Malcolm Turnbull just proved one thing: how little he values care workers, and the people we care for. For many of our aged and disabled clients, we are their only link to a dignified life. It’s hard work, but it’s absolutely vital – and I’d be hard pressed to find a ‘better’ or more rewarding job. Yet tens of thousands of Australians are waiting for home care packages or for room in aged care facilities, while the people who do the vital work of caring for them struggle to get by – with the rate of pay no where near matching the demands of the job. This is a national disgrace, and I don’t believe Turnbull's views reflect how Australians feel about some of our most hard-working and caring citizens – or our most vulnerable. Turnbull's comments did a disservice to both, and care workers and the people we work with deserve not just an apology, but genuine recognition. Care workers deserve fairness, certainty, and recognition for our work – not derision from our Prime Minister. Add your voice to make it loud and clear: care workers need jobs you can count on!

The Ramsay Centre is a private body with $3 billion to establish a “Western Civilisation” arts degree at major universities, funded by a bequest from private health magnate and top Liberal Party donor Paul Ramsay. The Ramsay Centre aims to give academic respectability to racist ideas under the guise of celebrating “Western Civilisation” and its supposed supremacy. Board members of the Ramsay Centre include hard right former Liberal Prime Ministers, John Howard and Tony Abbott. Speaking to the course content of the proposed Ramsay Centre, Abbott affirmed the Centre’s conservative and Eurocentric vision, emphasising “it’s not just about Western Civilisation but in favour of it”. Structural discrimination will be introduced to the humanities with enormous resources, including $25,000 scholarships and small tutorial sizes, given to students who study “Western Civilisation” but not to students that study areas they deem inferior; those Abbott decries as “pervaded by Asian, Indigenous and sustainability perspectives”. University staff have expressed well founded concerns regarding academic independence. Ramsay Centre CEO Simon Haines has said they will review all course content, not hire teachers who have criticised Western civilisation and will withdraw funding if they think the course isn’t sufficiently pro-West. Universities should be a place to challenge dominant ideas, institutions and systems - not a place where billionaires can buy influence over curriculum, staffing and pedagogy in order to pedal racism disguised as appreciation for “Western Culture”. The University is selling control over its curriculum to the highest bidder and turning a blind eye to academic freedom and integrity to do so. We are strongly opposed to the University entering into any arrangement with the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation.

Across the hospitality industry, from Barry Cafe to Chin Chin to Vue de Monde, wage theft has become a business model. Hospo workers are fed up and now we’re fighting back. We have joined together to launch Hospo Voice, a powerful new union just for hospo workers so we can hold employers to account. We're calling on the Fair Work Ombudsman to conduct a full audit of Hairy Little Sista and order repayment of unpaid wages to all past and present staff. Right now.

Since Broadspectrum was awarded the Court & Custodial contract by the Department of Justice in 2016, officers have seen their workplace suffer. The Liberal State Government at the time awarded Broadspectrum the contract at $36 million less than the previous contractor. This $36 million was stripped from the pockets of these workers’ by shafting these workers onto the JBU (Justice Business Unit) no-stake agreement. The JBU was voted on by people who didn’t have a stake in the workplace and undermined years of fighting for good working conditions. In doing this the work environment at Broadspectrum for court and custodial officers has deteriorated. In September 2019 a well published escape of a notorious prisoner Laurie Dodds was attributed to the deteriorating standards of employment at Broadspectrum. Training standards have deteriorated and remuneration for these officers does not compensate them for the job they do. No longer can the contractor attract and retain talented operators for the role. Officers are abused and spat at by prisoners daily and are not afforded the proper protections to remain loyal to this job. Morale is low and employee turn-over is high, which only leads to loss of human capital & knowledge that is built over time. Further an incident in February 2021 where a prisoner had their thumb severed in a prison van’s door is another example of policy and standards where Broadspectrum have cut corners and caused casualties. Since the Federal court of Australia quashed the JBU agreement, Broadspectrum officers have been building industrial strength to fight for the working conditions they are entitled to. These officers are now in the midst of bargaining their new Enterprise Agreement and fighting for better standards of employment to attract and retain talented officers to the job. But Broadspectrum continues to cut corners by devaluing the roles these officers do for safe & secure communities. Broadspectrum have made an offer of a 1% increase and a 1-year agreement for these workers. This is not justified for these workers to continue to keep prisoners locked up and communities safe. It is time for Broadspectrum to come to the table on a real offer. And for the state Government to consider if they really want a Government department to be associated with a contractor who treats their workers unfairly and unjustly. Read more about the history of this fight here: http://www.twuwa.org.au/articles/view/job-security-for-court-security.html

Community based, mental health support programs like the Personal Helpers and Mentors Service (PHaMs) are crucial in supporting people dealing with mental health issues to live a good life. With federal funding for the program being cut by 50% on June 30, thousands of South Australians currently benefiting from the program will be left without support and the jobs of approximately 150 highly trained workers have been put at risk. Join Australian Services Union members and key organisations in the mental health sector in calling on South Australian Premier Steven Marshall to step up and fill the funding gap before June 30 to save this crucial mental health program.

Why would a company lock out its workforce for trying to maintain their working conditions? Well, that's what’s happened last week on Friday, 25 May at 12.01am when IXOM locked out its workers in response to their protected industrial action. IXOM is a Major Hazard Chemical Facility based in Botany Sydney. We are alarmed at IXOM’s actions and concerned as to how IXOM is manning the Major Hazard Facility since it has locked out its whole workforce. This is especially worrying as IXOM is surrounded by residential housing, schools and hospitals, which could be devastated by any major event at the facility. A community protest will be taking place outside Ixom's facility at 118-120 Denison St, Hillsdale NSW 2036 from 11am-5pm on Tuesday 29 May 2018. Activists will be stationed along the public walkway. Sign to support these workers and our community's safety.

We will not tolerate inaction. In 2018, nearly 50 workers have been killed on the job already. We cannot stand idly by and let this happen under our watch. Our government should be as shocked by these figures as we are. In 2015, two Irish backpackers working a construction job in Perth were crushed to death when a concrete slab fell on them. Less than a year later, a young female backpacker fell 13 storeys to her death. Her boss allowed her to work at a height without providing a harness, using an upturned bucket as a ladder. MUA members will never forget Andrew Kelly, crushed to death in front of his fellow workers after being directed to handle containers in adverse weather. We have met with affected families. Their devastation and sense of injustice is heartbreaking. Every workplace death is avoidable. If more had been done by the employers, these workers would still be alive and their families would still be together. If there were significant consequences for big corporations that kill workers, then our workplaces would be safer. Employers are getting away with workplace deaths occurring under their watch. This is sickening. Not one more wreath should have to be laid, not one more memorial attended. We want action and justice now. The good news is that there are ways to make our industries safer. Harsh penalties will improve workplace safety, worker health and wellbeing, and productivity. They will force cowboy employers to think twice about allowing unsafe work practices to continue. Strong laws will mean negligent employers can be charged with industrial manslaughter when a worker dies on their watch. It’s time for WA Labor to step up. We call on the McGowan Labor Government to introduce industrial manslaughter legislation in line with other states or territories in Australia, which imposes $10 million in fines and jail time of up to 20 years. Labor is the party of workers. It is the party to provide and defend dignity at work. WA Labor is letting down our workers, our families and our communities. Every death at work that goes unprosecuted in the harshest possible terms, is a failure of the party. Kill a worker, go to jail! Christy Cain MUA WA Branch Secretary & National President and Mick Buchan CFMEU WA Branch Secretary If you or someone you know has been affected by a workplace injury or death and feel distressed by the content on this page, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

It's not enough for CEOs and people like the Reserve Bank Governor to say that wage rises are important for our economy - they need to put their money where their mouths are. Workers at Note Printing Australia work hard, and are extremely skilled. As well as printing Australia's complex, anti-forgery bank notes they also print the notes of up to 100 other countries. They also print our passports! All workers are asking for is: - A fair pay increase (currently they are offered less than inflation) - An update to their classifications, - domestic violence leave , and - to offer pathways to permanency for long-term casuals. Support the workers: tell the Reserve Bank to PAY UP!

As parents of pre-school kids at the Melbourne City Childcare Centre on A'Beckett Street, we are upset and angry about the hastily announced proposal from Melbourne City Council to shut the centre in four weeks. We have been given an unreasonably short consultation period of two weeks and are feeling rushed and stressed by the sudden announcement. We want the decision reversed because it is going to be bad for our kids, bad for our families and bad for the early childhood educators and carers who work at the centre. Our kids need to stay with their friends and educators and carers they trust. The educators and carers need their jobs. Our families need accessible care near our work for our kids. Melbourne City Childcare Centre provides a safe, fun and professional service to our pre-school kids. This centre offers a unique 'family' like environment. Our MCCC community is irreplaceable and the value cannot be seen in budgets and bottom lines. Our response to this proposal is a reflection of the respect and support that we have for one another. As parents, we worry about moving our kids from their established friendships and relationships at the centre. We also worry about the confusion and stress caused by finding and settling in to new childcares. As working families it is important that we have access to childcare near our workplaces, we know that finding other good quality centres for our kids in such a short timeframe will be incredibly difficult and stressful. We ask that you sign this petition to call on Melbourne City Council to keep our childcare centre open. - Parents of Melbourne City Childcare Centre, A'Beckett Street

The National Quality Framework is essential to the ECEC sector as it guides educators to extend and enrich children's learning from birth to five years and the transition to school. The NQF supports professional practice, especially in building and nurturing relationships, curriculum decision making and teaching and learning. The NQF allows the expression of personality and uniqueness as it caters to each individual child whilst acknowledging that educators are professionals, taking them away from the ‘babysitter’ persona. The paperwork allows us to show our parents the professional role we have in educating their child and displays a portion of the knowledge that is being imparted and also learnt by each child each day. By defunding the national partnership this Government is putting at risk our internationally recognised National Quality Framework. The Abbott Government already attempted to wind back our professional standards in 2014. Together, educators fought against it and won! The Turnbull/Morrison Government is now trying the same tactic to undermine our sector. Sign our petition to protect the NQF!

Women are more likely to be in insecure and casual work, therefore earning less super over their working life. They often don't reach the $450 super threshold to receive contributions, and women also receive 50% less super upon retirement. It is also a startling fact that 70% of single women upon retirement become homeless due to this Super gap.

The Victorian Pride Lobby has been fighting for LGBTIQA+ rights for decades. We believe that no worker should face the sack for coming out at work. But under current laws there over 200,000 jobs in Australia - including at least 38,564 jobs in Victoria alone - that a worker can be fired from if they come out. These include teachers, school staff, doctors and health workers. May*, a lesbian woman, was employed by a Christian welfare agency for two years when she was asked to resign after they found out about her relationship with her partner. She told the Lobby: “I resigned and fell apart after having served that community for years. The fall out also meant I had to leave my church community. All of this resulted in mental health challenges, isolation, loss of faith, friends, purpose... I can’t express the devastating impact being asked to resign due to my sexuality had on my life. I lost everything - my vocation, faith, community - and had to rebuild myself from a very broken place.” Workers like May deserve job security and fair rights at work. Our political leaders must commit to amending the Fair Work Act to protect workers like May from workplace discrimination. * Name changed in order to protect privacy