As parents of pre-school kids at the Melbourne City Childcare Centre on A'Beckett Street, we are upset and angry about the hastily announced proposal from Melbourne City Council to shut the centre in four weeks. We have been given an unreasonably short consultation period of two weeks and are feeling rushed and stressed by the sudden announcement. We want the decision reversed because it is going to be bad for our kids, bad for our families and bad for the early childhood educators and carers who work at the centre. Our kids need to stay with their friends and educators and carers they trust. The educators and carers need their jobs. Our families need accessible care near our work for our kids. Melbourne City Childcare Centre provides a safe, fun and professional service to our pre-school kids. This centre offers a unique 'family' like environment. Our MCCC community is irreplaceable and the value cannot be seen in budgets and bottom lines. Our response to this proposal is a reflection of the respect and support that we have for one another. As parents, we worry about moving our kids from their established friendships and relationships at the centre. We also worry about the confusion and stress caused by finding and settling in to new childcares. As working families it is important that we have access to childcare near our workplaces, we know that finding other good quality centres for our kids in such a short timeframe will be incredibly difficult and stressful. We ask that you sign this petition to call on Melbourne City Council to keep our childcare centre open. - Parents of Melbourne City Childcare Centre, A'Beckett Street

The National Quality Framework is essential to the ECEC sector as it guides educators to extend and enrich children's learning from birth to five years and the transition to school. The NQF supports professional practice, especially in building and nurturing relationships, curriculum decision making and teaching and learning. The NQF allows the expression of personality and uniqueness as it caters to each individual child whilst acknowledging that educators are professionals, taking them away from the ‘babysitter’ persona. The paperwork allows us to show our parents the professional role we have in educating their child and displays a portion of the knowledge that is being imparted and also learnt by each child each day. By defunding the national partnership this Government is putting at risk our internationally recognised National Quality Framework. The Abbott Government already attempted to wind back our professional standards in 2014. Together, educators fought against it and won! The Turnbull/Morrison Government is now trying the same tactic to undermine our sector. Sign our petition to protect the NQF!

As an outreach of the Queensland Baptists, Carinity claims to “provide communities of care, compassion and respect” to those in need, yet is failing to provide any of these things to its staff – Carinity doesn’t seem to care. Carinity’s cuts to the working conditions of teachers and school support staff will put them behind their counterparts in other Queensland schools and create second-tier teachers in the state but Carinity doesn’t seem to care. Carinity’s cuts would reduce superannuation provisions for its largely female workforce putting their financial futures at risk but Carinity doesn’t seem to care. Carinity’s cuts would deny its staff access to community standard leave provisions including paid Domestic Violence Leave – an area that Carinity works in and claims to care about yet when it comes to its own workers facing such devastating circumstances, Carinity doesn’t seem to care. Carinity’s cuts would mean its students’ teachers are worse off despite Carinity publicly emphasising the extra support their students, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, are given by school staff but Carinity doesn’t seem to care.

Background: The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation was established in March 2017. It’s funded by the $3 billion bequest of Australian businessman and top Liberal Party donor Paul Ramsay. The Ramsay Centre says it wants to “advance education by promoting studies and discussion associated with the establishment and development of Western civilisation.” Board member Kim Beazley also said the study of Western civilisation "needs a systematic voice" in Australian universities. In December last year, it was announced that ANU and the Ramsay Centre had opened negotiations about creating a degree. Overview of the Degree: The proposed undergraduate degree, titled 'Bachelor of Western Civilisation,' would offer text-based courses for yearly cohorts of sixty students. Thirty students each year would receive $25,000/year scholarships. The proposed program comprises 16 core courses, typically taken over three years, which will cover “great texts,” art and architecture from Western civilisation. The degree will be ‘elite but not elitist’; the ATAR required for entry will be 97. Negotiations are ongoing and both the Ramsay Centre and ANU have said academic independence will be respected. However, Ramsay Centre CEO Simon Haines has said they will review all course content, not hire teachers who have criticised Western civilisation and will withdraw funding if they think the course isn’t sufficiently pro-West. Our Stance: We oppose the ANU’s collaboration with the Ramsay Centre based on the Centre’s ideological bias and its stated aim to teach only the positive aspects of Western civilisation. We do not think that such uncritical teaching should have a place at our university. We oppose the reductive premises on which the Ramsay Centre is based: the idea of a ‘West’ and the assumption of its superiority.

The National Union of Students and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations represent over 1.4 million students and are deeply concerned about this proposed legislation. This legislation would see the repayment threshold for student debt lowered to $45,000. This unfairly targets lower income earners and therefore disproportionately impacts women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and graduates. This proposed bill would also create a lifetime student debt cap of $104k as we move into a future workforce where graduates will be expected to retrain or further specialise multiple times throughout their working life. We need to be preparing our generation for a lifetime of learning. The proposed legislation is shortsighted, and will fail to address escalating student debt. Help us #BuryTheBill and contact a member of the crossbench.

The Fairwork Commission is undergoing a review that focuses on swim teachers pay for the industry. Most of the swimming instructors we work with will train for anywhere between 6 and 12 months. The process to become a swimming teacher is quite long and arduous. We do internal train, we do training courses we must have Working with Children and CPR certifications. We would cover these requirements over the 6 – 12 month period. During this time, however, we would at times still be required to teach classes generally due to the lack of teachers on a given shift. So, there we are, teaching kids to swim but technically still a ‘trainee’ and being paid that way. Given their way employers want this sort of practice to be written into the Fitness Industry Award by having a ‘trainee swim teacher’ role at level one. Given that the words ‘swim teacher’ don’t come into the Award until level 3, this would blur the lines terribly for new swimming teachers coming into the industry. We want to make a difference. We want to change the rules, so they support young workers not exploit them. We would really appreciate your support!

Our school is vibrant and diverse. Our kids come from so many different backgrounds - over 50% speak a language other than English at home and around 8% are Aboriginal. The majority of our kids come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds but they deserve excellent classrooms and playgrounds as much as kids who are lucky enough to live in more affluent circumstances. It’s not fair that our kids have to learn in classrooms that leak when it rains, are hot in summer and freezing in winter, and which are falling apart. Other schools in neighbouring suburbs have received millions of dollars to fix and rebuild classrooms but Reservoir East Primary keeps missing out. All kids, including ours, deserve a safe and healthy school to learn, play and thrive in. Help us fix Reservoir East Primary!

PARSA provides students with information, advice and support to those relocating to Canberra, and offers emergency accommodation grants to students who require temporary accommodation due to unforeseen circumstances. However, the association’s funds are limited, and should only be relied upon as a last resort for our members. The results of the PARSA Accommodation Survey demonstrate the need for the ANU to acknowledge and respond to the concerns raised with prompt and meaningful action.

The Australian Human Rights Commission’s 'Change the Course' report found that in 2015/16 51% of students surveyed reported that they had been sexually harassed at University and 9% of students surveyed reported that they had been sexually assaulted at University. The report also found that Women Students, Queer Students, Trans Students, Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Students, Students of Colour and Students with Disabilities are more likely to be sexually harassed or assaulted than any other student. But perhaps the most alarming figures to emerge from this report is that 68% of students who had experienced sexual harassment at university and 40% of students who had been sexually assaulted on campus DID NOT report the incident to the university because they didn't think it would be considered serious enough. "I didn't think they would believe me. I thought they would think I made it all up" - (Student, 21) Universities have no reason for inaction. Students will not be silent - It’s time to end sexual violence

The number of full-time domestic postgraduate students in Victoria has more than doubled in the last 10 years—from 13,858 in 2005 to 28,798 in 2015 —while part-time domestic postgraduate enrolments have remained steady (1). The changing nature of domestic postgraduate study requires a different approach from the Victorian government, one that recognises that full-time students at all levels of study deserve the same support (2). Students often work jobs that are low paying. Furthermore, students often are involved in volunteering and unpaid internships. It is not sustainable for a person to be working full-time and studying full-time. These students are using their time to study, and will proceed to use these skills to contribute to the workforce of Victoria. While they are unable to work, but are refining these skills, they deserve the support of their government - like in every other state. Victoria, as seen on our number plates, refers to itself as "The Education State" - it's time that this is reflected in its policies. A myki full fare daily fare is (Zones 1+2) is $8.60. A concession daily fare (Zones 1+2) is $4.30. (1). University students generally have two 12 week semesters a year. If attending 5 days a week, that is a total of 120 days, the difference in cost is $516 a year. For those living out of home and not working full-time, that is a lot of money. 1. Department of Education and Training 2016, Higher Education Statistics Data Cube (uCube) 2. Fares Fair PTV position paper Public transport concessions for Victorian postgraduate students, March 2017. http://faresfairptv.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Fares-Fair-PTV-Position-Paper.pdf

Unlike the government's previous attempts to modify education costs, this funding freeze does not require formal legislation and therefore cannot be blocked by the Senate. Resisting these changes will require increased collective effort and orchestrated action to influence change. On top of funding cuts, the lowering of the HECS repayment threshold will see students forced to start paying back their loans at an income of $45,000 per year instead of $52,000. This threshold sits just above the minimum wage and presents as a huge blow to all graduates, particularly for lower income earners. This reform forces students to privilege their financial status above their education - an outcome that is plainly unacceptable and one which should not exist in Australia. This petition calls upon the Education Minister Simon Birmingham to stop these attacks on our education – no funding freezes and no cuts to the HECS.

Our group of early childhood educators will be meeting with the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Jenny Mikakos, on the 1st of December. We need to take this opportunity to show Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister Mikakos how important preschool education is to our children’s future. Currently we rank 33 out of the 36 OECD countries for participation in 3-year-old preschool education – this is disgraceful and we need to make a change. Together we can send a strong message to the Andrews Government to make sure they deliver funding for 10 hours of 3-year-old preschool per week, to give all children the best possible start in life. Please sign the petition to tell Premier Andrews and Minister Mikakos that all Victorian children deserve 10 hours of 3-year-old preschool.