We all rely on Firefighters and Paramedics to turn up in our greatest time of need. The current system punishes their dedication and service, and punishes their families, by undermining their financial security in retirement.

Unisuper members need to support divestment in businesses that are complicit in war crimes. Its our money being invested into supporting the killing of innocent people by Elbit Systems!

Metro mechanics have been paid well below the industry standard for years, are receiving less training, and are quitting due to poor working conditions. That means fewer buses on the road and service cuts that leave passengers high and dry. The Tasmanian Premier, Transport Minister and Metro CEO Katie Cooper must commit to paying an industry rate for Metro mechanics. All Metro workers deserve decent pay and secure jobs – and Metro passengers deserve a bus service they can rely on. The only way to fix Metro is to fund ALL of Metro. Anything less won’t see cancelled routes restored.

The little information that is available indicates that the Minister's proposed changes to the Fire Service Act will strip the State Fire Commission of all statutory authority, shifting some of it to the Department Secretary who is also the Commissioner of Police. Fire rescue and state emergency personnel have already felt the impacts of resources being stripped from TFS after the integration with DPFEM, which gave the Commissioner of Police influence over the fire service through their role as Secretary. We have grave concerns that these changes will see fewer resources available for TFES, which will prevent any sustained improvement to fire rescue and state emergency services. WHS systems provided by DPFEM are failing, with over a dozen notices issued for suspected contraventions of the WHS Act. Most of the fleet was found to be unroadworthy and a shortage of mechanics is leading to delays and vehicles breaking down. Training systems are chaotic and aren't delivering for the evolving needs of the fire rescue and state emergency services. Tasmanians already have some of the poorest emergency response statistics in Australia. The proposed changes will only make this worse, putting Tasmanian lives and property at further risk.

Council-run in-home aged care and NDIS services provide a lifeline for our vulnerable elderly relatives, friends, and neighbors, enabling them to live independently in the comfort of their own homes. The importance of retaining a sense of independence cannot be overstated, as it plays a crucial role in maintaining one's mental and emotional wellbeing. The highly trained council workers who deliver this vital community service are second to none, and their permanent jobs and livable wages ensure that clients receive the continuity of care they deserve. Victoria's local government has a proud history of leading the country in delivering quality in-home services, and this must be maintained. Privatising this service would have disastrous consequences, including reduced provision, lower quality, and consistency of care for clients, as well as displacement of workers from secure and well-paid jobs within our local community. In addition, vulnerable clients may be forced to allow potentially untrained providers into their homes, leaving them significantly vulnerable to abuse. There would be a loss of holistic assessment of client needs and coordinated or escalated service delivery, which may result in inadequate care for those in need. Furthermore, integrated services would suffer due to a lack of participation of private providers in local partnerships, networks, and alliances. We cannot allow our elderly community members to suffer due to a lack of funding or support. We must demand that Council maintains its existing home care services, which are critical to ensuring the wellbeing of our most vulnerable community members.

Financial stress means many aspiring teachers struggle to manage their living expenses while undertaking unpaid teaching placements. Some ask family and friends for financial assistance, and others take on personal loans. The impact of unpaid placements is particularly severe for those with families or caring responsibilities, regional and rural students, and students from marginalised communities. Too many pre-service teachers are unable complete their studies, making Victoria's teacher shortage even worse. Without enough teachers in our schools and kindergartens, students are denied access to the full range of learning and support programs they need.

If these services are outsourced, the Sutherland Shire community will lose out. These quality early education places will be lost, and families will suffer dramatic increases to fees and their cost of living. The hard-working early childhood educators will also lose their secure Council jobs and conditions. These Council-run services also set the standard against greedy for-profit childcare centres, what will happen without them? The General Manager and Councillors have refused to come clean and let Shire residents know what they are doing. What is Council secretly planning? The USU says these council services must not be lost to the community. As signatories we say: DON'T SELL OFF OUR PUBLIC CHILDCARE CENTRES!

DEVONSHIRE STREET IS THE ONLY COUNCIL-RUN CHILDCARE IN WILLOUGHBY COUNCIL. DON’T SELL IT OFF!

The waterways in and around Sydney, as well as the water we drink, are kept safe, clean and affordable by Sydney Water, which operates for the public. Making our harbour, coastline and drinking water a source of profit puts this at risk. If Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals privatise Sydney Water: • Water rates will go up by $264 a year; • Thousands of jobs will be lost; • Our pristine beaches and waterways are at risk. Don’t risk our water. Add your name to send a clear message to the NSW Premier – hands off Sydney Water!

We the undersigned call on the Australian Government to address the failure to maintain the Age Pension at a level that aligns to acceptable community living standards. Age pensioners are now living at or below the poverty line, because of obsolete statutory methods of calculating the six-monthly increases. This is significantly contributing to the rise in homelessness, malnutrition, isolation, and physical/mental health issues. Subject to the March ‘23 pensions increase, at the May 2023 Budget the dollar amount of the Base Pension Rate for single pension must be lifted to $655/week and for couple pensioners, $769/week.

Regional and local media is more important than ever. Our regional communities need and deserve journalism that is ethical, independent and trustworthy. Australian Community Media - which owns over 100 regional papers including Ballarat's 'The Courier' is trying to cut important conditions from the workers' Enterprise Agreement. One of these cuts includes walking away from the paper's commitment to abide by the MEAA Journalist Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics protects sources, readers and journalists, and upholds journalism we can trust. It requires journalists to report honestly, accurately and independently, and upholds transparency and fairness. Removing it means journalists could be asked to prioritise advertising or commercial interests over accuracy and fairness, disrespect grief and personal privacy, place unnecessary emphasis on race, gender or other personal characteristics, or suppress relevant facts. Journalists at The Courier are fighting to protect their ethics, and they need your support. Sign the petition to tell Australian Community Media to support our community and our stories!

Executives at iCare, the NSW Government agency responsible for supporting injured workers, will each be awarded an average $30,000 pay rise with the CEO receiving a $246,508 pay rise to put his salary at over $1 million. This is the reward executives at one of the worst performing government agencies in history get after underpaying 53,000 injured workers a total of $38 million and leaking the private details of almost 200,000 workers. Meanwhile, the Perrottet Government is capping the wages of essential workers below the cost of living after supporting our state through the COVID pandemic. Under the NSW Government, executives and politicians continue to enjoy massive pay rises over and above exhausted essential workers. Essential Workers Deserve Better. Add your name to tell the Perrottet Government to scrap the obscene wage increase and pay essential workers what they’re worth.