Parentline is a critical first line of support for Victorian parents and carers. It offers confidential, anonymous and accessible counselling on everything from child behaviour and development to family violence and mental health.  When people talk about how hard parenting is, they often say “it does not come with a manual.” Parentline is as close to a manual as you can get, a trusted, expert voice to guide parents through the hardest moments.  More than 15 highly qualified counsellors now face losing their jobs, taking with them hundreds of years of Child Protection and counselling experience. Removing this expertise would leave an already stretched system even weaker.  Research is clear that early intervention works. For years, Parentline’s dedicated public servants have helped parents build strong family relationships, navigate crises and connect with vital community resources before problems spiral.  We must save this service. Without it, thousands of Victorian families will lose an irreplaceable lifeline. 

Every Queenslander deserves the right to work or study in a space free from harassment and discrimination. The Respect at Work laws represent a crucial step forward in creating safer, more respectful spaces for all Queenslanders – whether they are at work, university, TAFE or school. These laws were the result of extensive consultation arising from the 2020 Respect@Work Report and the 2022 Building Belonging Report. Passed by Parliament in September 2024 and scheduled to commence from 1 July this year, these reforms have now been delayed. The LNP now claims everyone wants more consultation, but we know this is simply an excuse to delay these important protections without justification. These laws include important new protections against discrimination to ensure workers cannot be sacked for extreme reasons like having fertility treatment to have a child, or because they have been a victim of family and domestic violence. They also introduce a positive duty, requiring employers to proactively prevent discrimination and harassment, rather than only responding after harm has occurred. Queenslanders cannot wait any longer. These laws need to be enacted now.

The Premier cannot say Victoria is the ‘education state’ and promise parents fee-free 3 and 4-year-old kindergarten without the workforce to deliver it – and that can’t happen without investing in decent wages and working conditions. Delivering for teachers and educators who work in Victoria’s kindergartens means delivering for the children they educate. Everyone knows that for children to succeed at school they require access to high-quality kinder delivered by teachers and educators that are supported, respected and valued. Children benefit the most when their early childhood teachers and educators are well supported, paid a decent wage, and want a long term career in early childhood education.  Supporting the teachers and educators who work in Victoria’s kindergartens will benefit children, who will be ready to start school; and parents, who will know their child is getting the best start to their education.  - Tracey Webb, Early Childhood Educator and AEU Member

The university is undergoing a restructure, including significant cuts, that is opposed by the LTSU and is introducing another student body to weaken the union’s ability to oppose this. Elected representatives from “another student organisation” within the last two years are ineligible for a position on the new Student Council, preventing those who have already been elected by the student body to the LTSU or LTSA from running. Additionally, the Election Regulations allow the university to “remove candidates from the election process at any time at their own discretion”. The regulations also allow the university to “share information about individual candidates on the University website and/or social media”, purportedly to promote the election. Both of these policies could allow the university to influence the results of the election and have an influence in how the Student Council runs.  We, the undersigned, call on the university to cancel the formation of the Student Council as an attack on the LTSU and independent student organisation.

Here are the facts:  • 91% of the early childhood workforce is female. • G8 Education is one of the largest ASX-listed companies that doesn't offer employer-funded paid parental leave for their employees.  • In the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report, Australian women are ranked 42nd in the world for economic participation and opportunity (down from 38 in 2023). • In Australia, a third of the gender pay gap is due to the time women spend in unpaid care work.  • G8's current gender pay gap is 20.1% (of the average total remuneration according to WGEA's latest data) • By not offering employer-funded paid parental leave, G8 Education is helping to grow the gender pay gap. It is perpetuating the 'motherhood penalty' which sees the average 25-year-old woman make $2 million less in lifetime earnings than the average 25-year-old man who also becomes a parent.   • Degree-qualified early childhood teachers are leaving the sector to work in schools with better pay and conditions, including employer-funded paid parental leave. If this continues, the quality of early learning in Australia will suffer as we lose dedicated and highly skilled teachers.    Teachers, educators and young children deserve better.    It’s time for G8 Education to step up and show they value the essential work that their teachers and educators perform. Please sign and share this petition today. * This petition supports Sustainable Investment Exchange’s campaign to pressure G8 to fund paid parental leave for staff. Learn more about the activist shareholder’s campaign here.

No one should have to work in pain or sacrifice their income to care for their health. Reproductive leave would allow workers to care for their health without financial stress or fear of discrimination. Let’s create fairer workplaces for all workers. Sign the petition to call on 10 days of reproductive leave today!

Survivors of rape and sexual assault participate in the criminal justice system of their own free will. The system would collapse in regards to sexual crimes, without their voluntary involvement. Many do so at great personal cost.  When they take the stand, they do it to keep us, the community safe. Now it’s our turn to take a stand for them and demand a criminal justice system that does not further injure those who enter it.

Access to abortion is at risk in Queensland.   If the LNP get into power this October, Queensland women’s rights will be taken back to the dark ages.   It has come out this week that the Katter Party is seeking a “clean repeal” of the 2018 abortion decriminalisation bill as soon as possible – and multiple LNP members have recently reaffirmed their support to wind back abortion laws in Queensland.   The Katter Party have committed to introducing a private members bill to repeal the decriminalisation of abortion as soon as possible. That leaves the door wide open for the LNP to vote to make abortion a crime under a conscience vote.  Day after day, David Crisafulli refuses to answer questions about whether or not he would allow a conscience vote. Last time the LNP had a conscience vote on abortion, 36 out of 39 voted for abortion to be a crime. Since then, they have continued to vote against access to abortion for regional & rural Queensland women and have hand-picked extreme anti-abortion candidates, like Amanda Stoker, to run in this election.

Queensland women, especially women living regionally, are at risk of losing their legal right to access abortion services as well as cuts to critical funding to provide the healthcare required across all regional hospital and health services. We know their voting record: • The LNP and conservatives voted against decriminalisation of abortion in 2018. • The LNP went to the 2020 state election pledging a review of the laws which gave Queensland women abortion rights. • In 2022, they refused to rule out future attempts to unpick them in the midst of the Roe v Wade publicity across the world. • And in 2024, they voted against the introduction of the MS2-Step abortion pill. Now David Crisafulli is hedging his bets saying it wouldn’t be on the first term agenda if he’s elected as Premier but will not rule out supporting a private member’s bill. Queensland women deserve respect and better healthcare rights than this.   We call on David Crisafulli, the Liberal National Party and all other conservative political parties to commit to protecting our hard-fought rights to access reproductive healthcare and abortions. So that wherever someone finds themselves in Queensland, they can access safe, funded and legal termination of pregnancy services. Authorised by J. King, Queensland Council of Unions, 16 Peel St South Brisbane.

Why Reproductive Health Leave is Essential • Promotes Health and Well-being: Ensures workers can manage their reproductive health without compromising their employment. • Fosters Inclusivity: Recognises the diverse health needs of all employees, promoting a fair and supportive workplace. • Encourages Preventative Care: Allows time for necessary health screenings and treatments, reducing long-term health risks. Take Action Now Sign this petition to advocate for the inclusion of reproductive health leave in the National Employment Standards. Your support is vital in creating workplace rights that values the health and well-being of every body.

Community and disability workers provide critical support and care to people in some of the most vulnerable situations in our communities. We make a difference every day and deserve to be paid fairly for the work we do. We are advocates, support workers, carers, counsellors, case workers and so much more to the clients and communities we work with.   Recent groundbreaking ASU/UNSW research found that: • Two-thirds (67%) of community and disability workers are under-classified.  • Many are required to perform tasks beyond their pay grade and face limited career progression.  • Financial pressures are severe, with 1 in 3 needing help from family or friends to meet living costs.   For too long, community and disability workers have been overworked, undervalued and underpaid.   ASU members are standing together to ensure that community and disability workers are valued, and respected, with fair pay and secure careers. We need everyone, and all governments to stand with us. Sign the petition today!

The South African boss of Woolworths holdings (owner of Country Road), Roy Bagattini, recently directed Country Road Group staff to refrain from talking publicly about serious allegations of sexual harassment and bulllying in the company. Country Road, like so many other companies before them, has responded to these concerns by intimidating workers and covering up their complaints. It's no way to run a business, and it's certainly no way to end gendered violence in the workplace. Workers across Victorian are campaigning in union to to end this culture of cover-ups and victim-blaming, in part by working to ban the use of non-disclosure agreements (i.e. cover-up clauses) in cases of workplace sexual harassment. Country Road's customers and the general public have a right to know if their purchases are being used to prop up a business with a toxic workplace culture.