We support Teachers for Refugees! Teachers for Refugees (T4R) needs our support. T4R seeks to raise awareness about the cruel and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers, including hundreds of school-age children, in Australian-run detention centres. To this end, members and supporters of T4R will be wearing pro-refugee t-shirts to school next week and will hold a vigil on Monday after class from 6pm at City Square. For encouraging teachers to publicly show opposition to the systematic abuse of asylum seekers in detention centres, the group has been subjected to a campaign of vilification by the Murdoch press. The Liberal government, from the Prime Minister to the Federal Immigration and Education ministers, have now turned their fire on T4R, urging Principles to discipline or even sack teachers for wearing the t-shirts. This is both an attack on freedom of political expression, and an attempt to intimidate and silence the voices of refugee supporters. Shamefully the government has long restricted the right to free speech with regard to its treatment of asylum seekers. This includes criminalising teachers of asylum seekers who speak out against cases of abuse in detention, via the Border Force Act. The Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union is in support of Teachers for Refugees, with Branch President Meredeth Peace publicly backing the t-shirt action. Strong support has also been forthcoming from refugee advocacy groups. It is crucial that we all voice our support now to give courage to teachers to take a stand and to send a message to Principles and the Federal government that their campaign of bullying and threats will be resisted. We the undersigned give complete support to Teachers for Refugees in their campaign to support asylum seekers and recognise their right to express themselves freely.

By 2020, approximately 40% of cars will be fitted with an electronic park brake. Practical Driving Assessors are being asked to conduct tests in cars fitted only with electronic park brakes. CPSU/CSA members are opposing the use of electronic park brakes because they are concerned about the safety of the communities they live and work in. Electronic park brakes are not as successful at stopping cars in an emergency situation. West Australians come to their driving assessment with a range of capabilities and in this stressful situation, safety should be paramount. A centrally mounted brake or dual control is the best method to ensure the safety of those being tested, those testing them and the communities in which they are being tested.

Our public transport system was privatised by Jeff Kennett in the 1990s under the promise that government subsidies would diminish. Almost two decades on, subsidies have more than doubled leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for lucrative private profits to be sent offshore while our assets fall into disrepair. With the contracts nearing expiry, this Government has the opportunity to explore more cost effective options that would protect the public interest while providing better maintenance and service delivery. Governments around the world are waking up from the privatisation induced hangover of the failing thought bubble of the 1990s and 2000s. Sucking more and more taxpayer money while offering next to no public oversight, the privatisation of a monopoly industry must be questioned and addressed. Victorians deserve better than a multinational corporation all too happy to skip stations, cancel services and poorly maintain State owned assets. Having now sucked more than $7 billion from the Victorian economy, it is high time that the Victorian government put an end to this open exploitation of taxpayer funds and explore how the public can benefit from the sustainable industry of the future.

Many building and Construction workers spend long periods working away from home. This can badly affect the workers and their families. The CFMEU has made an application to vary the Building and Construction General On-site Award to improve the minimum standards to apply for workers engaged on distant jobs. The award sets the minimum standards that underpin EBA’s. The main changes we seek are: • R and R after 3 weeks work on the job, where the project is to run for more than 2 months; • Minimum of 7 days at home on R and R (exclusive of travel days); • Single room accommodation and same room for duration of the job (no motelling) • Employers not to put pressure on workers to give a false address (i.e. no pressure for gate starts) • Increase the minimum payment to $130 per day where no accommodation or meals are provided. Please support the changes.

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.

Since 1997 there have been more than 40 inquiries into child protection. The time for inquiries is over. In light of abuse, neglect, and cost-gouging of these private providers, state governments can no longer outsource their responsibility to provide safety for these children.

In Sydney and wondering “Where’s my bus”? It’s probably scheduled to be cancelled by the Liberals and the NSW Government’s Bus Franchising programme. Bus franchising will mean fewer bus stops, less buses, and longer journey times as inefficient routes and stops are cut and buses consolidated to save money. The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that bus companies are pushing for bus franchising so that they can extract savings out of bus operations. As Sydney grows, our government should be improving bus services for the community, so that we can get to work and get around Sydney faster, not reduce bus stops, reduce bus numbers and make journey times longer.

I work at a Grill'd store in Melbourne. It's company-owned, and they're STILL using traineeships to commit wage theft. They sign up young workers to complete hospitality certificates, but prevent them from completing their qualifications by refusing to schedule training sessions. This strategy is a scam. It rips us off, denying us fair pay and the training we're promised. Grill'd have shown time and time again they will do whatever it takes to make a profit from exploiting workers. This strategy means no qualification, no bonus, no career progression - it's a scam. It's not the first time Grill'd have been caught out ripping off young workers. A year ago they were exposed by workers for using WorkChoices era collective agreements to commit wage theft. Since then, Grill'd have been grilled (pun intended) by the media and instituted a new collective agreement. Problem solved, right? Wrong. Grill'd reckon they're "good for the community" - they should start acting like it.

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!

Every state and territory in Australia has dedicated the Christmas public holidays as Sunday 25th of December, Monday 26th of December for Boxing Day and Tuesday 27th of December as an additional day. Victoria is the only state not to make Christmas Day a public holiday. Victoria’s work force will be hurt by this decision - retail assistants, petrol station attendants, pharmacy assistants, public transport workers, hospital staff and our emergency services staff. This decision needs to be immediately reversed so that people can plan their budgets for the holiday period and be compensated for missing out on their families' Christmas celebrations.

Bus driver Lucy said she feared being killed for doing nothing more than her job. Now more then 74 per cent feel unsafe at work at work. At 11pm on 12 October Lucy was driving the 902 orbital Chelsea to Airport West service down Main Road, Eltham, when some coward approached her from behind and launched an unprovoked, sustained and frenzied attack on the 57-year-old as she sat defenceless behind-the-wheel. Despite receiving blow after blow, being spat on and unable to defend herself, Lucy was able to stop the bus from ploughing into innocent pedestrians and oncoming or other traffic. A passenger was eventually able to distract the assailant for long enough for Lucy to gain control of the bus and the attacker simply walked off into the night. A TWU survey of more than 500 Victorian bus drivers has shown , since first starting their jobs, more then 90 per cent of drivers now believe it has become more unsafe and dangerous because of physical assaults and verbal abuse. Since 2011 there have been 102 officially recorded physical assaults and 33 verbal attacks on drivers. The TWU and our members know the true figures are much higher. Our survey results show more then 80 per cent of respondents to the Transport Workers Union survey have said they have stopped reporting physical and verbal assault because they believe nothing gets done. Bus drivers deserve respect and protection. The TWU have made much progress over many years driving up safety and conditions and we will not stop fighting. Now we want your help as we demand Public Transport Victoria act now to introduce the highest industry standards of safety for drivers!