The count is done, and while we await the official declaration from the returning officer, our scrutineers observed the final tally.
The result is clear: CPSU Vic members have voted for change.
Across the state, over 70 percent of voters backed A Voice for Members. It’s a strong and clear mandate for a new direction; and we will use it to deliver on our commitments to our members.
We have secured all 5 executive positions; and 23 out of 34 Branch Council positions.
We welcome and congratulate all of the successful candidates – United, independent, and AVFM – and look forward to getting straight to work from day one.
Thank you!
This is an extraordinary result, and we are deeply grateful to the hundreds of volunteers and supporters who made it possible.
To every single person who stood as a candidate, thank you. It takes courage to put your hand up, especially in an election like this. Whether you were elected or not, you played a vital role in revitalising our union. This was a powerful act of union democracy, and we hope you’ll stay involved.
Congratulations to all successful candidates, including those elected on the United ticket and to Fabian Adams, who ran and won as an independent. We look forward to working with all of you.
To those who weren’t elected this time, we understand it’s disappointing. But the door is always open. This union is made stronger by many voices and perspectives. Please reach out, stay connected, and continue to contribute. There is work to do, and there is room for everyone in it.
We also want to acknowledge the outgoing leadership team, Karen Batt and Wayne Townsend. Whatever the differences in approach or direction, their years of work deserve respect. These roles are never easy, and we acknowledge the challenges they’ve carried over a long period of time.
What comes next
What comes next matters most. The membership has spoken. This result is a strong vote of confidence in the policy platform we put forward. That means it is time to:
Grow the union
Respond to the Silver Review
Oppose job cuts
Rebuild trust, accountability, and transparency
Build structures that listen to members and fight for them
We know people won’t agree on everything, and that is healthy in a democratic union. What matters is how we have those conversations, and how we move forward together after. Robust, respectful debate, then moving in a shared direction. That is how we build a union that is strong and inclusive.
Today marks the final day of AVFM election campaigning
To every single person who’s given their time, energy, and care to this campaign – thank you.
From rallying in the sun to door-knocking in the cold, to workplace conversations, phone banking, and handing out flyers and how-to-votes – you’ve been the backbone of this campaign. You’ve shown up again and again.
At 10AM on Tuesday 8 July, the ballot count will commence.
Win, lose, or draw, this campaign has already achieved something powerful
Together, we’ve shown that a different kind of union is not only possible – it’s already taking shape: member-led, democratic, and ready to take on the fights that matter.
Our election policy platform was shaped by members, debated by members, and endorsed by members. This is the union we’re fighting for – one where members lead and leadership listens.
And this campaign isn’t just about the election – it’s about laying the foundation for lasting change. We are building a strong rank and file caucus that grows with every conversation, every workplace action, and every step we take together.
Thank you for being part of this movement. We’re proud to stand with you.
No matter the outcome, we’re celebrating: Friday 11 July
Join us to acknowledge the huge effort, the laughs, the late nights, and the community we’ve built.
specific electorate posters you can print and put up in your workplaces (under how-to-vote posters on our campaign resources page)
Instagram and Facebook posts with all electorate posters, so you can easily share with your social networks.
Please feel free to print these posters off and pop them up in your workplace!
If you haven’t already voted, we’d love for you to follow the candidate order on our how to vote card when you do your vote. This will give us the best chance at getting candidates on branch council or executive.
If your ballot pack hasn’t arrived
If you’re still waiting for your ballot, don’t stress! You can contact the AEC for a replacement.
To do this, call the AEC on 03 9285 7111 and press 1.
As of 8 July, the voting period has concluded – the AEC cannot assist with replacement ballots or late voting.
When union elections come around, it’s easy to miss them.
No paid ads. No voting booths. Just a ballot from the Australian Electoral Commission, often buried in your letter box.
But that ballot? That’s your chance to decide what kind of union we have for the next four years. And right now, it matters more than ever.
Because a union is only as strong as its members – and only as democratic as we make it
The CPSU hasn’t had a contested leadership election in over 30 years. Thirty years. That means generations of union officials have remained in power without being tested, without being challenged, and without being accountable to the people they’re meant to represent.
Union Democracy
Union democracy isn’t a nice extra. It’s the core of a fighting union. When members have a say, when they organise together, and when they elect leaders who answer to them – that’s when a union wins.
When decisions are made behind closed doors and leadership feels untouchable, the union weakens – and the bosses know it.
This union signed off on a 3% pay deal while the cost of living soared. It stood by as restructures gutted teams and insecure work spread like wildfire. It claims there was nothing that could be done, but we call it giving up before the fight even starts.
Voting for change
Voting is how we change that.
It’s how we replace passive unionism with active, member-led organising.
It’s how we put pressure on both the employer and our own structures to deliver for working people.
Across the VPS, members are doing it tough. Frontline workers are burning out. Admin staff are collapsing under workloads. Communities are suffering from cuts and a casualised workforce. And too often, the union is nowhere to be seen.
But you are not alone. You are not powerless. And this election is a chance to be part of something bigger. A movement to rebuild the union from the ground up.
A Voice for Members
That’s why A Voice for Members is running. We’re public servants like you.
We’re organisers, activists, delegates and health and safety reps. We’re from right across the public service – lawyers, policy workers, ministerial staff, housing workers, prison officers, data analysts, intelligence officers, and more.
We’re tired of being ignored.
And we’re ready to fight – for better wages, more secure jobs, and a union that listens.
So don’t let this vote pass you by.
Keep an eye on your letter box for a ballot from the Australian Electoral Commission. It will look similar to the ballot for your local council.
Vote for A Voice For Members.
It takes 60 seconds – and it means everything. We only get to vote every four years. Let’s make this one count.
As the Allan Government pushes ahead with plans to cut thousands of jobs from the Victorian Public Service (VPS), our very own A Voice for Members smarties are creating The Gold Review.
The Gold Review is a volunteer-led report that offers a compelling and necessary counterpoint to the Silver Review. If you’re looking for evidence-based alternatives to austerity, this report will deliver.
Let’s be clear: the Silver Review, commissioned by the state government, aims to cut between 3,000 and 6,000 VPS jobs. It frames this as a fiscal necessity. The Gold Review shows that this is a false choice. Cutting jobs won’t save what they claim. In fact, for every dollar cut, 40 cents are lost to hidden costs like:
the need to backfill government functions with consultants
recruitment costs
service gaps
increased unemployment burdens
the burden of increased stress and sickness on those still employed to pick up the slack.
The Gold Review has 8 recommendations, 5 cost-saving and 3 revenue-generating, that together add $13 billion to the state budget over 5 years. That’s almost 5 times the $2.85 billion that would be “saved” by the proposed job cuts, assuming up to 6,000 positions do go, and all this without cutting a single VPS job!
Our Proposals
On the savings side, the report proposes:
trimming the bloated executive layer of the VPS
halving consultancy spending
consolidating government office space
cutting fossil fuel subsidies
shifting government banking to a public option.
Each measure is backed by detailed costings. Together they deliver real, ongoing savings for the Victorian taxpayers.
On the revenue side, the report recommends:
introducing a modest state-level bank levy
raising the online betting tax to 20%
closing the tax gap by just 1%.
These are modest, fair, and achievable measures that would generate billions in new revenue without harming working people.
The report also dismantles the 3 key arguments being used to justify VPS cuts:
The state economy and budget are not in crisis — Victoria’s economy is strong and growing, and the government’s balance sheet is solid.
The VPS is not “bloated” — in fact, it is now smaller relative to the size of the total public sector than it was pre-pandemic. If there’s any bloat, it’s in the explosive growth in the number of executives in the senior executive service.
Credit rating agencies are not demanding job cuts — reading the reports they issue reveals the real concerns they raise are around unfunded infrastructure – particularly the Suburban Rail Loop – rather than public service size or wages.
We’ve already seen the human costs of past cuts. According to the VPSC, too many VPS staff are overworked, stressed, and time poor. According to VAGO, the VPS is also struggling to meet its own service delivery benchmarks (AKA BP3 Measures) — and more cuts will only make this worse.
The public deserves better. Premier, why choose Silver, when you could have Gold?
This is the moment to rally and to stand up against misguided austerity. The Gold Review will prove that we can protect jobs, maintain services, and still strengthen the budget, if the Government is willing to listen.
Let’s make sure they do.
Where can I read the report?
The Gold Review will be released on the A Voice For Members website on Tuesday 3rd June – stay tuned.
We will also add a link to the document right here on this page.
Public Service cuts – Step 1 of how to lose an election
This past weekend, Peter Dutton entered the history books, but certainly not in the way that he wanted. Rather than leading the Liberal Party to an historic victory over a first-term Labor Government, he instead led his party to an equally historic defeat that even cost him his own seat.
Why did this happen? The pundits will offer a long list of reasons, among them committing to build nuclear reactors in a country bathed in sunlight, and supporting Nazi hecklers at an ANZAC Day dawn service.
But one reason that shouldn’t be overlooked is Dutton’s promise to cut the public service if he won the election. Different numbers and reasons were bandied about: 36,000 to 41,000 personnel to go, a need to keep growth in the public service headcount in line with inflation, and of course that favourite phrase of small government hawks; “bloated bureaucracy,” and so on.
Cuts Are Not A Winning Strategy
But Dutton and his lieutenants completely ignored three critical facts.
First, public service cuts are politically unpopular.
Second, they cost much more than they save.
Third, the idea that growth in the public service headcount should be limited by population growth has no basis whatsoever.
Fact #1 – Cuts Are Unpopular
Australians in every State and Territory want a public service that has the resources to deliver what the community needs. Whether those services are frontline or back-office misses a crucial point: both are needed, and neither can function without the other. If you won’t take our word for it, take the word of Victoria’s Public Sector Commissioner, Brigit Monagle.
“Our frontline employees cannot do their work effectively and efficiently without their dedicated back office colleagues… Without their work, services to the community would not be delivered when and where they are needed.”
If the stunning rebuke of Dutton and his razor gang isn’t evidence enough, consider 2 one-term State Premiers whose public service cuts cost them their own jobs too: Ted Ballieu in Victoria, and Campbell Newman in Queensland.
Ballieu cut 4,200 positions after coming to office in 2010, and Victorians voted him out at the first opportunity.
Newman cut what is likely a record 14,000 positions in 2012. Queensland called bullshit, and with a 14% swing against him, consigned the Newman Government to the dustbin of history.
Fact #2 – Cuts Cost Cash
If these political costs aren’t enough, let us consider how expensive they are to the taxpayer. There can be no cut to the public service without the risk that Government will need to engage consultants and contractors to make up for the gap in capacity and capability.
The most recent audit of spending for this reason, completed by the Federal Government in 2022, showed that since the Coalition introduced a cap on the public service headcount in 2015-16, a “shadow workforce” of almost 54,000 consultants and contractors grew inside this gap. This shadow workforce came with an annual cost of $21 billion dollars, which works out to a stunning per capita cost of about $388,888 per person.
Consider this to the APS and VPS median salaries for the same period: $118,712 and $113,809 respectively. One dollar saved, almost four more dollars spent. Cutting the public service sure is expensive!
Fact #3 – Cuts Must Be Based On Reality, Not Proportions
Last of all, the idea that the size of the public service should be some ideal proportion of the population or should only grow at the same rate as the population is absurd. Any policymaker worth their salt would never pick population as the sole guiding metric for determining the size of a public service. The calculation instead should be about allocating the available resources according to public priorities.
If we take that more useful metric instead, we find that the VPS at least is systemically under-resourced. VPSC “People Matter” surveys from the past 3 years show that 40% of public servants consistently report having too much work and not enough time to do it in.
Auditor General reports over the same period on VPS performance measures consistently show that on average 3 to 4 in every 10 performance goals are going unmet.
This is not to even consider the new areas the Victorian Government has expanded into in the last 10 years: bushfire recovery, mental health services, cladding safety, wages inspection, and more.
Nor to mention the things it will yet need to do: expand care for an aging population, prepare for and respond to an increasing rate of natural disasters, and ensure public welfare in an era of accelerating technological change and global instability.
Lessons Learned?
Our Premier; Jacinta Allen, and Treasurer; Jacyln Symes, should take heed of these lessons, lest they join the ranks of Peter Dutton, Campbell Newman, and Ted Ballieu. Cutting the public service is a sure route to losing an election.
Member Profile – Zoya
What’s your name?
Zoya Gill
Where do you work and what do you do?
I work in the Department of Education in policy reform, focused on improving the way we understand, value, educate, and support early school leavers.
How long have you been in the union?
For most of the time since I joined the VPS in 2019.
Why did you join AVFM?
For most of my time as a union member I have not thought much about what a union is beyond knowing I should be in one, and that having membership is a good safety net. But in the last few years I have come to realise that my commitment to social justice and serving the public is inextricably linked with worker solidarity.
Union is something bigger than any one of us and it is inspiring and energising to be part of something collective and values-led during such a chaotic time. I believe AVFM has the ability to bring public sector workers together to create a CPSU with the courage to fight for our values and fight for us as workers.
What’s your vision for the CPSU?
I want a CPSU that puts the values and the voices of its members at the centre of what it does.
I want to define what our union is, not be told what we stand for.
I want to have ways to connect with workers in my department and across the CPSU to find out who we want to be as a union.
And I want to build our membership base so we have the power to stand up and fight.
What’s On
Get trivial with us: Thursday 8 May
Join us tonight for a night of trivia, laughs, and solidarity hosted by Tom Ballard at Fitzroy Town Hall.
180 tickets have been sold so far – we will be selling the last few tickets at the door.
It’s going to be a great night for a great cause – don’t miss it!
Where?
FITZROY TOWN HALL 201 Napier Street, Fitzroy Thursday 8 May, 6:30pm to 9pm Tickets: $50 or $100 solidarity
On Monday 21 April, A Voice for Members (AVFM) comrades selflessly took time out of their Easter public holiday to join our policy platform general meeting.
This meeting was to debate, move, and confirm the key promises we are taking to the CPSU Vic elections. Anyone could submit an idea for discussion, and we started the meeting with 48 submissions to work through and debate. Members could ask questions about items, speak for or against these items, and move amendments to the items.
There’s no pretending, it was a long afternoon. But it was incredible to see comrades come together respectfully and genuinely, to build the foundations of our movement. We are now prepared for the next phase of our campaign with a mandated platform. We can boast that this platform was built by our membership, not top-down decision-making.
What was especially moving was the commitment to democratic process this meeting demonstrated for all of us. This is not something any of us have experienced in our CPSU lifetimes, and it’s what we want to bring back to our union. Seeing the commitment to this democracy in practice really made it clear that we can win this thing!
What comes next
After Monday’s meeting, the policy platform is going to the first Campaign Electoral Caucus (CEC) meeting to be endorsed. This caucus is made up of all our pre-selected nominees for branch council and executive.
Our campaign policies are then being turned into some snappy, snazzy leaflets and posters in time for our ground campaign to begin this coming Monday. It’s been a very quick turnaround in some already short weeks, so huge thank yous to everyone involved in this process.
Special shout-outs go to:
Kimberley Johnston (candidate for President) for chairing the meeting
Dylan Kelly-Morgan (VBC candidate) for his work putting together the policy platform and live-editing our many amendments
Pip Grylls for all the background admin work that goes into a big meeting like this one.
We’ll share the final policy platform document shortly, after the CEC has endorsed it. In the meantime, sign up for our first fortnight of the ground campaign!
Ground campaign phase 1 starts next week – 28 April to 11 May
It’s time for our membership to take to the streets! We’re hitting workplaces from 8AM Monday 28 April, and we need you to bring our message to every corner of our union. Rope in your friends, coworkers, workplace situationships, whoever you can grab.
Mitch (our candidate for assistant secretary) has created some excellent documents to keep us across what’s happening each fortnight. These docs have all the links, maps, downloads, everything else you need to get involved in the ground campaign. To get involved, sign up to our mailing list or email cpsuavoiceformembers@gmail.com. There’s a job for everyone!
Rank and File member profile
Meet Chris Bydder
Where do you work and what do you do? I work for the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria and am based out in the burbs out at Macleod as the Principal Scientist for Odour. Yes an odd job title, but odour is the most commonly reported form of pollution in Victoria.
How long have you been in the union? I am a proud, paid-up member of CPSU, have been for 24 years. I’ve been part of our branch as delegate for two stints, the first in the 00s for 5-6 years, the second stint more recently (started in 2023 and still forging ahead). I have been a very active union member and have achieved success in Appendix negotiation securing pay rises between 15 and 50% for after hours roles at EPA in 2012.
Why did you join A Voice for Members? I believe very strongly in unionism and favour a collaborative approach that embraces our diversity.
What’s your vision for the CPSU? A transparent, democratic union with clear structures and pathways from the rank and file to the very top where anyone can contribute and raise through the ranks. This should be actively encouraged or we just stagnate.
share our socials posts on your feeds and stories, in Teams, in other group chats, wherever you connect with other CPSU members
send this bulletin to your friends, coworkers, neighbours, baristas, and encourage them to sign up
Missed the enrolment deadline?
The deadline to be a CPSU member to vote in these elections has passed. But! There’s still time to update your mailing address if you are an existing CPSU member.
Contact the AEC to update your postal address. The earlier you can do this the better!
Get trivial with us: Thursday 8 May
Join us for a night of trivia, laughs, and solidarity hosted by Tom Ballard at Fitzroy Town Hall.
We’re trying to raise $33,000 to fund a game-changing election mail out – and we need your help (plus your fact-friendly comrades) to make it happen. Every dollar brings us closer to building a democratic, fighting union that puts members first.
Put together a table of up to 8. Finger food and non-alcoholic beverages will be available by donation. And of course, there will be beers and wine.
It’s going to be a great night for a great cause – don’t miss it!
Where?
FITZROY TOWN HALL 201 Napier Street, Fitzroy Thursday 8 May, 6:30pm to 9pm Tickets: $50 or $100 solidarity
Welcome to the latest edition of the rank and file bulletin!
As our Victorian Branch Council nominees prepare to campaign alongside you ahead of the ballot opening on 10 June, we want to reflect on why union elections are crucial for democracy.
Keep reading to learn more, and meet one of our dedicated members along the way.
Join our online campaign briefing: 6:30PM Monday 14 April
We’ve also included updates about the campaign below. We invite you – and encourage your comrades, friends, and colleagues – to join our online campaign briefing this Monday.
Mitch, Assistant Branch Secretary candidate (DE), will be presenting our ground game plan, along with essential resources to help you get involved.
6:30PM Monday 14 April on Zoom
Rank and file bulletin: The importance of democratic elections in trade unions
Every fortnight, this newsletter will feature our latest Rank and File bulletin from members.
Democratic elections are the backbone of any healthy trade union. They make sure leadership remains accountable to the workers they represent and that every member has a voice in shaping the future of their union. Without proper elections, unions risk becoming self-serving organisations that operate for the benefit of a few, rather than the many.
Unfortunately, in our union, there have been significant challenges in ensuring that democratic processes are fully upheld.
Election notices, while a legal requirement of the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act, are often buried on the union’s website, or not advertised in enough time.
The process can feel opaque or inaccessible to many members. Election ads are inconsistently shared, and access to membership lists is limited. Meetings where important discussions should take place are not regularly organised, if at all.
When members attempt to self-organise or push for more transparency, they sometimes face resistance.
This lack of openness and engagement makes it difficult for members to be fully involved, undermining the democratic principles that unions are meant to stand for.
Tenure
Union leadership should not be a lifelong position. Holding on to power indefinitely damages the union and its ability to adapt to changing conditions. A good leader understands the importance of stepping aside when it’s time, allowing new ideas and perspectives to shape the direction of the union.
Fresh leadership isn’t just healthy for the union—it’s essential. Long tenures in leadership can lead to stagnation, with incumbents more concerned about their own positions than the needs of the members they are supposed to serve.
The current leadership’s actions reflect a deep insecurity, using “loyalty” to manipulate and guilt members into silence. Any challenge to the leadership is treated as a personal affront, rather than an opportunity for growth or constructive criticism.
This creates an unhealthy environment where the leadership’s priorities take precedence over the well-being and concerns of the membership.
At its core, a union is meant to be a democratic space where members’ voices are heard, where leadership is constantly held accountable, and where power is regularly renewed.
Elections are the cornerstone of that democracy. If we are going to protect the power of the workers, we need to ensure that elections are open, transparent, and accessible to all members.
Members should know when elections are taking place, how they can participate, and how they can hold leadership accountable.
Our pitch
A Voice For Members is committed to restoring this democratic process.
We believe in transparency—membership lists should be shared at the very least with delegates and specific work areas, election ads should be widely publicised, and meetings should be organised regularly to discuss the issues that matter most to the members.
If we are elected to a leadership position, we’ll work hard every day to earn your trust and support. But if the members decide it’s time for us to go, we won’t hesitate to step aside.
Union leadership isn’t a career—it’s about serving the members and fighting for their interests. If we’re not doing that, then we’re not doing our job. And if the members choose to move us out of office, we’ll simply get back on the tools, just as any union leader should.
This isn’t about holding onto power; it’s about making sure the union is in the hands of those who best represent the membership at all times.
We deserve a union that is truly democratic, where members are empowered to speak up, organise, and lead. The current leadership has shown time and again that they are more interested in protecting their own positions than in protecting the interests of the members.
It’s time for change. It’s time for a union where every member has a voice, where elections are fair, and where leadership is accountable. A Voice for Members is ready to make that happen.
Rank and File member profile – Jordi
What’s your name?
Jordi Gilmour.
How long have you been in the union?
6 months.
Where do you work and what do you do?
Project officer at the Office of TAFE Coordination and Delivery (DJSIR).
Why did you join A Voice for Members?
When I joined the VPS I was surprised and disappointed at the lack of opportunity for members to engage in the union or with each other. I joined A Voice for Members because I’m inspired by rank and file members taking initiative to build the union they want to see, with each other, for each other.
What’s your vision for the CPSU?
I want a democratic, member-led union – not just because that is what we deserve, but because I know that’s what is required to build a united and confident membership that can take collective action and win for all workers.
Call to action
The action you can’t miss this week.
Help grow our movement: Connect us with supporters
Encourage your comrades, friends and colleagues to sign up to this weekly mailing list.
New supporters: Get involved with these easy steps
Vote with us:Update your details with the CPSU by 5 PM Tuesday 22 April to get on the electoral roll.
Campaign with us: Join our next online campaign briefing at 6:30 PM Monday 14 April on Zoom
We’re building
This is where we share A Voice For Members movement progress and successes. Get in touch if you have something to share!
Confirming our slate of candidates
On Monday 7 April, 50 members met to:
vote in our candidate for President (see below! And welcome, Kimberly Johnston – Labour Hire Authority)
confirm the slate of candidates for Victorian Branch Council
share books and puzzles to raise much needed funds for our campaign
enjoy a drink and a burger to wash down all that democracy.
It was a great event, where members could question our Presidential candidate, get to know each other, and get excited for the campaign! We ran out of time on the night, but we have also created some resources to help everyone take part in this campaign. Take a look at:
If you would like to get involved, reach out to us by email at cpsuavoiceformembers@gmail.com. There is a job for everyone.
Elevating member issues and voices
Every fortnight, this newsletter features our latest Rank and File bulletin from members. You can access previous editions of the bulletin here. If you have an idea for a bulletin, would like to be profiled in a bulletin, or would like to share your story through our social media – reach out. Your voice will make a difference.
Let’s strengthen our union, take action, and win – together.
IS THERE REALLY A HARD ‘LIMIT’ TO OUR ANNUAL PAY RISE?
One of the most common questions that members and non-members alike ask A Voice For Members is this: what exactly is the wages cap?
In this article, we’ll answer this question as clearly as possible, respond to three common follow up questions, then connect both the questions and answers to what they mean for VPS staff.
WAGES POLICY
In official government documentation on this topic, the wages cap has the more neutral sounding name of a ‘wages policy’, and it sits alongside a series of other rules that the Treasurer has determined will inform the negotiation of all Enterprise Bargaining Agreements with government employees.
This includes policy staff, regulators, administrators, teachers, nurses, fire-fighters, police, and too many other professions to list here.
Core to the wages policy is this:
Increases in wages and conditions will be funded at a rate of growth of 3.0 per cent per annum over the life of the agreement. In practice this means employee wages and conditions will be allowed to grow at this rate.
What this means is that when the CPSU negotiates our annual salary increases in our EBA, the Government’s opening position in bargaining – a position that can and should change with the cut and thrust of any negotiation – is that all universal, annual increases to salaries will be limited to 3%.
This position is reflected in our current Enterprise Agreement, which includes an annual salary increase of 3% on the 1st of May in each of 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027, for a total 12% over the life of the Agreement.
IS IT GOOD ENOUGH?
The first question to flow from this fact is this: is 3% a good outcome? Let’s look at Chart 1 below:
This chart shows – for VPS3’s thru VPS6s – the actual dollar gains or losses made each year once we adjust wages for inflation. 2011 to 2020 was an excellent period: in real terms VPS3’s thru VPS6’s saw gains of between $9.5k and $18.3k.
However, these gains were wiped out by the inflationary period that followed the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Going into enterprise bargaining in 2023 and early 2024, our real wages were lower than they were in 2016, as shown by the annotated dashed line.
We see here very clearly what the 3% annual pay rise in our current EBA actually means: this is below inflation, and by the time it expires in 2028, we will only be as better off in real-terms as we were in 2018; shown by the second annotated dashed line.
This is a very poor outcome for members. Our union has accepted what is in reality, a pay cut. The second question members ask is this: but isn’t the wage cap a hard limit that we can’t push past? The answer to this question is a definitive no.
CAN THE WAGES CAP BE CHANGED?
The wages cap is not a hard limit that the government cannot go past when we are bargaining for our wages, because the government created that limit. They did so in order to have a standing, public position at the beginning of any series of wage negotiations.
Like any law or regulation, Government can change it or remove it just as easily as they created it.
HAVE OTHER UNIONS PUSHED BACK?
The third and final question that members ask us is this: well, in that case, is there proof that other public sector unions were able to negotiate annual salary increases above the wages cap?
The answer to this question is a definitive yes. Next to the 12% we will receive over four years – four years of the 3% wages cap – Victorian nurses and midwives will receive 28.4%, Victorian police will receive 18 – 20%, Victorian paramedics will receive 17%, and Victorian firefighters have refused to accept the 12% and continue to fight for a better outcome.
We too could have fought and won more.
See Chart 2 below: Total salary increases over 4 years for public sector workforces, won in their most recent EBA
SUMMARY
The wages cap of 3% per annum is a government policy that can be changed or removed by the government any time. A policy that limits annual wage increases to 3% is a policy that cuts wages in real terms, given recent levels of inflation.
Unions can, and have, successfully negotiated annual wage gains above the Government’s 3% limit, further proving the wages cap is not written in stone.
If you don’t fight, you lose. There’s no clearer proof of this for VPS employees than our very own EBA. It’s time for a union that does fight – and A Voice for Members needs your help to do it.
MEMBER PROFILE – KRISTAL
What’s your name?
Kristal Allison
How long have you been in the union?
A few years, now proudly serving as a delegate.
Where do you work and what do you do?
I work in policy in the Victorian Suicide Prevention and Response Office (DH).
My role has made me keenly aware of the importance of workplace support and why workers need strong union representation.
Why did you join?
I joined because workers in the public sector need protection and the power to shape the workplaces that serve our communities.
I’ve become more involved as I’ve seen growing inequities that only collective action can address.
Why are you with A Voice For Members?
I believe in the values that make unions strong: democracy, transparency, and leadership that’s grounded in the needs of workers.
Right now, there’s a disconnect between union leadership and the rank and file. As trust fades, so does our collective power.
We need leadership that listens, involves us, and is accountable.
What’s your vision for the CPSU?
I want a union that’s lively, connected, and truly focused on its members. A union where workers’ voices matter, and our collective action can tackle workplace issues as well as the broader political implications of our work.
That means fighting for public sector workers’ rights here and now, and standing in solidarity with workers everywhere—because the fight for workers’ rights and human rights are inseparable.
CAMPAIGN TRAINING
HOW TO RUN AND WIN RANK N FILE UNION ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
Saturday March 29, 9am – 12pm
Labor Notes has offered to run training for our team about how to run and win rank n file election campaigns. They will be very honest and direct with us!
We are in for a real fight. The incumbents will get mean and dirty, and they might even do things they’ve never done before – like actually organise, have meetings, call rallies, that kind of thing!
This training has been held – thank you to all who attended!
When you tire of seeing your Secretary’s face on the Channel 7 news.
When your organiser’s face is red and strained from begging you to come to a protest.
When you stand shoulder to shoulder with comrades who’ve got your back.
And when your ears are still ringing from the sound of 100,000 voices united as one, and the energy of the movement stays with you.
When you hear the bosses acknowledge the power of our collective strength.
That’s when you’ll know that you’re in a union.
PUBLIC SERVICE REVIEW
Last week saw the Victorian Government announce the public service review.
In response the CPSU leadership addressed the press, announced a lunchtime protest at Treasury Place and booked information sessions for members.
It’s a nice first step. But ask yourself, deep down… do you think they’re serious?
Right now, do you think they’re developing a media campaign? How many people do you think they really want at that 3 March protest? Do you think they will take your uncomfortable questions and push the government for real responses?
If your answers are ‘no’, ’30 max’ and ‘no’ again, you need to join us.
Because like us, deep down, you don’t know if the CPSU is working for you.
THE CHALLENGE
We all pay our union fees hoping that when the chips are down the union will have our backs. Last week the government well and truly laid down the challenge to the CPSU.
They are banking on the union sitting back and taking what they are given. It is up to us to make sure they don’t.
We need to make sure public servants are heard, seen and believed. We need to make sure the public know that when our jobs are cut we all lose. If the CPSU leadership won’t make that argument, we will make it for them.
We cannot afford a repeat of the 2023 cuts where the leadership promoted departure packages as the best they could do.
Accepting a return to 2019/2020 staff numbers after Black Summer and the height of COVID-19 will have consequences for you, your colleagues and society.
A VOICE FOR MEMBERS
That’s why we at A Voice for Members are taking a stand.
We want a break from the passive union responses of the past.
We want to make the union a force that people know.
If we are successful in the 2025 CPSU election, we promise you, you’ll truly know that you’re in a union.
WHAT’S ON – RALLY
STOP PUBLIC SERVICE CUTS
Tuesday March 4 at 5:30pm at Parliament House
The Victorian Government has announced massive job cuts, slashing vital public services and leaving workers and communities worse off.
These cuts will hit hardest where support is needed most—don’t believe the hype! You can’t cut public service jobs without undermining front line services!
We won’t stand by while livelihoods are destroyed and essential services are gutted.
Join us for a rally while Parliament is sitting, to fight to stop these attacks.
Rally with us to defend jobs, protect services, and hold the government accountable!
This rally has been held, thanks to all who organised, participated, and attended!
I’ve been a member of CPSU for 1 year and, before that, the AEU for many more.
Where do you work and what do you do?
I’m in a reform area of the Department of Education doing policy and data analysis.
Why did you join A Voice For Members?
Our union is small and weak, thanks to the failures of our current leadership. Now more than ever, we need strong, active unions, so I decided to get involved to help make it better.
What’s your vision for the CPSU?
My vision for CPSU VIC is that we build unity and numbers, because that’s where our strength lies, at both local and system levels.
We need accountable leadership, and fair and transparent processes. The union should genuinely represent the concerns of members, and it must have the muscle to make things happen.
Whether or not our candidates get elected, that’s something A Voice for Members will continue working to achieve.
Since launching our campaign, we’ve been listening to members.
One of the key ways we’ve done that is through our survey, which asked CPSU members how they feel about their union leadership.
The results are now in, and they paint a clear picture: members are frustrated, disillusioned, and ready for change.
The numbers tell the story
Out of 126 respondents, 121 were union members. Even among the five non-members who took the survey, the reasons for their lack of union involvement should be a wake-up call for leadership:
Lack of workplace visibility—some felt like they had no union representation at all.
Poor support during Clause 11 restructures, making membership feel like poor value for money.
A perception that the union is ineffective, unresponsive, and disconnected from members’ concerns.
But the most damning feedback comes from those still in the union.
Some members reported they had considered leaving because they felt the union wasn’t delivering real value.
Others rejoined only out of necessity, citing strength in numbers rather than satisfaction with CPSU’s performance.
Campaign effectiveness: a harsh verdict
When asked about the effectiveness of CPSU campaigns, the responses were overwhelmingly negative:
Many couldn’t even name a union campaign outside of EBA negotiations.
Communications were described as confusing, opaque, and out of touch.
There’s little to no consultation with members on strategy or priorities.
The CPSU leadership is seen as too close to the ALP, making them reluctant to challenge government policies that hurt members.
Yes, we got a pay rise, but systemic issues like workload, bullying, consultant overuse, and poor management remain unchallenged.
Leadership’s response? An occasional email linking to EAP.
Not good enough.
Another noted:
The union does barely any recruitment, membership is shrinking, and leadership has failed to challenge the 3% wage cap.
Communications are out of date, and they’re not speaking to today’s public sector workers.
What needs to change?
We asked members what areas of union activity need the most improvement. The top concerns were:
Democratic processes (72%)
Accountability and transparency (71%)
Advocacy on workplace issues (69%)
Communication with members (68%)
Allowing members to discuss taking industrial action (59%)
Organising and recruitment (57%)
And when asked what they wanted from new leadership, the number one answer was greater member participation, followed closely by transparency and accountability.
A message to CPSU leadership: this is why you’re being challenged
To the current CPSU leadership: these survey results should come as no surprise. Members feel unheard, unsupported, and sidelined in key decisions. The union is seen as reactive rather than proactive, disconnected from the realities of workplaces, and unwilling to fight for the things that matter most.
Our campaign exists because members want a CPSU that is democratic, accountable, and member-driven. The status quo isn’t working. This election is happening because members have had enough. They want a union that will:
Stand up to government attacks on public sector workers, not make excuses for them.
Empower members to take action, not just mobilise them during EBAs.
Rebuild trust and transparency, so members feel like they have a voice in their own union.
Strengthen workplace organising, so every member has real representation and support.
If the current leadership is wondering why there’s a challenge this time, here’s the answer: members are demanding better.
And A Voice For Members is here to make sure they get it.
MEMBER PROFILE – KATE
What’s your name?
Kate Clifford
How long have you been in the union?
Since 2019.
Where do you work and what do you do?
Senior policy advisor at Dept Health.
Why did you join A Voice For Members?
I’m keen to help build the membership and promote democratic decision making. I’ve been frustrated by the lack of visible action on job losses over the last couple of years.
What’s your vision for the CPSU?
A union that’s ready to stand up for public servants and the work we do.
WHAT’S ON
AVFM General Meeting
Monday 24 February 6:30PM
Collingwood Library Meeting Room
11 Stanton St, Abbotsford 3067
This meeting has been held, thank you to all who attended!
The VPS 2024 Enterprise Agreement (EA) may have seen a massive 70% turnout and a thumping 93% yes vote, but five months in it’s clear that the deal is a disservice to public servants.
Life hasn’t improved, and many of us are feeling the pinch. So how did we end up with such a lousy deal? And why did so many of us support it?
The government’s wage policy: a stranglehold on public sector workers
In April 2023, the Victorian Treasurer announced a new Public Sector Wages Policy—an iron lid on pay rises across the public service. This policy set the benchmark for union negotiations, limiting wage increases to 12% over four years (just 3% per year) and throwing in one-off lump sum payments as a sweetener.
Unions like the ANMF, AEU, Police Association, and Victorian Ambulance Union didn’t take this lying down. They organised industrial action and fought for better deals. But where was the CPSU? Nowhere to be found.
A lame-duck union that refused to fight
While other unions hit the streets, our union leadership refused to organise any industrial action. They caved to the government’s terms and failed to secure alternatives to the wage policy. The CPSU’s Log of Claims initially demanded a 4-day work week trial and a 20% pay rise over four years, but 80% of all CPSU demands were left on the cutting room floor. The biggest “win”? A vague promise to “investigate alternative ways of working.”
Worse still, CPSU members were shut out of the process. Engagement was limited to a single online survey to develop the Log of Claims. Decisions were made behind closed doors, with the union executive deciding what “good enough” looked like—without giving members any say.
A deal that failed to deliver
The EA didn’t address the cost-of-living crisis or secure meaningful improvements to wages and conditions. The one-off lump sum payment, available only to those employed on 28 June 2024, was a sugar hit designed to appease current staff while selling out future workers.
Meanwhile, VPS executives walked away with a 3.5-4.3% pay rise in 2024.
The numbers speak for themselves. Over the past five years, real wages for VPS staff have fallen behind the Consumer Price Index, leaving us with less purchasing power. And while other unions fought for—and won—significant pay increases, the CPSU left its members out to dry. Paramedics secured pay increases of 17-30% over four years through robust industrial action.
Nurses, after rejecting their union leadership’s initial offer in a spirited democratic debate, won a 28.4% pay rise over four years.
The Police Association, making headlines for walking off the job for the first time in 25 years, is on track to secure a 13.5-15% pay rise.
These victories were driven by active, engaged members who refused to accept subpar deals. They used industrial action to leverage their collective power, forcing the government’s hand.
Missed opportunities, weakened power
EBA negotiations should be a time for unions to grow stronger. They’re a chance to rally members, build solidarity, and fight for tangible improvements. But the CPSU executive squandered this opportunity. By avoiding conflict and suppressing debate, they failed to secure better outcomes and left members feeling disillusioned and powerless.
We’ll never know if we could have won a better deal, but one thing is clear: the CPSU needs to change. We need a union that fights for its members, builds democratic structures, and refuses to accept scraps from the table.
It’s Time to Fight Back
The next EBA doesn’t have to be more of the same. We, the members, have the power to rebuild the CPSU as a democratic, fighting union. We can’t rely on bureaucrats to deliver the wins we need. Change will only come when we dare to struggle—and dare to win.
I work in digital comms at the Victorian Electoral Commission
Why did you join AVFM?
I was really disappointed with the lack of engagement with members throughout the agreement bargaining period last year. It feels like a lot of crucial steps were missed, like voting to approve the log of claims and voting over any potential industrial action.
What’s your vision for the CPSU?
A CPSU where members are interested and involved in how their union runs, one where everything isn’t happening behind closed doors.
WHAT’S ON
INAUGURAL A VOICE FOR MEMBERS MEETING
THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2025
6PM – 8PM
FOLLOWED BY SOCIAL DRINKS
BAGUNG MAGALI – COMMUNITY ROOM
BARGOONGA NGANJIN, NORTH FITZROY LIBRARY, 182 SAINT GEORGES ROAD, FITZROY NORTH
MCED BY PURPLE PINGERS (AKA JORDAN VAN DEN LAMB)
ANNOUNCING!
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – ELLEN DAVID FRIEDMAN
AUTHOR OF “WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR UNION BREAKS YOUR HEART”
This event has been held, thank you all for attending!
One of the top priorities of A Voice For Members is to rebuild the democratic structures within our union. The CPSU operates using a service model of unionism, where members are entirely isolated from the governance of our union and all political decisions are made by elected officials.
But why are member-controlled democratic structures in a trade union so important? Why do we need to reject a service model of unionism? Why can’t the elected officials just run the union for us?
What is a service model union?
A service model of unionism fails to leverage the collective power that lies at the heart of trade unionism, and instead encourages workers to pursue their industrial issues individually. It steers workers towards seeing the union as nothing more than a temporary service they can use as an individual, and then disengage from when that service is no longer required.
How many conversations have we had, as unionists, where our non-union colleagues respond to our efforts to recruit them with some iteration of “being a member isn’t worth it for me right now, I don’t have any problems at work”?
A service model turns the union member-base into a revolving door, failing to provide workers with a reason to be a part of the union beyond the utility of individualised industrial support. It is therefore a strategic dead-end when it comes to building union density across the public service long-term, which in turn weakens our power at the bargaining table.
Fair Work
An industrial strategy that tackles problems on behalf of individual workers is also heavily reliant on the Fair Work Commission for outcomes. A union’s power comes from its ability to conduct strikes, not from court rulings, and union compliance with several decades of conservative court rulings have dealt a significant blow to the Australian union movement’s ability to conduct effective industrial action.
The recent Fair Work ruling that striking Woolworths workers were “failing to engage in good faith bargaining” by defending their own picket line against a multi-billion-dollar corporation is only one example of many where our right to strike, and defend our strikes, has been systematically eroded by an institution set up to crush the labour movement.
What can we do?
Convincing public servants that our ability to affect long-term change in the public service is something we wield collectively, not something we individually request from the union bureaucracy or from the courts, is an important step towards building a union that is capable of fighting for industry-wide change.
We, the members, are the union – and we know that the confidence of our membership to fight for better working conditions, for a better society, can only be built through our ability to participate democratically in the decision-making structures of our union.
Our demands will not be met in the courts, and they will not be met in one-on-one meetings with our bosses and industrial officers – they will only be met when we build a confident, active and militant rank and file that is willing to leverage its only real power: the collective withdrawal of our labour.
Join A Voice For Members – a Rank and File group of CPSU members committed to a democratic, member-led, fighting union for Victorian Public Servants.
MEMBER PROFILE – GEORGIA
What’s your name?
Georgia Minner Saines
How long have you been in the union?
12 months
Where do you work and what do you do?
I’m a Legal assistant at Victoria Legal Aid. I work in the Civil Justice division with a team of lawyers specialising in Mental Health and Disability Law.
Why did you join?
I joined A Voice For Members because I felt like there was zero communication about decision making from the top of the hierarchy. I also joined because I want a union that takes action on social issues affecting workers and human rights.
What’s your vision for the CPSU?
I want CPSU to be led by its members. For decisions to be made democratically, and for a membership fee structure that makes sense for all of our colleagues.
WHAT’S ON
INAUGURAL A VOICE FOR MEMBERS MEETING
THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2025
6PM – 8PM
FOLLOWED BY SOCIAL DRINKS
BAGUNG MAGALI – COMMUNITY ROOM
BARGOONGA NGANJIN, NORTH FITZROY LIBRARY, 182 SAINT GEORGES ROAD, FITZROY NORTH
MCED BY PURPLE PINGERS (AKA JORDAN VAN DEN LAMB)
ANNOUNCING!
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – ELLEN DAVID FRIEDMAN
AUTHOR OF “WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR UNION BREAKS YOUR HEART”
This event has been held, thank you all for attending!
SILENT SLAUGHTER: job cuts and the union that wont fight back
Public servants are the backbone of Victoria’s essential services, but we now find ourselves on the chopping block in a brutal reshaping of the workforce.
The Allan Government’s agenda of job cuts may seem just a set of numbers on a spreadsheet to supposedly get the budget back into the black but this represents the erosion of expertise, the loss of institutional memory, and an unbearable strain on the remaining workforce.
Post-pandemic recovery demands more robust public services, not fewer. Instead, the government is wielding austerity like a blunt instrument; dismantling the very infrastructure that kept society afloat during its most vulnerable moments.
The effects
For those left behind, the impact is devastating. Workloads are skyrocketing, morale is plummeting, and service delivery is deteriorating. The public relies on departments already struggling with insufficient staff to manage critical functions, from welfare support to disaster recovery. The ripple effect of these cuts is palpable.
When public servants are overwhelmed, communities suffer. Turnaround times extend, errors increase, and the safety net begins to fray. These aren’t hypothetical risks; these are real, visible consequences playing out across the state.
Where is the union?
Yet, despite this urgent crisis, our union leadership has proven incapable of mounting an effective defense. The current leadership is a toothless tiger—visible but impotent. Their rhetoric, filled with calls for dialogue and vague commitments to “advocacy,” has yielded no meaningful action to protect jobs or challenge the government’s agenda.
Members have watched as our union has relied on backroom negotiations instead of mobilising collective power. It is a strategy that has delivered little more than minor concessions, while thousands of jobs have vanished. A union that doesn’t fight for its members when our livelihoods are under threat fails its most fundamental responsibility.
This is not just a failure of strategy; it is a betrayal of the very principles of unionism. Workers join unions because we believe in collective strength, in the idea that together, we can stand against the powerful forces threatening our security. But that strength must be harnessed and directed. A union that avoids confrontation in favour of appeasement becomes irrelevant. For public servants watching our workplaces hollow out, irrelevance isn’t an option.
Our pitch
We need new leadership willing to channel members’ anger, frustration and anxiety into meaningful action. That means pushing for industrial action like refusing to work harder to make up for the staffing shortfall, calling out “work smarter not harder” for what it actually is – super exploitation of workers. We need to stand up to government and say, if you’re not going to fund the work, we’re not going to perform the work! You get what you pay for!
We must call out government policies for what they are: a deliberate attempt to shrink public services under the guise of fiscal responsibility. It also means being visible, vocal, and unafraid to disrupt the status quo. Union leadership is not about maintaining a polite presence at the negotiating table; it’s about building and using power to defend workers.
Public service job cuts are a direct attack on workers and the communities we serve. To address this crisis, the union must shed its complacency and rise to the challenge. Anything less is a disservice to its members, its values, and the future of the public service.
Job-cuts are not the only way to get the budget back in black!
Join A Voice For Members – a Rank and File group of CPSU members committed to a democratic, fighting union for Victorian Public Servants.
MEMBER PROFILE – DYLAN
What’s your name?
Dylan Kelly-Morgan
How long have you been in the union?
5 years, with a gap
Where do you work and what do you do?
Homes Victoria. I work as a Senior Portfolio Advisor, providing portfolio analysis of the new social housing builds and working with project managers to ensure good governance.
Why did you join?
Because workers’ strength lies in our collective actions. I want to fight for workplaces to be safe, and for fair wages and conditions.
What’s your vision for the CPSU?
I’m involved in Members First because i believe the CPSU needs to be more democratic. Public servants deserve a union that is honest with members, involves members in important decision-making processes, and is dedicated to building union power in our workplaces.
WHAT’S ON
INAUGURAL A VOICE FOR MEMBERS MEETING
THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2025
6PM – 8PM
FOLLOWED BY SOCIAL DRINKS
BAGUNG MAGALI – COMMUNITY ROOM
BARGOONGA NGANJIN, NORTH FITZROY LIBRARY, 182 SAINT GEORGES ROAD, FITZROY NORTH
MCED BY PURPLE PINGERS (AKA JORDAN VAN DEN LAMB)
This first meeting will start the process for pre-selecting candidates for Branch Council and Branch Executive, kicking off our election campaign.
This event has been held, thank you all for attending!
A Voice For Members is a group of rank-and-file CPSU SPSF members committed to revitalising our union by strengthening grassroots democracy and empowering members to lead the fight for better wages and workplace conditions. We aim to build a bold, democratic, and united union that is ready to take action and win for workers.
We are public servants employed across various departments, agencies, and services within the Victorian public sector. Our members include permanent, fixed-term, and casual workers, as well as workplace delegates and activists.
Our foundation
Founded in 2024, A Voice For Members emerged during the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiations, when many of us felt frustrated by the lack of consultation and the lack of member meetings to discuss what our priorities should be for bargaining. Many of us were shocked that the Log of Claims was never put to members for a vote, rather was decided behind closed doors by union bureaucrats.
Members started talking to one another only to discover that our union officials never advertise elections, never publicised meetings or opportunities to engage with or influence the direction of our union; our membership is entirely isolated from fundamental decision-making processes, despite member engagement with these processes being essential to activating the union’s collective strength.
We’re committed to a more accountable and member-driven CPSU, because we know the empowerment of our membership can only happen when we have the ability to participate democratically in the decision-making structures of our union. We see the erosion of these structures, the erosion of our ability to engage in union activity or meaningful decision-making, as a barrier to accessing and leveraging our collective power as a union.
A Voice For Members acknowledges that we live and work on stolen Aboriginal land and we commit to advancing the recognition of First Nations sovereignty and rights.
Our principles
Member-Led Unionism: We believe that union power comes from the rank and file. Members should be at the centre of all union decisions, with opportunities to shape priorities and strategies.
Transparency and Accountability: Union processes and decisions should be open and accessible to all members. Elections should be advertised well in advance, and rank and file members should be given fair opportunity to contest.
Active Participation: We advocate for rebuilding delegate networks, revitalising member forums, and creating vibrant workplace committees to strengthen the union’s presence and effectiveness.
Solidarity and Unity: We work to unite all public sector workers — permanent, fixed-term, casual, and labour-hire — to fight together for fair pay and better conditions.
Fighting Spirit: We stand ready to take strong industrial action, including strikes, to secure meaningful wins for members.
What We Oppose
Anti-Union Legislation: Laws that restrict workers’ ability to organise, strike, and take collective action.
Wage Suppression and Poor Conditions: Bargaining policies and management practices that undermine wages, conditions, and job security.
Chronic Understaffing: Arbitrary staffing caps, outsourcing of core functions, funding cuts, and efficiency dividends that erode public services.
What We Believe
Union Democracy Matters: Open discussion and member-driven decision-making are essential for a strong, effective union.
Public Services Belong in Public Hands: The community depends on a well-resourced, independent, and transparent public sector.
Equity and Social Justice: The fight against sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism is union business. We support diverse workplaces and oppose all forms of discrimination.
The Right to Organise: Workers must have the freedom to speak out, associate, and take collective action without fear of reprisal.
Our Vision for the Future
A Voice For Members will fight for:
Workplace Safety and Inclusion: Safe, harassment-free workplaces where diversity is genuinely valued.
Better Conditions for All: Flexible working arrangements and fair conditions extended to all workers.
Empowered Members: Greater say for workers in how services are delivered, with respect for their expertise.
Stronger Protections: Restoring the right to strike, and the right for HSRs and delegates to have a say in everyday workplace operations
Cross-Industry Solidarity: taking solidarity action as a critical tool for building worker power and a strong labour movement. Touch one, touch all!
A Resilient Public Sector: Secure funding and staffing levels that allow public servants to meet the needs of the community effectively
If you’re passionate about creating a stronger, fairer, and more democratic CPSU, join A Voice For Members and be part of the change.
AN ELECTION IS COMING IN 2025
Election dates have been released as of March 2025. This newsletter has been updated.
There has not been a fully contested election for the Branch Executive in over 30 years! Most of the Branch Council positions are elected without a contest as well.
A Voice For Members believes that contested elections create more democratic unions where members can participate in choosing who their elected officials are.
Win, lose or draw, we are building A Voice For Members through network of rank and file workers, delegates and HSRs that together are building a fighting CPSU.
UNDERSTANDING THE CPSU’S ELECTION PROCESS
The Branch Secretary must lodge the required information with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) by 31 March 2025 to commence the election. Election procedures are managed independently by the Returning Officer, an employee from the AEC.
Once the election process is triggered, nominations will be open for 14 days for positions on the Branch Council and the Branch Executive. Only members who have been financial members for 12 months or more are eligible to nominate – this includes disqualification for anyone who has paused their membership, or gone into arrears, for any reason for more than 3 of the last 12 months.
Workplaces represented by CPSU Vic are divided into 9 electorates. Union members from each electorate are then elected to Branch Council via a direct vote of the membership, with the number of Branch Council Delegates per electorate dependent on the number of members within that electorate.
You can only nominate to become a Branch Council Delegate within the electorate your workplace belongs to. As a voter, you will only be voting for the delegates within your electorate.
What does Branch Council do?
Council members meet monthly to deal with current issues and shape union policy. Union organisers prepare a report each month to keep council members up to date with industrial activities in the union. Branch Council has the power to change union rules, call general meetings, establish member committees, call conferences, and make the final decision on disciplinary action taken against members who violate union rules.
Branch Council Electorate Positions
Health & Community Services: 4
Education: 2
Resources: 3
Justice: 9
Central Agencies: 7
Barwon/South Western Region: 4
North Western Region: 2
Gippsland Region: 2
North Eastern Region: 1
Want to know what electorate you will be voting in? It’s based on a combination of your workplace, and your workplace postcode as registered with CPSU Vic.
You can find out which electorate you are in using our Electorate Finder.
Branch Executive
The Branch Executive is made up of 5 positions:
Branch Secretary
Branch Assistant Secretary
Branch President
Branch Vice Presidents (2)
The Branch Executive functions as the committee of management between Branch Council meetings. It possesses the powers of the Branch Council, with a few important exceptions: it cannot change union rules, refuse admission of members to the union, or determine the code of conduct for members or officials (amongst other restrictions).
The Branch President and Branch Secretary retain a voting place on the Branch Council, taking the total number of Branch Council members to 36. The Branch Secretary is responsible for preparing the agenda for all Branch Council and Branch Executive meetings, meaning winning this position is important for enabling Branch Council delegates to table and vote on issues raised by the member base.
Election Procedure
Once the election procedure has been triggered (by no later than March 31 2025), nominations will be open for all positions on Branch Council and Branch Executive. Nominations will be open for 14 days. Once nominations have closed, accepted nominees have 7 days to provide a photo and a 250 word bio that will be displayed on the voting ballot.
Nominations open 28/04/2025, and will close 12:00pm AEST on 12/05/2025. See this page on the AEC website for more details.
The election will be conducted in two stages. Stage 1 involves the Branch Executive and the Branch Council being elected via a direct vote – meaning the entire financial member base will vote for these positions.
Stage 1 will be conducted via a postal vote.
The ballot has been confirmed to be opening on 10 June, and completed ballot papers must be returned to AEC by 10:00am AEST on 08/07/2025. See this page on the AEC website for more details.
Stage 2 is conducted via a collegiate electoral system, where the newly elected Branch Council nominate and vote candidates on to the Federal Council and Federal Executive. Federal Council and Federal Executive function similarly to the Branch Councils and Branch Executive, except it is made up of elected delegates from all CPSU branches across the country. Branch Secretaries from all states automatically hold the position of Federal Vice President on the Federal Executive.
We’re having a public meeting on Thursday 30 January where we will discuss the election process further and give you a chance to ask questions.
WHAT’S ON
INAUGURAL A VOICE FOR MEMBERS MEETING
THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2025
6PM – 8PM
FOLLOWED BY SOCIAL DRINKS
BAGUNG MAGALI – COMMUNITY ROOM
BARGOONGA NGANJIN, NORTH FITZROY LIBRARY, 182 SAINT GEORGES ROAD, FITZROY NORTH
MCED BY PURPLE PINGERS (AKA JORDAN VAN DEN LAMB)
This first meeting will start the process for pre-selecting candidates for Branch Council and Branch Executive, kicking off our election campaign.
This event has been held, thank you all for attending!
