These allegations follow those launched against Harvey Weinstein in the US by numerous women in the entertainment industry, and the #metoo campaign on social media, which highlights the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and assault. For young women in particular, sexualisation, harassment and objectification are all too common. Sexual harassment in the workplace isn't just harmless flirting - it is an issue of fair working conditions. The Wom*n’s Collective stands with women who have experienced harassment and assault, whether at work, at university, on the street, or in the home.

We ask you to stand alongside our communities hardest workers by signing this petition demanding that Southern Cross Care Tasmania (SCCT) provide fair pay and conditions for their nursing and care staff! Aged care workers are faced with a number of tough working conditions on a daily basis; demanding overtime, inadequate staffing levels, and highly challenging emotional and physical conditions. Nurses and care staff look after some of the most vulnerable people in our community and are not being recognised for it! The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Tasmanian Branch are working alongside SCCT members in the hope of achieving a satisfactory agreement that values the work that staff do. On Wednesday 9 August ANMF members working at SCCT sites across Tasmania commenced industrial action against their employer. This action was not undertaken lightly, however, it was the only option left for them to pursue a fair and reasonable offer from their employer. “The current offer by SCCT is simply not good enough! It is completely unfair that Aged Care Staff with Certificate III qualifications are being paid seven cents an hour less than equivalent workers employed as hairdressers under the Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2010. Meanwhile SCCT’s Annual Report for 2015-2016 reveals that the organisation is in a strong financial position and their cash position has improved considerably from the prior year, by $24 million,” said ANMF Branch Secretary Neroli Ellis. We need your help to make Southern Cross Care stand up and listen. Listen to their staff, their residents, and the community. Aged Care staff deserve better! ANMF will continue to fight for fair pay and conditions. Learn more about the campaign here: anmftas.org.au/scc

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission report released on the 1st of August, over half of all students at UTas were sexually harassed in 2016, and 6.5% were sexually assaulted Of these students the vast majority did not seek help from the university, and 0% made a formal report about the incident. While the Vice-Chancellor Peter Rathjen has since come out to say sexual violence is “never OK,” we are yet to see the university take action on any specific incident, or commit implementing a system that offers any real support to students. What students need is not more slogans, or hollow campaigns, but fast and immediate action from the university that tells that they believe us, that it’s not our fault, and that we will have justice. Sign the petition and join the UTas Women’s Collective, and Tasmanian Young Labor members, as we call on the State Government and the University of Tasmania to to commit to implementing: A standard sexual assault reporting model which recognises the rule of law Clear penalties for perpetrators of sexual assault and violence And A full-time trauma informed counsellor that specialises in harassment and sexual violence.

Workplaces have a key role to play in supporting a woman facing family and domestic violence. Paid family and domestic violence leave can give a woman – and it nearly always is a woman – the time, support and job security she needs to escape and recover from an abusive relationship. One in three employers now offer this leave. All State and Territory Governments do as well. But two out of three employees are still missing out. A woman's safety shouldn't depend on her employer. We must give all workers access to paid family and domestic violence leave. It takes paid leave to leave. And we won't wait, because women can't wait.

Despite signing onto the Universities' Australia Respect Now always campaign only last year, and making a commitment to the ongoing Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) project aimed at stamping out sexual assault on campus, the University of Tasmania (UTas) is actively welcoming a convicted sex offender on campus. Nicholaas Bester, who is currently a Phd student at the University of Tasmania (UTas) Sandy Bay campus, was convicted and jailed in 2011 for sexually abusing a 15 year old student at St. Michaels Collegiate girls college, where he was head of science. At the time of his parole, Bester was admitted to UTas as a student and received a phd scholarship. In 2015 Bester stated on social media his first crime was 'awesome' in a conversation so offensive it was reported to Tasmania Police and resulted in him being charged with producing child exploitation material. He served a prison sentence for this in 2016, during which time he remained a student at UTas. Despite multiple complaints being made about Besters presense on campus, the University of Tasmania has put students at risk by: - Accepting Bester as a resident in the John Fisher student accommodation complex, where he lived in close proximity with many students. - Making no attempt to terminate Bester’s student status after he was reported to the police for predatory behaviour at the University gymnasium. At the time, an agreement was made with Bester that he would no longer attend the gym, but UTas continued to accommodate him on campus. When questioned, the university deputy vice-chancellor for research, Bridgid Heywood said that "there is nothing in the universities' rules which precludes Bester from continuing his research." However, this appears to ignore the university behaviour policy which states that all staff and students have a right to work and / or study in an environment that is free from inappropriate behaviour, including the sexually harassing and abusive behaviours which Bester has engaged in. The universities decision to support Bester's phd status despite his continued criminal and inappropriate behaviour poses a clear threat to other university students, and in particular the underage students whom attend campus for pre-university units. This is ironic given the university sectors national commitment to creating safer campus environments after the release of the national union of students women's survey last year which showed that over 72% of women experience some form of sexual harassment or violence while studying . Sign the petition to demand that the University respect their commitment to improve student safety, by immediately terminating Nicholaas Bester's Phd scholarship, and banning him from attending all University of Tasmania campuses. *Under Federal and state legislation, universities' are autonomous self-accrediting institutions. The university has the authority to terminate a phd student position according to its own policies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEJMSOPGBqY&feature=youtu.be I’m Cass, and I’m a bartender. I love my job - but some of my experiences over the last six years working in hospitality have made me feel powerless, vulnerable and simply terrified. When I was 14 working at a cafe, my boss used to corner me and smack my arse. His excuse? “Oh, the kitchen is small.” When I worked as a bartender, my boss tried to make a $100 bet on what colour underwear I was wearing. Another time a customer tried to pay me $400 for sex. That customer came in everyday after work and would harass me - and my boss did nothing because “they’re good drinkers”. These are just a few of my stories, but I know this kind of disgusting harassment is widespread in our industry. For thousands of us, this is a regular part of our working lives - and it’s got to stop. Together, we can send a powerful message to the hospitality industry: we’re human beings, and we deserve respect. Sign our pledge and share it with your friends.

What would you have to give up if your pay was cut by $77 a week? We need to act now and tell the Prime Minister that we work too damn hard to get a pay cut. Hair Stylists Australia has launched this petition to send a message to Malcolm Turnbull. If you want to protect your pay, sign it now!

Women at university are worse off under a Liberal government. Health The Liberal Government has scrapped bulk-billing incentives for pathology services and diagnostic imaging. This means that women may have to pay up-front $30 for a Pap smear, blood or urine test, and from January 2017 as much as $173 for x-ray or ultrasound imaging. Women regularly rely upon these tests for the prevention or early detection of pregnancy, obstetric complications, cancers, STIs and UTIs The Liberal Government freeze on indexation of the rebate for GP consultations under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) until 2020 has already seen hundreds of practitioners around the country cease to offer bulk billing as they are forced to transfer increased costs onto patients. Most women students can not afford these increased costs of healthcare, and are forced to forgo necessary doctors visits, diagnostic testing and treatment. This poses critical risks for women’s health. Without early diagnosis and treatment, risk of poorer prognosis is high and the burden of disease, personal and financial costs on patients are increased. Education- cuts to funding The 2016-2017 budget revealed that Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals want to decrease funding to tertiary institutions by 20% as well as lower the tax repayment threshold by 10%. It was also strongly indicated that the Liberals will bring back fee deregulation. Universities are unlikely to put their hands in their own pockets to make up for funding cuts, choosing rather to cut vital student support services than risk jeopardising ‘important’ business projects Cuts to higher education will mean that women who are already disproportionately affected but a lack of funding will take longer to pay off their HECS debt and face a greater pay gap in the workforce. Cuts to services Severe lack of funding available for women’s services on university campuses. When the federal government make cuts to the higher education sector, often basic services relied on by women are the first to go. Universities across Australia do not prioritise the welfare of students, this consequently has a greater effect on women due to structural barriers which make it difficult women to go to university and study. As revealed in the results of the 2016 ‘Talk about it’ survey women students are likely to face harassment and sexual violence on university campuses. Due to a number of factors, including inadequate help services, women are strongly deterred from seeking help from university. Women should be able to balance university life as well as home life, and should not be forced to choose between the two. Services focused on assisting students who are also mothers have been neglected for too long. Many universities are lacking parent rooms, for mothers to comfortably breastfeed. Underfunded services have a detrimental effect on those who use them most, women are already limited by a culture of misogyny on campus and an initial lack of policies and services to protect them. Due to the lack of services and policies, many universities do not adequately address incidents of harassment on campus, making university an unsafe place for women. Universities receive funding from the student services and amenities fee annually, a small portion of which is usually allocated to the student union on campus. The rest of the SSAF is allocated to funding university projects, a funding increase to women's services could be done through this avenue. When the Liberal government make cuts to higher education universities will make cuts to student services. The Solution In order to address the stark difficulties of women accessing higher education the NUS women's department is running an O week and semester one campaign which will encourage women to support, promote and attend the National Day of Action on March 22nd. This NUS women’s department campaign will aim to put pressure on universities to start addressing the specific concerns of women, through more funding to services that women access. The campaign will produce a petition and towards the end of the semester the NUS Women’s Department will be submitting a government submission. The campaign will Lobby federal parliamentary representatives for accessible health care and education for women in the lead up to the federal budget. Lobby universities to provide more funding for student services, especially services that women frequently use, e.g childcare services and parenting rooms. Encourage and promote the March 22nd National Day of Action Focus on supporting women in higher education in the face of an aggressive conservative federal government. Highlight the challenges that women face in higher education specifically around education and health. Produce a petition pushing universities to commit more funding to student services Produce a government submission detailing the need to adequately fund the higher education sector, and how funding cuts hurt women the most, particularly women from marginalised backgrounds. Get Involved Promote and sign the NUS Womens petition! Sign up to the email list to receive updates on the campaign! Attend and promote the March 22nd National Day of Action. Sign a letter on behalf of your student organisation, pushing federal MPs to commit to not supporting cuts to higher education and health. Sign a letter on behalf of your student organisation, pushing universities to provide more funding for student services, especially services that women frequently use, e.g childcare services and parenting rooms. Like the NUS Women’s Department page for updates Change your cover photo, like and share posts about the campaign.

Honey Birdette and CEO Eloise Monaghan have repeatedly tried to ignore hundreds of claims by Honey Birdette workers of the bullying, harassment, abuse, and wage theft that goes in in their boutiques - but we won't be silenced. Eloise Monaghan and Honey Birdette need to know that if they don't take the abuse and harassment of workers in their boutiques seriously, we'll support lingerie companies that do! For more information, check out: https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/honey-birdette-workers-need-safe-workplaces

The ASU and Victorian councils have shown real leadership on this issue recognising the importance of workplace based strategies to assist victims of family violence, 73 have a Family Violence clause in their agreement. However, there are many employees in this country not covered by agreements whose only hope of receiving any support from their employer is if Family Violence Leave is made available through the NES. I call on you to support victims of family violence to ensure that they can maintain their employment which is critical to putting the violence behind them and rebuilding their lives. A Family Violence Clause recognises that employees experiencing violence often need paid leave from their employment to keep themselves and their families safe. We know there are colleagues in our workforce that could need this leave to flee or take action to protect themselves. We are a better workforce and community when we support these people, usually women, without compromising their employment and economic security.

Three years ago I walked into a company that promised me a future of female positivity. I was painted a world of inclusiveness and feminine glamour that I was assured came from the truest intentions of the appreciation of their uniquely selected staff members. I felt the pride of this identity and pledged myself to this company, ran by women, as a job that honoured me equally in my beliefs and work ethic. Honey Birdette promised a dream. They delivered a nightmare. I saw women mocked for daring to apply for a job at Honey Birdette. I saw workers humiliated and threatened by management because they weren't wearing perfectly applied lipstick all day, their heels weren't high enough, and because they didn't "talk the way a Honey should talk". I saw workers sexually harassed and intimidated by customers - and when these women spoke up, management told them to suck it up. In addition, the hours and hours of unpaid overtime we were expected to do - from starting early and finishing late, to skipping lunch breaks and toilet breaks due to the pressure of missing a sale. Honey Birdette's management pretend they're all about empowering women, but they've sacrificed their values and put their workers in physical danger just to make a profit. It's disgraceful and it needs to end. Workers at Honey Birdette boutiques have a right to feel safe and respected at work.

C&K (Creche & Kindergarten Association), Queensland’s largest early childhood education provider, claims to be an employer of choice for women. So why are they trying to strip women employees of conditions key to their financial future? C&K’s plan to cut superannuation entitlements for its Branch Centre staff is particularly insidious. The current provision provides critical extra dollars into employees’ superannuation – something which was hard fought for and won by employees in the sector. C&K wants to take this provision away from its workforce, the majority of who are women, despite Industry Super Australia data showing that the average gap in super balances at retirement for women versus men will grow to around $170,000 by 2030. As members of the Independent Education Union of Australia – Queensland and Northern Territory (IEUA-QNT) Branch, we urge you to join with us to tell C&K that we will not stand by as they attempt to strip women employees of conditions key to their financial future. Help us tell C&K, it’s time to cut the cuts!