Under a policy that had been in place for five years, all Federal government departments and agencies were required to start using 100% recycled paper this year. This policy was cancelled in the weeks before Tony Abbott was replaced as Prime Minister. Over the last few years, Australian Paper have invested in new recycling technology that allows 100% recycled paper to be made locally in Australia. This policy decision will cost thousands of jobs, will be bad for the industry, and will be harmful to the environment. We call on Malcolm Turnbull to reverse this decision and ensure all Government paper is 100% recycled.

The Victorian Government has promised to invest in the Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel, which will benefit commuters as well as creating over 4,000 jobs in Victoria. But this critical infrastructure investment depends on federal funding, and the federal Liberal Government has previously refused to back new rail projects. Victoria needs shovel-ready jobs, and the Metro Rail Tunnel is an important infrastructure project for Melbourne. We call on Malcolm Turnbull to invest in jobs for Victorians and support the Melbourne Metro Rail Project!

Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island Countries are currently negotiating a regional free trade agreement: PACER Plus. The PACER+ is another in a line of secret trade agreements that push a trade liberalisation agenda and promote the rights of corporations over people. Australian Unions have come together against CHAFTA and the TPP to call for trade deals that are balanced, support jobs, protect the rights of working people and promote a healthy environment. The PACER+ agreement will disproportionately affect Pacific Island nations. It will: - Give unprecedented rights to corporations Pacific governments will face restrictions on their regulation of foreign businesses. They will not be able to regulate to keep prices low, or ensure that services are available to everyone in the community. - Undermine access to essential services PACER+ will require Pacific countries to 'list' service sectors (including health, education, and water), allowing Australian and NZ companies to compete to provide these services in the Pacific. This will undermine access to services (especially for vulnerable people, like the unemployed or the rural poor) - Lead to a loss in public services like health and education PACER+ is calling on Pacific nations to drop tariffs on imported goods. This will result in a significant loss of government revenue - up to 19% in Tonga, 18% in Vanuatu, and 12% in Samoa. This loss in revenue is more than their total health or education budgets. - Lead to business closures and job losses Remoteness, small economies of scale and lack of human resources make it difficult for Pacific businesses to engage in global markets. Opening Pacific markets up to Australian and New Zealand corporations may wipe out Pacific businesses due difficulties in competing with their cheaper prices. - Undermine indigenous rights to land Land is central to indigenous people's spiritual and economic life. The removal of restrictions on ownership of land by foreign companies and investors will impact on Pacific communities' ability to determine their own economic future. (Source: Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA)

Apunipima provides crucial health services to over 17 Indigenous communities across Cape York, QLD.  Many workers at these sites are from and live in these communities providing invaluable services with local and community knowledge.  However, price gouging and shipping costs in these remote communities mean the cost of living is outrageous. The price of petrol, groceries, meat and daily supplies far exceeds prices in Cairns or other locations.  Whilst workers in these communities receive a weekly regional living allowance, this isn't cutting it anymore.  These workers love their job and care about the patients they service. But, they need to be adequately renumerated for the work they do. Good patient outcomes only come with good working conditions for health workers.

We want a country that values all people, whether they have been here five years, five generations or five thousand generations. But too often, successive governments have forced their own ideas on how we, as First Nations people, should lead our own lives. Decisions about our health, our education and our homelands keep being taken away from us. Treaty is about putting First Peoples in the driver’s seat so together we can make the decisions that affect our communities, our culture and our Country.  To build momentum for Treaties and truth-telling across the country, now is the time for mob and allies to stand together and show support for a future where our communities can thrive.

We can only be our best and create a future where everyone can thrive when we listen and acknowledge the truth of our past and present. The Yoorrook Justice Commission has led the country’s first formal truth-telling process about the impacts of colonisation for First Peoples, past and present.  And now, everyone is invited to join when Yoorrook Deputy Chair Commissioner Travis Lovett walks from Portland, where colonisation began in Victoria, to Parliament, where we can transform the future. By building a huge display of support as Yoorrook’s Walk for Truth reaches Parliament steps, we can show that Victorians from all walks of life back truth-telling and Treaty. And together, we can make sure the Victorian government is held accountable to listen and act on Yoorrook’s recommendations.

We want a country that values all people, whether they have been here five years, five generations or five thousand generations. But too often, successive governments have forced their own ideas on how we, as First Nations people, should lead our own lives. Decisions about our health, our education and our homelands keep being taken away from us. Treaty is about putting First Peoples in the driver’s seat so together we can make the decisions that affect our communities, our culture and our Country.  As we get closer than ever to Treaty in Victoria, now is the time for mob and allies to stand together and show support for a future where our communities can thrive.

We can only be our best and create a future where everyone can thrive when we listen and acknowledge the truth of our past and present. The Yoorrook Justice Commission has led the country’s first formal truth-telling process about the impacts of colonisation for First Peoples, past and present.  And now, everyone is invited to join when Yoorrook Deputy Chair Commissioner Travis Lovett walks from Portland, where colonisation began in Victoria, to Parliament, where we can transform the future.  You can join a leg of the walk in your area, attend a community event, or help create a huge crowd of support at the final destination on Parliament steps. Register your interest and we’ll be in touch to share more about specific walks and community events near you. You can also read more about the Walk for Truth and register for your local event on the Yoorrook Commission website.

• These changes would severely impact work-life balance for APS professionals • The proposal ignores the successful implementation of hybrid working models • It disregards the national nature of many APS agencies and their operations • The changes could lead to significant loss of expertise in the public service By signing this petition, you're standing up for: • Fair working conditions • Professional autonomy • Work-life balance • Evidence-based workplace policies

To work in private hospitals nurses and midwives want comparable wages to the public sector. They also want safe staffing levels comparable to the public sector. We are being told by private hospitals that they don’t have the money because the contracts they sign with private health insurers every few years don’t give them enough. In Victoria and NSW nurses and midwives are locked in disputes with their employers for better pay and to include safe staffing ratios in enterprise agreements. They are sick of being treated as second class health workers.     In the year to March 2024 the private health insurers combined profit jumped 34% to a record $2.13 billion (data released by the Aust Prudential Regulatory Agency). At the same time the proportion of premiums they are returning to their customers has fallen from 88.03% in 2019-20 to 82.61% in 2022-23.   In mid-2024 the Commonwealth Department of Health undertook a private hospital financial health check after complaints about ongoing viability of the sector. Minister Butlers own press release on 1 November said: “While parts of the sector have remained strong, there has been a reduction in profitability over time as costs have risen faster than revenue. This shows that there is substantial work for private health insurers and private hospitals to do to ensure the sector’s long-term viability.”   If nurses and midwives start walking away from private hospitals the system will collapse. If private hospitals can’t recruit and retain nurses and midwives then the system becomes unsustainable. If large private hospitals fail because costs outstrip revenue then the pressure is put back on an already overstretched public system. Love them or hate them, private hospitals are too big to fail.  The health insurers need to step up and fund private hospitals better.   Tell the private health insurers that its time to pay their fair share to private hospitals so they can pay decent wages and provide safe staffing. Insurers only care about the profits they reap, not the quality of the care provided for patients (or the working conditions of those who care for them).

It's just been uncovered that Queanbeyan hospital has formally banned surgical abortions, which were previously available for terminations of cases of feotal abnormalities or other medical reasons requiring surgical abortions. The service was stopped abruptly in August. One woman was turned away on the day of her planned procedure. The Southern NSW Local Health District has stated saying that this is due to a lack of resources to support performing this procedure. In reality, the hospital has claimed it is "conscientiously objecting" to abortion. Cases which require surgical abortions are time sensitive and there can be dire repercussions if this healthcare is not received in time. If these procedures cannot be performed locally it puts women in an already difficult position under more stress and financial strain. Women's healthcare is consistently underfunded and under resourced and this is simply not good enough.  This has happened in the context of moves being made around the country which restrict or threaten to restrict abortion access. Orange hospital recently introduced a now reversed policy banning access to abortions for people with no identified pregnancy complications or medical reasons on the basis of the hospital administration conscientiously objecting to these procedures. The election of Donald Trump in the US and the rise of an emboldened and virulently sexist far right in has its echoes here. In South Australia, an anti-abortion bill was narrowly defeated by just one vote. In Queensland, after the election of the Liberals and Crisafulli, a similar bill is on the table. In this context it is crucial to fight to defend women's access to abortion. We the undersigned demand: • That Queanbeyan Hospital reinstate surgical abortion, and that NSW Health Minister Ryan Park ensures that no other hospitals make similar moves across the state.  • That abortion be available on demand for free, not just in cases deemed medically necessary: it's a woman's right to choose. • That hospitals employ specialists which ensure that abortions are able to be performed at any stage of pregnancy

ACL is offshoring its call centre to Malaysia in order to reduce costs.  Patients deserve better. They deserve to know that their information is secure, that their personal details and medical information remain private. Workers deserve better. A company funded by Australian tax-payer dollars should ensure jobs remain in Australia.  We also deserve better. ACL needs to put patients before profit.