Announcing the federal budget, Treasurer Scott Morrison stated that "keeping Australians safe" was one of five commitments prioritised by the Turnbull government. They demonstrated this by an increase in funding to tighten visa processing scrutiny, increase security at airports, and assist police and crime agencies to fight crime and terrorism. A WOMAN DIES EVERY WEEK AT THE HANDS OF HER CURRENT OR EX PARTNER. How can this government possibly say they are committed to keeping Australians safe when they have so heinously overlooked those so vulnerable, in such desperate need. This is not a responsible government, they do not prioritise and care for the needs of their people. Sign this petition to send a message to Canberra that the Australian people aren't okay with this and we won't tolerate it.

Council’s direct delivery of vital community services protects our vulnerable and older residents in their homes. Victorian local government has a proud history of leading the country in delivering quality services into homes in this area and it must be maintained. Right now, Moonee Valley Council is considering abandoning our older residents and outsourcing the service. Any moves to cease direct delivery of this service would have the following consequences: - Reduced provision, lower quality and consistency of care to clients; - Displacement of workers in secure, well paid, well supervised work within your local community; - No minimum qualification requirements, where vulnerable clients will be forced to allow potentially untrained providers into their homes, leaving them significantly vulnerable to abuse; - Loss of a holistic assessment client needs and coordinated or escalated service delivery or referral to match the changing needs of clients; - Loss of integrated services due to lack of participation of private providers in local partnerships, networks and alliances.

A Facebook Page called 'Let's Nationalise Qantas' aims to have the Qantas Group returned to government ownership to: * produce revenue for the Government, thereby reducing the burden on the average taxpayer * allow every Australian the opportunity to own and feel a part of a major icon * provide investment to the airline that only governments can reasonably do * ensure that safety is the priority over cost-cutting

No worker deserves to be abused at work. When trains are cancelled or delayed, or simply people are disgruntled by the transport operator, often this anger is taken out on the human face that might sell tickets or provide customer service. Public Transport workers are proud of the work we do and want to feel safe in serving the community. While this only affects a minority of the population, this legislation will make a big difference to our safety on the job.

When you think about your local community what springs to mind? Perhaps it's taking your kids to the local library or playground; swimming laps at your local pool; playing at your local sporting club; taking your dog to the dog park or enjoying local food festivals and street parties? These services are made possible by your local council - and they are now under threat. The State Liberal Government wants to implement rate capping; an arbitrary one-size- fits-all limit on council rates that restricts the ability of councils to provide essential community services. If rate capping gets up, we will see a reduction in services, reduced investment in infrastructure and backlogs in crucial maintenance. It means the services that contribute to building strong and vibrant communities are either reduced or discontinued entirely. Rate capping also means communities pay more for the things that they love. In the most extreme cases overseas, important services like libraries have been handed over to untrained volunteers to run- or worse, privatised. Imagine having to pay a fee to access your local library? We don't want to see people forced to pay more for essential government services. That's why we're calling on Members of Parliament to vote against rate capping.

• The number of Indigenous children taken from their families has doubled in the decade since the 2008 apology to the Stolen Generations. Less than 35 per cent of these children are placed with their Aboriginal family. • Funding continues to be directed to removing children. There is no serious investment in early intervention that help keep families together, or to meet the unmet needs for housing, employment and other basic services, the root cause of the “neglect” that leads many children to be removed. • Once kids are removed families struggle to get them back, with little support provided and a system biased against return. Current reforms are placing children in foster care until they are 18 years old almost immediately and there is a further push to ease restrictions on adoption.

The Victorian government is gutting the community mental health sector. It argues that it can pull this funding out of the sector because the NDIS is a better system for people with mental health needs. But here is what is really happening: • 91% of Victorian with severe mental health needs are not even eligible for the NDIS – leaving a massive 135,000 people without any support services. • Mental health admissions at ED’s have jumped over 19% in the past 4 years, putting an incredible strain on an already over-burdened system. • Victoria spends less per capita on mental health support than any other state or territory – $197 per capita to the rest of Australia’s average of $227. Along with these shocking facts, more than a thousand well-trained and dedicated Community Mental Health workers are being forced out of their jobs. This is devastating to them, their families and the people they support. Community Mental Health workers work in services that support Victorians with a wide range of mental health challenges. Their support helps people to live better lives and contribute to their communities. Community Mental Health is the frontline of mental health services that takes pressure off the hospitals and other acute services, the police and the courts. We’ve been warning of a crisis in mental health support – that crisis is now here. Vulnerable people with complex needs are falling through an ever widening gap. The Andrews government must recognise this looming disaster and act quickly to save Victoria’s recovery-focused community-based mental health support services.

Newstart at $269 per week, is $177 per week below the poverty-line. It is less than 41 percent of the minimum wage, less than 18 percent of the average wage, and has not been raised in real terms for 23 years.
 Even the Business Council of Australia has advocated to the government that the low rate of Newstart presents a barrier to employment and risks entrenching poverty. 
 Increasing Newstart would benefit local economies, by increasing the spending power of those on low incomes, whose extra funds would circulate through local businesses. It would also reduce the strain on Council community services assisting the growing number of people experiencing hardship. Eleven local councils in South Australia and Victoria have added their voices to the chorus of business, union and welfare groups which have called for Newstart to be increased. The South Australian councils which have passed motions are Adelaide, Clare and Gilbert Valley, Copper Coast, Kangaroo Island, Mount Gambier, Onkaparinga, Playford, Port Adelaide Enfield, Salisbury, and Streaky Bay. In Victoria, the Moreland City Council has also passed a motion. The inadequacy of the Newstart payment entrenches poverty and contributes to homelessness. With the growth of gentrification and development in Melbourne's inner west the Newstart payment is no longer providing the means for Maribyrnong's working-class and migrant population to live in the area. The Maribyrnong City Council should support the motion to increase Newstart and protect the area's identity as being one of the most diverse and accessible places to live in Melbourne.

The NSW Government are hell bent on selling off our public services, and there is no better example of this than what they have done to public transport in our great state. They’ve sold off Inner West buses, bungled the light rail, over-worked and under-staffed our train drivers and now they want to sell off the Illawarra/Eastern Suburbs Line (https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/eastern-suburbs-and-illawarra-line-to-stand-alone-in-a-decade-report-20180327-p4z6j3.html) Public transport should remain just that. We need public services that exist to serve our community to the highest standard possible, not a system that is motivated by profit and which can leave ordinary working people with a higher cost of living. Tell Andrew Constance and the NSW Liberal Government that NSW Public Sevices are NOT for sale and to keep the Illawarra/Eastern Suburbs Line in public hands.

The ANMF have consistently raised these concerns with THS, however with little outcome. As a result, on the 19th March members committed to commencing industrial action. This action will continue until the ANMF receive a commitment for the following outcomes as identified by members in their resolution to highlight the current bed block crisis: • Funding, staffing and opening up all beds on ward 4D at the LGH to its full capacity. • Funding, staffing and opening up all beds on 4K at the LGH to its full capacity. • Funding, staffing and opening up currently closed beds in the Intensive Critical Care Unit to be used as a High Dependency Unit. • An action plan for respiratory isolation. • Funding to staff permanent assistants in nursing (AINs) as sitters on the medical wards, to alleviate nursing staff from undertaking double shifts. • A long term commitment to fund and open additional medical and geriatric beds at the LGH. • Permanent funding for the Emergency Medical Unit within the ED. • Funding to staff after hours allied health positions within the ED. • More telemetry units purchased as often patients are waiting in the ED for a unit to become available on the wards. • Implementation of a Psychiatric Emergency Nurses seven days (and evenings) a week, to de-escalate and support all challenging presentations. That this position is funded from additional resources. ANMF members working at the LGH deserve better and so do the patients, families and wider community affected by the issue.

In 2016, there were over 53 million failed calls to Centrelink. The Centrelink Newstart line is engaged most of the day, which means it is actually impossible for unemployed workers to contact Centrelink. This is outrageous. As a result of this system, those on social security system are unable to call up to report, change circumstances, resolve a suspension, or just ask a question. Social security recipients deserve respect. The least the Government can do is listen to what we have to say.

The Fairwork Commission is undergoing a review that focuses on swim teachers pay for the industry. Most of the swimming instructors we work with will train for anywhere between 6 and 12 months. The process to become a swimming teacher is quite long and arduous. We do internal train, we do training courses we must have Working with Children and CPR certifications. We would cover these requirements over the 6 – 12 month period. During this time, however, we would at times still be required to teach classes generally due to the lack of teachers on a given shift. So, there we are, teaching kids to swim but technically still a ‘trainee’ and being paid that way. Given their way employers want this sort of practice to be written into the Fitness Industry Award by having a ‘trainee swim teacher’ role at level one. Given that the words ‘swim teacher’ don’t come into the Award until level 3, this would blur the lines terribly for new swimming teachers coming into the industry. We want to make a difference. We want to change the rules, so they support young workers not exploit them. We would really appreciate your support!