Amidst the ongoing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, HDRs at Sydney University have been left behind. We are calling on the University to look after its HDR community as this crisis continues to unfold and impact its staff and students. HDRs candidatures have been seriously impacted by the pandemic and necessary responses from the University, including campus closures, intermittent (or foreclosed) access to the resources that we need to complete research, and travel restrictions. COVID-19 has constituted an abrupt break from the conditions that our successful candidatures rely upon. Further, and as the University is aware, the stipends that some of us currently receive are not enough to live on - and as a result of the crisis many of us have lost the jobs that helped us to make rent, and otherwise afford to live in Sydney. Those of us without stipends have been placed in an even more tenuous position as the economy contracts. We believe that in these unprecedented times the University should look to its role as a vital part of the Australian economy to look after its HDRs, and provide emergency income support for its hard-working early career researchers. As a leading Australian university, this could also set the standard for what other universities roll out in the weeks and months to come. We look to some of the existing responses from the Australian Government and other Australian universities as precedent: 1) The Government has rolled out a Coronavirus Supplement to new and existing eligible income support recipients; and 2) ANU has announced emergency financial support for students alongside a blanket six month candidature and stipend extension for all HDRs. *Postgrads for Fair Pay acknowledges and supports the existing ‘USYD Honours, Masters and PhD Students Open Letter’ to the University. Our call for COVID-19 relief measures is from representatives of the PhD and MPhil/MA HDR community and sets out demands particular to this community.

Students, backpackers and other temporary visa holders contribute to the Australian economy just like citizens... we pay our tax/ rent/ bills and Australia is quite unique that part of it's economy relies on backpacker tourism/ education/ farm work/ hospitality and professional workers (just to name a few) from temporary visa holders almost 3million of your 25 just so you get an idea. It's time to open your eyes and see the bigger picture. People are struggling who can't get home, flights cancelled, lost their jobs and kicked out of accommodation with visas soon expiring. There has barely been any mention of offering help or even preliminary extension of visas at the very least. New Zealand has offered some great help to temporary visa holders, well done Jacinta!! It is clear that help is out there however right now it is being ignored. Australia needs to be doing the same!! Can you imagine the spread of the virus if all temporary visa holders were to up and leave to their own country right now? No wonder our death toll is rising overnight still letting people fly in and out and also what kind of a hit would Australia's economy take even further if all of those people were to leave? Of course Australian citizens are the priority but what about the rest of us that you rely so heavily on? We've also been told to stay home and refrain from non-essential travel... so what is the right answer? I personally have been in Australia 4 years now- started as a backpacker and gone on to do further study whilst also working. I have been out of the UK long enough that the British embassy also can't help me. As a student I am taxed at exactly the same rate as Australian residents and all backpackers get 65% of their superannuation funds taken off them by the government when they leave the country... that's interesting isn't it. Never mind all the contributions other skilled workers/ visa holders/ New Zealand citizens make to the Australian system and are entitled to nothing or have no flexibility or consideration for their visas and situations at this point in time. If and when everything does go back to 'normal' not only will there be lots of disgruntled temporary visa holders who have not had a second thought if it carries on this way but also a lack and shortage of willing and skilled workers in which we fill the gap. The ultimate primary industry that Australia operates on is agriculture and labouring. How many of these people that work within this sector do we reckon alone are on temporary visas? Guess what else the Australian government considers a vital resource to Australian society which they intend to grow further year upon year... education. Yes it seems that of course we as temporary visa holders rely on Australia but but it also seems simultaneously Australia relies on us. A migration agent said to me earlier " When I write visas for sponsoring employer as a migration agent, I am required to provide submissions that neither temporary visa holder workers nor Australian workers are discriminated and they have equal pay. If our government instils that in order for these workers to fill skills shortages, especially in regional Australia, and grants them visas to be here medium to long term, why the government can not offer Jobkeeper option for each and every one of them, so the employer can continue paying these people who were stood down (ie CHEFS from Hilton, Mirvac, Sheraton, cafes/restaurants, etc.) for the example." It doesn't make much sense to me either... My visa expires in June and I've just lost my job where I've been working for 2years since I started my studies. I actually work in HR & Recruitment so part of my job is to help people including Australians find a job and bring in an income. Yet when it comes to me there is zero help for my situation and I'm sure I'm just one of thousands who feel the same way. I never miss a bill payment or my rent and I only just finished my studies last week which has cost me more than $10k+ all up which has nicely gone back in to the Australian economy/government and before you ask, no I don't receive financial help from my parents. In a pandemic like this we all need to stay where we are and help each other. I'm also from the UK which is part of the Commonwealth so really I'm Australia's neighbouring sister... does leaving a sister potentially unable to get home at risk of catching the virus and bringing it back to England where the death toll is out of control back to her parents (who are 60years+) when I've done everything right in regards to the system sound good to you? It sure as hell doesn't to me. It's best for me to stay put until all of this has blown over. In fact forget I'm from the Commonwealth, it doesn't matter who you are or where you are from we are all in this together. COVID-19 has affected each and every one of us. It's time we all pull together, help each other out, be kind and consider as many people as possible to pull through the other side.

As the principal funder of disability services, the Federal Government has the responsibility to ensure services continue in a safe way for both people with a disability and the workers who support them. The Federal Government must take action now to ensure that people with disability are able to safely access services. The disability workforce across Australia are amongst those on the front line of this crisis, continuing to provide support and assistance to people with disability. Disability support workers already feel overworked and understaffed. There are also high levels of insecure, casual work in the disability sector. They must be better supported in doing their job and facing this COVID crisis – to ensure their safety and the safety of the people they support.

Aside from the massive economic contribution they make to Australia, International Students are part of the fabric of the Australian community. They are students, neighbours, friends and colleagues. Many face the additional barrier of being new to Australia and not being familiar with its language or institutions. It is beyond heartless that government assistance has not already been extended to these people who work hard and contribute so much to this country. It is unacceptable that they are being abandoned in this way. Something must be done. Not in a week or a month, but now.

This is why student unionism is so so important. FUSA Student President Josh has been one of the few lucky student representatives across the country to get a seat at the table during my University's planning and response discussions for Covid-19. We've had some wins but unfortunately my University just isn't doing enough to support students during these unprecedented times. Students right across the country are losing their jobs, being evicted from their homes, or rely on family support that is no longer available. We need to do more, and we can

The government cannot be allowed to ignore disabled people in the midst of a global pandemic. When the stimulus announcement was made we were shocked to learn we had been excluded. It exposes that the government just doesn’t get it – what it means for people who are disabled, and why the DSP is different to other payments. It costs more to be disabled. We are workers too, and disabled people and carers are losing income as a result of this crisis. Many disabled people are more vulnerable to COVID19 than other Australians. We face higher costs for specialised supports, healthcare, medication, housing and transport. There are many essential costs that the NDIS does not cover and during the pandemic people’s costs are only going up. The cost of support workers and other specialised services is increasing, some by as much as 10 per cent. NDIS invoice processing times are blowing out. This decision to exclude disabled people and carers exposes the government’s failure to understand our lives and needs. We must not let the government divide us into ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ groups. We must demand that our leaders immediately include the most vulnerable people in our community in the $550 per fortnight coronavirus supplement. We must stand together in the fight for disabled people and carers to be treated equally.

The Social Research Centre, a call centre located within inner city Melbourne, has been woefully unprepared for the recent unfolding CO-VID 19 crisis. The company, known for working on large scale government projects, has only in the past week implemented any social distancing and proper hygiene policy within the call centre, prior to this they failed to even provide alcohol-based sanitising wipes for equipment. The 200+ casual workforce has been given no clarity on what will happen with their jobs. The company has rejected calls to provide paid leave and allow employees to self isolate. Instead it gives vague promises that employees will be able to work from home without having any system in place to implement this. There is a social responsibility for all businesses and individuals to help ‘flatten the curve’ of COVID-19, to ensure hospitals are able to cope with the demand for treatment. Flattening the curve requires the implementation of social distancing measures which cannot be adhered to within the close proximity working environment of the call centre, especially considering the virus can live on plastic surfaces (like booths, headsets and computers) for up to 72 hours. Call centres are a known incubator of the virus, and workers are at particularly high risk not just of contracting COVID-19, but also transmitting it to a large number of people. The Social Research Centre clearly understands the importance of social distancing to protect employees and the wider community. This is evident in the fact that the staff at the Social Research Centre's office on Williams St are all working from home. We are asking this regard for workplace safety extends to the casual workers in the call centre. The company's response to the demand of paid leave, supported by the overwhelming majority of your workforce, has been unsatisfactory, with no attempt made to negotiate or evidence shown to back claims of insufficient funds. Centrelink is insufficient for many of your employees, such as those who are not Australian nationals, under 22, or new applicants who will likely be waiting more than two weeks to receive their first payment. Sign now to demand the Social Research Centre closes the unsafe call centre office and supports workers with special paid leave.

Our union’s primary concern is that schools cannot currently meet either their legislative Work, Health and Safety (WHS) obligations or their duty of care to both their employees and students while the school term continues.

People are dying in govt state homes due to not being able to control there body temperature because the Qld state government won’t install air conditioning into government housing. https://youtu.be/t-o-4xXMoM8 Also it’s unfair that homeowners are paying next to nothing for electricity because of solar panels and the Qld state is giving them all the rewards. For equality the low income earner should also be entitled to this as well. For those who are homeowners please read the article because there’s something in there for you that will also benefit you. Thank you and keep safe. https://youtu.be/Htfbo3A6BzQ http://3quotes.com.au/news/3-int-13-geo/index.html

Online and remote teaching is not equivalent to the service obtained from in-person classes. Students should not have to pay thousands of dollars in already-exorbitant fees for an educational service which is fundamentally different. International students, and students moving from interstate, did not pay large sums of money for learning to be delivered remotely. In the midst of a global health crisis, universities must use their vast sums of money to support all students – fee refunds now!

Working Australians have been dealt a body blow by the impact of the coronavirus. Millions of workers are facing the very real prospect of losing their job and they need the government to act. Sign our petition and tell the Morrison government it must provide a guaranteed wage subsidy to all working people immediately to save jobs. Other countries' governments have already done this. The UK government is guaranteeing 80% of people's wages. It’s time Scott Morrison gave Australian workers the same assurance that they are not being abandoned. Scott Morrison has announced a wage subsidy for Australian workers, but it excludes 500,000 casuals and over 1 million temporary visa holders. Let the Prime Minister know that it is only by keeping people in jobs that the future of Australian workers, their families and their communities can be secured. If we guarantee wages now we will keep people in jobs and out of welfare. Sign the petition for a guaranteed wage subsidy and let Scott Morrison know Australian workers need a government that puts the well-being of workers first.

This can happen to any visa holder. If you are charged with a crime you did not commit in Queensland you have three options. 1. Accept visa cancellation and deportation without conviction. 2. Accept a criminal conviction and deportation without trial. 3. Wait for in excess of four years remanded in custody, or in immigration detention for a trial date. Whilst you wait for four years you are unable to work and support your family. On conviction in Queensland, most people charged with murder are convicted of Manslaughter, and are sentenced to 8-9 years (2.5-4.5 years of which will be served in prison). This means someone wrongly accused of a crime who is a visa holder, on the most trivial charge, spends longer detained or incarcerated than almost any convicted person except convicted Murderers. This is unlawful, but is accepted best practice in Queensland. Surely no visa should be cancelled prior to a conviction bring recorded. Also a charge may never exceed 12 months progressing to trial for a detained or remanded person. Further, time in detention awaiting trial, should never exceed the base (incarcerated) sentence, let alone the head sentence. The Crown (Federal Government) interfering in a Queensland charge, by cancelling the visa of a defendant was expressly protected at the time the Criminal Code was written. Now QLD Police request that the Federal Government cancel any charged persons visa, as it gains them an insurmountable advantage. Clough v Leahy, Griffith CJ, speaking for the Court, had said[200]: "Nor can the Crown interfere with the administration of the course of justice. It is not to be supposed that the Crown would do such a thing; but, if persons acting under a Commission from the Crown were to do acts which, if done by private persons, would amount to an unlawful interference with the course of justice, the act would be unlawful, and would be punishable."