MAJOR CUTS PLANNED: Macquarie University's Vice Chancellor and Executive are drawing up plans to restructure the University. The result will be major cuts to course offerings, cuts to casual staff and a large number of redundancies. We are deeply concerned that such major job losses in the middle of a global recession will not only cause significant hardship, but also compromise Macquarie University's ability to provide quality education for students and world-class research for the Australian community. WORST STUDENT-STAFF RATIOS ALREADY: Macquarie University is already one of the most poorly staffed universities in the world: Macquarie's staff to student ratio is the worst in Australia, and ninth worst (of 1,400) in the entire world [1]. WE ARE WORTH PROTECTING: Despite these workloads, Macquarie is remarkable: in recent weeks we just broke through the top 200 on Times Higher Education rankings [2]. WHY NOT SHOW US THE EVIDENCE? While the university declares a financial emergency, they have also refused independent scrutiny of the university's financial position. DON'T RUSH WHEN SO MUCH COULD CHANGE: Moving into 2021, so much could change. Now is not the time to make major, hasty cuts. Slow down! Open the books! Don't put our great institution at risk! [1] The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2020/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/stats_student_staff_ratio/sort_order/desc/cols/stats [2] Macquarie gains highest ever world ranking, 23 Sept 2020. https://www.mq.edu.au/newsroom/2020/09/03/macquarie-gains-highest-ever-world-ranking/

It’s very hard to survive Only aged care workers are targeted There is no new case in South Australia and even in aged care This restriction is only for cares don’t understand the reason why only Carers Mask being mandatory for all personal care workers including the nursing staff so why still the care workers can’t work at multiple site

Clive Palmer wants to overturn state border restrictions that have helped prevent the spread of coronavirus. This is the same billionaire who's mining company went insolvent and left hundreds of workers without jobs or entitlements. This is the same billionaire who spent $60 million during the last federal election trying to buy the outcome he wanted. He must be stopped and the Prime Minister and Australia's Attorney General should use all powers available to stop him.

We have already seen in Victoria and the United States that Meat Processing Facilities and related industries can be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreak. Our working environments are fast paced, indoors and require close contact with other workers, placing us at high risk. As Essential Workers we must continue to do this work in order to provide food to the people of Australia. We need YOUR SUPPORT to lobby our Employers and the Government to provide paid pandemic leave NOW.

Bolt writes one of the widest distributed columns in the nation. He always uses this platform to promote his anti-science agenda. Maybe you can argue that is free speech. But when he is blatantly pedalling falsehoods on public health during a pandemic he must be refused a platform. Mr Weir needs to pull Bolt into line before people die.

The issue of bus driver assaults is not new, it has been going on for years. In Queensland for the past 10 years the issue has been researched, debated and reviewed and the need for public transport buses to be fitted with bus driver safety screens clearly identified in the 2017 Bus Driver Safety Review. Queensland public transport is administered by the government department of Transport and Main Roads under the TransLink banner. TMR/TransLink awards contracts to bus operators and it fully funds the cost of providing these services and provides funds for the purchase of buses used in these contracts. The Bus Driver Safety Review identified the need for bus driver safety screens to be fitted to urban buses under the TransLink banner. All new buses purchased by TransLink contractors must be fitted with bus driver safety screens. It will take another 21 years for the entire fleet of buses under the TransLink banner to be replaced with buses fitted with driver safety screens. Therefore, for another 21 years bus drivers working for contractors under the TransLink banner will be at risk of assault because they will be driving a bus that is not fitted with a driver safety screen. I am asking for your assistance to petition the Queensland Government to fully fund the cost of retrofitting the entire TransLink branded bus fleet.

Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Education Students [LANTITE] and the administration of LANTITE. We can understand your frustration given Education and the COVID-19 pandemic; We believe you can understand and appreciate our frustration in regard to the LANTITE and our inability to graduate. As a result, we implore you for your support in removing the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Education Students (LANTITE) administered by ACER as a graduate requirement. These students have successfully completed the units in their degrees, as well as professional practise in the form of placements. Throughout degrees and placements, the importance of literacy and numeracy is highlighted. We implore you to support the removal of LANTITE as a graduation requirement. In doing so, you will be contributing and assisting Australia’s economic return through this pandemic.

The recent Covid 19 income support package has resulted in an imbalance. A hospital cleaner working full time is earning around $1000 per week before tax, and usually takes home around $750. The worker must meet all personal expenses including housing, transport, food, childcare, education and medical costs. The essential services workforce is being severely affected by the current crisis as many workers are having to stay home to care for families. We are not going to be able to recruit new workers to replace those who are unable to work. Potential employees would be better off on Centrelink benefits, safer and wealthier.

As everyone is racing the grocery store and panic buying - we are getting abused, things thrown at us and not being treated with respect. We are risking our lives/our families because we don’t know if anyone we are coming into contact with has the virus. Hundreds of people visit supermarkets per day and the rate for people being tested positive is doubling everyday. It’s not right - we’re not being protected enough. Woolworths should be giving both salary and EBA team members a bonus to support their staff. We, retail workers, and our families matter too.

There is nothing normal about the COVID-19 outbreak or the devastating economic impact it will have / is having on the most vulnerable. Some estimate that up to 60% of the population may be affected, and a catastrophic overburdening of the health system seems inevitable. Moreover, countless workers, artists, and students will have to deal with devastating economic conditions on top of these biological worries. With the Reserve Bank of Australia announcing that it is commencing Quantitative Easing (QE), and the treasury preparing another stimulus package, it is essential that the government embrace policies and programs which will actually address the source of the problem and which will secure a basic standard of living / survival for those who have neither the incomes nor savings to sustain themselves. By honouring the demands above, and sparing no expense in their pursuit of a best-practice response, the government has a genuine chance at minimising the economic and biological damage of the COVID-19 outbreak. A failure to institute any of the above demands, however, would amount to gross negligence: anything short of a significant economic response, which supports casual wage earners and the vulnerable, will lead to increased transmission rates or, worse, a serious and perhaps fatal deterioration in people's quality of life as they lack the liquidity and income to secure accommodation and acquire essential goods. Moreover, without social distancing and rapid investment in health provisions the number of cases will start increasing exponential. If implemented these demands will not only "flatten the curve", but raise the system's overall capacity, saving many lives. Honouring these demands (among others) will minimise damage to the largest degree, and is ultimately the only way the government can truly protect its citizens. Anything less is negligence.

1. OUR HEALTH MATTERS: This is important because climate change is affecting our health and wellbeing. 2. OUR TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP: Universities have a major role to play in the science and technology necessary to deal with the consequences of climate change on human societies and the ecosystem. 3. OUR EDUCATION CHANGES LIVES: Universities educate our community, workers, and future leaders about science, public policy, and the threats of climate change.

Because TISM