Safety on the rail network is of paramount importance, and by trying to erode our conditions the NSW Government is lowering those safety standards and putting us all in danger. They are also trying to remove guards from trains - we believe this is an unacceptable risk. Australia has some of the best employment protections in the world thanks to unions fighting for generations to ensure a fair go for all Aussies. But it's a constant battle to maintain these conditions, and the NSW Government is trying to water down our rights and protections. We are fighting to save these for ourselves, for all other public service workers and for the wider community as a whole. The NSW Government imposed a wage freeze on all public servants last year, which amounted to a pay cut in real terms, even for those sectors who had already negotiated higher increases. This is despite a number of senior bureaucrats receiving huge pay rises, sending a clear message to essential workers that they do not matter. All workers deserve a fair pay rise in the current economic environment, and we're fighting to prevent the government from using the pandemic as an excuse to sell us all short.

My life would be very different if I could hop on a bus or a train or a tram whenever I wanted. Right now going anywhere takes a lot of planning and is not affordable for me, because Public Transport is inaccessible. For over forty years people with disabilities have been campaigning for the same access to transport as everyone else, to have the same access to jobs, work and community, but for many of us lockdown life is normal life. Previous governments have not kept their promises. The Disability Discrimination Act (1992) requires that all infrastructure is fully compliant with the Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (DSAPT) by 31 December 2022. That’s 500 days away. And we are woefully behind. Only 15% of Melbourne’s Tram Network is accessible, and buses, trains and taxis across regional Victoria fail daily to meet the needs of residents with disabilities. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE ANDREWS GOVERNMENT CAN DEAL WITH THE SOLUTION ONCE AND FOR ALL We want to see a commitment from the state government to deliver universal access in the next term of government. This would contribute to our economic recovery and deliver a more comfortable, efficient Public Transport system for all Victorians. It would also help Victoria meet its commitment to halve emissions by 2030. And it’s not just the disability community that will benefit from universal access. Parents with prams, older Victorians and people wishing to avoid increasing traffic congestion will all reap the rewards of these upgrades. TAKE ACTION: SEND AN EMAIL TO MINISTER CARROLL HERE Support our community of disability activists by reaching out to the Minister for Public Transport, Ben Carroll, and call on him and the Victorian government to take action for universally accessible Public Transport. Jess and the DRC Campaigns Team

Many people are surprised to discover that public transport workers, who have worked throughout this lockdown in an essential and public-facing role, are not eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. We come into contact with many members of the public throughout our day, eat and perform standby duties in packed lunchrooms with fellow workers. There is a lot of potential for the virus to spread throughout our workplace and be carried across sydney by our trains. The risk of serious transmission on the railways not only puts rail workers in danger, it threatens to shut down essential rail services which transport other essential workers across the city. We are concerned that no serious measures have been put in place to address these dangers in our work, and that vaccinating our essential workforce should not be the individual responsibility of workers, but the collective responsibility of the government and management.

The Covid-19 situation in NSW is extremely concerning. Once again, the failure to build proper, dedicated quarantine facilities has resulted in a serious local outbreak, this time of the incredibly contagious Delta strain. Vaccination rates remain woefully low. The NSW Government has acted far too slowly and half-heartedly in relation to the current outbreak. Nobody enjoys lockdowns, but the failure to enact a serious lockdown soon enough has let this outbreak grow, and now means that the lockdown must be extended and strengthened. Allowing the virus to spread would be a health disaster, not just for NSW but for all Australia.

The Newport Workshops played a significant role in the industrial development of Victoria and of the Union movement. During it's history the Workshops employed upwards of 5,000 workers at any point in time. These workers built and fabricated anything and every thing needed for the running of rail in Victoria. At present the Workshops house three heritage rail operations that employ workers on a voluntary and directly employed basis, including apprentices. The Government through it's agency Victrack is seeking to remove these heritage operators from the workshops and the future of those workers and the Heritage listed Workshops is uncertain. We have to urgently act to save our industrial and union heritage. The Government must unequivocally commit to preserving our Heritage and the operators that keep it functional.

Rail companies already have an extensive amount of data available (data Logger/Event recorders, Driver Advice Systems, radio voice recordings, and forward-facing camera) for investigation, compliance and assessments. Adding surveillance inside the cabin of locomotives will not prevent an incident from happening. Better training, support and a “no blame” culture will. We believe that the extended use of in-cab recording devices will have little if any impact on the efficacy of rail safety investigations and will have a significant detrimental effect on the mental health of Traincrew.

Public transport workers in Australia deal with millions of Australians getting them to work, school and play. This puts them at a heightened risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19. For many Governments, public transport workers are an afterthought. However, with this crisis, we need Governments of all levels to prioritise providing free and easy access to the new Covid-19 vaccine before big business and greedy CEOs get their hands on it. Public transport workers keep Australia moving and we can't let them be left at the back of the queue. #DontForgetPTWorkers #Covid19 #FrontlineHeros

The Blood Brothers building on the corner of Bedford and Warrandyte Roads is a local landmark. It was built in 1914 and is significant as an example of Edwardian corner shop architecture. Maroondah council wants to knock it down to build a multistorey carpark. Commuters want more carparking, but a significant heritage building should not be bulldozed to provide it. Council should be building this on current carpark sites at Ringwood Station.

Alistair Coe & the Liberals keep telling Canberrans how they will cut rates, taxes and charges, but they haven’t been so quick to tell us what they will cut to pay for it. Will it be cutting support for small businesses, or ending programs that are keeping Canberrans in work, or will the Liberals just make it harder to get to work by cutting vital infrastructure works like the light rail extension? Mr Coe - is it true you won’t rule out ending the programs that are key to our economic recovery, including cutting important projects like the light rail? Mr. Coe, isn’t it about time you told people in Canberra the truth?

Our bus drivers fear being killed or seriously injured for simply doing their job. We are aware of 9 assaults since last month alone. As our recent Bus Driver Safety Survey shows, these are not isolated incidents. There is a wider crisis engulfing our bus network where bus driver abuse has become so normalised it is simply seen as part of the job. Since March 2020, more than 40% of drivers now believe their job has become more unsafe and dangerous because of physical assaults and verbal abuse. Over 60% have been verbally abused and 7% physically assaulted in only 3 months. We can’t rely on ‘official’ Government figures. The TWU and our members know the true figures are much higher. Bus drivers have stopped reporting physical and verbal assault because daily abuse is now just seen as part of the job and they believe nothing gets done. Despite repeated attempts to engage with the former Minister for Transport, Stephan Knoll, to tackle this issue he repeatedly stuck his head in the sand and ignored the desperate calls from drivers to improve safety across the bus network. Minister Knoll did not even bother to show up to the TWU Bus Safety Summit which was attended by all key stakeholders, including bus operators, driver representatives, SAPOL, and the Opposition. Bus drivers deserve respect and protection. The TWU has consistently improved safety and conditions and we will not stop fighting. Now we need your help as we demand the Marshall Government introduces the highest industry standards of safety for drivers!

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.

Did you know that changes are being made to the Exit 200 Chevallum Forest Glen turnoff from the Bruce Highway? Did you know that a roundabout is being built at Chevallum Road/Rainforest Road and that this new exit will be the fastest and most direct way to travel to Palmwoods? Traffic along Chevallum Road and past Chevallum State School will increase as a result. The community needs to feel safe when they travel on or are near Chevallum Road. An upgrade is needed near Chevallum State School to reduce the risk of traffic incidents and personal injury around the school. We all know that this section of the road is already unsafe and congested at certain times of the day and we need to join together to sign this petition to let Local, State and Federal government members that our children's safety should come first and that money should be spent to upgrade Chevallum Road, in coordination with the building of the roundabout and new highway exit.