The Commonwealth Bank is withdrawing their services from Logan Central Plaza, a move that will impact hundreds of local pensioners, not-for-profit groups, families and local business. Distressed residents from the local community are coming to me asking for help to reverse this mean-spirited decision. The planned closure is outrageous and lacking in community spirit. I regularly hold mobile offices at Logan Central Plaza and the queues to get into the bank can span the frontage of several shop tenancies. The people who frequent the bank then go on to spend money in the local shopping centre which in turn supports local jobs. Moving the bank away from the centre will move the spending capacity of local residents. This quiet closure of the local bank has come at a time when business is just starting to get on their feet post-covid, when pensioners are starting to feel confident about heading out to the shops for social outings and when families are receiving an income again. I have written to the Finance Sector Union and the Commonwealth Bank asking for a reversal of the decision. It is important to note that the staff from Commbank know locals, know their circumstances and know their challenges. A lot of clients are aged, come from CALD backgrounds and have trust in the staff that have been servicing their financial needs in a prompt and professional manner for years. I urge residents and community members to sign the petition and let Commbank know we need our local bank branches to be active in our community. Invest in us like we do in you.

Burnie's arts, cultural and tourism sector is growing. Despite a pandemic, Burnie has seen domestic tourism return, and international tourism is on the cards sooner than anybody previously thought. The City claims that their repeated deficits are to blame for these closures. These deficits were created through a reduction in rates, and they were planned for. These deficits are no surprise. Council’s deficit last financial year was just $340,000; just 1% of their annual budget. Council spent over $4 million on contract services last year and are expected to continue along this same trajectory into the future. Many of the services which were contracted out are services which could be done much cheaper in-house; such as cleaning, weed spraying, general construction and asphalt work. Additionally, Council wasted over $550,000 in just five months last year on architectural services for a new Museum and Art Gallery, which will be thrown in the trash if these proposed changes go ahead. It’s this wasteful approach to spending which is causing harm to the budget, not staffing these vital services for this community. The decision to close many of the city's cultural institutions is incredibly short-sighted and extremely damaging to the fabric of Burnie. Burnie City Council's employees worked right through the North-West's COVID-19 outbreak. The livelihoods of these dedicated, long term employees should be a key factor in any decision. These closures will decimate any progress made towards a better Burnie for everyone and will result in a complete loss of vibrancy in the City. The community have made their voices heard. Council has no mandate to close these services. The decision must be reversed.

Australian Services Union members throughout South Australia provide crucial library services to our local communities but State Government funding for our libraries runs out on June 30. If Premier Steven Marshall cuts funding to our libraries, local communities will lose access to: books, access to computers and community activities for new mums, the elderly and the wider community. Approximately 80% of the library workforce are women. Cuts to library funding will mean cuts to jobs when South Australia is facing the highest unemployment rate in the country. We need your support to save our libraries.

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.

Tasmanians face the highest risk of death in a residential fire in Australia, but Tasmania has one of the lowest funded fire services in Australia, per capita, by the area covered or by risk. The North West Coast is particularly vulnerable compared to other areas of Tasmania, but there is only a single 24/7 crew in Burnie and Devonport while Hobart and Launceston have multiple 24/7 crews. Calls to building fires, road crash rescue, technical rescue, and hazardous material incidents require two or more crews to attend. Volunteers need more support to ensure that they have the training, equipment, and support to safely respond to fire incidents. The Tasmanian community faces a higher risk from residential fires and bushfires with minimal funding allocated to the fire service.

Our electricity generation system is undergoing rapid change as coal-fired power is replaced by renewable energy. We need this to happen fast to avoid catastrophic climate change, and so that Australia is not left behind in the shift to a new clean economy. Workers in the fossil fuel industry have contributed enormously to Australia’s wealth over generations. It is vital that they are not cast aside as we build a sustainable economy. Currently, decisions about power station closures and the replacement generation are largely made by big private companies driven by profit in a “free market” that gives no consideration to the interests of workers or the local community more broadly. To ensure the energy transformation is fair to workers and their communities, we need a National Energy Transition Authority that plans and coordinates all-of-government actions to make sure no worker and no community is left behind.

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!

Council-run home care enables those in need to live independently at home for as long possible. Being able to retain a sense of independence is so important for mental and emotional health. Our ageing relatives, friends and neighbours deserve to retain the quality care they get from our highly trained Council workers

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.

Yarra Council area is an open, accepting community. Edinburgh Gardens attracts a wide cross-section of our community, and on a sunny day is enjoyed by hundreds who picnic, play and walk through the gardens. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of public green space. Everyone should have access to green space where they can meet family and friends, host end of year catch ups and socialise in a COVID-safe way. The proposal to institute a blanket alcohol ban will unnecessarily impact on residents' use of our public park. Not all residents of Yarra have private backyards, or space to host friends and family in a safe way. Access to public parks is really important for social connections, but also broader community connectedness. An alcohol ban would also have a disproportionate impact on marginalised people. Yarra City Councillors should not bow to a vocal minority. Edinburgh Gardens is a park for our whole community, and should be able to be enjoyed by everyone.