For years the Liberal Government has been cosy with the banks and their super funds. Scott Morrison voted against a Banking Royal Commission 26 times. But when we finally got one, it showed the truth: bank-owned corporate super funds gouge the life savings of working people to line their executives’ pockets. They charged fees to the dead, duped people into whittling away their life savings, and broke the law thousands of times. Now, the Morrison Government has just passed new super laws that will leave many workers and their families significantly worse off in retirement. The proposals are called Your Future, Your Super. We’re calling it Your Future, Bank Super. Because these laws are designed to funnel as much money as possible to corporate bank-aligned super funds. The laws will: - Pin three million workers to dud funds, potentially for life - Make it harder for workers in high-risk industries to get adequate insurance - Exclude a whole bunch of poor performing corporate products from performance testing, and - Put profits paid out to bank shareholders on the same level as your financial interests. In effect, these laws will be a free-kick to the banks. Let the Morrison Government know that they will not get away with this attack on your retirement.

The Social and Community Services sector is growing and will be vital to supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our community in the COVID recovery and as we enter a recession. The sector relies on a pipeline of Social Work and related degree graduates to fill critical roles in its workforce. The workforce is predominantly a female workforce and low-paid. Already, there are workforce shortages in this essential sector. The Government’s proposed fee increases in Social Work and related fields will only further exacerbate these workforce shortages – in both recruitment and retention – that exist in this critical sector. It will disproportionately impact women who work in this sector, creating barriers for both entry and career advancement. The Government’s proposed fee increases for these degrees also overlooks recent State and Commonwealth Government initiatives or inquiries that have set or recommended minimum degree standards for employment in the social assistance sector.

Universities have become more and more like corporations than education institutes because of consistent ideological attacks on education under liberal governments. Due to that, there has been an over reliance on international students funding the tertiary education sector. With the COVID19 Crisis shutting down borders, universities are in a significantly difficult place when it comes to running them. The Tertiary education sector is the third largest sector in the country, however we are on the verge of losing hundreds of jobs, just before a major recession, unless the government commits supporting these institutions. We are calling on all of the Liberal/National government, as well as ministers Dan Tehan and Josh Frydenberg to commit to supporting this sector, and supporting Australian Jobs.

Most paid parking schemes have a free period of 2-3 hours, and then charge for every hour thereafter. This means that almost no customers pay for parking, but staff have to pay for every shift they work. Full-time workers in shopping centres will have to pay hundreds of dollars per month if these shopping centres start charging for parking. Sign the SDA’s petition to #KeepItFree!

Affected workers desperately need adequate financial support from the Government, particularly those who work in the hardest hit sectors of hospitality, retail and aviation. These lockdowns are a direct result of the failures of the Morrison Government, and while the vaccine rollout continues to flounder there will be millions of workers who will need support. Without proper financial support, workers are left without money to get by, and they won't be able to spend in their local communities. Denying workers JobKeeper isn't just cruel, it's also bad economics. Scott Morrison must urgently reinstate JobKeeper. Workers need financial support they can rely on.

We have created a petition seeking to hold RMIT and its management to account for failing to fully engage in an open and transparent way with NTEU members on the current state of and future of RMIT. • We know that RMIT has to change the structures of the University • We know that RMIT is facing a significant loss of income over the next two years • We know RMIT management has opened consultation on volunteering for a redundancy • We know that RMIT is not renewing people’s fixed term contracts • We know RMIT has not reengaged people who were employed as casuals • We know people’s workloads are oppressive. It is our commitment to each other that will see RMIT through this current crisis. We need to be included in discussions for the future of RMIT.

The ABC provides crucial bushfire alerts, community events, weather reports, sports news and local news in urban and rural areas across the country. The ABC has been a lifeline of information and education for Australians throughout the bushfire crisis, coronavirus pandemic and more. And cutting the ABC Life program will stop our national broadcaster from telling important, diverse stories. The proposed cuts of Radio National flagship 7.45am news will reduce public scrutiny of government of the day. Paul Fletcher, Scott Morrison and the Liberals must stop attempting to undermine the ABC and the role it plays in independently holding the government and corporations to account. To stop these cuts will take a huge amount of public pressure. Please sign and share this petition to let Paul Fletcher know Australians love our ABC!

The standards under the JDA are putting mental and physical strain on workers. Workers are being held to impossible standards, they are pressured to perform at a rate that comprimises worker safety. The pick rate reports are irregular, we have members saying they have worked to the same standard and the report shows rates of 100% one day, 60% the next. We have heard reports of managers telling workers to consistently pick at 110% and "it will be okay". This is not good enough.

The billion-dollar pub empire run by Justin Hemmes uses a sophisticated system that records every single hour of unpaid work and stolen wages. These records have been provided to media and the courts. Workers have told of the toll this took on their lives, with one saying he “felt like a slave”. Another chef became so physically unwell from the long hours that his doctor ordered him to stop working. Chefs, kitchen hands, waiters, and many others have been ripped off. But with the economy in recession, Liberal Government Treasurers turned to Justin Hemmes for advice. Justin hemmes - the man who got rich from wage theft - should be kicked off the Government's business advisory board immediately.

Professional Scientists Australia is petitioning the Fertility Society of Australia to put patients first. 72.5 % of fertility scientists believe that high workloads have increased the possibility of human errors occurring at work.* Women's reproductive health should be in the hands of fertility scientists who have the skills, time and knowledge to look after patients. Without a voice for fertility scientists', profits are being put ahead of workers and patient's health and families. Patients, scientists, and the public need to stand together to demand an enforceable staff to patient ratio like those seen overseas that will lead to better patient outcomes and stem the tide of staff burnout. 56.9 % of fertility scientists say that the industry’s high workloads have harmed their mental health.* If we don’t have an enforceable staff to patient ratio the fertility industry will continue to be driven by profit and workers will be unable to help people bring about their dreams of having a family. 89.4 per cent of scientists believe there should be explicit provisions for adequate staff ratios in IVF clinics.* If we stand together, we can ensure the industry is driven by best practice science, informed patients and scientists who have the time and training to look after each patient properly. *January 2020, PSA survey of fertility scientists

After 12 months of drought, floods, fires and pandemic our community services are needed more than ever. We cannot afford a cut to our sector, we cannot go backwards. We are busier and working harder than ever. The sector has been agile, resourceful, and dedicated. Our services support the most vulnerable members of the community – and in extremely challenging times we have been there for the community. If services do not receive sufficient funding indexation urgently it will have a detrimental impact on their ability to deliver services to the community. We can't afford to be overlooked again.

1. OUR SKILLS ARE EMPLOYABLE: The government’s assumption that studying arts degrees and subjects does not lead to any ‘employable skills’ is factually wrong. These subjects provide highly transferable skills, such as critical reading, research and analysis skills, problem solving, and writing persuasively for different audiences. 2. OUR SKILLS ARE THE FUTURE: The World Economic Forum says the top three skills for 2020 The Future of Jobs are Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and Creativity. These are the skills that a broad, liberal education teaches. 3. LIBERAL EDUCATION IS A FOUNDATION OF DEMOCRACY: Healthy democracies need a strong and liberal education system. It’s good for both society and for maintaining a productive, dynamic workforce. A liberal education helps us understand ourselves as a nation, how to navigate our current world as well as how we can learn from our shared human history. 4. STUDYING HISTORY, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY IS A RIGHT OF ALL, REGARDLESS OF WEALTH: Australia has long had a proudly egalitarian tertiary sector, which has allowed students from less advantaged households to benefit from higher education. Why should an arts, social sciences, or legal education or career be only available to the very wealthy? 5. LET'S NOT LEAVE DISADVANTAGED AND DIVERSE COMMUNITIES BEHIND: Less funding is likely to have a particularly damaging effect on teaching programs and the careers of many disadvantaged and diverse communities, including Indigenous communities, regional communities, and women. FOR MORE INFORMATION: News article from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/fee-cuts-for-nursing-and-teaching-but-big-hikes-for-law-and-humanities-in-package-expanding-university-places-141064 World Economic Forum here: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-10-skills-you-need-to-thrive-in-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/ And word from the British Academy on arts and social science graduates: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/arts-humanities-and-social-science-graduates-resilient-economic-downturns/