Victorian renters are overrepresented in casual work and will lose more than a week’s income that is urgently needed to pay rent. Victorian renters including older renters are already facing eviction, including self-evicting due to significant rental stress and Notices To Vacate since the COVID19 protections were lifted. Renters in significant hardship are facing rental increases in some cases by 25% in regional areas, as well as compounded COVID19 rental debt in addition to standard rental payments since the moratorium legislation was lifted on March 29th. Insecure, casual and low income workers are in significant insecurity and displacement since income support measures and the Rental Moratorium were scrapped from March 29th. Temporary Visa holders have been hit with extreme debt and forced into repayment of up to $20,000 in JobKeeper payments, as well as student and rental debts.

Independent assessments are intended to reduce spending on NDIS participants. They are part of government efforts to contain costs in the NDIS. These cuts will only increase the number of disabled people unable to access proper support and funding, and will force many disabled people into precarious positions. The cuts to the NDIS will also drive down pay and conditions for disability and mental health workers. The government says it will not introduce IAs until the second IA trial and further consultations have happened. But whatever they end up proposing, the government's plans are clear: to cut spending and exclude people from the NDIS. But we can stop them. Disabled people, disability and mental health workers, and our supporters can band together to show the widespread opposition to IAs and demand a fairer NDIS for all.

Yarra City Council have walked away from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build social housing at the Collingwood Town Hall. Last month, Yarra City Council voted against a proposal to revitalise vacant council owned land at the Collingwood Town Hall with social and affordable housing. This had been years in the making yet at the last minute the Council walked away from delivering - despite the Victorian Government committing to funding the project through the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build program. The rejected proposal would have included a minimum of 100 new social and affordable housing units and over 1,000 square metres of new community space. Instead, the council have proposed to build a 'community hub' which would cost about $21 million and was unlikely to attract a funding partner or grant. Giving up funding certainty in the face of a housing crisis for a half-baked idea like this doesn't make sense. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take advantage of state government funding – like many Victorian councils are doing right now – and build homes for people who desperately need them in the inner-city where rent is increasingly unaffordable for most. The City of Yarra need to prioritise housing and start living up to their word to make Yarra inclusive for all, not just those who can afford to live here. How can I help? • Sign this petition to let Yarra City Council know that the community want social housing to be built at Collingwood Town Hall. • Get involved in the community consultation for the council’s ‘alternative proposal’ and make it clear that the community want social housing to be prioritised. • Write to your Councillors to let them know how you feel about their decision and let’s get Council to support the original proposal.

Scott Morrison’s visa system favours big businesses at the expense of working people. There are workers who have lived in this country for years, who have families and communities here, and every day do the work that keeps our country running - but who are stuck in limbo from temporary visa to temporary visa. Meanwhile, the government has enabled exploitative employers to churn through a vulnerable temporary migrant workforce with limited rights. We need a fair visa system that puts workers over profit, and that gives every worker a fair chance - no matter where we come from.

A good apprenticeship provides all the tools you need to get started in a trade, setting you on the path to a rewarding career. But these days, some apprenticeships can be like the Wild West, with cowboy operators not properly training us, leaving us unsupervised, stealing our wages or - worst of all - putting our lives at risk by forcing us to do unsafe work. I went through a lot of this during my apprenticeship. I was excited to start my Boilermaker apprenticeship. I said to everyone; I want to fabricate things, forge things and it's going to be really cool. But during my apprenticeship I'd be working inside these barrels, no ventilation, no extraction fans, nothing. I'd have a p95 mask and I'd be in there for four hours, but within an hour the thing would be black and you couldn't breathe through it. I'd ask the boss for a new one and he would ask why I'd needed it. Often there was no one supervising me and the boss wouldn't release me and the other apprentices so we could go to Tafe. Unfortunately, my story isn't unique. It's become so bad that only half of Victorian apprentices ever finish their training. This has to stop. I'm joining forces with other apprentices and young workers to campaign for change. Sign our petition to call on the Victorian Government to fix the apprenticeship system and protect all apprentices from abuse and exploitation.

The cuts come at a time when UOW is moving many classes online in what looks to be a permanent arrangement. Meanwhile, students are being made to pay the same fees for lower quality, online degrees which often resemble tuning in to a Youtube channel. Fees for many degrees are also increasing, with Arts fees doubling.

We demand the University take action to develop a university-wide action plan that is victim centred and trauma informed: 1. Create a stand-alone sexual assault and harassment policy (including stalking and relationship violence), that is mandated across all UoM departments and affiliates, including residential colleges. This policy should be developed in conjunction with those with lived experience and subject matter experts. It should focus on reporting as a process, rather than a singular decision. 2. Move all reporting and therapeutic services, including anonymous reporting, away from University administrative premises into a stand-alone ‘Health and Wellbeing Centre’. All reporting and therapeutic services should reflect the diversity of the University community. 3. Publish clear guidelines, in multiple languages, about reporting, complaint, investigation, and adjudication processes. 4. Publish clear information about the breadth and diversity of sexual and relationship harms, to promote reporting from as many groups and communities within UoM as possible. 5. Publish annual figures (appropriately anonymised) for reporting, complaint, and adjudication, to promote transparency in decision-making and development of a genuine ‘zero tolerance’ approach. 6. Develop an independent investigative process, including appropriately trained staff, available to all departments and affiliates of UoM. 7. Maintain one investigative process for all complaints, whether student or staff. This should include all graduate students and those on placement with external agencies. 8. Develop alternative justice and resolution processes, with appropriately trained and supported staff, made available across UoM and affiliates. 9. Develop appropriate educational resources, alongside students, to define UoM culture and expectations, and assist students in developing positive relationships. 10. Develop a liaison committee, including representatives from key community agencies and services.

I am a TasTAFE teacher who works closely with local industry to deliver the training and education they need in a workforce. For years I've pushed TasTAFE management to deliver the courses demanded by students and employers and I've sat down with government to discuss how TasTAFE can provide flexible training options. Deliberate underfunding from governments has already resulted in TAFE courses being cut and smaller regional communities and businesses losing quality training options. TasTAFE teachers and support staff understand the needs of their industries and students. We know how important we are to Tasmania's economic recovery. Instead of working together to ensure Tasmanians have the training and skills for our COVID-19 recovery, the Tasmanian Liberal Government has declared war on TAFE teachers and support staff with an ideological privatisation plan that will only delay economic recovery. Let's rebuild with TAFE together and stop the Liberal Party's disastrous privatisation plan.

In the last year 290,500 Australians sought help from specialist homelessness services. These critical services support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including vulnerable groups such as women and children escaping domestic and family violence. If the Federal Government goes ahead with this $50m cut, critical services will be closed and jobs lost across Australia. Homelessness services were not meeting demand pre COVID-19 and are now under extreme pressure due to the impact of COVID-19 and economic recession. To rebuild out of this crisis and be able to support our most vulnerable Australians we cannot afford to lose hundreds of critical frontline homelessness workers. We call on the Morrison Government to ensure it continues and indexes its existing level of funding for these critical community services so workers are paid properly and able to continue to focus on supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Don’t close the door on homelessness services!

We are essential workers taking indefinite industrial action, without pay, because we are fighting for respect! We make the sauces and spices that make sure your nuggets aren't dry and that the food at McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, KFC & Nandos is delicious! We even continued to work throughout the pandemic to provide people in Australia the food they crave. But after working through the pandemic, and suffering through 5 years with no wage increase, our employer, McCormick, is only offering us a 0% pay rise AND cuts to our penalties, meal breaks and more. McCormick’s is an extremely profitable company and can afford to meet our reasonable demands, but instead they send even more of their profits overseas to the USA. Let McCormick know that unless they make this right and come to us with a fair resolution, their brand will be tarnished forever!

Rape culture in parliament threatens our involvement in the political process. Parliament, in its current state, lacks representation of oppressed gender groups. First Nations women, trans and gender diverse people are particularly underrepresented in our legal system. The endemic sexual abuse that is perpetrated in parliament threatens the paltry representation that oppressed gender groups have ascertained thusfar and makes it difficult for those marginalised groups to speak up against gendered violence and support victim surviours for fear of receiving their own workplace bullying, relocation or loss of livelihood. For too long we have worked within the system and compromised with the state on our bodily autonomy, our rights and our safety. We say enough. It’s time to End the Silence on Sexual Violence.

THERE'S A CRISIS IN RESIDENTIAL CARE Every month hundreds of shifts are being covered by fatigued Youth Workers working excessive overtime. Many more are not covered at all. The staffing shortage has become so chronic that social workers are now being forced to care for children in offices because there aren't enough Residential Care staff to care for them. This puts vulnerable children and the staff that care for them at serious risk. Minister Sanderson has known about this for years, yet the problem is getting worse. The Public Service Association has calculated that we need at least 60 more full-time youth workers to ensure appropriate staffing in Residential Care. EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS MUST BE RESTORED In the last two State Budgets Minister Sanderson’s government has made significant cuts to successful early intervention programs. As a result we’re seeing more children coming into state care. We need these programs restored to ensure vulnerable children and families are supported to function independently. CUTS TO ABORIGINAL PROGRAMS MUST BE ABANDONED Many children in care are Aboriginal. Yet, Minister Sanderson’s government is planning to axe critical programs specifically designed to support Aboriginal children and their families.