The recent re-opening of the Grafton jail was a welcome announcement by the Baird Government following its sudden closure in 2012 that resulted in 100 local job losses. While the influx of new and previous workers will be a much needed boost to the local economy at a time of high unemployment, there remains serious concerns over plans for the new facility. When built it will be privately operated. Private prisons are bad for public safety, bad for the economy, and bad for the communities in which they are based. Myriad of American research has proven that private prisons are unsafe, have significantly lower staffing levels than publicly operated prisons and a higher rate of assaults on staff and inmates. The same logic that motivates companies to operate prisons more efficiently also encourages them to cut corners at the expense of workers, prisoners and the public. Every cent they do not spend on food, health care or training for guards is a cent they can pocket. It is not desirable or appropriate for parts of the justice system to be outsourced to private companies. Stop the Americanisation of our justice system by ensuring no more privatisation of our gaols.

Youth unemployment is on the rise all around the country, with one in eight youngsters in NSW currently jobless. In the Shoalhaven, like many places around Australia, industries are disappearing, leaving locals with little to no jobs. And now with the decimation of TAFE colleges in NSW the prospect of a bright future for our children is eroding before our eyes. Our world class TAFE system provides an important pathway to skills and employment but government cuts mean our ability to gain the skills needed in today’s workforce are being ripped away. Couple this with the prospect of 100k degrees and what chance do the next generation have? Education should be a right. It is the responsibility of government to ensure that it is accessible to everyone. With the looming influx of overseas workers brought on by the new ChAFTA agreement we are staring down the barrel of a youth unemployment crisis. Now is the time to act.

Health care is a universal right and should be about patient care, not profit. The Ministers' survey is a smokescreen designed to push for further privatisation and erosion of Medicare. We will all suffer if health care becomes a race to the bottom only focused on the bottom line.

The Turnbull Government is proposing a GST hike to as high as 15%. This will hurt ordinary working people with families - particularly those on lower and middle incomes. The GST is a "regressive" tax - that is, it taxes a pensioner at the same rate as a multi-millionaire. That just doesn't make sense with inequality on the rise. Meanwhile, Malcolm Turnbull is delivering huge tax-breaks to venture capitalists and wealthy investors. We need a tax system where everyone, including big business pay their fair share. A hike on GST is not the solution!

Under a policy that had been in place for five years, all Federal government departments and agencies were required to start using 100% recycled paper this year. This policy was cancelled in the weeks before Tony Abbott was replaced as Prime Minister. Over the last few years, Australian Paper have invested in new recycling technology that allows 100% recycled paper to be made locally in Australia. This policy decision will cost thousands of jobs, will be bad for the industry, and will be harmful to the environment. We call on Malcolm Turnbull to reverse this decision and ensure all Government paper is 100% recycled.

The Victorian Government has promised to invest in the Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel, which will benefit commuters as well as creating over 4,000 jobs in Victoria. But this critical infrastructure investment depends on federal funding, and the federal Liberal Government has previously refused to back new rail projects. Victoria needs shovel-ready jobs, and the Metro Rail Tunnel is an important infrastructure project for Melbourne. We call on Malcolm Turnbull to invest in jobs for Victorians and support the Melbourne Metro Rail Project!

Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island Countries are currently negotiating a regional free trade agreement: PACER Plus. The PACER+ is another in a line of secret trade agreements that push a trade liberalisation agenda and promote the rights of corporations over people. Australian Unions have come together against CHAFTA and the TPP to call for trade deals that are balanced, support jobs, protect the rights of working people and promote a healthy environment. The PACER+ agreement will disproportionately affect Pacific Island nations. It will: - Give unprecedented rights to corporations Pacific governments will face restrictions on their regulation of foreign businesses. They will not be able to regulate to keep prices low, or ensure that services are available to everyone in the community. - Undermine access to essential services PACER+ will require Pacific countries to 'list' service sectors (including health, education, and water), allowing Australian and NZ companies to compete to provide these services in the Pacific. This will undermine access to services (especially for vulnerable people, like the unemployed or the rural poor) - Lead to a loss in public services like health and education PACER+ is calling on Pacific nations to drop tariffs on imported goods. This will result in a significant loss of government revenue - up to 19% in Tonga, 18% in Vanuatu, and 12% in Samoa. This loss in revenue is more than their total health or education budgets. - Lead to business closures and job losses Remoteness, small economies of scale and lack of human resources make it difficult for Pacific businesses to engage in global markets. Opening Pacific markets up to Australian and New Zealand corporations may wipe out Pacific businesses due difficulties in competing with their cheaper prices. - Undermine indigenous rights to land Land is central to indigenous people's spiritual and economic life. The removal of restrictions on ownership of land by foreign companies and investors will impact on Pacific communities' ability to determine their own economic future. (Source: Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA)

The outsourcing of garbage collections has led to missed collections, higher long-term costs, and a lower standard of service for residents. The same will happen to Stonnington. We’ll see these workers’ negotiated pay and conditions stripped away, and some will be made redundant. These are workers who have been providing a high-quality, reliable service to residents for decades. They’re proud of the work they do, and they don’t deserve to lose their jobs or their entitlements. When asked, these workers all said that they want to keep providing this service to residents, for residents. They want to keep this service accountable to residents, at the standard that residents expect.

Even after the assault, the company did not immediately suspend the perpetrator. It took police intervention for him to finally be stood down.  The impact on Cherysh’s life has been profound. Greenfreight minimised what she was going through and offered her no support. She became so unwell she couldn't work, lost trust in her industry, still lives with the fear of seeing her attacker again and avoids certain places when she is alone.  Despite everything, Cherysh refuses to be silenced. With remarkable strength, she has lodged a complaint against Greenfreight with the Australian Human Rights Commission for sexual harassment and sex discrimination.  “I decided to speak up, for all the women who can’t.” Cherysh Bennett  Cherysh is now asking for:  • financial compensation for the harm caused,  • a deep cultural shift at Greenfreight, so that no other worker has to go through what she endured. Show her your support! Send an email to Greenfreight urging them to honour her requests and take responsibility.

Interpreter shortages are leaving tens of thousands without vital language support every year. The cost isn’t just economic; delays and errors mean real damage: mistrials in court, misdiagnoses in hospitals, patients left uninformed, families at risk. These gaps cost nearly $900 million annually, money lost from hospitals, schools and essential public services. When basic communication breaks down, lives are harmed, justice is denied, and trust in public services erodes. Australia can’t afford business as usual; change is overdue. The challenges facing interpreters and translators affect communities, service providers, and professionals across Australia. The campaign is nationwide in scope and focused on lifting standards, protections, and workforce stability for the entire sector, regardless of location.

Apunipima provides crucial health services to over 17 Indigenous communities across Cape York, QLD.  Many workers at these sites are from and live in these communities providing invaluable services with local and community knowledge.  However, price gouging and shipping costs in these remote communities mean the cost of living is outrageous. The price of petrol, groceries, meat and daily supplies far exceeds prices in Cairns or other locations.  Whilst workers in these communities receive a weekly regional living allowance, this isn't cutting it anymore.  These workers love their job and care about the patients they service. But, they need to be adequately renumerated for the work they do. Good patient outcomes only come with good working conditions for health workers.

We want a country that values all people, whether they have been here five years, five generations or five thousand generations. But too often, successive governments have forced their own ideas on how we, as First Nations people, should lead our own lives. Decisions about our health, our education and our homelands keep being taken away from us. Treaty is about putting First Peoples in the driver’s seat so together we can make the decisions that affect our communities, our culture and our Country.  To build momentum for Treaties and truth-telling across the country, now is the time for mob and allies to stand together and show support for a future where our communities can thrive.