Safety In recent years, Wyndham has seen a rise in violent crime. An unstaffed library could provide an easy place for criminal activity to occur. Few safety guarantees are being made about unstaffed hours. These safety issues mean that women, families and anyone vulnerable to racial, homophobic, transphobic or ableist violence may be uncomfortable accessing the library when it is unstaffed. People living with disabilities may not be able to access the space due to rules that prevent their carers visiting with them unless they have a membership as well. With no staff to help in a violent incident or medical emergency there is no guarantee the library is a safe place. Would you trust an empty library, late at night to be safe? Would you be happy to rely on the police or ambulance to arrive in time to help you if something terrible did occur while you were visiting an unstaffed library? Fairness Libraries are funded by your rates and tax dollars and are currently available to everybody during opening hours. By design, unstaffed library hours will not be accessible to all. We want increased library services for all. Not just access for a few! Using the library during unstaffed hours requires a separate membership restricted by age and vague criteria such as confidence using the library independently. Additionally, unstaffed hours will not be available at every library branch – if your local branch does not offer extended hours, you’re out of luck. Membership is not guaranteed upon application and can be blocked for any reason. It requires an induction process and agreement to a separate set of terms and conditions. No guidelines have been provided to prevent discrimination or bias in the selection process. Accessing the library during unstaffed hours may be unavailable to you if: • You are deemed not to meet the membership criteria. • You cannot find time to sit through a lengthy induction during staffed operating hours. • You require any assistance using the library. • Not every library branch will have unstaffed hours so one neighbourhood will have better access than others. Introducing unstaffed hours does not address existing geographic gaps in service within Wyndham or community demand for services requiring staff, such as weekend or evening programming and may be used as an excuse not to ever provide these services in the future. There is a great risk that this project will only benefit a small number of people and you may not be one of them! Is that fair and equitable access? Does it seem like a good use of your rates and tax money? Cheaper, lower quality service Unstaffed library hours are being pitched as an enhancement to existing library services at a fraction of the cost compared to extending staffed hours of service, opening new branches or extending outreach services. But as well as serving a narrower section of the community, the proposal explicitly provides a lower quality of service. During unstaffed hours, the library will not provide: • IT or equipment support. • Assistance dealing with library account issues. • Assistance with any issues accessing the library using your Open Libraries membership. • Access to collection items kept behind the library desk. • Library programs or events. • In-person support in the event of an emergency. Libraries in the future Your libraries are currently staffed for all opening hours and librarians spend all day helping people. One concern industry experts have about unstaffed hours is the potential damage to our industry and what libraries can offer our communities in the future. If politicians begin to believe that libraries don’t need librarians, it’s only a matter of time before staffed services are reduced in the name of cost-saving. After the UK introduced unstaffed hours, over 50% of librarians were replaced with unqualified volunteers – or nothing at all. If you love musical and literacy programs for your children, study assistance for your teenagers and IT help for those of us who find advancing technology challenging to keep up with, don’t let your libraries become just a building with books inside.  You deserve a library that has librarians in it – for every hour we are open. Please sign our petition and/or write to your local councillor to show your support for the people who support you. You can write your own email or use this template: Dear (Councillor’s name) I am writing to express my concern about the proposed Open Libraries project at Wyndham City Council.  My concerns are (include your main concerns here) and I believe that without community consultation there is no evidence that this will be a responsible use of the council budget.  I urge you to listen to your constituents and not support this project moving forward. Signed, Your name • Email: [email protected] • Email: [email protected] • Email: [email protected] • Email: [email protected] • Email: [email protected] • Email: [email protected] • Email: [email protected] • Email: [email protected] • Email: [email protected]

The NSW government has quietly approved the southern hemisphere's largest data centre at Marsden Park, less than 100 metres from homes in Hassall Grove, near schools, a mosque, and local amenities. Construction is already underway.  It will consume energy equivalent to 140,000 homes. Data centres already consume 100 billion litres of water annually in Australia, a figure projected to triple by 2030. Without intervention, the Climate Council warns electricity prices could rise by up to 26% by 2035.  Western Sydney is already the hottest part of the city. Research shows hyperscale data centres can raise surrounding land temperatures by up to 2°C.  Chris Minns has created the ‘Investment Delivery Authority’, a four-person committee that’s essentially designed to fast-track the approval of data centres in New South Wales. These massive data centres have also been deemed as ‘State Significant Developments’ and can therefore bypass council approval and input from residents. For such consequential infrastructure projects, that will impact water, energy, peoples health, there should have been much more widespread consultation. AI, like any technology, could be used for good, but thanks to political parties that serve capitalist interests, it is being used to line the pockets of private equity firms, help corporations replace human workers, and help the likes of Palantir build a dystopian surveillance state that would make even Orwell weep. The best that the federal government has done to regulate this race to build data centres has been to release a set of in-principal guidelines which have no way of being enforced. It’s a classic way the government can tick a box to look like they’re doing something.  Working-class communities in Western Sydney will pay the price for these data centres in increased heat, noise, water scarcity, and power bills, while private equity firms pocket the profits.

By coming together in union, we can fix the long-standing undervaluation of our skilled and complex work that has kept our wages too low. Fair pay means secure jobs, less turnover, better services and stronger communities. When workers are valued, everyone benefits. We call on governments and employers to support us by: • Backing wages that value our work • Properly funding fair wages • Respecting the skill and complexity our work requires Recently we’ve improved our classification structure. Now it’s time to finish the job and lift our pay. We deserve more than recognition. We deserve fair pay, secure futures and real respect. Add your name and stand with us.

TasTAFE is where thousands of Tasmanians build the skills they need for work and for life. But right now, it’s being cut back—just when people need it most.  With tens of millions in savings demanded and more job and course cuts on the way, students are losing the support they rely on to succeed. These cuts mean fewer teachers, fewer courses, and fewer services—especially for those who already face the biggest barriers.  Students in regional areas, migrants learning English, creatives, and those retraining for new careers are all being hit hardest.  Support services like counselling and libraries are already stretched, and this will only make things worse. This doesn’t just affect students — it affects all of us. TasTAFE trains the workers our state relies on. By signing this petition, you’re standing up for students, staff, and Tasmania’s future.

Residential group homes are an essential public service for individuals living with disabilities. Homes provide a safe environment, supported by public sector workers who have dedicated their careers to caring for individuals with high support needs.    Privatising these services will force families to make agonising choices, separate clients from carers and leave 400+ public sector workers without jobs. 

After a year of negotiating in good faith, union members at Parks Victoria are taking action. They have repeatedly asked to be treated the same as any other public sector workers - but management aren't listening. They think that workers should be happy with the latest offer, which does nothing to address the reasonable requests of the workforce and would lock in insufficient wages and conditions for another generation of workers. For too long, public sector workers at Parks Victoria have been underpaid and overworked. For nearly 15 years, the hard working rangers, environmental scientists, and administrators of Parks Victoria have been held back by wages and conditions that are below other public sector workers. These are the people who manage the state’s extensive public lands, parks, and reserves, and ensure our natural environment is protected for generations of Victorians to enjoy. Crucially, these workers are also expected to provide essential firefighting and emergency response capability, working as an integrated part with other agencies in times of crisis; often operating in the worst conditions in some of the most remote regions in Victoria. These workers are the first responders in natural disasters, but last in line for public sector wages. By supporting this petition, you’re helping protect the workers who protect our natural environment.

Queensland state school teachers and leaders carry out one of the most essential, influential, invaluable roles in our community - educating the next generation.     While their work underpins just about everything necessary for a fair, thriving, equitable society, Queensland teachers and leaders are also currently reporting increased stress and anxiety, stemming from issues related to rising workplace injuries, assaults and threats. ·       Teacher and student wellbeing and learning are at risk. Every worker must have the right to attend their workplace safe from harm or violence - teachers should not be any different. A safe and healthy workplace is a legal right for employees and a legal obligation of the employer.  ·       The teacher shortage crisis will only worsen unless educators can be assured of their safety at work. Stress, anxiety, and burnout are key contributors to experienced teachers leaving the profession and the lack of new people joining it.  ·       It’s about government responsibility to ensure the ongoing future of strong, sustainable, equitable public education that delivers on its promise – “Brighter Futures – delivering excellence in every state school.”  Current legislation simply isn’t protecting Queensland state school teachers and leaders as required.   Sign our petition and send a clear message to the Premier - great state schools need teachers and leaders who are safe from occupational violence and aggression. Authorised by Brendan Crotty, Acting General Secretary, Queensland Teachers' Union, 21 Graham St Milton Qld 4064

This issue matters because transport is not optional for people living in supported disability accommodation — it is a fundamental support that determines whether people remain connected to their communities or become isolated within their own homes. For many residents, these buses are the only safe, reliable, and accessible way to attend medical appointments, participate in community activities, visit loved ones, shop for essentials, and maintain the independence, dignity, and routine that most people take for granted. The sale of these buses risks dramatically reducing residents’ access to healthcare, social participation, and community connection, increasing loneliness, dependence, and exclusion. Without reliable transport, people may miss appointments, withdraw from activities, lose confidence, and experience a serious decline in quality of life. For some, this decision could effectively leave them trapped at home, prisoners in their own accommodation with little meaningful access to the outside world. What makes this decision even more concerning is that these buses were originally provided to Scope at no cost by the Victorian State Government to support inclusion and community access for people with disability. Selling off assets intended to improve the lives of supported independent living residents, while withdrawing a critical service many depend on, sends a troubling message about priorities particularly on the backdrop of the Victorian Disability Sector Crisis. Share this petition to demand that Scope halt the sell off and the Victorian State government intervene! 

Liverpool City Council workers deserve to feel safe at work and supported while serving their community. Instead, ongoing dysfunction, public hostility and political conduct have created a workplace environment where staff report distress, harassment and fear for their safety. More than half of surveyed staff have considered leaving the Council. When experienced council workers are driven out, the whole community feels the impact — from parks and libraries to roads, planning, customer service and support for vulnerable residents. Liverpool deserves a council that is safe, stable and properly functioning for both workers and the community. This petition calls for action to restore safety, good governance and public confidence at Liverpool City Council.

Why Support This Petition?   Victorian public sector Allied Health Professionals are under increasing pressure. Right now, Allied Health Professionals are paid less than most workers performing the same roles interstate and colleagues working in other parts of the healthcare sector in Victoria, while workloads and staffing pressures continue to grow.   This is driving workers away from public healthcare in Victoria and making it harder for health services to recruit and retain experienced staff. Those who remain are often expected to manage unsafe workloads, resulting in increased stress and burnout across the system.   VAHPA’s campaign for the new Allied Health Professional enterprise agreement seeks necessary improvements for Allied Health Professionals including better wages, stronger workload and staffing protections, improved leave and flexibility provisions, new provisions relating to education and professional development, and important occupational health and safety measures. The campaign also pushes for better career progression and greater recognition of Allied Health Professionals within the Victorian health system.     Allied Health includes more than 40 professions, including Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Medical Imaging Technologists, Social Workers, Speech Pathologists, Sonographers and Nuclear Medicine Technologists to name a few, that play a critical role in patient care, diagnosis, rehabilitation, prevention and recovery.   By signing this petition, you are helping push for real and lasting change.   No more band aids. Let’s fix Allied Health.

This proposal raises serious concerns because the site sits directly opposite a primary school in a highly child-dense area, surrounded by schools, childcare centres, and community facilities. Key concerns include: • Increased traffic and safety impacts in a sensitive school environment  • The use of community-zoned land for large-scale commercial development • The presence of a hotel directly opposite a primary school, fundamentally changing the daily environment  • The potential permanent loss of character within one of Canberra’s original historic streetscapes  Residents are concerned that the scale and nature of the proposal would significantly alter the precinct’s character. While the community supports thoughtful growth that meets the needs of a growing city, this site has remained vacant for over a decade since acquisition by the developer. During that time, successive proposals have become increasingly commercial in nature, raising concern that the opportunity for meaningful community benefit is being progressively lost.

Parking and transport at Curtin are a serious barrier to students accessing their education. Students are spending up to an hour circling campus looking for parking, paying for more expensive bays, arriving late to class, and struggling to absorb rising costs during a cost of living crisis. Students should not be priced out of attending university because they cannot afford fuel, parking or the time it takes to fight for a car bay every morning. These are practical and achievable solutions. Other universities have already implemented measures like free carpool parking. Instead, Curtin students are being told to wait while simple proposals are bogged down in bureaucracy. The only thing stopping these solutions is the willingness of senior leaders to take this issue seriously. Students are doing everything they can to keep showing up during a cost of living crisis. Curtin must do more to support them.