Child Safety negotiations - 2026

Protected Action Ballot Opens Monday 6 July — Here's What You Need to Know

Written by Dee Spink | Jul 3, 2026 12:11:46 AM

Your Protected Action Ballot for Child Safety & Youth Justice opens next week. Here's the timetable, what a yes vote means, and why it matters.

The ballot timetable:

  • Ballot opens Monday 6 July
  • Ballot closes Friday 17 July at 5pm

It's important that you have your say in this process and be part of the collective voice of members across the state. The more members who take part in this ballot, the stronger our signal is to your employer that you're serious about your demands.

Members are encouraged to vote yes to all of the actions. We may not need to take them — but if we need to, we can.

Only union members can vote and take protected action. If you've got a colleague who isn't a member yet, this is the moment to have that conversation. If they join before the ballot closes, they can still vote.

This isn't the first time members have had to make this call. In 2023, Child Safety members took action and secured all CSO positions starting at PO3 — a $20,000 increase to the starting wage.

In 2018, members took action and upgraded every AO2 admin position and won a workload management tool.

Neither happened because the department felt generous. They happened because members voted, and then acted.

Voting opens Monday.
Watch your inbox and phone
for your ballot link.

See your union's factsheet that explains exactly how the ballot works and what happens at each step. 

Help Share the Message about action:
Put up a poster in your workplace.

For now, the most useful thing you can do is read the update, see exactly what was put to the department on your behalf, and put up a "We're Getting Ready for Action" poster in your workplace.

Download the posters here. The more posters up, the louder the message: union members are ready to take action, and the department needs to take that seriously.