Regional and local media is more important than ever. Our regional communities need and deserve journalism that is ethical, independent and trustworthy. Australian Community Media - which owns over 100 regional papers including Ballarat's 'The Courier' is trying to cut important conditions from the workers' Enterprise Agreement. One of these cuts includes walking away from the paper's commitment to abide by the MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics protects sources, readers and journalists, and upholds journalism we can trust. It requires journalists to report honestly, accurately and independently, and upholds transparency and fairness. Removing it means journalists could be asked to prioritise advertising or commercial interests over accuracy and fairness, disrespect grief and personal privacy, place unnecessary emphasis on race, gender or other personal characteristics, or suppress relevant facts. Journalists at The Courier are fighting to protect their ethics, and they need your support. Sign the petition to tell Australian Community Media to support our community and our stories!

There are thousands of people nationwide whose lives are stuck in limbo while they await a visa decision from the Department of Home Affairs. Many have been waiting for years with no response from government. Key points on the 887 visa: · The 887 visa is a pathway to permanent residency for temporary visa holders who have lived and worked in areas of regional Australia. · These temporary visas leave migrants vulnerable to employment, housing, family and financial instability. · 887 visa applicants are forced to live in limbo while they experience endless visa processing delays and backlogs. · The average wait time for the 887 visa is now over two years

Workers who have been targeted by Qantas only want their right to collective bargain and negotiate their pay and conditions. Australian Services Union members at Qantas are standing shoulder to shoulder to fight this every step of the way. We all work for one airline and have been part of one workplace agreement and one set of workplace conditions for over 20 years. We need a decent pay rise that keeps up with the cost of living not one that sends us backwards. That’s our wages policy. Qantas, workers want a fair deal for ALL staff now.

Right now, Australia continues to deny a fast and fair process to people who are seeking asylum in our country. Many have been in limbo for over a decade. This prevents people from gaining the stability that refugee status provides. The result is vulnerable people living on the edge for years. Many people seeking asylum and living in the community are also denied access to basic support, including healthcare, housing, education, emergency relief and disability support. This leaves individuals and families with nothing to survive on, except for unfunded support from charities and local governments who are stepping in to help. The Federal Government has a responsibility to support people meet basic needs and live safely in Australia until their status is resolved. Australians support each other in hard times and we are asking the Federal Government to play its part in creating a community where we are all respected. We must act now in support of our neighbours, friends and local community members who urgently need certainty, stability and support to build their lives. Join our campaign at backyourneighbour.com.au. Thank you for your compassion and support. Back Your Neighbour is a coalition of Australian local councils, community services, unions and individuals who support people seeking asylum and refugees. It is auspiced by the Local Government Mayoral Taskforce Supporting People Seeking Asylum.

Ballarat Council giving money to Pipecon is a slap in the face to all of us as Ballarat ratepayers and Victorians. Councillors must immediately review this decision, award the tender for Tait St road reconstruction to another company, and apologise to the community.

We spend winters shivering inside beanies, jumpers, blankets, uggs and wooly socks. In Summer we sleep with ice packs. And we pay through the nose for the privilege. More and more renters in Australia are experiencing rental stress - paying more than 40 or 50% of our incomes for homes that barely keep out the weather. Rent is skyrocketing, as are our power bills. Yet renters can’t reduce our bills by installing solar panels, insulation, more efficient hot water systems or by removing gas appliances from our homes. We’re forced to run power hungry space heaters to stay warm only to get hit with enormous power bills. More and more renters are forced to make a choice between staying warm and buying groceries. It’s more important than ever to improve the standards of rentals as power prices soar and home ownership is put further out of reach for young people. Generation United is powered by the United Workers Union. We’re a strong voice for young workers and we’re coming together to tackle the big issues that affect us - at work, at home, in our community and in our environment. Renters are speaking out, our governments must listen and act. These are just some of the stories tenants have shared with us: “The upstairs of our town house would reach over 43 degrees in summer so I slept with ice packs strapped to my body.” - Vic renter “Our house is not at all insulated. The cold days are super cold and the hot days make the house stuffy for weeks” - Aus renter “I have been getting sick once or twice a month from how cold my room gets.” - Krishan, Vic renter “Extremely cold temp in the house in winter and almost unliveable in the summer due to heat.” - WA renter “Window has been stuck open ever since 2020, 8+ requests to close it with no outcome. My 3rd winter wfh now and I have to wear puffer 24/7!” - Aus renter “I have leaks in my ceiling I’ve been complaining about since 2018, which are only getting worse and still nothing done. Can’t use my lounge room at all.” - NSW renter

Murdoch staff have been hit hard during the COVID-19 crisis: enduring staffing cuts, taking on more work, keeping the lights on for students and the broader community while management are seemingly making decisions that don't improve staff conditions or well-being. A university is a place of ideas. Murdoch's 'tagline' is "A place for free thinking" but sadly free thinking comes at a cost and it is a cost borne disproportionately by staff. With an already lean Bargaining Agreement and no real cost of living relief in sight, it's time to support Murdoch staff in their entrenched right to bargain for a more robust Bargaining Agreement. You need to send a message to management – this isn’t good enough, we can’t afford to keep going backwards, we are struggling with the lack of support, and we demand that they begin bargaining NOW. Click the link to sign the petition - send the message to management that we're ready to bargain NOW!

Our universities are failing when it comes to building inclusive and supporting learning environments for transgender, gender diverse and non-binary students. A recent survey of queer students in Australia conducted by the NUS Queer/LGBTQIA+ Department and RUSU Queer Department identified that every single respondent regularly experienced some form of deadnaming at university. The results from the survey revealed that: 83% of students said there was a persistent deadnaming issue at their university 93% were deadnamed on student facing platforms 20% were deadnamed by staff 43% were deadnamed on university accounts 13% were deadnamed on their student ID With the constant misgendering and deadnaming that occurs on student facing platforms and within classrooms, it is time for this issue to be addressed. We are calling on universities to end deadnaming and change their ways to ensure that the wellbeing of transgender, gender diverse and non-binary students is a priority. Universities have a duty of care towards their students, a responsibility to provide a safe learning environment that minimises opportunities for psychosocial harm. They need to acknowledge that until action is taken to end deadnaming in Australian universities, trans, non-binary and gender diverse students will continue to be at severe risk of bullying, harassment, physical violence and psychosocial harm. It is time for universities to protect vulnerable students and allow them to bring their whole selves to their studies.

We want the centre of town to be a safe, vibrant hub of entertainment for locals and tourists to enjoy. Pokies are also the most addictive form of gambling and can negatively affect our community's physical health, emotional well-being, relationships and employment. In 2019, Australians lost over $12 billion on pokies. Mparntwe/Alice Springs already has 386 pokies – we don’t want any more!

Without proper access to fast and reliable internet, our community suffers. We cannot work as part of a connected country and world if our internet access prevents us from connecting with each other. No community should be left behind in this technological age. Residents and ratepayers of the Meander Valley refuse to be forgotten.

Our elected representatives need to have the ability to represent us, the members, free of harassment and the threat of disciplinary hanging over their heads like the hangman's noose. The actions displayed from Sydney Trains set a terrible precedent and will impede the movement's ability to bargain into the future due to workplace delegates being in fear of disciplinary action that can potentially impact their employment.

Unions of nurses, teachers, paramedics, cleaners, transport workers, child protection workers and many more are saying their jobs and conditions are under immense stress. The NSW Government is ignoring their pleas for help. Workers have been left with little choice but to strike to force the government to listen. So the NSW Government has proposed fines of up to $110,000 for striking. It's unfair and undemocratic - workers will suffer in silence and their unions fined if they take action. But it can be stopped. The Liberals and National Government does not hold a majority in Parliament. If Labor, independents and just 3 minor parties team up they will have a majority to overturn the new fines. The vote is expected in early August - which means we have just a few weeks to act. Add your name to send a clear message to members of the NSW Parliament - you must use your vote to protect essential worker's rights.