The Morrison government's announcement that it will double fees for a series of humanities degrees is one of the worst attacks on students in recent times. Law, economics, management and commerce subjects will face fee hikes that means students could be charged up to $72,500 for a 5 year degree such as Law. The cost of a humanities or communication degree will be more than doubled - increasing by 113% to $14,500 a year. A three year arts degree will now cost approx. $45,000. This is essentially an attempt to abolish the humanities as a serious discipline, and instead restrict its accessibility to only wealthy students. This fee increase deliberately prioritises economically profitable degrees, while decreasing the accessibility of degrees designed to encourage critical thinking about society. Our education should not be subordinate to the needs of industry. The government wants to divide us by granting fee reductions to other students. We reject a two-tiered fee system that attempts to force students into studying what the government deems more important. Students should have the right to study what they want. Cost should never be a barrier when deciding what to study at university, or even if you want to study at all. We need free, fully funded public education, not a user pay model that prioritises particular disciplines or degrees. We are demanding that the government to scrap the proposed fee increases for university degrees. Written by Jazz Breen & Jack Mansell, Sydney University SRC Education Officers

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on ASU members who work for airlines or in ground handling. It is clear that it will take airlines longer to bounce back than other parts of the economy, and it is unlikely that people will resume interstate and international travel at the pre-COVID-19 rates for some time. The Government is planning its next steps for the economic recovery right now, and we need to take urgent action to ensure that they back Australian aviation workers.

On Monday 25 May, our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin, advised Deakin staff that you, our University Council, had endorsed a Restructure/Reshaping Process due to the financial impact of COVID-19. We were advised that Phase 1 of this process would commence within the week. Staff were advised of a proposed immediate reduction of around 400 positions. Professor Martin noted that the Restructure/Reshaping process was in fact endorsed by Council twice – on 7 May, and again on 21 May. We are writing to demand that the Council call a halt to the Phase 1 process and consult with Deakin staff - with full financial disclosure - on how they believe the University can best respond to the current financial crisis. Deakin is a public university so we call on all members of the Deakin community - staff, students, alumni, members of the communities in which Deakin resides and serves, to support staff in calling on University Council to halt to the Phase 1 process.

This puts the childcare of thousands of families at threat. Our Early Childhood Educators worked hard through the pandemic to keep our children safe, at significant personal risk.   But now Scott Morrison and the Federal Government have made them the first sector to have JobKeeper cut. That’s not fair. As parents we need to stand up to the reckless approach of the Morrison Government to our children’s education.   SIGN THE PETITION AND SUPPORT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Authorised Tim Kennedy, United Workers Union, Melbourne

PLEASE SIGN MY PETITION to tell Prime Minister Scott Morrison to support local manufacturing, local jobs and a future for our kids.

Adelaide University has introduced a blanket hiring freeze. Prioritising financial interests over student and staff concerns, this freeze means no new staff recruitment except in ill-defined “exceptional cases”. Casual academics who would usually continue work in Semester Two will not be given new contracts. Adelaide University’s slash-and-burn approach means increased workloads for existing staff and amounts to a dramatic cut in staff numbers. We demand that Adelaide University overturn the staff hiring freeze!

A pay cut is a slap in the face to staff who have doubled or tripled their workloads to deliver online learning and services to students. The changes to redundancy packages, however, are disturbing. Job losses would become easier and cheaper to make, incentivising the University to lay off more staff. With workers already laid off in student services, libraries, schools and galleries, we cannot afford more cuts. As more of these redundancies take place, our quality of education will lessen. This would mean fewer students, less funding, and the devaluation of University of Melbourne degrees. Those who need University support the most, and benefit the most from tertiary education, would be hit the hardest. Worst of all, hundreds of thousands of workers could be left without a livelihood, all because the university refuses to dig a little deeper. With your help these jobs can be saved, but only by encouraging staff to vote No. Students and staff are counting on your support.

Under the Liberals, our heroes get zero. This pay freeze is a slap in the face and a kick in the guts to every essential worker who has worked overtime during this pandemic to keep us all safe.

I am the artist known as Toni Childs. I am an Emmy Winner and three-time Grammy-nominated recording artist who lives in Australia. This is a shout out to all the performing artists and musicians affected by this lockdown. And... this is a shout out to all those who want to lend their voice in support of performing artists receiving financial support during this challenging time. I was inspired to create this petition after watching the video below of Tony Burke asking Josh Frydenberg why a young part-time worker who works only one day week is entitled to JobKeeper, and performing artists are not. Ihttps://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=274953026862438 This is an opportunity to let the Australian Treasury know you need their support at this challenging time. Please sign and share this petition, and let's see if we can make some beautiful noise and get rent paid and food on the table. As an Artist, I know it can be difficult to speak up for ourselves when we are in need. I know it is for me, and it has been something that I've had to get over. We tend to be givers and it can be difficult to ask for support. If there was ever a time, this is the time. I love what we do! I love what you do and I love that what we do touches people in ways that it is impossible to put a value on. Sign and share, Peace, Love and Deep Gratitude, toni childs

Over the past decades universities have come to rely upon casual and fixed-term staff to perform essential teaching, research and service roles. At La Trobe University over 70% of staff are not on ongoing contracts. University workers on casual, sessional and fixed-term contracts are bearing the brunt of cuts universities are making in response to COVID19-related revenue deficits. On 16 April 2020 La Trobe University communicated to all staff that due to from 1 May 2020, casuals will only be retained if they are deemed “essential”. This has led to significant job losses and loss of hours for causal staff, with many more still waiting in limbo to be informed about the future of their positions. We condemn the sacking of casual staff. Casual redundancies are projected to potentially save LTU around $1 million, less than 1% of the projected revenue deficit of $120-150 million. Casual redundancies will therefore have only a marginal impact on addressing overall revenue deficit, but the loss of these positions will have a number of significant impacts including on: • the mental health & financial wellbeing of LTU casuals who have lost their jobs and who face the uncertainty of potentially losing their jobs. Many casuals will face considerable financial hardship, especially given the ineligibility of university workers to access JobKeeper. • the student experience and the quality of teaching and learning at La Trobe University, given that the loss of causal jobs necessarily will translate to larger class sizes, the cutting of subjects, especially electives and the reduction of student services; • the workload of remaining staff at La Trobe University who will invariably be asked to pick up additional work to compensate for cuts; We, the undersigned, condemn the sacking of casual staff at La Trobe University and call on La Trobe University to recognise all the work casuals do is essential and protect their hours and conditions during this difficult time. Those of us who have ongoing roles commit to not taking on work that would otherwise be allocated to casual or fixed term staff – recognising that doing so harms the quality of our teaching and/or research as well as enabling the University to take work from our most precarious colleagues.

The loss of these skills will be detrimental to the future of the Deakin as the COVID - 19 pandemic subsides. This is a once in a lifetime event and requires a once in a generation level courage and imagination to support those who make Deakin Worldly .

More than a million people are estimated to have become unemployed in March and April, because of public health measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. On 27th April 2020 the government began paying the “COVID 19 Supplement” to people receiving Jobseeker (previously Newstart) payments, Parenting Payment and Youth Allowance. This is the first increase of these payments for 26 years. The government has confirmed that the COVID-19 supplement is temporary and will end in October 2020. If the Jobseeker payment reduces in 6 months, new claimants and people previously trying to survive on the low rate will be facing a dire situation. Politicians from both sides of Parliament, independents, business groups and welfare organisations have called for the increase to extend beyond six months, citing the increased unemployment rate and the uncertain effect of the pandemic on the economy. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/25/calls-from-within-coalition-to-keep-higher-jobseeker-rate-after-coronavirus-crisis?fbclid=IwAR2Uwvv7vMx5YkNs_aHRqit7kz0TseirJeiHzjEeclAgpkHscH-ppLM4F18 Please support the AUWU’s call to #KeepTheRate