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!

It is alarming that Council, comprised of progressive councillors, has initiated this sale. The sale like all privatisation decisions will put at risk workers, conditions and job security.  Citywide workers have told us the following reasons that we should all oppose privatisation of these services:  1. Job Security: Outsourcing threatens the job security of ASU members, who devoted their carers to providing quality services to the community. 2. Quality of Services: ASU members have the expertise and commitment to maintain high standards of work and services. Selling off our services to a private company will lead to a decline in quality. 3. Economic Impact: Keeping jobs within our community supports the local economy and ensures that ASU members can continue positively to it. 4. Accountability: Outsourced services to a private sector such as Cleanaway won’t improve working conditions including wages 

Migrants in Australia face exploitation and inadequate support due to poorly regulated migration and education agents. The "Pathways and Pitfalls" report highlights serious issues including incorrect advice, financial exploitation, and fear of visa repercussions.  You can read the summary report and full report here. Implementing these recommendations will protect migrants, ensure fair treatment, and provide reliable, culturally appropriate migration advice services.  Key recommendations include: • reviewing and improving registration requirements  • introducing a tiered registration system • mandating supervised practice for new agents • establishing an Immigration Assistance Complaints Commissioner • ensuring pricing transparency  • creating a performance register for education agents  • increasing funding for accessible migration advice;  • and providing targeted funding for programs that help migrants navigate these services  Join us in demanding a safer, fairer, and more regulated system for all migrants in Australia. 

We believe that maintaining in-house services is essential for preserving the integrity, reliability, and quality of the services we provide. We urge the council to reconsider any plans for outsourcing and to explore alternative solutions that protect our jobs and maintain service standards. We stand united in our commitment to the community and to the values of fair employment and quality service provision.

Nuclear power poses grave risks for Queensland that outweigh any potential benefits. It would strain our limited freshwater resources, compete with agriculture and communities for water access, and produce hazardous radioactive waste we lack facilities to safely manage long-term. The threat of radioactive leaks or accidents could devastate our environment, contaminate food and water supplies, and cripple industries like tourism and fishing.  If a Chernobyl-like accident were to happen at a Callide nuclear power plant, the exclusion zone would span the area between Biloela north to Rockhampton, south to Gladstone down to Agnes Waters on the coast, and back across to Biloela – making a significant chunk of Central Queensland uninhabitable. Working people can’t afford the Liberal National Party’s nuclear pipe dream. It’s too expensive, too late, and too dangerous.

Rather than spending time recovering from short-term illnesses, workers have to take time out of their day to book appoints with a GP to obtain a medical certificate just to justify their reason for taking sick leave. Often, appointments might not be available for days, and with bulk billing on the decline many workers essentially have to pay out of pocket to evidence their own sick leave. Rather than spending most of their time writing certificates for workers who already know they're ill, GPs should be tending to people who need it most.

NDIS support workers are highly skilled and dedicated. They provide essential, complex support that empowers people with a disability and develops their independence. Wage theft and fraud in the NDIS, which could be up to $16,000 annually per worker, and more if they do extra hours, is a serious problem demanding immediate action. The disability support workforce is predominantly female. This wage theft disproportionately hurts women and makes the shamefully wide gender pay gap even worse. Governments have funded the NDIS to pay Equal Pay to all disability support workers. Valuing this skilled profession is crucial if we are committed to closing the gender pay gap. ASU members know a strong NDIS hinges on properly valuing its workforce. Dedicated, skilled and professional workers should not be paid wages as low as $24 per hour. Their work deserves proper recognition, and this underpayment weakens the entire system.  Stamping out NDIS wage theft and fraud benefits everyone. Workers receive fair pay, taxpayers' funds are used efficiently, and NDIS participants benefit from a motivated, professional workforce.  We need an NDIS workforce that is properly paid, trained and supported to build the best NDIS. It is vital for the future of the NDIS, for recipients, taxpayers, and workers, that we end this exploitation immediately. Join us in demanding fair pay for NDIS workers! Sign our petition today.

Young workers in Australia lose out on about $3 billion every year because of junior wage laws - and it's mostly pocketed up by multinational giants. These big corporations shouldn't be able to take advantage of these young workers by paying them a lower rate for the same job. Junior wages are based on unfair and outdated assumptions about young people's living costs - but times have changed. Australia's award system already provides for different pay scales according to a person's job, the tasks they perform, and their prior experience. Junior wages undermine these standards by allowing a 18 year old manager with 2 years experience to be paid less than the new-starter 21 year old she's supervising and training. Besides being manifestly unfair, junior wages are confusing. Having your wage change sometimes more than twice a year, and being unable to compare your wages with your co-workers, makes it hard for young workers to check that their pay is correct.  The government needs to end this practice of age-discrimination, and abolish junior wages now!

We all know why Peter Dutton and his fossil fuel mates are pushing for nuclear power. To protect their profits by stalling our transition to renewable energy. Nuclear power will take decades to get up and running and will be extremely expensive - it is the most expensive option for Australia's energy. As a community we must show Peter Dutton that Nuclear has no future in Australia. Please sign and share the petition to show Peter Dutton and the Liberals that Australia rejects nuclear.

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.

The medical scientists and technicians at Melbourne Pathology are only seeking a fair pay increase and the industry standards of five weeks of annual leave and access to long service leave after seven years.     But when asked to make fair increases in pay and improvements in conditions for their scientific and technical workforce, the management at Melbourne Pathology cry poor.   While they cry poor, management has had little to say when it is pointed out that the CEO of Sonic Health, the parent company of Melbourne Pathology, is among the top ten paid CEOs in Australia.    It is best practice for medical scientists and laboratory technicians to have five weeks annual leave and access to long service leave after seven years. Melbourne Pathology claims they already give their scientific workforce a competitive salary package. However, if this were true, how would Melbourne Pathology explain losing great staff to other scientific workforces.    Melbourne Pathology medical scientists and technicians would rather solely focus on helping patients and getting their important work done. Instead, they are being forced to take industrial action to get a fair deal. To see medical scientists and technicians stop work is extremely unusual given their dedication and commitment to helping patients.    The medical scientists and technicians at Melbourne Pathology are only seeking a fair outcome that recognises their skills and efforts. 

The return to in person exams after years of remote learning has exacerbated stress for students across campus. Handwritten in person exams are an outdated concept, and are no longer relevant to the workplace. Despite constant and long term demand for ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) exams, where students bring their own laptops to their exams, ANU has projected that BYOD exams will only be implemented in 2026, due to feasibility concerns. This is not good enough. We are pushing for the university to adopt bring your own device exams by Semester 1 2025. Transitioning to BYOD exams will positively affect students across all colleges. Students can focus on building technical skills rather than training for handwritten exams.  As one of Australia's top universities, ANU's exam delivery must be innovative and forward-looking. Our top 8 competitors, such as Melbourne University, have already switched to using BYOD exams successfully, using the platform Cadmus. It is time for the ANU to catch up. Do we want UC to retain its position as Canberra's top university for full-time employment AGAIN?