Tim Jacobson: Glimpses of positive change

Glimpses of positive change

TIM JACOBSON

STATE SECRETARY

TIMES are tough but there are glimpses of positive change.

Well over two years into the pandemic it feels like a neverending nightmare. COVID's ability to mutate and throw up new strains leaves us all uncertain about how our work and lives will be affected in the future. I don’t need to tell you about the pressures that already exist right across our workforces, and that’s without the extra strain caused by the pandemic. We've had our own workload issues at HACSU due to absences as many of our workers have become close contacts or tested positive for the virus, including me and my family. In spite of all that, the election of a federal government with a plan for our industries offers a glimmer of hope for us all. Whether it be in the aged care, disability or public health sectors I'm confident that, at the very least, we have a government prepared to listen. I recently spent a week in Canberra with two aged care workers to meet with numerous government ministers and discuss the immediate pressures we face. Along with the ACTU we discussed the things that need to change to ensure we have a bargaining system that delivers real wage increases to workers. We also spoke to the health, aged care and disability ministers about how important it is to address workforce issues so we can ensure decent jobs and quality care into the future. They know our systems are failing and that work must be done urgently to fix the mess. In early August the government introduced its first piece of legislation that creates the legal environment to change aged care. We look forward to working with them to address the myriad of issues in that space, but we also know they'll introduce further legislation to address all our industries. They wrote to the Fair Work Commission supporting our claim for a 25% wages increase for workers - a sharp contrast to the previous government that ran a country mile from doing that when they were at the helm. The case will take a little more time to work through, with hearings and submissions still to be finalised, but employers and big business have finally conceded they also support the case. I could be cynical about their recent change of heart... but I won’t... point made. Here in Tasmania, our government has sleepwalked into a perfect storm. With significant staff shortages and inability to recruit new staff, continuing COVID outbreaks across our hospitals, the Commission of Inquiry, youth justice and child safety in a parlous state and public sector wage negotiations underway it certainly doesn’t feel like the Rockliffe Government actually has a plan. It's only a year and a bit since the last state election but it seems they've already run out of ideas, not to mention that they also seem to be running out of ministers.