NSW paramedics refuse to pay $80 working with children check

The union says the $80 fee should be covered by the paramedics’ employer, the NSW government, who is boasting a $4.5 billion surplus.

Fairfax Media understands paramedics have been told by NSW Ambulance they will be stood down if they refuse pay the fee by March 2018.

New England HSU secretary Brian Bridges said the union represents 90 to 100 of the region's 160 paramedics, who were all willingly to “fight this to the end”.

“That’s everyone from the paramedics on the road through to management, we’re going to stand our ground,” Mr Bridges said.

“The $80 fee is a slap in the face. It’s paying our employer to stay employed.”

Since 2013, the government has phased in working-with-children checks as a requirement for all public servants. However the government covers the cost of the fee for police officers, and the union says the same should apply to paramedics and other public servants.

NSW Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord backed the calls of local paramedics to get the NSW government to pay the working-with-children checks.

“Make no mistake, I unequivocally support the checks, but it is unfair to get paramedics to pay for them,” Mr Secord said.

“The state government is just being stubborn and should listen to reason; they could simply waive the fee and end this dispute.

“Unfortunately, the state government is always on the look-out for ways to scratch back the small amounts of money from workers.

“When I inquired about this, the NSW Ambulance Service said the paramedics should just pay the fee and then try to claim it back on their taxes next year. That’s not fair.”

Fairfax Media put questions to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard, however they were referred to NSW Ambulance.

“The $80 fee is tax deductible for employees who are required to apply for this check,” a NSW Ambulance spokesperson said.

“In 2015 Unions NSW on behalf of a number of public sector unions, lodged an application for an Industrial Award to provide for reimbursement of the fee to NSW Public Sector Employees.

“Unions NSW was not successful in this application and it was dismissed by the full bench of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.”