Last chance for APS census
The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) has reminded Public Servants that its 2018 APS Employee Census closes tomorrow.
As at 1 June, 57 per cent of employees had responded. The APSC hopes that last year’s response rate of 71 per cent can be improved on.
Questions about the census can be directed to the APSC’s Workforce Performance team on 1800 464 926 or at [email protected].
Union call for new APS chief
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has urged the Government to use the resignation of outgoing Australian Public Service Commissioner, John Lloyd, to appoint a new Commissioner who they say will support the APS in its work.
Expressing its satisfaction that Mr Lloyd is to leave the position after years of clashes over a range of issues, the CPSU said both APS staff and the community had suffered from the Government’s approach to the public sector.
“Now would be a good time for the Turnbull Government to change course and appoint an APSC Commissioner who is up to the job,” the union said.
Courts dispute reaches settlement
Staff at the Federal Courts have reached agreement with their employer to end a long-running industrial dispute.
After four years of bargaining and 43 rounds of industrial action, Federal Courts employees around the country voted to accept a new workplace agreement that will deliver improved working hours and better redundancy and redeployment entitlements.
The results of the enterprise agreement ballot, showed 96 per cent of the workforce voted to accept the agreement (of 78 per cent who voted).
The agreement means about 60 per cent of staff will have improvements to their working hours and better redundancy and redeployment entitlements. There will be pay increases of 5.5 per cent to all employees within 18 months.
Comments sought on climate
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is inviting Governments to comment on the final draft of the policymakers’ summary of the special report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC.
Governments are requested to comment by 29 July.
The review of the final draft is a key stage in the preparation of the report, allowing authors to prepare for the line-by-line approval session which will take place in Incheon, Republic of Korea, on 1-to-5 October.
The report will then be released, subject to approval by the panel, and will be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, in December.
More sign up for apprenticeships
New figures from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) indicate there has been an increased uptake in apprenticeships.
The data revealed that 35,945 trade and non-trade commencements began in the December 2017 quarter.
At the end of last year, there were 256,140 apprentices and trainees in training across Australia.
