Please join us by signing this petition to remind federal MPs that our voices matter and our votes count. According to ABS statistics, as of December 2019 Australia’s total population was 25,522,169 people – as of July 2020, 5,854,105 were in receipt of a social security payment (2,556,017 age pensioners; 1,614,412 unemployed; 1,048,453 disabled people and carers; 335,455 parents; 299,768 students and trainees). As of 2020 the base rates of all social security payments are below the poverty line, leading to personal hardship, deprivation and homelessness, as well as having a negative impact upon the economy. Australia is a party to seven core international human rights treaties, including article 9 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),9 yet is failing to ensure its citizens have the means to access essential health care, housing and food. To find out more information about what the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union is all about or to become a member visit auwu.org.au

Teachers, students and parents across Victoria are facing stress, anxiety and inequality as the VCE exams approach. We call on the Ministers of Education to take these urgent measures to alleviate the stress, reduce the impossible pressure on teachers, and create pathways to tertiary education for Year 12 students. These measures are urgent given; *ongoing disruption to learning caused by the pandemic and the likely continuation of this into the new year; *inequality of educational opportunity that the COVID pandemic has only compounded; *increasingly short-time frame for any kind of alternative assessment; *anxiety and uncertainty for school leavers as they face extremely competitive youth labour market and drastic cuts in the higher education sector; *uncertain workload implications for teachers of individual special consideration applications.

Grievance The Petition of residents to the City of Kingston draws to the attention of the of Kingston Council that: 1. Headspace Centres act as a one-stop-shop for young people who need help with mental health, physical health (including sexual health), alcohol and other drugs or work and study support. 2. Headspace is a fantastic service which caters to young people who might be experiencing mental health challenges 3. That Kingston Council does not have a Headspace facility to serve the bayside area of the municipality and travel to the closest facilities in Frankston, Dandenong and Moorabbin could prove difficult for young people seeking help. 4. That the Mordialloc Youth Hub or surrounding locations would be suitable due to its proximity to a multitude of primary and secondary schools, local sporting clubs and its accessibility via public transport. 5. The impacts of Covid-19, online learning and social isolation has disproportionately affected young people’s mental health. 6. Council should be working with their federal counterparts for vital services that will benefit the community, and should play a leading role in their delivery. Authorised by: Declan Dubout, 25 Davey Street, Parkdale, 3195

It is important because we want pools and swim centres to continue to be operated by council. Please sign the petition on the right-hand side of this page. By signing this petition, we are calling on Council Management and Councillors to continue to provide vital community services.

It is even more important because the pandemic has impacted the earnings of households. Unemployment due to COVID has increased in our community and this means working families are more in need than ever before to meet their basic needs like putting food on the table and cannot afford their escalating rate bills.

Stop Modern Slavery SA is a campaign started with the goal to shine a light on the exploitative practices occurring currently in South Australia. Modern slavery is very much a reality in our world today, including here in South Australia. However, these practices remain largely hidden. The International Labour Organization estimates there are over 40 million people trapped in situations of slavery worldwide. Australia is no exception. No more is slavery a picture of someone in chains. It is much more complex and much more hidden but just as prevalent, if not more with an estimate of one in 200 people being enslaved. In South Australia there is evidence that modern slavery can take many forms including: • Forced Marriage - Forcing, coercing or tricking someone to marry another person, against their will and without their consent. Victims of forced marriage are often under 18. • Partner Visa Holder Servitude - After entering into a legitimate marriage and arriving in Australia, victims are forced or coerced into domestic, commercial and/or sexual servitude. In these cases, the person is deprived of their freedom and is forced to perform services with no pay and in exploitative working conditions. • Labour Exploitation and Forced Labour - People are forced to work in exploitative working conditions (long hours without breaks, in extreme heat or cold), are paid well below minimum wage (wage theft), sometimes not at all and are, at times, physically and/or sexually abused. Exorbitant debts are sometimes created for the victim to have to repay before they are free to cease working. The most common industries for forced labour/labour exploitation in South Australia are agriculture/horticulture, food and entertaining and cleaning. • Domestic and Commercial Sexual Exploitation - Where someone is forced to perform sex work/sexual services against their consent. Many people living in South Australia would not realise there are women and men, and children as young as 14 years old trapped in slavery and slavery-like conditions in metropolitan Adelaide and rural South Australia. It has recently been exposed that these practices are a reality here. Many of us would be appalled to realise this is happening all around us. Victims are alone, isolated and living in fear of violence or repercussions if they try to leave these conditions. Within the cycle of modern slavery, victims can go on to continue the exploitation of others. We need to act today to understand who are forcing or coercing people to stay in exploitative conditions, who are encouraging these practices and to get victims the help they need to stop the cycle from continuing and leading to more people to become trapped in modern slavery. #stopslaverySA

In 2018, the University's annual revenue was $2.53 billion. Vice Chancellor Michael Spence has a yearly salary of $1.53 million. Sydney University is one of Australia's wealthiest institutions. Tutors, lecturers and professional staff are essential to the learning experience for students, and a 30% reduction will mean larger tutorials, overworked tutors, and less responsive student services. Students are already facing the prospect of massively increased university fees, with humanities degrees set to more than double in price, to $14,500 per year. For staff, the threat of unemployment means the possibility of being forced onto the already insufficient JobSeeker payment, due to be reduced to only $810 a fortnight from September. It is unconscionable that staff and students should bear the brunt of the University's funding crisis. We demand No Cuts!

This is part of a series of attacks against staff and student from both the Liberal government and university management. Courses are getting slashed while the price of education is increasing. Social work students under current liberal plans will also see the cost of their degrees double in 2021. The University of Sydney is one of the richest universities in the country and Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence sits on a million-dollar yearly salary. Management can easily afford to fund the School of Education and Social Work, but they're only concerned about their profits. We need to fight back against all attacks against our education! If you want to join the campaign, join the USYD Education Action Group and join the organising group for Education and Social Work students https://www.facebook.com/groups/1267400043595226/. Join the National Day of Action on August 28 to fight for our education! https://www.facebook.com/events/281188686290641/

It is important because we want an in-house bid. Please sign the petition on the right-hand side of this page.

It is important because we want Childcare Services to continue to be operated by council. Please sign the petition on the right-hand side of this page. By signing this petition, we are calling on Council Management and Councillors to continue to provide vital community services.

Mark Latham's Education Legislation Amendment (Parental Rights) Bill 2020 is a dangerous attack to LGBTIQ+ kids and staff. If passed, the Bill will: -prohibit trans and gender diverse content being taught in health and physical education classes. - prohibit teachers from mentioning the existence of LGBTI+ characters, people or events in other subjects like English or History. - prohibit counsellors from giving advice to students on the subject of gender fluidity. - force teachers to refuse to call students by their preferred pronouns. - teachers who do not comply could lose their accreditation and their jobs. - allow parents and guardians to remove their child from any course that mentions sexuality. - force schools to consult with parents and guardians at the start of each year about any course which mentions sexuality (and change the courses accordingly). - legitimise the stigmatization of intersex students. This Bill goes further even than the Religious Discrimination Bill that the Morrison government has waiting in the shadows - which itself would legalise discrimination towards LGBTI+ people in Australia. Latham's Bill goes further as a calculated attempt to erase the very existence of LGBTI+ people and force kids and staff back into the closet. Please share this petition to keep up the fight!

Standard DSP only has a $174 per fortnight allowance for earning beyond the DSP payment. For every dollar after that, the recipient loses 50c in every $1. The effect of this is to reduce the hourly wage in earnings to around $10 per hour. This legislation, which creates a two class disability payment system, is discriminatory. We need to join together and demand that the Government provide all DSP recipients with the same level of benefits. This must be addressed immediately. If you also want a copy and paste letter to forward to your local minister, please feel free to use the following… To minister <name>, I have recently become aware of an unfair and unjust practice of the Australian government paying 2 different disability support payments (DSP). The standard DSP is income and asset tested and restricts recipients to being renumerated for their employment to around $10 gross/hour maximum. The second category is reserved for those classified as ‘legally blind’. As this payment has no income or asset restriction, all money earned from employment is retained. As disabled people face enormous struggles in their day to day life, whether their particular disability is legal blindness, or some other disability type, all should have the same set of access to a fair pay for work undertaken. As a society we have long ago moved toward equity and as such all should be granted the second DSP. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Sincerely, <Your name>