To deliver the highest standard of care, the Victorian Public Mental Health system requires the work and skills of many different disciplines. HACSU members recognise that to be successful and achieve our goals, we must all stand united.

To recap, when the Department of Child Protection released a tender that would lock in below award wages our Union took action and has been working to resolve the issues. After weeks of direct advocacy, your action over the last 24 hours has helped lock in a win and today we have spoken with the Minister Hildyard's office to confirm the Department would update the tender that has now been published to the sector. We thank the Minister and the Department for listening to you, the frontline workers. Now, our work continues to: • Push for a state wide fair jobs code for community services to ensure all Government tenders reflect fair wages and secure jobs • Win a fair Award Award classification structure to properly reflect your skills and experience As we've experienced overnight, when community sector workers take action we can change Government policy and win good outcomes for our members. Share this win with your workmates and ask them to join you in our Union so we can keep improving working conditions across the youth and community services sector: www.asusant.com/sant.com

Young workers still face the same expenses as other workers in rent, groceries, education costs and more. But in our unfair system, an 18-year-old with years of experience could be paid less than their 21-year-old newly hired colleague just because of their age. Sign the petition today if you agree everyone should be paid fairly regardless of their age!

At 1:30 am on 27 June 2024, an ambulance rolled in Myrtleford trapping paramedic Jim Avard. Patient Transport Ambo, Andrew Bishop responded to the scene and cut Jim free, helped him exit the ambulance safely and into the care of other paramedics.  As an active union delegate and safety rep, Andrew later took a picture of the rolled ambulance and sent it to the union and his employer National Patient Transport. That picture went viral and highlighted the risk of fatigue faced by paramedics and ambulance workers across Victoria.  Within a few hours of the story going public, National Patient Transport stood Andrew down from duty. He has since had his employment terminated from National Patient Transport.  Andrew has worked as a fire fighter, a first aider and in the safety industry for over 40 years. He did his best to use his skills and experience to rescue a workmate and get him to care safely. He also helped expose the serious risks faced by ambulance workers across Victoria. Sacking an ambo for trying to do the right thing is unfair, harsh, and unreasonable and this decision should be reversed.   Have a heart NPT. Give Andrew his job back.

Constant surveillance invades workers’ privacy, making them feel like they are always under suspicion. This stress and anxiety can lead to severe mental health issues and decreased productivity. Who you're talking to, what sport you play, your political opinions, health or financial situation, are all being tracked in a terrifying new level of control and intimidation. The Victorian Government needs to draw a line in the sand and put a stop to surveillance in the workplace.

We hope you’ll be there for them too, as they fight against wage theft and for better pay and conditions that will allow them to meet the rising cost of living and spend more time with their families.

We all know that animal rescues, foster groups and shelters across Australia are struggling to keep up with demand.  The 20 foster care networks supporting the Campaspe Animal Shelter are already stretched to their limits. Bendigo and Shepparton services, and their foster networks, are also at capacity. Removing adoption services will push these networks to breaking point, risking the collapse of animal care in our community. This plan is a recipe for disaster for shelter staff, who will be forced to face the emotional trauma of putting down healthy animals. Campaspe Shire is ignoring its duty to provide a safe and supportive workplace, and this will lead to staff burnout and turnover. The ASU is disappointed that Council has failed to genuinely consider the psychosocial impact of this change.  The people of Campaspe value compassionate care for animals. This proposal is a betrayal of that trust, and it will spark outrage across the community. The Shire is abandoning its responsibility to treat animals humanely, and the public won’t stand for it.  Council has not complied with its obligations under the Local Government Act 2020 to engagement with the community around the proposed changes. The Act says that councils must engage authentically with the community when making decisions like this.    Campaspe Shire has invested heavily in upgrading the shelter’s facilities, only to now threaten to undo all that progress. This proposal is a step backward, and it’s time for the community to rise up and demand better. The ASU calls on the local community to speak out against this disastrous plan.  If you work at Council, join the ASU today https://www.asuvictas.com.au/join 

We’re urgently calling on our Arts and Entertainment industry to make shows safe and accessible for everyone.  Getting infected with Covid can have dire and incurable consequences for anyone, but especially for the most vulnerable in our communities.  As an industry whose work predominantly occurs indoors and in crowded spaces, accessing Arts and Entertainment is currently a high risk activity.  This has seen many people decrease the amount of shows they attend or stop attending shows altogether. Alongside this, the constant circulation of Covid and other respiratory viruses has seen a rise in audiences buying tickets last minute because they’re not sure if they’ll be well enough to attend on the day.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  Having a good night out at a show shouldn’t have to happen at the risk of our health and, for many, our lives.  Keeping the industry open shouldn’t have to happen at the risk of the industry’s sustainability and security.  We have the tools to provide communities with safe and accessible Arts and Entertainment.  These tools include, but are not limited to: • Effective air filtration at venues • Mask mandatory performances • Ticket exchange flexibility where appropriate • Better communication regarding keeping each other safe and; • Continuing commitment to online programming We ask that producers and venues meet with us to discuss how we can use these tools and others to ensure the industry is accessible and safe for everyone so that it can flourish in a secure and sustainable way.

Group Operations staff deserve to be comfortable at work. We are subject to fluctuating temperatures and often marshal aircraft in cold, damp, and rainy conditions. Providing cardigans will ensure we can remain warm and add a level of protection against dampness and rain. Uniforms are not just a fashion statement; cardigans are a matter of common sense for our health and safety. We call on Jetstar to immediately provide cardigans to all ground operations staff.

Every worker in Australia needs to be safe at work and earn reasonable wages - no exceptions. When workers bravely stand up against unfair and unsafe work practices, businesses should listen - not dismiss them! As fellow workers in transport, hospitality, and all other sectors, we commend Zhuoying's brave stand. We demand Hungry Panda reinstate her shifts and listen to the workers who have built the company's wealth!

Paramedics are currently bargaining with Ambulance Victoria and the Jacinta Allan Government for a new enterprise agreement. We are asking for improvements to wages, conditions, valuing MICA, better rural resourcing, and incentivising longevity in the job. But for many members, the most important claim is simply the ability to get home after the shift ends. Our members are forced to work hours of involuntary overtime every day, either because they are ramped at a hospital, or dispatched to a case minutes before the end of shift and sometimes after their rostered finish time. That may seem reasonable in an emergency and any ambo you ask will tell you they expect to work overtime when a patient urgently needs their skills. But our call taking system categorises people who call 000 because they couldn’t afford a GP as an EMERGENCY. Ambulance Victoria have trumpeted that an ambo workplace is an inclusive, family friendly workplace. But our members work over 800 hours of forced overtime every single day. This means that picking up kids, getting to a sporting game or parent teacher interview is not a commitment any ambo can make. Members are ignored when simply requesting an on-time finish. One member was dispatched to a non-urgent patient in a health facility three minutes before the end of shift. The paramedic pleaded with Ambulance Victoria management that she had to pick up a child from daycare but was refused. Another colleague had to go to the childcare centre to take care of the baby until the paramedic finished over an hour late. Recently Swinburne and RMIT surveyed Victorian Ambulance Union members and the number of ambos looking at leaving the job in the next year has climbed to one in five. That’s already in a workforce where over half the paramedics have been in the job for less than five years. This is not sustainable for the workforce, but sadly, that’s what happens when ambos are asked to choose between their job and their family. Ambos are dedicated to saving lives. Please support us by signing this petition and help ambos have a life too.

The NSW Crime Commission recently reported billions of dollars of dirty money are being laundered through NSW poker machines each year while pokies fuel a growing health crisis of addiction that is tearing families and communities apart. Working-class communities are the most heavily impacted by poker machine losses with adults in Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield and Cumberland LGAs in Western Sydney losing almost $3,000 each year to pokies. The gaming industry is relentlessly transferring wealth out of our communities and concentrating it into the hands of a few or sending it offshore through machines that are proven to be highly addictive. Add your name to send a clear message – NSW needs urgent pokies reform now.