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Published: Tuesday, 16 June 2026 12:55
Commissioner Howell in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission this morning consented to the making of a new Local Government State Award 2026.
It will apply from the first pay period on or after 1 July and will operate for 3 years, providing a 4% pay increase from the first pay period after 1 July, a further 4% from the first pay period after 1 July 2027, and a final 4% from the first pay period after 1 July 2028.
After submissions from the parties, the Commissioner observed he was “well satisfied“ that the Award provided conditions that are fair and reasonable and meet the requirements of the Industrial Relations Act and procedures to allow the consent award to be made.
Pay increases are always the most important issue to workers, and while conscious that the CPI at the time we were arguing about these pay increases hit 4.6% in the March quarter, the employers would not budge. It’s a good increase, and when the information went out to our members it was overwhelmingly and unanimously accepted.
In our information sent to members we noted “we were still exploring the possibility of opening the Award during its lifetime if the cost of living becomes all completely out of control, or the Fair Work Commission hands down a significant National Wage Increase intended flow on across the country.”
This issue was specifically argued in conciliation by Commissioner Howell on 26 May but we couldn’t get a no fuss reference in the Leave Reserved clause. We ended up with this:
“The parties to the Award are obliged to propose a package which is considered fair and reasonable. The Unions pursued the inclusion of a leave reserved clause to accommodate unanticipated spikes in headline inflation. LGNSW did not agree. The Award does not include a “no extra claims” clause and the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) (at section 17(3)) in conjunction with the Commission’s Award Making Principles allow for an Award to be varied during its nominal term to ensure that the Award remains fair and reasonable. The parties agree that the Award may be varied during a nominal term, either by consent of the parties or as a result of an Arbitrated Case”.
It’s better than nothing, it was included in the affidavits of the parties who requested that it be included in the statement and decision of Commissioner Howell when it is published.
But it’s not all about the money. We hated our proposal about Health and Wellbeing Leave in the 2014 Award being restricted and stifled unnecessarily by rigid-minded HR and GMs, and this Award will do something about it. This will be a very brief summary and for more details of the benefits that will flow, here is the document we forwarded to members as part of our argument recommending acceptance of the offer.
For us, the big deal improvement is the introduction of My Leave. It will be 5 days leave transferred from sick leave, which can be taken for any reason at all, and if not taken, there is a process to return any untaken MyLeave to your sick leave; paid parental leave will be doubled to 14 weeks and will be available to both parents; there are references to AI to try to make it less threatening and subject to consultation; and Working from Home is at last acknowledged in clause 2. The Award Implementation Committee is reinstated to deal with issues like AI, how to fairly calculate costs for EVs, the appropriate use of term contracts, and the implementation of My Leave, to ensure that the dead hand of HR doesn’t poison the intention of the parties that it be available for any purpose.
Read about MyLeave carefully - this is a unique arrangement converting the first week of sick leave to something more accessible, but allowing it to be transferred into the sick leave entitlements if not used during the year.
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Published: Tuesday, 16 June 2026 12:55
Our original hearing dates set for 18 and 19 May had to be abandoned. Part-time Councillor Thaler had met with his senior solicitor in Parramatta for 4 hours on the Sunday before the hearings and the poor lawyer had to admit himself to hospital on his way home with a dramatic gastro crisis. Understandable, when you’ve spent time with Cr Thaler.
Nevertheless, over a messy day with six adjournments we pressed the notorious serial pest to agree to some behavioural standards until the next hearing dates on 1 and 2 June. In the meantime, his second suspension would expire before we returned to the Commission and we feared for our member’s safety and wellbeing. He refused - he believes he does nothing wrong.
On Monday 1 May as the Applicant, depa had previously filed two affidavits, I gave evidence and was then cross examined. This was followed by the evidence in affidavits of Snowy Monaro Regional Council’s GM and depa member Noreen Vu. There were some media outlets interested in this and the proceedings were available online to them.
This is how the ABC reported on the first day under the heading “SMRC CEO accuses Andrew Thaler of bullying”.
But it was the second day that drew the most critical press against Thaler’s behaviour. This was published electronically that afternoon and on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald the following day under the heading “’Idiot', 'monster', 'witch': Serial pest Andrew Thaler’s latest day in court did not go well”.
The case concluded that afternoon pending further written submissions by Thaler’s lawyer and our barrister in response last Friday.
Commissioner Muir has reserved his decision. We claimed a seven-point Anti-Bullying Order, the Commission has the right to make an order which, given Thaler’s propensity to appeal, could be broader, or narrower, but it will be extremely carefully drafted.
It has been a grim process, but there are some things he says and does that make him a real entertainer (unintentionally of course). The latest is a frenetic accusation of GM Noreen Vu intentionally cutting off his email access since his suspension was lifted.
He posted in his Facebook account online last week, “Have you had your emails blocked by #snowymonaro Council??". This was followed with “Ooohhh... This is interesting because my emails are being blocked by #noreenvu“.
On Saturday, in an SMS to the GM, he really vented his spleen:
