At BSL we believe everyone should have a meaningful say over the issues their daily lives. Input from those directly impacted by decisions and policies results in better solutions. Australians will all benefit from hearing the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and sharing in First Nations contributions to our national identity.

Cleaners have had enough. They want IKON to come to the bargaining table now and start treating their workers with respect. But IKON is refusing to bargain. Sign the petition today to call for justice for Melbourne Airport cleaners! -Melbourne Airport cleaners employed by IKON

If Knox Council abandons kindergarten programs, it would mean that the families of 3- and 4-year-old children in the Knox area would no longer be able access Knox Council-delivered free kindergarten programs. Currently the Council delivers high-quality play-based early childhood education. We know that children benefit from local kindergarten services that reflect the context and makeup of the local community. Families rightly expect their local council to provide kindergarten programs as part of the services they deliver. Why should the children of Knox miss out? Sign and share the petition with others so they can tell Knox Council that all local children deserve high-quality kindergarten education provided by their local council.

There is broad-based community alarm and dissent that Port Kembla is being considered as the East Coast base for nuclear submarines as part of the AUKUS agreement. There has been no consultation undertaken or consent given by our community. Port Kembla, as part of Greater Wollongong, was declared a nuclear-free city more than 30 years ago, and its status as a nuclear-free zone was reaffirmed only last year. If a nuclear submarine facility was based in Port Kembla Harbour it would require the acquisition and alienation of a massive part of the harbour and the land around it. Land which is a valuable and vital asset for our existing manufacturing, steel, land transport and maritime industries whose epicentre is Port Kembla. Delaying a decision would prolong and amplify uncertainty over exclusion zones, access to land and waterways for our emerging industries and threaten billions of dollars of investment in renewables making it a job killer. The presence of nuclear attack class submarines in our Ports would make us a nuclear target and pose an unacceptable risk to the health and safety of hundreds of thousands of people given potential exposure to hundreds of kilograms of highly enriched uranium. If its not safe for the people of New York City to have Nuclear submarines in their midst, it's not safe for the people of any city.

Financial stress means many aspiring teachers struggle to manage their living expenses while undertaking unpaid teaching placements. Some ask family and friends for financial assistance, and others take on personal loans. The impact of unpaid placements is particularly severe for those with families or caring responsibilities, regional and rural students, and students from marginalised communities. Too many pre-service teachers are unable to complete their studies, making Victoria's teacher shortage even worse. Without enough teachers in our schools and kindergartens, students are denied access to the full range of learning and support programs they need.

Council-run in-home aged care and NDIS services enables those in need to live independently at home. Being able to retain a sense of independence is so important for mental and emotional health. Our vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours deserve to retain the quality care they get from highly trained council workers. In-home aged care delivered by local government is a hugely valued service. These workers are highly trained, on permanent jobs and liveable wages, who provide care second to none. Their employment conditions mean clients get the kind of continuity of care they asked for during the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality & Safety. Council’s direct delivery of this vital community service protects our vulnerable and older residents in their homes. Victorian local government has a proud history of leading the country in delivering quality services into homes in this area and it must be maintained. Any moves to cease direct delivery of this service and allow a private provider/s to deliver the service would have the following consequences: ▪ Reduced provision, lower quality and consistency of care to clients; ▪ Displacement of workers in secure, well paid, well supervised work within your local community; ▪ No minimum qualification requirements, where vulnerable clients will be forced to allow potentially untrained providers into their homes, leaving them significantly vulnerable to abuse; ▪ Loss of a holistic assessment client needs and coordinated or escalated service delivery or referral to match the changing needs of clients; ▪ Loss of integrated services due to lack of participation of private providers in local partnerships, networks and alliances.

If these services are outsourced, the Sutherland Shire community will lose out. These quality early education places will be lost, and families will suffer dramatic increases to fees and their cost of living. The hard-working early childhood educators will also lose their secure Council jobs and conditions. These Council-run services also set the standard against greedy for-profit childcare centres, what will happen without them? The General Manager and Councillors have refused to come clean and let Shire residents know what they are doing. What is Council secretly planning? The USU says these council services must not be lost to the community. As signatories we say: DON'T SELL OFF OUR PUBLIC CHILDCARE CENTRES!

The cost of living crisis is far from over. Wage growth is less than half the rate of inflation and prices for essential items continue to soar. And the RBA’s approach to fixing inflation has almost pushed Australian workers and the economy off a cliff. The RBA delivered 10 consecutive interest rate rises in a row, to 3.6% as of March 2023. That means that a worker with a $500,000 mortgage has to find an extra $1,100 per month to cover their repayments. And it's not just homeowners that are having to cough up – people who are renting are feeling the flow-on effect in the form of staggering rent increases and widespread housing availability shortages. Meanwhile, big business profits are going through the roof, and in some cases, outstripping even pre-pandemic levels. This greed-price spiral is what's really driving inflation. Between the RBA and big companies, average Australians are bearing all the pain of a situation they did not cause and have little control over. The RBA has already warned us to brace for more interest rate rises. But we say: Enough. Stop hurting workers.

The waterways in and around Sydney, as well as the water we drink, are kept safe, clean and affordable by Sydney Water, which operates for the public. Making our harbour, coastline and drinking water a source of profit puts this at risk. If Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals privatise Sydney Water: • Water rates will go up by $264 a year; • Thousands of jobs will be lost; • Our pristine beaches and waterways are at risk. Don’t risk our water. Add your name to send a clear message to the NSW Premier – hands off Sydney Water!

The brunt of the rental crisis is affecting low income renters and working class homeowners. Greedy landlords have jacked up prices and refuse to give up their investment properties to renters who need them. Meanwhile, the top four banks in Australia have raked in $2 trillion from household debt after multiple interest rate rises. The real criminals in this crisis are the banks, landlords and the federal and state government's who do nothing. This charge is an extreme measure and another attempt by NSW police to impede on the right to protest in this state. We will not be intimidated, and will continue to campaign on the streets for affordable housing and all other issues of social justice. The housing campaign in NSW is only getting started and housing activists will return tin bigger numbers on the streets of Sydney.

Online options were ‘too hard’ before 2020, and then they came within a week, and then they were taken away as quickly as they were given. Many members of our community depend on these options being available such as those who are immuno-compromised and cannot risk exposure to disease, especially when universities do not have open windows, air purifiers or a mask or vaccine mandate in the classroom. Universal Design (‘UD’) — specifically, Universal Design for Learning (‘UDL’) — is a research-backed pedagogy and curriculum framework which enables equitable access to education for all students, including students with disabilities and other students from diverse, minoritised backgrounds. For disabled students, implementing UDL would ostensibly ensure that they can ‘engage with the curriculum without having to seek adjustments’ (see ‘Recommendations for equitable student support during disruptions to the higher education sector: Lessons from COVID-19,’ Mercer-Mapstone et al 2022,). Hybrid, flexible education — also known as ‘hyflex’ education, as noted in Recommendation 2.1 of the ALSA-AMSA-NUS research report — entails offering educational delivery options for both in-person attendance and Work From Home (‘WFH’). Moreover, hyflex education can facilitate educational participation for not only disabled people but also women escaping domestic family violence (‘DFV’) or sexual assault, First Nations students in regional & rural Australia, international students, and other demographics for whom in-person attendance may not be the most safe & accessible. People from diverse backgrounds have value. Contrary to what many believe, disabled people can (and do) contribute to society and to building a better world. Imagine all the setbacks if Dr Steven Hawking couldn’t come to class because he couldn’t get his wheelchair in the door! Additionally, the tertiary education regulator, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (‘TEQSA’), has announced that they will now enforce the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth) (‘ESOS’). Under ESOS in s 8.19, TEQSA is mandating that no more than a third of the education delivered to overseas students can be online or by distance. This decision from TEQSA means that if international students want to access regional, globally ranked education, they must return to Australia whilst there are COVID-19 outbreaks overseas, a rental shortage of affordable, student housing and a cost-of-living crisis. This forces numerous international students into a tricky conflict between their future and their present happiness. TEQSA doesn’t take individual complaints so the regulator cannot protect international students. That is why the government must step up. Likewise, online learning can be better for university staff. University staff with disabilities also face many of the struggles that disabled students do. Likewise, staff with caring roles for children or other dependents benefit from increased access to them by providing education online. Some universities do not have child-care options after 5pm, meaning that staff cannot afford to work a 9-5 with children because they have to rush to collect them. The higher education system relies on these staff and their incredible work to upskill the next generation.

The COVID-19 pandemic-related social distancing and healthcare necessities became a challenge in Sri Lanka. We have been subject to numerous hardships and health-related risks in working on the frontlines supporting the community to continue the ordinary life and providing them with their day-to-day needs. Our hard labour, commitment and loyal services to the supermarkets helped the businesses to continue uninterruptedly retaining customers and recording remarkable turnover for the companies. In the current economic situation and the unrestrained price increases in the necessities, it has become challenging for us to meet our daily life, and our families, too, are struggling to cope with the hardships. Petition addressed to • Dr. Sena Yaddehige – Group Chairman, Richard Pieris Group of Companies • Mr. V Ranjit Page – Deputy Chairman and CEO of Cargills Ceylon Plc • Mr. Krishan Balendra – Chairman John Kells Holdings • Mr. W K H Wegapitiya – Chairman Laugf Holdings Petition in Sinhala & Tamil: http://bit.ly/3GYM2u2