ODPP work bans to continue, funding campaign rolls on

Members will be aware the Office of the DPP has obtained some extra funding from the NSW Treasury for the current financial year after an exhaustive Budget Review. This in itself is a significant victory for those members who have been conducting the PSA’s campaign for proper Government funding for the Office.

A Budget Review committee, comprising senior Treasury and Attorney General's Department representatives as well as ODPP representatives, recommended that funding be provided for 26 Witness Assistance Service (WAS) officers, as recommended last year following the Samuels Report, and up to 36 extra solicitors and administrative positions. This was well short of the identified needs requested by members and your delegates.

However, the funding provided only allowed for 12 extra solicitors and administrative positions.

By then cutting the number of WAS positions to only 16, and thus "robbing Peter to pay Paul", the Office has managed to create 29 extra solicitors and administrative positions, in this way depriving the Witness Assistance Service of the staff to properly do its job. Thus, on average across the Office, the ODPP has gained just over one solicitor and one and a half administrative officers per branch office.

This is still insufficient for the ODPP to even properly carry out its core functions much less to allow for projected increases in work.

The Office has asked the PSA to lift its bans.

During the last week, members and then your delegates' committee have met to consider the ODPP's request. Members generally expressed overwhelming support for a continuation of the bans.

This resulted in the following resolutions being endorsed by the PSA's ODPP Departmental (delegates) Committee:

All members are directed:-

1. to adhere to the current work bans, in accordance with the Industrial Bulletins of the PSA dated 19 May, 12 June, and 12 August, 2003;

2. that the ban on the use of the SUN accounting system is amended to the effect that members are not to use the SUN system for payment of invoices, except for staff in the Financial Services Branch of the Office whose job it is to use this system;

3. that the case limit of 15 matters in the country and 20 matters in the city is to apply to all level 1 lawyers, as well as others.

The PSA has been mandated by delegates to address the ongoing funding needs of the ODPP to Government with renewed vigour. Adequate and properly planned provision for the needs of the Office must be made.

For inquiries, information and assistance, please call your Industrial Officer, Stephen Spencer, on (02) 9220 0926, your local delegate or Andrew Dziedzic, Chairperson of the PSA's ODPP Departmental Committee on 9285 8862.

Previous ODPP Bulletin, August 12