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Published on
10 Nov 2022

PSA meets with Minister for Child Protection

PSA Officials met this morning with The Hon. Katrine Hildyard, Minister for Child Protection, following the public release today of the “Trust in Culture” report by Kate Alexander (here) and the recommendations from the review by Mal Hyde (here).

The PSA delegation was led by PSA General Secretary Natasha Brown and PSA Assistant General Secretary Christian Hagivassilis.

The PSA stressed the need for government to lead a change in the public narrative around Child Protection work so that the difficult work you do is presented positively in an environment of click-bait headlines and sensationalism. The Alexander report further confirmed this need.

The PSA questioned the Minister about the resourcing of the announced urgent checks on 500 children. The PSA emphasised that with the timelines mooted to complete this task, consultation about how it will be resourced is critical. The Minister gave assurances that the PSA will be involved in consultation on how this will be resourced across the agencies involved in this process.

The PSA has long campaigned for greater early intervention and intensive assistance for families.

The PSA highlighted how the Alexander review describes the massive underfunding of early intervention programs in South Australia. The report states that “the spending on early intervention and intensive family support is the lowest of all Australian states and territories.

The PSA emphasised again with the Minister the critical need to increase funding and improve early intervention and intensive assistance for families.

Other topics raised with the Minister by the PSA included: 

  • Status update of the respective reviews underway

  • Workforce Planning Review/Progress, with a focus on staff retention and managing staff vacancies  

  • Review of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act    

  • Update on the Government’s policy positions, including 2Up on shifts in Residential Care


The PSA will continue to review the “Trust in Culture” report and the recommendations by Mal Hyde in consultation with Worksite Representatives and members.

The PSA will continue to advocate for our members in Child Protection with all levels of government and in the media as appropriate.


Given the near guaranteed increase in workloads, particularly driven by the 500 urgent checks on children, members are encouraged to contact the PSA Members’ Rights Hotline on 8205 3227 for advice and support if there are any issues around workload, Flexitime, Overtime and TOIL.

The PSA provides the following reminder of your rights about Flexitime, Overtime and TOIL.

Flexitime

Flexitime is a flexible arrangement of working time, which allows employees to negotiate how, and when hours will be worked within agreed limits and conditions. Flexitime arrangements apply where agreed between an employee and their employer at the workplace.

Flexitime arrangements do not increase or reduce the total number of ordinary hours that must be worked by an employee. An employee cannot be required to work more than 7.5 hours in any one day without being offered overtime. You cannot be directed to ‘work’ flexitime.

Flexitime is separate from overtime and TOIL. Overtime can be worked and TOIL therefore can be accrued within a flexitime bandwidth (e.g. 8:00am – 6:00pm) for time worked in excess of 7.5 hours.

Overtime

Those required, or who have prior approval, to work more than 8 hours in one day or 38 hours in one week are entitled to be paid overtime for those additional hours above your ordinary hours of duty. Payment on a week day is time and a half for the first three hours and then double time for extra time worked greater than three hours.

TOIL

An employee can request to accrue Time Off in Lieu of payment for overtime (TOIL). Accrual of TOIL instead of receiving payment for overtime is solely at the employee’s discretion. You cannot be directed to accrue TOIL instead of being paid for the overtime.

TOIL accrued can be taken at a later date, but remember that TOIL is accrued on an hour-for-hour basis and when taken is paid at your normal rate of pay. In some circumstances if your employer has denied you access to take accrued TOIL it can be converted to payment at the overtime rate.

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