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.

The Australian Services Union represents processing and telephony employees at Serco. These employees are the backbone of the Services Australia system, and have worked tirelessly to support Australians during bushfires, Covid-19 and a major recession. These essential workers in the processing team are classified as Casual, so after years of services helping vulnerable Australians, they will be left with nothing. We need the Government to intervene and help save these jobs and help support Services Australia.

NSW Liberal Transport Minister Andrew Constance says time is up for Sydney's world-renowned Freshwater ferries – immortalised by Australian Crawl's song Reckless – that ply the Manly to Circular Quay route. The first of the four ferries is set to be removed from service next year, while the others are likely to be retired as early as 2022. Internationally recognisable, these doubled-ended “Manly ferries” are the iconic jewel in the crown for Sydney Harbour and an Australian institution. The proposed successor Emerald-class ferry will see passenger capacity reduced from 1100 passengers down to 400 passengers per trip. There is no doubt that this will have a major impact on the levels of tourism to Manly, particularly through school holidays and the warmer months. Of course, the Emerald Class will simply not be able to handle the seas across the Heads and operate to the 5m swell limit like the Freshwater-class does. To remove these vessels would be the same as pulling the Staten Island ferries out of New York, the Star Ferries out of Hong Kong or the Cable Cars out of San Francisco. All iconic in their own nature. This announcement is simply the wrong decision.

When faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, workers offered to roll over their current Enterprise Agreement so that everyone could focus on supporting South Australians through the public health crisis. The Marshall Liberal Government rejected this, and now after months of negotiations, they are still shamefully in favour of attacking workers’ conditions, including their job security, leaving workers and the community concerned that the Government has an intention to privatise further services. We call on the Treasurer and the Marshall Liberal Government to support these workers by agreeing to stop the attacks on their conditions and commit to secure jobs for essential workers. Sign the petition now! Send the Marshall Liberal Government a clear message that the community supports these essential workers