Period poverty is the struggle people with a period face in affording menstrual products and describes the larger economic vulnerability faced due to the increasing financial burden of period supplies. Across the world, 1 in 5 people with a period experience period poverty. Period poverty affects student’s ability to attend university and can cause people to use improvised menstrual hygiene materials that can lead to infection. This causes increased risk of infection, decreased productivity and participation, reduces education outcomes, and affects the mental health of those experiencing period poverty. We want to end period poverty at JCU and remove the barriers to education that period poverty imposes on our students. Currently we do not have up to date statistics regarding abortion in Queensland, however, it is known that between 1/4 to 1/3 of Australian women will have an abortion in their lifetime. Abortion services in Townsville have only recently been made accessible to the public after previous closure. Medical terminations of pregnancy are available via GPs or a private provider up to 9 weeks gestation and after that, Townsville University Hospital offers a surgical termination service from 9-14 weeks gestation. Women further along in their pregnancy will need to travel to Brisbane to access a surgical abortion service. Abortion still carries a lot of stigma and can cause a range of emotions for those who have had to make that decision as well as a financial and time burden. We want JCU to show support to those who access abortion and provide them with appropriate leave processes and counselling services to ensure students feel supported and can have equitable access to education following an abortion. Sexual assault and harassment effects students across Australia, including students at JCU. In a national student safety survey of JCU students it was found that 22.2% of students have been sexually harassed since starting university and 9.5% have been sexually assaulted since starting university. The numbers disproportionately effect people of minority groups, including queer students, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and those with a disability. We are aiming to eradicate sexual assault and harassment on campus to make JCU a safer place for everyone.

Online options were ‘too hard’ before 2020, and then they came within a week, and then they were taken away as quickly as they were given. Many members of our community depend on these options being available such as those who are immuno-compromised and cannot risk exposure to disease, especially when universities do not have open windows, air purifiers or a mask or vaccine mandate in the classroom. Universal Design (‘UD’) — specifically, Universal Design for Learning (‘UDL’) — is a research-backed pedagogy and curriculum framework which enables equitable access to education for all students, including students with disabilities and other students from diverse, minoritised backgrounds. For disabled students, implementing UDL would ostensibly ensure that they can ‘engage with the curriculum without having to seek adjustments’ (see ‘Recommendations for equitable student support during disruptions to the higher education sector: Lessons from COVID-19,’ Mercer-Mapstone et al 2022,). Hybrid, flexible education — also known as ‘hyflex’ education, as noted in Recommendation 2.1 of the ALSA-AMSA-NUS research report — entails offering educational delivery options for both in-person attendance and Work From Home (‘WFH’). Moreover, hyflex education can facilitate educational participation for not only disabled people but also women escaping domestic family violence (‘DFV’) or sexual assault, First Nations students in regional & rural Australia, international students, and other demographics for whom in-person attendance may not be the most safe & accessible. People from diverse backgrounds have value. Contrary to what many believe, disabled people can (and do) contribute to society and to building a better world. Imagine all the setbacks if Dr Steven Hawking couldn’t come to class because he couldn’t get his wheelchair in the door! Additionally, the tertiary education regulator, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (‘TEQSA’), has announced that they will now enforce the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth) (‘ESOS’). Under ESOS in s 8.19, TEQSA is mandating that no more than a third of the education delivered to overseas students can be online or by distance. This decision from TEQSA means that if international students want to access regional, globally ranked education, they must return to Australia whilst there are COVID-19 outbreaks overseas, a rental shortage of affordable, student housing and a cost-of-living crisis. This forces numerous international students into a tricky conflict between their future and their present happiness. TEQSA doesn’t take individual complaints so the regulator cannot protect international students. That is why the government must step up. Likewise, online learning can be better for university staff. University staff with disabilities also face many of the struggles that disabled students do. Likewise, staff with caring roles for children or other dependents benefit from increased access to them by providing education online. Some universities do not have child-care options after 5pm, meaning that staff cannot afford to work a 9-5 with children because they have to rush to collect them. The higher education system relies on these staff and their incredible work to upskill the next generation.

Workers at Pampas have been languishing on labour-hire contracts, working full time, for 10, 15 and up to 20 years whilst being overlooked for permanent positions. Migrant workers like those at Pampas are the backbone of our food manufacturing industry. Workers across Australia are doing it tough, they need fair wages and secure jobs to survive. Pampas needs to come to the table and offer these workers a fair deal now.

After the passing of the Justice Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences and other Matters) 2022 Bill on 31/08/2022, affirmative consent is now law in Victoria. This amendment means that everyone has the responsibility to get active consent before engaging in sexual activity. This may include (but is not limited to) saying “yes,” as well as physical gestures like nodding and/or reciprocating removing someone’s clothes. To put it simply, there must be a “clear and enthusiastic go-ahead." The new legislation also firmly guards people from other forms of violence such as stealthing (non-consensual removal of barrier protection such as a condom) and image-based abuse (which can include, but is not limited to: deepfakes, taking, sharing or threatening to share sexual images or videos without consent). This change in law marks a crucial step in creating survivor-centered legislation, which shifts the responsibility away from survivor to perpetrator. The University of Melbourne’s Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Policy and their definition of consent lags behind state law. Additionally, the policy does not acknowledge stealthing as a form of violence and does not comprehensively cover the emerging issue of online image-based abuse. There is no room for victim-blaming at the University of Melbourne. Therefore, UMSU calls on the University to immediately change its policy in line with new state legislation. By doing this, it will shift the focus and burden of responsibility from the victim-survivors actions to those of the perpetrator. This change is vital to ensure we are committing to a victim-centred approach that puts justice and safety first. Support Resources: If this letter brings up any concerns for you, please reach out to the following supports: Sexual Assault Crisis Support Line (24/7): 1800 806 292 1800 Respect (24/7): 1800 737 732 UMSU Sexual Harm and Response Coordinators The UMSU Sexual Harm and Response Coordinators provide support with making complaints to the University, reporting to the police, and appropriate referrals to therapeutic services. Contact them via their webpage: https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/support/survivors/ University of Melbourne, Safer Community Program Provides advice and support to University of Melbourne students who have been affected by sexual violence and harassment: https://safercommunity.unimelb.edu.au/

NDAs protect employers from accountability and release them from their obligations to address systems of work that allow sexual harassment to occur, enabling repeat offenders to continue and preventing workers from talking about their experiences. Victim-survivors, predominantly women, are disempowered by being forced to stay silent. To end sexual harassment at work, we need to end the silence and hold employers accountable. We need legislation to restrict the use of NDAs. They should only be used when requested by victim-survivors to protect their own confidentiality and victim-survivors should be allowed to decide to speak out later.

Financial strain, which jumps 600% during placement periods (Smith et al., 2018), is one of the leading drivers of preservice teacher drop outs. Not because these teachers are poor at the job, nor that they do not enjoy the work or the high workload, but purely because they cannot financially sustain themselves for weeks without pay. During a teacher shortage, this is a broken system. Furthermore, there should not be an education system that only allows for those who are financially viable to succeed, especially in a sector that so desperately needs new staff. Let's fix this now! Support the AEU Preservice Teacher Association members in our fight for preservice teacher payment by signing below. Join our Facebook page to assist in the campaign here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/635367530941019

Unionists have campaigned to win family and domestic violence leave in our workplace - but there are many employees in this country not covered by agreements. In solidarity with every worker who needs to escape a violent relationship, we call on the Albanese Labor Government to provide for 10 days Family and Domestic Violence Leave in the National Employment Standards.

Cost of living keeps going up while wages and conditions are continually eroded away, people receiving government support are trying to get by with just $42 a day and living in poverty. The gap between wages for men and women is still around 22.8%. The dream of owning your own home has become out of reach for too many people with rentals also becoming more unaffordable, meaning the demand for public housing is increasing.

Hard working FTS staff need to be compensated for the range of duties they perform and they deserve to be provided independent evidence that they are being properly paid for the work they are doing. Independence in the Mercer review process is pivotal so FTS staff are confident that they are being compensated for the full range of duties they perform in Ambulance Victoria. FTS staff have waited 6months and can wait no more.

It's important to acknowledge AV staff years of service and provide fair entitlements to all staff. A mother who has worked fulltime in Ambulance Victoria for 9 years returns to work from maternity leave to undertake 20 hours of work per week. When she takes her LSL, she will not receive payment based on her years of service within Ambulance Victoria but the 20 hours per week she has most recently worked. This discrepancy impacts women, care-takers, and staff who are working part-time even though they have worked fulltime for many years within the service. AEAV members believe it is discriminatory and unfair to not acknowledge staff years of service simply because a staff member has more recently worked part-time.

Almost 40% of women report being sexual harassed at their workplace. And only 17% of women feel they are able to report this harassment. The Sex Discrimination Commissioner's Respect@Work recommendations made clear what needed to be done. She recommended that the Sex Discrimination Act be amended to include a positive duty on employers to take reasonable measures to eliminate sexual harassment at work. Tragically, an average of one woman each week is murdered by a current or ex-partner. Access to paid leave is a real barrier to women being able to escape family and domestic violence. There is only one way to make sure all women have this workplace right. Morrison could act today to legislate for 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave for all Australian workers, but once again he has walked away from doing so. Women deserve better. Australia deserves better. Tell Morrison he can’t walk away from women.

In 2021 only 4 people utilised the support services provided by UTS for survivors of sexual assault and harassment. Based on information gathered by the UTS Women’s Collective, the number of students who had undergone sexual violence in 2021 is much higher than this number. This means that students are, not aware of, distrustful of, or unable to access the support services provided by the university. Student survivors petitioned in 2021 for greater supports and for Respect.Now.Always to stop trivialising their experiences through insensitive fruit puns, however these concerns were not met with any response. The university is not fulfilling its duty of care to these students and it must listen to do better.