Fixing the mess that is Centrelink will improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society, giving them the best leg-up to start and in many cases, rebuild, their lives. It’s time to: SCRAP THE CENTRELINK AUTOMATED SYSTEM The automated system is flawed. The system is a debt recovery scheme that cross-references employment data through the ATO and Centrelink, which has created large room for error and is falsely attributing debt to vulnerable Australians. Although Labor has called for a national audit of the system, we believe enough is enough and it needs to be scrapped. The recovery of legitimate debt is important and should be done by paid staff at the Department of Human Services, not a machine! Links to relevant articles: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/students-accused-of-welfare-fraud-say-centrelink-is-wrong/8127550 http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/centrelink-faces-sustained-criticism-over-its-new-automated-debt-recovery-system-20170102-gtkpq8.html STOP THE CENTRELINK PAY DELAYS In 2016 it was reported that up to 90,000 new applicants were left waiting months for income support, resulting in many being unable to afford necessities like rent and food. Centrelink is designed to be a safety-net, and leaving thousands with support at the start of the year needs to end. According to data collected by our Student Wellbeing Survey, run in 2016, 32% of students on Centrelink have experienced delayed payments, forcing them to borrow money from family, friends and in some cases, take out loans to make ends meet. Last year, when the delays were reported in the media, it was also reported that this had gone on for several years due to a lack of staff at the Department of Human Services, enough is enough! Links to relevant articles: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/students-waiting-four-months-centrelink-payments-delayed/7346960 http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/centrelink-backlog-to-be-solved-in-two-weeks/7360760 LOWER THE CENTRELINK AGE OF INDEPENDENCE TO 18 The Centrelink Age of Independence for Youth Allowance sits at 22, making income support inaccessible to the majority of university students, particularly those starting their degrees who may have moved out of home to attend university. According to data collected by the 2016 Student Wellbeing Survey, 62% of respondents were unable to receive financial assistance from Centrelink due to the Age of Independence being set at 22. Regardless of living out of home, many students are still assessed on the basis of their parent’s income because they are under the age of 22. Young people who decide to attend university do so in the hope of educating themselves for future careers, they are the future of this country and deserve to be financially supported regardless of their age! DITCH CASHLESS WELFARE CARDS Cash welfare cards are not a new policy from the Federal Government, they have been used for years to police the spending of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on income support. The scheme is already in use, acting as a form of compulsory income management that is policing the expenditure of those in receipt of Centrelink, blocking them from spending their payments at particular stores. If introduced for students, cashless welfare cards will not effectively stop addiction to alcohol, drugs and gambling, but will instead police the behaviours of vulnerable people! Links to relevant articles: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-alan-tudge-flag-national-rollout-of-cashless-welfare-card-met-by-protests-at-cashless-debit-card-trial-20161030-gsdytb.html https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jan/09/ration-days-again-cashless-welfare-card-ignites-shame STOP CALL CHARGES AND IMPROVE CALL WAITING TIMES Due to funding cuts to the Department of Human Services, call-waiting times are longer than ever, which only exacerbates call charges as calls to Centrelink are charged at timed rates. According to data collected by the Student Wellbeing Survey, run in 2016, 57% of students in receipt of Centrelink have been left waiting on the phone for excessively long periods of time. Students trying to do the right thing by reporting changes in their circumstances or seeking assistance are being priced out of chasing up Centrelink and are left to the whims of an automated system! Links to relevant articles: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/centrelink-call-waiting-racks-up-costs-for-poor/news-story/e0a01674c64da6dc605c58d45a139005 AND ALLOW MORE DISCRETION IN CENTRELINK POLICIES For many students on income support, the policies Centrelink is governed by often make their lives much more difficult if something goes wrong. If there is a personal or medical situation and a student needs to shift from full-time to part-time study, their payments can be lowered and in many cases cut entirely. This lack of flexibility can exacerbate an already difficult situation, putting further unnecessary pressure on individuals. We must not criminalise unemployment or mental health and the lack of flexibility with Centrelink does just that! - If you believe it’s time to #FixCentrelinkNow, sign our petition to demand the Australian Government reform the system that is putting already vulnerable Australians into more unstable times and condemn Social Services Minister Christian Porter for attacking our lowest income earners whilst the Federal Government allows corporate giants go tax free! Contact: NUS National Welfare Officer, Jill Molloy Email: [email protected] Phone: 0423 507 010

We all know people living in Country New South Wales struggle at the best of times, with the Liberal/National Party cutting funding for Hospitals, Schools, and Roads along with carrying out forced amalgamations of local Councils. THESE CUTS MEAN A LOSS OF REGIONAL JOBS. To add to the struggles in regional NSW, the Nationals and Liberal Parties are standing by doing nothing to SAVE REGIONAL JOBS, where the Government Owned electricity provider Essential Energy will set out to slash its workforce by some 1600 regional jobs by mid-2019. What can the National Party do: stand up to the Liberal party, and fight for regional NSW and save regional jobs and stop their own Government organisation from slashing regional jobs.

Our public transport system was privatised by Jeff Kennett in the 1990s under the promise that government subsidies would diminish. Almost two decades on, subsidies have more than doubled leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for lucrative private profits to be sent offshore while our assets fall into disrepair. With the contracts nearing expiry, this Government has the opportunity to explore more cost effective options that would protect the public interest while providing better maintenance and service delivery. Governments around the world are waking up from the privatisation induced hangover of the failing thought bubble of the 1990s and 2000s. Sucking more and more taxpayer money while offering next to no public oversight, the privatisation of a monopoly industry must be questioned and addressed. Victorians deserve better than a multinational corporation all too happy to skip stations, cancel services and poorly maintain State owned assets. Having now sucked more than $7 billion from the Victorian economy, it is high time that the Victorian government put an end to this open exploitation of taxpayer funds and explore how the public can benefit from the sustainable industry of the future.

Australia's big banks mishandle, mismanage and misappropriate our hard earned wages on a daily basis. And the Liberals haven’t done a thing about it. If former investment banker Malcolm Turnbull is serious about cleaning up the banks, he can't sit on his hands any longer while workers are getting ripped off. We're sick of the way we're being treated by the banks, and believe the best way to get to the bottom of the problems in an industry riddled with fraud, corruption and mismanagement is with a royal commission.

Support a #justtransition for the Latrobe Valley The Latrobe Valley community has powered Victoria for almost 100 years, and deserves to be supported through the inevitable transition of our energy system. This means new employment opportunities as the inevitable closure of Hazelwood Power Station looms closer. Help avert a manufacturing crisis #supportmanufacturing At the same time, Victoria is facing a manufacturing jobs crisis, especially as the car industry closes over the next two years. Make sure no-one is left behind in the #energytransition It should not just be the rich who are able to benefit from energy efficiency and clean energy technology. #equality. Households who can benefit the most from lower energy bills should be supported to access these options. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions #climatechange The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transform our economy so that it is sustainable is growing more pressing every day. The State Government’s own operations make a significant contribution to carbon pollution, and the government can lead by example in reducing emissions from its own buildings. This would also have a long-term benefit for tenants of public housing, whose energy bills would be reduced, giving a tangible boost to their disposable income. Encourage the cooperative economy and more secure work #securework Earthworker is a community initiative established by unionists and environmental activists to help Victorians work their way out of the climate crisis. It is committed to providing decent, secure work in factories owned by workers to manufacture the renewable energy technologies that we so badly need to transform our future. More information can be found at: http://earthworkercooperative.com.au/ In the UK, the Labour Party is pushing for the right for workers to buy out enterprises, and States in the US are legislating to support worker co-ops. The worker cooperative model can be the basis of new jobs and a just transition in places like the Latrobe Valley and Geelong, where old energy-intensive industries are under threat. Earthworker already has all the required factory machinery in a factory site in Morwell, Latrobe Valley. The project has the intellectual property, experience and skills in manufacturing and installing solar hot water systems across Australia, and is in the process of setting up the Morwell factory. With a sizable order of solar hot water systems for public housing, this first cooperative factory could be up and running quickly, with this kick-start, building itself into a long-term and community-sustaining cooperative business – the first of many across Australia. The Victorian government’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring local content in Government Projects, and growing employment opportunities in renewable technologies can be achieved in partnerships with organisations like Earthworker

The deal that was done on ChAFTA is inadequate. This agreement is a threat to Australian jobs, safety and sovereignty. Without giving effect to these commitments, CHAFTA and any future agreement will seriously undermine Australia’s national interest.

Farm workers at Perfection Fresh worked around the clock during the pandemic to ensure our fresh produce supply during Australia's lockdown.  Now, the job security of these same workers is being sacrificed in the name of Australia's national tomato supply.  The Federal Government owes it to these hard-working people to provide them with real income support and assistance in returning to secure work when the lockdown ends.  

Big business is funding "astroturf" (fake grassroots) lobby groups intent on starving our social institutions of the funding they need.  They accuse scientists, universities, public media and artists of representing "woke elites" - trying to turn us against the workers in those fields who are just doing their jobs. Instead, they reckon "real" Australian voices are represented by Gina Rinehart, Clive Palmer, Rupert Murdoch and career politicians!  ​Groups like ​Advance​ spend millions of dollars to get their ads in front of your eyes. They exist to stir up outrage and division about migrants, unemployed people, trans kids and others. They import culture wars from the United States, inventing controversies to divide us from one another - to divide the working class.​ The purpose of all this division and noise is to make democracy seem hopeless. If we fear and suspect each other, we can't join together to win campaigns for the things we all need - great working conditions and wages, good schools and healthcare, honesty in media. The big business funders of ​Advance​ know that workers deserve more of the wealth we create - and their biggest fear is that we'll stand together to demand it. ​ We know Advance is funded by billionaire business owners - but half of their funding is kept secret.

We need to send a message to South East Water that we will not stand by and let them outsource public sector jobs.

United Workers Union (UWU) members at MSS work in security and screening and have been bargaining with the company since 2022. MSS, which is wholly owned by an Indian-based firm SIS Ltd, has offered a four percent pay rise to workers this year. This is despite Hobart security officers being on little more than the minimum wage. Both MSS and Hobart Airport are extremely profitable entities and if they're serious about safety and security they need to show that by offering a more respectful wage increase.

Workers at Pfizer/ Bridgewest want to have a good working relationship with management and believe that clear policies that don't confuse or trip up workers is an important part of the relationship. We believe that the simple changes we have suggested will provide clarity and transparency, and make for easier reading for colleagues and their managers. We call on Bridgewest to amend the policies so that colleagues can be confident signing their contracts, and to create trust with their new employer.

Financial strain, which jumps 600% during placement periods (Smith et al., 2018), is one of the leading drivers of preservice teacher drop outs. Not because these teachers are poor at the job, nor that they do not enjoy the work or the high workload, but purely because they cannot financially sustain themselves for weeks without pay. During a teacher shortage, this is a broken system. Furthermore, there should not be an education system that only allows for those who are financially viable to succeed, especially in a sector that so desperately needs new staff. Let's fix this now! Support the AEU Preservice Teacher Association members in our fight for preservice teacher payment by signing below. Join our Facebook page to assist in the campaign here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/635367530941019