The ANU Students Association Governance Review report represents a grave attack on student unionism at ANU. Written by an external consulting agency, in collaboration with university management, and incumbent members of the ANUSA executive, it aims to discipline Palestine activists, strip democracy of the union, and remove politics from our student association – including abolishing activist roles like the Environment Officer. The report claims that “there had been too much focus on pro-Palestine campaigning over recent months,” and states “it is crucial the president avoids becoming too involved in divisive political campaigns,” as has occurred in the context of what the report calls the “Hamas-Israel war.” This alone would be enough to oppose the report. We are living through a genocide – the greatest moral question of our generation – and every left-wing, activist institution in society, as student unions are, should dedicate serious time to opposing it. However, attacking Palestine activism is just the thin edge of the wedge in this report, which is about suppressing left-wing politics within ANUSA and undermining its democratic structures. In the eyes of the report, ANUSA should become a non-political, non-controversial body, led by a president who should be the “CEO of ANUSA”, with the “executive as the primary governing body of ANUSA”. Some of the recommendations include: • Decision-making power should be removed from the SRC, the only part of the union where ordinary students can move motions, and hold the executive to account (recommendation 1). • Institute non-elected postgraduate representatives on this executive (rec. 27). • Restrict the ability of the president to take political stances (rec. 13). • Abolish the Environment Collective and Environment Officer (rec. 6). • Abolish the Education Committee, historically the activist collective of the student union (rec. 7), and make the Education Officer into a non-activist, administrative role (rec. 8). These recommendations were produced in consultation with the Deputy Vice Chancellor of ANU, who has personally brought code of conduct cases against Palestine activists this year. The entire approach fits with university management's aspiration to limit the independence of ANUSA.  It will be brought to a vote at the next Ordinary General Meeting in Week 10, October 16th, 6pm. All students get a vote. We urge any students who oppose these changes to attend and vote. We, the undersigned, oppose this review, and affirm that ANUSA should be a pro-Palestine, activist, fighting organisation (if you're signing on behalf of a group please put the name of the group in the notes section).

Why is this important?  CLCs offer free legal services to those who need it most. They ensure that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has access to legal support and justice. Just as our reliance on CLCs have grown, their funding has plummeted.  • Over 350,000 people are turned away from CLCs each year across Australia, including women and children escaping family and domestic violence.  • 9 out of 10 legal centres experienced an increase in demand for services, despite inadequate funding and staff shortages.  • Community lawyers earn 10-35% less than layers in the public sector. Combined with higher demand, staff burnout and turnover, community legal centres struggle to hire and retain staff.  • An independent review commissioned by the Federal Government confirmed what CLCs have said all along: current funding levels are inadequate to meet community needs.  Well-funded CLCs can ensure workers are appropriately-paid, have secure local jobs and continue to provide essential services to those who rely on them. But right now, CLCs have less than a year of guaranteed funding left. Without urgent government support, CLCs will be forced to reduce staffing, close programs, and turn away more Australians who are in desperate need of legal help. This will only exacerbate the challenges faced by those already struggling to navigate a complex legal system.  Sign the petition to stand for justice for all.   

These workers have tried since August 2023 to engage with Saputo’s Australian and Canadian division to resolve this issue, but their efforts have been rebuffed.   Workers have been left with no option but to go on strike which has been ongoing for 3 months. The AMWU and CEPU are seeking an enterprise agreement which, over 2 years, would provide pay parity with Saputo’s Victorian workers, who do the same job, but for higher pay. Saputo’s maintenance workers help in the production of a huge variety of dairy staples in your homes (across Australia and abroad), and they need your support.   Please sign our petition and tell Saputo’s Canadian and Australian management this is unacceptable.   It’s time to show Saputo bosses how strong the union movement is when we stand united on behalf of workers.    Please participate in the boycott of Saputo made products until they pay their workers mainland rates of pay!   You can put the pressure on by boycotting dairy brands including Cheer, Mersey Valley, King Island Dairy, Cracker Barrel, Tasmanian Heritage, Devondale, Great Ocean Road, Liddells, South Cape, Sungold and Mil Lel.   We say same job, same pay! Take a stand with us today.

Medical librarians are highly skilled and specialized Allied Health Professionals who deserve to be treated with respect. The plan to transition the library to an infrastructure-only service (focused on e-resources, document delivery, and interlibrary loans) is short-sighted and disregards the valuable contributions of these dedicated workers. We, the undersigned, demand RMH reverses this decision and takes immediate steps to support Medical Librarians and all Victorian patients by committing to maintain the essential library service.

Tasmanian workers shouldn't be left behind. They deserve to be paid the same as workers on the mainland who do the same job as them. Help support wage justice for Tasmanian workers.

This affects everyone in Victoria because we all access this service.     The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria has been recording significant life events for Victorians since 1853. The Registry and the people who work there are trusted custodians of our precious records, and there is no reason to change that.    The Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages in every Australian State and Territory are all government owned and run as the important work they do is an essential public service.   Privatisation of publicly-owned assets doesn’t work and doesn’t benefit Victorians. Isn’t that why the Victorian Government has reclaimed ownership of the State Electricity Commission (SEC)?   Any further commercialisation of Births, Deaths and Marriages will mean the cost of registering and certifying a life event will increase - that’s what happens when profit is the motive for providing the service.    The security of our personal records is too important to be trusted to one or more corporations. The lack of care taken with our data by the private sector is laid bare with regular reports of data breaches - VicRoads, Optus, and Medibank for example, are all fresh in people’s memories.    We can’t afford for our most private records, like our birth certificates, to be trusted to anyone but the public service.   

We all know that animal rescues, foster groups and shelters across Australia are struggling to keep up with demand.  The 20 foster care networks supporting the Campaspe Animal Shelter are already stretched to their limits. Bendigo and Shepparton services, and their foster networks, are also at capacity. Removing adoption services will push these networks to breaking point, risking the collapse of animal care in our community. This plan is a recipe for disaster for shelter staff, who will be forced to face the emotional trauma of putting down healthy animals. Campaspe Shire is ignoring its duty to provide a safe and supportive workplace, and this will lead to staff burnout and turnover. The ASU is disappointed that Council has failed to genuinely consider the psychosocial impact of this change.  The people of Campaspe value compassionate care for animals. This proposal is a betrayal of that trust, and it will spark outrage across the community. The Shire is abandoning its responsibility to treat animals humanely, and the public won’t stand for it.  Council has not complied with its obligations under the Local Government Act 2020 to engagement with the community around the proposed changes. The Act says that councils must engage authentically with the community when making decisions like this.    Campaspe Shire has invested heavily in upgrading the shelter’s facilities, only to now threaten to undo all that progress. This proposal is a step backward, and it’s time for the community to rise up and demand better. The ASU calls on the local community to speak out against this disastrous plan.  If you work at Council, join the ASU today https://www.asuvictas.com.au/join 

Our hospitals rely on support services to keep running. If we don't have enough cleaners, infections in the hospital increase. If we don't have enough storepersons, the hospital runs out of medical supplies. If we don't have enough wardspersons, patients can't move around the hospital. Staffing levels are already dangerously low in Western Sydney. Allowing HealthShare to take over these jobs will only make things worse for our community.

The spread of gambling and the social harm from it is a serious concern for our country.

To help bring a fair pay upgrade to the covid class of 2020. 

The outcomes of this petition should benefit students who face accessibility challenges, such as working students, students from regional or rural areas, students living with disability, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, international students, and students with caring commitments and so on. 

Australia's geography means our communities - regional and urban - depend on reliable, well-functioning airlines. Our citizens' ability to travel between cities and regional towns must not be dependent on market conditions or the whim of airline owners. If the Federal Government owned a stake in Rex - and appointed a "Safe and Secure Skies" Commission as an independent regulator as the Transport Workers Union have long called for - airline workers and the flying public would have a meaningful say in the decisions that impact our travel and our lives.  Regional communities rely on Rex. In many cases it is the only airline that goes to a range of small country towns. The Federal Government needs to consider buying an equity stake or outright purchasing the airline to ensure our regional communities aren't left behind without connections to major cities and other regional communities. Victorian, SA, NSW and Queensland Premiers have already voiced their support for Federal Government intervention to ensure Rex continues to operate. The Government needs to act now to save the airline and their hundreds of workers facing redundancy!