PSA Podcast: Cultivating Community at the Royal Botanic Garden

In this episode of the PSA CPSU NSW Podcast, host Troy Wright broadcasts from the spectacular Royal Botanic Gardens on Gadigal land to chat with union delegates and workers, Maddie and Lachlan. Maddie, a horticulturist working primarily in the public domain of the Domain, and Lachlan, a horticulturist labourer rotating through the middle gardens, share what goes into designing and managing these iconic public spaces. They discuss the historical depth embedded across the grounds—from the remnants of the Macquarie Wall to the legacy of the late 19th-century Garden Palace—while explaining how the living collections and seed banks actively track and preserve threatened plant species. Beyond their daily work, Maddie and Lachlan open up about how their on-the-ground organising is transforming their workplace by actively engaging younger public sector workers and fostering a deeply connected community rather than just a roster of workmates.

To read more about the union's ongoing efforts and campaigns, visit the official PSA website at psa.asn.au.

This was recorded and produced by Aaron Hewitt, with direction from Executive Producer Marianne Ledic and support from the PSA Communications Team. The PSA CPSU NSW acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which this podcast was recorded, and we pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging.