Storey Road Reserve is a gathering place for a diverse range of community members including; older people, local children and families, couples and singles who all rely on the park for active movement, greenspace and social connection. It's also a pocket of habitat for local wildlife in a built-up suburb. We face a public health and environmental threat due to the absence of public bins. It has led to an alarming increase in the improper disposal of waste, particularly bags of dog excrement. This situation detracts from our park's ability to be a calming green and clean space and poses a health risk. The presence of dog waste is not just unsightly; it’s a source of contamination and potential spread of diseases, which could particularly affect the young children who play in the park and community members who are immunocompromised or elderly. In addition littering of sharp waste has been observed which could cause injury and illness. Plastic waste is often dumped and this causes death and injury to local wildlife. In the interest of public health, environmental cleanliness, and community well-being, we urge the Darebin Council to install public bins in Storey Road Reserve in the next budget. We believe installing bins will encourage responsible waste disposal, thus preserving the park's hygiene, amenity and improving social behaviour. It also aligns with our community's environmental stewardship and public health values.

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 to 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!

Postal workers carried our communities through the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic along with all of our essential workers. Working harder than ever to cope with the endless stream of care packages, online shopping and letters to loved ones in lockdown. Posties are burning out from the increased workload. Being a postie used to be a job you could rely on - but now many are stressed and overworked and are feeling pressured to risk their own safety on our roads to complete their rounds within time constraints. 10 years ago no one wanted to leave, now many do not want to stay! Posties say they are skipping their breaks and are forced to go faster to meet their increased work loads and long hours in an already dangerous job. As more and more posties burn out - and fewer are being recruited (the above proposal would see current vacancies not filled) - posties are facing a workload crisis that Australia Post refuses to acknowledge.

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

Working people are absorbing price increases on everything they buy and spending more of their wages on bills. Meanwhile, company gross operating profits rose 10.6% seasonally adjusted for Dec 2022. The Reserve Bank continues to increase interest rates to tackle inflation, but excess corporate profits account for 69% of additional inflation beyond the RBA’s target. Rising unit labour costs account for just 18% of that inflation. It's time that struggling Australians got their fair share of these massive corporate profits. Pay UP!

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!