Homes NSW Joint Consultative Committee meeting
The first quarterly Homes NSW Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting for 2026 was held on 20 February. É«ÀÇÉçÇøindustrial staff attend these meetings with the chair of the Homes NSW Departmental Committee and the Homes NSW leadership team.
The Homes NSW JCC is the peak JCC where high-level member matters are discussed across each of the Homes NSW functional areas. These include:
- Aboriginal Housing Office
- Housing Services
- Housing Portfolio
- Housing Policy & Strategy
- Housing Programs & Partnerships
- Disaster Welfare & Business Continuity
Management shared updates on key areas of business such as fleet management, office relocations, key disaster recovery sites and the use of work phones. Many of the matters discussed affect members differently across the state and will be shared at the local level.
Members are asked to speak with workplace delegates or É«ÀÇÉçÇøorganisers if they have any specific concerns in relation to work vehicles, offices or the use of work phones so they can be appropriately managed at the local level.  Â
Key matters discussed that affect members more generally included:
Work health and safety
Management said there would be a focus on at-risk driver behaviour, including speeding and driver fatigue. The initiative would start with reports of any vehicles travelling more than 120km per hour. Members are reminded to take care on the roads, particularly when driving long distances in regional areas. Members should reach out to their workplace delegates or É«ÀÇÉçÇøorganisers if they consider operational pressures to be a factor in any at-risk driver behaviour so it can be immediately addressed.
Housing Portfolio
Recruitment panels have been appointed for Housing Portfolio (HP) and ads have started to go out as part of HP’s Stabilisation Project. The project has been designed to stabilise temporary roles. É«ÀÇÉçÇø 60 roles are involved and management said it would take well over 6 months to get through.
Housing Portfolio members met on 4 March for an online statewide meeting to discuss issues affecting members. These concerns will be discussed with management at the inaugural JCC between the É«ÀÇÉçÇøand HP on 23 March. If you were unable to make the meeting, please raise any workplace issues or concerns with your workplace delegates or É«ÀÇÉçÇøorganisers.
Aboriginal Housing Office
The full restructure for Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) has been put on hold for now. The É«ÀÇÉçÇøis in the process of organising regular quarterly JCC meetings with AHO. Once a date has been confirmed, the É«ÀÇÉçÇøwill hold a members’ meeting to discuss any issues they would like raised at the meeting.
Workers’ Compensation
Managers across Homes NSW have been completing THRIVE training on managing workers’ compensation. Management said it would also like to roll out the training to Work Health and Safety staff. If members have a preference for how they would like to complete this training, please speak to your workplace delegates or É«ÀÇÉçÇøorganisers.
With the training rollout, the É«ÀÇÉçÇøwould expect to see improvements in how return-to-work is managed across Homes NSW with members able to get back to work sooner.
Housing Services and the People Matter Employee Survey results
Management said a working group has been going through the results of the People Matter Employee Survey (PMES). Recruitment has been highlighted as one of the bottom 3 PMES topics in Housing Services and a new process has been implemented for staff who have been acting in roles for a long time. The É«ÀÇÉçÇøhas asked to see the new process and will update members as soon as they learn more.
Management is also planning to have improved communication around expression-of-interest (EOI) lists and how they are used.
The next Homes NSW JCC meeting is scheduled for May. Members are encouraged to attend members’ meetings at the local level to discuss the workplace matters directly affecting them. The É«ÀÇÉçÇøis also running a housing survey at the moment to help us gather evidence about the housing crisis. Please take the time to fill it out.
Contact
Homes NSW Departmental Committee Chair – Bernadette McMahon ()
É«ÀÇÉçÇøIndustrial Staff