This will force vulnerable low paid workers to come into work for a shift that could pay less than $10. For many it will cost more to get to and from work than they'll get paid. If they don't show they may not get any more shifts. It's completely unfair.

The MV Wyuna is one of Australia’s most historically valuable examples of early post war shipping. This ship is invaluable, there are no more, she is the last of her line. Similar ships to the Wyuna have long since made their final journey to the breakers yard. Unless steps are taken to ensure Wyuna is preserved then the same fate may very well await the Wyuna.. We all have a responsibility to our future generations to preserve our maritime history.

40 Victorian families have been let down by the Federal Government. The product carried by the MV Portland between Portland, Victoria and Kwinana, Western Australia is: - Mined in Australia - Refined in Australia - Transported exclusively in Australia This is AUSTRALIAN COASTAL TRADE pure and simple. If these jobs aren't safeguarded, what job in Australia is safe? We need to back in our people and our skills, and ensure companies that profit from Australian wealth also support Aussie communities and people.

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)

This issue matters because transport is not optional for people living in supported disability accommodation — it is a fundamental support that determines whether people remain connected to their communities or become isolated within their own homes. For many residents, these buses are the only safe, reliable, and accessible way to attend medical appointments, participate in community activities, visit loved ones, shop for essentials, and maintain the independence, dignity, and routine that most people take for granted. The proposal to replace dedicated disability transport with taxis and public transport may appear workable on paper, but it ignores the daily realities faced by people with disability. Many residents live with significant mobility challenges, communication barriers, sensory sensitivities, behavioural support needs, or complex care requirements that make public transport inaccessible, unsafe, or unrealistic. Taxi services are often inconsistent, unreliable, unavailable at short notice, or unable to accommodate specialised equipment and support needs. Expecting vulnerable residents to navigate fragmented transport systems places an unfair burden on participants, families, and frontline staff. The sale of these buses risks dramatically reducing residents’ access to healthcare, social participation, and community connection, increasing loneliness, dependence, and exclusion. Without reliable transport, people may miss appointments, withdraw from activities, lose confidence, and experience a serious decline in quality of life. For some, this decision could effectively leave them trapped at home — prisoners in their own accommodation with little meaningful access to the outside world. What makes this decision even more concerning is that these buses were originally provided to Scope at no cost by the Victorian State Government to support inclusion and community access for people with disability. Selling off assets intended to improve the lives of supported independent living residents, while withdrawing a critical service many depend on, sends a troubling message about priorities. A service designed to promote participation and independence is instead being dismantled, placing cost savings ahead of accessibility, dignity, and genuine inclusion.

The Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) is seeking to ignore the nearly 19,000 staff who signed a Statement of Support for fair bargaining last year – a clear majority of the 35,000 staff that the VCEA has claimed work in Victorian Catholic education. No good explanation has been provided for this anti-worker stance, and this continued denial of our basic rights is causing deep concern amongst staff in Catholic schools right across the state. As educators, we don’t want to have to take industrial action – but as workers, we know that the internationally-recognised right to do so is what gives us power at the bargaining table, and that without this right we are negotiating with one hand tied behind our back.  

The Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) is seeking to ignore the nearly 19,000 staff who signed a Statement of Support for fair bargaining last year – a clear majority of the 35,000 staff that the VCEA has claimed work in Victorian Catholic education. No good explanation has been provided for this anti-worker stance, and this continued denial of our basic rights is causing deep concern amongst staff in Catholic schools right across the state. As educators, we don’t want to have to take industrial action – but as workers, we know that the internationally-recognised right to do so is what gives us power at the bargaining table, and that without this right we are negotiating with one hand tied behind our back.  

The Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) is seeking to ignore the nearly 19,000 staff who signed a Statement of Support for fair bargaining last year – a clear majority of the 35,000 staff that the VCEA has claimed work in Victorian Catholic education. No good explanation has been provided for this anti-worker stance, and this continued denial of our basic rights is causing deep concern amongst staff in Catholic schools right across the state. As educators, we don’t want to have to take industrial action – but as workers, we know that the internationally-recognised right to do so is what gives us power at the bargaining table, and that without this right we are negotiating with one hand tied behind our back.  

The Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) is seeking to ignore the nearly 19,000 staff who signed a Statement of Support for fair bargaining last year – a clear majority of the 35,000 staff that the VCEA has claimed work in Victorian Catholic education. No good explanation has been provided for this anti-worker stance, and this continued denial of our basic rights is causing deep concern amongst staff in Catholic schools right across the state. As educators, we don’t want to have to take industrial action – but as workers, we know that the internationally-recognised right to do so is what gives us power at the bargaining table, and that without this right we are negotiating with one hand tied behind our back.