The Social Research Centre, a call centre located within inner city Melbourne, has been woefully unprepared for the recent unfolding CO-VID 19 crisis. The company, known for working on large scale government projects, has only in the past week implemented any social distancing and proper hygiene policy within the call centre, prior to this they failed to even provide alcohol-based sanitising wipes for equipment. The 200+ casual workforce has been given no clarity on what will happen with their jobs. The company has rejected calls to provide paid leave and allow employees to self isolate. Instead it gives vague promises that employees will be able to work from home without having any system in place to implement this. There is a social responsibility for all businesses and individuals to help ‘flatten the curve’ of COVID-19, to ensure hospitals are able to cope with the demand for treatment. Flattening the curve requires the implementation of social distancing measures which cannot be adhered to within the close proximity working environment of the call centre, especially considering the virus can live on plastic surfaces (like booths, headsets and computers) for up to 72 hours. Call centres are a known incubator of the virus, and workers are at particularly high risk not just of contracting COVID-19, but also transmitting it to a large number of people. The Social Research Centre clearly understands the importance of social distancing to protect employees and the wider community. This is evident in the fact that the staff at the Social Research Centre's office on Williams St are all working from home. We are asking this regard for workplace safety extends to the casual workers in the call centre. The company's response to the demand of paid leave, supported by the overwhelming majority of your workforce, has been unsatisfactory, with no attempt made to negotiate or evidence shown to back claims of insufficient funds. Centrelink is insufficient for many of your employees, such as those who are not Australian nationals, under 22, or new applicants who will likely be waiting more than two weeks to receive their first payment. Sign now to demand the Social Research Centre closes the unsafe call centre office and supports workers with special paid leave.

We need to ensure that all nurses, midwives and personal care workers have access to appropriate leave during the current pandemic. This enables them avoid being financially disadvantaged when taking the necessary precautions in order to care for the community and keep us safe. Sign this petition to show your support to providing access to 15 days paid special leave for all nurses, midwives and personal care workers affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Our union’s primary concern is that schools cannot currently meet either their legislative Work, Health and Safety (WHS) obligations or their duty of care to both their employees and students while the school term continues.

Working Australians have been dealt a body blow by the impact of the coronavirus. Millions of workers are facing the very real prospect of losing their job and they need the government to act. Sign our petition and tell the Morrison government it must provide a guaranteed wage subsidy to all working people immediately to save jobs. Other countries' governments have already done this. The UK government is guaranteeing 80% of people's wages. It’s time Scott Morrison gave Australian workers the same assurance that they are not being abandoned. Scott Morrison has announced a wage subsidy for Australian workers, but it excludes 500,000 casuals and over 1 million temporary visa holders. Let the Prime Minister know that it is only by keeping people in jobs that the future of Australian workers, their families and their communities can be secured. If we guarantee wages now we will keep people in jobs and out of welfare. Sign the petition for a guaranteed wage subsidy and let Scott Morrison know Australian workers need a government that puts the well-being of workers first.

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the social inequality many young people have experienced for too long. While the world tries to manage an unfolding pandemic, this crisis has led to insecurity in housing, income, and study without action from our government. This crisis will affect all aspects of the lives of students and young people. Casual workers, most of whom are students, have no guarantee that they will get paid if their workplace is to shut down or they must self-isolate. Working people need to know they don’t have to make the decision between going to work sick, or self-isolating and not being able to pay their bills. At Universities, our campuses are closing and moving online, while ongoing fears about fees and future of study, especially for international students, remain unaddressed. So many questions remain unanswered, but what we know is that if this continues, bills will stack up, evictions will occur, and income support payments will be lost. In its silence, our government is finalising a generation of inequality for today’s young people. As they move towards announcing their second stimulus package, young workers and students are begging for support. The Morrison government is yet to respond to our concerns. Instead, focusing on lining the pockets of business and giving out one off welfare payments that will fail to bring students out of poverty. Students and young people cannot continue to be left behind. This statement is endorsed by dozens of student representatives from around the country, representing hundreds of thousands of students whose livelihoods and futures are under threat. We are demanding action. The government must finally take leadership during this crisis and support the Australians who have been forgotten. Workers, students, and young people need action to protect their income, housing, and study. To fail at this now will hurt this nation for years to come.

We need this government to step up and ensure all workers who are unable to work because of Coronavirus have access to special paid leave, and are not left out of pocket.

All Ambulance Victoria staff place a vital role in our community helping Victorians when they are most in need. The exponential increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases highlights a new threat faced by Ambulance Victoria’s staff working on the frontline to protect Victoria at this crucial time.

We know that employing qualified professionals with the right expertise is essential for community safety and improves the quality of Canberra’s infrastructure. The ACT Government must ensure it has the appropriately qualified and accredited professional workforce it needs to inform decision making, enable efficient investment and maintain its position as an informed purchaser. Maintaining the integrity of the Infrastructure Officer (IO) and Infrastructure Management Specialist (IMS) classifications is critical to achieving this. These classifications were created because of a successful campaign led by Professionals Australia members for better recognition of their specialist skills and knowledge. The IO and IMS classifications were meant to ensure the ACT Government could attract and retain the people it needs to deliver major infrastructure safely, on time and on budget. Right now, Professionals Australia members across the ACT Public Service have serious concerns that IO and IMS positions are routinely misclassified and often awarded to applicants who do not have the expertise that qualified infrastructure professionals, including engineers, architects and degree-qualified building professionals can provide. We know that things will only improve when Government and the community understand the vital contribution Professionals make to community safety and efficient delivery of infrastructure projects. We are prepared to work hard to achieve a better future – but we can’t do it without you! Add your support and help raise the profile of Australian Professionals. Tell the ACT Government that professional expertise matters!

Right now all of Australia is concerned about containing the COVID-19 coronavirus and we need to make sure everyone has access to the necessary information. For our CALD communities, which includes the Deaf community, this means accurate translation and interpretation of information about the Coronavirus. It’s their right to know how to keep themselves safe. And it’s everyone’s safety too. If they’re denied access to information, they may – through no fault of their own – contribute to the spread of the virus.

If Casual Relief Teachers or Casual Education Support staff are sick or required to self-isolate they will not get sick pay. This puts real pressure on our colleagues to come to work sick. If schools are required to close they will not be paid. Public health is not an individual responsibility, it is a social responsibility.

No university worker should be forced to choose between quarantine and feeding their family. The Coronavirus Covid-19 crisis is engulfing Australia - and our universities are in the eye of the storm. Right now, job security is health security and we need university Vice-Chancellors to do the right thing by staff, students and the public. That means securing our rights at work so we can protect our health at home. No-one can predict how long this crisis will continue - perhaps weeks or months. That's why we need to lock in firm commitments from university employers now to keep things fair, and keep us safe.

The lives of thousands of Australians hinge on our government taking immediate action by guaranteeing paid leave and protective equipment for all home care & disability support workers.