About: Your Voice
Message from Vivienne Doogan, union president
In my experience as a union member and workplace delegate, I have discovered that the most important reason that unions exist never changes - it is enabling workers to have a say in the important decisions that affect their working experience. In the same way, a strong effective union is one that allows all union members to contribute in as direct and open a way as possible.
Even a strong constitution and formal representative structure - like our union has - is not enough to guarantee real, effective member involvement in the union. I believe in empowering all members to directly express the opportunity to express their aspirations for their union - whether that takes place through formal ballots or simply through the ability to have their opinion respected at a local workplace meeting.
I urge all QPSU members not to limit their contribution to QPSU governance to voting in a ballot periodically. Rather, I believe members should engage themselves with formal and informal structures wherever possible - at a local, agency-wide, or union-wide level.
You can participate in a committee that focuses on an area that interests you - and if there isn't one, then you can start one! Even if you are not a member of Council or a committee there is plenty of scope for you as a financial QPSU member to make a contribution to union policy and activity.
Vivienne Doogan
President QPSU
You can always contact me or General Secretary Alex Scott if you have questions and suggestions, or if want to become more involved in your union's operations.
Working together helps us build a stronger union that wins for all members
Your Voice
Our union is a democratic organisation of workers. The basic principle of our union is that all financial members should have a say about the decisions and actions that directly affect them - whether that be through informal consultation at a local workplace level or formally constituted representative bodies at a whole-of-union level.
Union Council is our union's peak decision-making body. It is composed of elected representatives for all areas of QPSU coverage. There are around 300 members of Council, elected at regular intervals from the members in each of the various agencies.
Union Council is responsible for setting policy, overseeing the work of the union's committees, hearing reports, approving the union's budget and fee policy, making changes in the union's rules, and helping to create and elect representatives to any new committees that may be established.
Because Union Council is a large formal body, decisions are often arrived at by smaller elected bodies or groups and then presented to Union Council for approval. The QPSU has special committees that focus on specific policy areas - for example, the Women's Committee, the Workplace Health and Safety Committee, the Individual Representation Committee, and ad hoc committees that may be created to assist in the running of a particular campaign.
The other key to the QPSU's formal structure is the Union Executive. Executive meets regularly to deal with the day-to-day business of union operations. The QPSU President, Treasurer, General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary are all ex officio members of executive and report to it on a regular basis. These positions are elected by direct ballot of the membership. The remainder of the QPSU executive is either directly elected by the QPSU membership or by members of Union Council.
Separate from the QPSU's representative structures is the Union Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is an independent figure whose role is to investigate complaints about the internal operations of the QPSU. To find out more about the Union Ombudsman, visit the Ombudsman's section of the QPSU website.
If you would like a copy of the union rules, please click here.
QPSU Council Meetings
CLICK HERE to view a list of 2010 meeting dates for the QPSU Council.
A summary of QPSU Council meetings is produced after each meeting. CLICK HERE to view a list of downloadable summaries of previous meetings of the QPSU Council.
Executive
President,
Vivienne DooganSenior Vice-President,
Dr Alexander DonaldHonorary Treasurer,
Peter DeveyAssistant Hon Treasurer,
Gordon MurrayJunior Vice-President,
Peter CattachJunior Vice-President,
Penny TolandJunior Vice-President,
Angela WalshOther members of Executive,
Sharon Abbott, Cameron Brown, Jason Hunt, Julie Ivison, Annalisse McHugh, Rod Miles, Paul O'Driscoll, Joanne O'Shanesy, Doug ThomasGeneral Secretary,
Alex ScottAssistant General Secretary,
Kate Flanders
Council
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Origin
Phillipa Cole
Kevin McNulty
Brian Peacock
Derek Willie
Building Service Authority
Tyron Katowicki
Communities
Martin A'Bell
Yasmin Barber
Henk De Graaf
Kelly Flood
Dale Free
Madonna Gentry
Ron Hale
Helen Hamley
Wayne Hinton
Janine Hope
Stephen Louwrens
Maureen McKirdy
Greer Maine
Sharon Martin
Cristelle Mulvogue
Zac Murphy
Joanne O'Shanesy
Scott Parrington
Christine Radke
Colleen Reisener
Stuart Roberts
Shirley Roy
Stephen Savage
Margaret Savic
George Seymour-Dearness
Ryan Sheedy
Sylvia Smith
Toni-Louise Smith
Kay Stephens
John Treloar
Sylvia Whittaker
David Yusi
Community Safety (excluding Queensland Corrective Services)
Ian McCulloch
Albert McLean
Bruce Mercer
Janette Papani
Community Safety - Queensland Corrective Services
Steven Allen
Ian Barber
Victoria Eldridge
Amanda Graveson
Anthony Hickey
Simone Hitchcock
Jason Hunt
Norman Jacobsen
Geoffrey Jensen
Wayne May
Gregory Medlin
Barry Millwood
Judith Oppermann
Perry Robinson
Harry Spiegler
Lisa Spiegler
Graham Taylor
Trevor Toon
Education and Training (excluding Schools, Training Queensland and Skills Queensland)
Peter Ashby
Kendal Franks
Paul Goulevitch
Damien Hamwood
Mark McCosker
Manuel Pereira
Gina Privitera
John Quinnd
Education and Training - Schools
Sharon-Leigh Abbott
Michele Bailey
Stephen Buchanan
Susan Dinning
Matthew Dunford
Robert Ettinger
Perry Faint
Karen Faulkner
Eva Foster
William Harris
Peter Hughes
Susan Johnston
Dolph Lossberg
Cassandra Milmlow
Linda O'Gorman
Karl Peeters
Peta Perry
Lynnette Roach
Linda Robinson
Peter Roche
Pauline Spackman
Doug Thomas
Mandy Timmers
Linda Woodward
Department of Education and Training - Skills Queensland, Training Queensland (excluding TAFE Institutes)
Peter Eickenloff
Robert Rigg
Education and Training - TAFE
Denis Auberson
Margaret Crowther
Michael Cullen
Janet Farley
Judith Guley
Glenn Harman\
Rodney Harris
Robert Kelly
Anne-Maarit Kivela
Kerry Muston
Cornelio Ramos
Simon Ross
Matthew Ryan-Sykes
Edmund Schubert
Higher Educational Institutions
Michel Haggman
Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
Stephen Bonnick
Ihab Erian
Glen Hewitson
Avis Houlihan
Peter Keys
Andrea Maxwell
Anthony Nicholls
Gavin Solinas
Daniel Sweeny
Matthew Weinert
Arthur Young
Bradley Zeller
Environment and Resource Management
Jeffrey Angel
Rachel Barley
Kirrilly Belcham
Ross Buchanan
Anthony Collins
Simon Conlon
Michael Driscoll
Teena Embrey
Andrew Joseph
Marian Grodecki
Stuart Henry
Lachlan Hurse
Julianne Ivison
Lyn Payne
Barry Peacock
Angie Saville-Balsamo
John Taylor
Susan Thompson
Forestry Plantations Queensland
Brett Parker
Health Statutory Authorities
Glynn Rees
Infrastructure and Planning
Michael Heffernan
Justice and Attorney-General
Kay Alexander
Helen Bannerman
George Byer
Craig Churchill
Sandra Cochran
Pamela Coles
Justin Desmond
Rene Ellis
George Horold
Colin Liddell
Colin Petersen
Alexander Petrie
Suzanne Price
Jessica Rowles
Sara Wood
Legal Aid Queensland
Bradley Heilbronn
Robyn Wilkinson
Public Sector Allied Health Therapists
Philippa Browne
Public Works
Lynette Cobb
Gavin Dingle
Bernard Ivers
Graham Jones
Keith Lamb
John Loane
Lindsay McFaul
Paul O'Driscoll
Heather Stewart
Emma Tovell
Kathleen Wacker
Gregory Walters
Marilyn Watts
Queensland Audit Office
David Jones
Queensland Health
Dolores Adams
Leigh Barry
Jennifer Bishop
Helen Bodnar
Adam Bulloch
Michelle Byard
Phillip Carswell
Carol Church
Andrew Coates
Grant Cockburn
Stephen Cooke
Lauren Court
Kim Crisp
Sarah Crundall
Katherine Danby
Dianne Degney
Christopher Delany
Sallyanne Doyle
Struan Ferguson
Christine Fox
James Gannon
Diane Glen
Mark Gordon
Carla Gorton
Mary Haire
Miriam Haire
Kelleigh Hall
Gail Hamilton
Jeanette Harvey
Teresa Hodge
Karla Jones
Peter Knack
Edward Ledbury
Miriam Locke
Brendan Lynch
Patricia Martin
Rhys McMahon
Judith Merari-Lyons
Gregory Miles
Rodney Miles
Suzanne Miller
Patricia Neill
Colleen Neilson
Christina Nipperess-Sims
Rachel Phillips
Sagie Pillai
Paul Ready
Rodney Reeves
Gary Roberts
Joseph Rocco
Audrey Rodgers
Carol Rylance
Robyn Sharpe
Patrick Stevenson
Erica Summers
Klarika Tortley
Lawrence Turner
Ross Uhlmann
Robert Austin
John Walker
Lisa Wandrey
Helen West
Rowena Wichman
Naomi Williams
Brett Wines
Geraldine Wright
Peter Yates
Queensland Police
Vanessa Boulton
Shaun Buckley
Debra Fennell
Joanne Glinster
Vicki Larner
Kim McDavid
Mark Quinlan
Lynn Towsell
Jeanetta Tolu
David Watson
Geoffrey Wyvil
Residential Tenancy Authority
Monique Prior
State Library Sub-Division
Joan Bruce
Alexander Cutts
Transport and Main Roads
Ole Andersen
Elizabeth Baker
Robert Balsillie
Raymond Booker
Leonie Braund
Ross Butler
Sarah Carr
Graham Crimston
Trishia Cutler
Edward Hayton
Robert Hill
John Jones
Kayleigh Stupkin
John Szandurski
Paul Whitfield
Union staff
Storm Willett
WorkCover
Lisa Kenny
Vicki Koina
Annalisse McHugh
Regional Organising Committee Chairs
Mr Peter Keys, Biloela
Ms Kerry Muston, Cairns
Penny Toland, Gold Coast
Ms Deborah Green, Mackay
Mr Bruce Craig, Rockhampton
Mr Ian Boshammer, Toowoomba
Paul Fletcher, Townsville
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