper, The Public Service Journal, appeared on 4 January 1900 and carried the historic story of public servants meeting to consider the union's draft constitution.
The Chairman, Mr. Beauer, Clerk of the Peace, in addressing the meeting said,
"... though we have a loyal and faithful service, we must have a fearless service. I mean a service which will not be spineless, or a cringing, craving service, which is always indicative of that which is wrong, because ultimately they would find that a service which dare not express its views in a reasonable and proper manner, and dare not ask for what was legitimately its rights, was bound, more or less, to be a menace to the State."
The constitution was then submitted to the Premier, G H Reid and the Public Service Board. Both parties approved of its contents. The Association's first Chairman was Mr. Cornelius Delohery with Mr. W.A. Thomson elected Secretary.
In October 1900, the first country branch was formed at Moree. Others quickly followed in Armidale
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
, Goulburn, Hay
Hay, New South Wales
Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, Forbes
Forbes, New South Wales
-Notable residents:*Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court*NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt was born and raised in Forbes....
and Orange
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....
. In November of the same year, Mr. John Osbourne was appointed as the first permanent Secretary and the first Council was elected to conduct the business of the PSA.
In 1908, the Industrial Arbitration System was established in NSW. The PSA was not only excluded from that system but had its membership of approximately 3,300 fragmented by the creation of other unions such as the railways and teachers.
1910 saw the PSA's first major campaign covering equal pay, superannuation and conditions.
In 1915, it had to be decided whether to register as a trade union under the Industrial Arbitration and trade Union Acts. The proposal fired spirited debate but a referendum resulted in 670 members supporting registration with 538 votes cast in opposition. The PSA subsequently became registered as a trade Union under the trade Union Act and an Industrial Union under the Industrial Arbitration Act. Four internal divisions were established - Clerical, General, Professional and Education.
By 1920, a vocational structure was emerging - the division and representation of members by the jobs they did - and the PSA's first awards were lodged.
In 1922, new legislation again excluded the PSA from the arbitration system. In an attempt to correct this situation the PSA waged a major political campaign between 1925 and 1930 to regain access to the system. The Lang Labor Government
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
eventually amended the legislation. Four sections then emerged - Clerical, General, Professional and Government Agencies - plus a Women's Auxiliary.
In July 1927, the Association changed the name of its newspaper from The Public Service Journal to Red Tape.
During the Great Depression years - 1930 to 1945 - the Association fought a rearguard action to protect members and conducted campaigns to maintain jobs. While job losses were minimised, the State Government slashed public servant salaries and raided the monetary resources of the State Superannuation Fund.
It was years before the Association was able to restore pre-depression salaries and was not until 1944 that the State Government repaid the money taken from the Superannuation Fund.
In 1944 the Crown Employees' Appeal Board was established. The creation of the body was one of the PSA's earliest objectives.
Somewhere between 1948 and 1953, the PSA affiliated with NSW Labor Council, now known as UnionsNSW.
Presidents of the PSA
| YEAR | NAME | DEPARTMENT |
|---|---|---|
| 1899, | Delohery, Cornelius J | Justice |
| 1900 | Turner, J W | Education |
| 1901 | Turner, J W (to May 1902) | Education |
| 1902 | McKay, G A (to Sept 1902) | Lands |
| 1902–1903 | Vautin, Ernest Stafford | Lands |
| 1904 | Williams, Percy E | Chief Secretary |
| 1905 | Brownlow, Frederick Hugh | Mines |
| 1906 | Kilminster, George | Education |
| 1907 | D'Arcy, John Synott BA | Navigation |
| 1908 | Paton, Alfred | Lands |
| 1909-12 | D'Arcy, John Synott BA | Navigation |
| 1913-14 | Beavis, Walter William Keen | Education |
| 1915-16 | D'Arcy, John Synott BA | Navigation |
| 1916-18 | Watson, Albert Alexander | Lands |
| 1919-20 | Kilminster, George | Education |
| 1920-21 | Watson, Albert Alexander | Lands |
| 1922 | Greig, William Arthur | Mines |
| 1923 | McCulloch, J E (resigned Dec 1923) | Justice |
| 1924 | Trollope, Arthur John | Public Works |
| 1925-27 | Watson, Albert Alexander | Lands |
| 1928-32 | Flynn, William Augustus | Justice |
| 1933-35 | Hodge-Smith, Thomas | Education |
| 1936-38 | Weir, George LB | Justice |
| 1939-41 | Drummond, C (Barrister-at-Law) | Lands |
| 1942-45 | Trout, Albert John | Public trust |
| 1946-49 | Hedges, Frederick, L | Agriculture |
| 1950-51 | Johnstone, N P S | Lands |
| 1952-63 | Hook, F A | Public Works |
| 1964-66 | Solomans, L W | Housing |
| 1967-75 | Hillyard, A G (Bert) | Meat Board |
| 1975-79 | Finnane, T J MBE ED | Electricity Commission |
| 1979-81 | Jardine, Brian S, PhD BA | Egg Marketing Board |
| 1981-85 | Brown, E John | Health Commission |
| 1985-87 | Naylor, Paul E | Central Mapping Authority |
| 1987-89 | Good, Janet P, BBus.ALA. | TAFE |
| 1989-91 | Armstrong Patrick | Corrective Services |
| 1991-93 | Good, Janet P, BBus.ALA | TAFE |
| 1993–2000 | O'Sullivan,.Maurie | Community Services |
| 2000 to date | Walsh, Suzanne | Education |
Secretaries And General Secretaries of the PSA
| YEAR | NAME |
|---|---|
| 1900–1908 | Osborne, John |
| 1909–1912 | Hill, E.J. |
| 1912–1914 | Peek, R |
| 1914–1931 | Wills, F |
| 1931–1932 | Irving, C.C |
| 1932–1945 | O'Sullivan, E |
| 1945–1959 | O'Neile, R.J |
| 1959–1966 | Sutherland, R.J |
| 1966–1971 | Nicholls, Eric J |
| 1971–1985 | Hammond, Geoffrey B |
| 1986–1989 | Twohill, Helen |
| 1989–1993 | Gibson, Allan |
| 1993–2000 | Good, Janet, BBUS, ALA |
| 2000–2003 | O'Sullivan, Maurie, BA |
| 2003 to date | Cahill, John |