Australia's pharmacists were chronically underpaid before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but with the added pressures brought by the health crisis, more are now burnt out than ever before with many opting to leave the profession. Until pay rates increase, the industry will struggle to retain and attract professionals, increasing the already significant skill shortage.

यूनियनों और व्यवसायों ने स्कॉट मॉरिसन से अक्टूबर में RATs को मुफ्त बनाने का आग्रह किया था। वह कार्रवाई कर सकता था लेकिन उसने कुछ नहीं किया। ब्रिटेन और अमेरिकी सरकारों ने पहले ही रैपिड कोविड परीक्षणों को अपने नागरिकों के लिए मुफ्त और सुलभ बना दिया है। एक बार फिर, ऑस्ट्रेलिया स्कॉट मॉरिसन की वजह से पीछे रह गया है। अगर आपको फार्मासिस्ट के पास सौभाग्य से RATs मिल गया तो एक RAT किट का मूल्य $20 तक हो सकता है। यह खर्च पांच लोगों के परिवार के लिए $100 है। यह प्रधानमंत्री के लिए छोटी सी बात हो सकती है, लेकिन यह कई परिवारों के लिए चिंता का विषय है। जब मॉरिसन को पूछा गया कि क्या वो RATs ज़रूरतमंद लोगों के लिए मुफ्त करेंगे तो उन्होंने सुझाव दिया कि यह सरकार का काम नहीं है। जब एक पत्रकार ने विशेष रूप से मॉरिसन को बताया कि "हर कोई RATs का खर्च नहीं उठा सकता है", तो पीएम ने निष्ठाहीन उत्तर दिया, "कुछ लोग कर सकते हैं, कुछ लोग नहीं कर सकते हैं"। हम मॉरिसन की उपेक्षा और असक्षमता को बर्दाश्त नहीं कर सकते। हम सरकार से मांग करते हैं कि RATs को मुफ्त और सुलभ बनाया जाए। --- हम हिंदी भाषा में जानकारी देखने के आपके अधिकार का सम्मान करते हैं। हम अधिक जानकारी हिंदी भाषा में उपलब्ध कराने के लिए प्रयास कर रहे हैं। --- एस मैकमैनस, ACTU सचिव, 365 क्वीन स्ट्रीट, मेलबर्न 3000 : द्वारा अधिकृत

ਯੂਨੀਅਨਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਰੋਬਾਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਸਕਾਟ ਮੌਰੀਸਨ ਨੂੰ ਅਕਤੂਬਰ ਵਿੱਚ RATs ਨੂੰ ਮੁਫ਼ਤ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਅਪੀਲ ਕੀਤੀ ਸੀ। ਉਹ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਕਰ ਸਕਦਾ ਸੀ, ਪਰ ਉਸ ਨੇ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤਾ। ਯੂਕੇ ਅਤੇ ਅਮਰੀਕੀ ਸਰਕਾਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਹੀ ਰੈਪਿਡ ਕੋਵਿਡ ਟੈਸਟਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੇ ਨਾਗਰਿਕਾਂ ਲਈ ਮੁਫਤ ਅਤੇ ਪਹੁੰਚਯੋਗ ਬਣਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਇੱਕ ਵਾਰ ਫਿਰ, ਸਕਾਟ ਮੌਰੀਸਨ ਦੇ ਕਾਰਨ ਆਸਟਰੇਲੀਆ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਰਹਿ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ। ਜੇ ਖੁਸ਼ਕਿਸਮਤੀ ਨਾਲ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਫਾਰਮਾਸਿਸਟ ਦੇ ਕੋਲ RATs ਮਿਲ ਜਾਵੇ ਤਾਂ ਇੱਕ RAT ਕਿੱਟ ਦਾ ਮੁੱਲ $20 ਤੱਕ ਹੋ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ। ਪੰਜ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਲਈ ਇਹ ਲਾਗਤ $100 ਹੈ। ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਲਈ ਇਹ ਛੋਟੀ ਜਿਹੀ ਗੱਲ ਹੋ ਸਕਦੀ ਹੈ ਪਰ ਕਈ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਾਂ ਲਈ ਇਹ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਦਾ ਵਿਸ਼ਾ ਹੈ। ਜਦੋਂ ਮੌਰੀਸਨ ਨੂੰ ਪੁੱਛਿਆ ਗਿਆ ਕਿ ਕੀ ਉਹ ਲੋੜਵੰਦਾਂ ਲਈ RATs ਮੁਫਤ ਕਰਨਗੇ, ਤਾਂ ਉਸਨੇ ਸੁਝਾਅ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਕਿ ਇਹ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਦਾ ਕੰਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ। ਜਦੋਂ ਇੱਕ ਪੱਤਰਕਾਰ ਨੇ ਮੌਰੀਸਨ ਨੂੰ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਤੌਰ 'ਤੇ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ "ਹਰ ਕੋਈ RATs ਤੇ ਖਰਚ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰ ਸਕਦਾ", ਤਾਂ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨੇ ਬਣਾਉਟੀ ਜਵਾਬ ਦਿੱਤਾ, "ਕੁਝ ਲੋਕ ਕਰ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਨ, ਕੁਝ ਲੋਕ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰ ਸਕਦੇ"। ਅਸੀਂ ਮੌਰੀਸਨ ਦੀ ਅਣਗਹਿਲੀ ਅਤੇ ਅਸਮਰੱਥਾ ਨੂੰ ਸਹਿਣ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰ ਸਕਦੇ। ਅਸੀਂ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਤੋਂ RATS ਨੂੰ ਮੁਫਤ ਅਤੇ ਪਹੁੰਚਯੋਗ ਬਣਾਉਣ ਦੀ ਮੰਗ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਾਂ। ---- ਅਸੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਦੇਖਣ ਦੇ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਦਾ ਆਦਰ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਾਂ। ਅਸੀਂ ਵਧੇਰੇ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਪਲਬਧ ਕਰਵਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਕੋਸ਼ਿਸ਼ਾਂ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ। ----- ਐਸ ਮੈਕਮੈਨਸ, ACTU ਸੈਕਰਟਰੀ, 365 ਕੁਈਨ ਸਟਰੀਟ, ਮੈਲਬੌਰਨ 3000 - ਦੁਆਰਾ ਅਧਿਕਾਰਤ

The Palaszczuk Government has failed to provide direction to universities to ensure a safe and healthy university sector in Queensland. As a result, Vice-Chancellors have made different plans at different universities, creating confusion and inequity and placing staff and students at risk. We need Queensland Health and the Department of Education to sit down with the NTEU and university managements to come up with a uniform plan to make Universities as safe as possible. All university staff, students and their families should sign this petition.

Currently in Australia, a Royal Commission is looking into the shocking cases of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with a disability and Inclusive Education has been recommended during the hearings, utilising the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 9 and 24 (see reference below). These UN Articles can’t be properly implemented in our public schools unless we provide access to people who use wheelchairs. 15-20% of people in Australia have a disability. It makes sense to include disabled people in our community - we are not going away! If you have an understanding of inclusion and don't believe in segregation in our public schools, please sign this petition and share it so we can make this change for our future generations to learn to accept diversity from the time they start school. Thank you for sticking up for those who might be a little different you! Remember - it could be you next who might need to use a mobility device and need to be included... https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-2.html https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/

People with endometriosis in South Australia are suffering without excision surgeries, the only gold standard treatment for endometriosis which have been cancelled or moved indefinitely. Sufferers have done the right thing and have waited months or years for their diagnostic or further treatment surgeries and have now been left in the dark. Having endometriosis isn’t a CHOICE, and the surgery isn’t an elective one but an essential one to be able to live. We know that endometriosis kills and can severely impact internal organs if left untreated. Please bring some light to people suffering with this debilitating condition.

A COVID-19 outbreak at Melbourne’s historic Mitre Tavern involving nine staff occurred after an infected customer had visited the pub. Workers allege that management failed to inform them they may have been exposed to the virus until after staff members began testing positive to COVID-19. At a Melbourne cafe with close to 100 staff, workers say the venue’s Christmas party on Monday 20 December may have acted as a super-spreader event. On Tuesday 21 December workers told the union their colleagues began testing positive and informed venue management. Workers then said the venue waited until Thursday 23 December to inform all staff that they may have been exposed, and advised them to get rapid tests and isolate if positive. The venue continued operating until Christmas Eve before closing for two weeks. Staff estimate at least 50 workers became infected across the days leading up to Christmas. Meanwhile in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, a hospitality worker at a bar/restaurant has reported being called in to work while isolating and awaiting the results of a PCR test. Management also failed to tell staff at the venue when their coworkers had become infected. Workers estimate that approximately 40% of venue staff ultimately became infected with COVID-19.

Scott Morrison has left people who are sick, or working in essential jobs, unable to access the Rapid Antigen Tests they need to keep them safe and keep things running. RATs should be free and accessible for all through Medicare. Because Scott Morrison failed yet again, they are not. He failed to deliver a national quarantine system, stuffed up the vaccine rollout, has left our aged care system in crisis, our hospitals struggling to keep up – and now we don’t have access to the tests we need to keep our workplaces and our families safe.

Amidst the ongoing COVID pandemic and the greatest supply chain crunch Australia has ever seen, Patrick Terminals is willing to throw a spanner in the works of Australian port operations by cancelling their entire workforce’s Employment Agreement and forcing an unprecedented return to the basic Award. This would have a catastrophic impact on shifts, productivity and put an end to 24 hour operations at Patrick’s terminals in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth and make it harder for Australian businesses and consumers to access vital household goods.

National Cabinet has asked for the States to develop a “national framework to enable students to return to school on day one of term one, and for schools to stay open with consistent requirements across all jurisdictions to be in place prior to the first day of the first term of school.” A Federal Government source has told Nine newspapers that “we’re willing to go hardline on this. We want schools to stay open, to make sure classes don’t shut down if there’s one case there.” Meanwhile, the views of school children and parents are being ignored. Many parents are eager to get their kids back to school, and we all understand the need to provide a stable learning environment for students after two years of interruptions. But other parents remain deeply concerned about putting their children’s health at risk - before they can be vaccinated and while the virus is spreading at an alarming rate. This is particularly concerning for children with chronic health conditions, and for parents who have underlying health issues and have spent two years avoiding high-risk environments. Earlier this year the Prime Minister said individuals should take “personal responsibility” for avoiding COVID-19, but by taking a “hardline” stance on schools the Prime Minister is denying families the opportunity to make sensible and informed decisions about their own safety. The ‘back to school’ framework must give parents the flexibility to keep their kids at home until children are vaccinated or until the omicron surge has passed. That could involve either a delay to the start of school, or access to flexible/home learning options.

Unions and business urged Scott Morrison to make rapid antigen tests free back in October. He could have chosen to act but he did nothing. The UK and US Governments have already acted to make rapid covid tests free and accessible to their citizens, once again Scott Morrison is leaving Australia behind. Right now, a single test can cost up to $20, if you’re lucky enough to find a chemist that still has them. That’s $100 for a family of five. That might be small change to the Prime Minister, but it’s out of reach for many families. When asked whether he would make rapid antigen tests free for Australians who need them, Mr Morrison suggested it wasn’t the Government’s job to fix the problem anyway. When a journalist specifically put to Mr Morrison that “not everyone can afford Rapid Antigen Tests”, the PM glibly replied, “some people can, some people can’t”. We've seen time and time again that when the going gets tough, Scott Morrison goes missing. We can't afford this inaction right now. It's time for the Federal Government to step up and make rapid antigen tests free and accessible.

The Lord Mayor has announced the project would now not include a BMX Track, Dog Park, Fitness Path and Playground in its first stage, after a budget blowout. These simple assets of local community benefit were promised to the residents as an LNP election commitment in 2020 and were already tendered out. The decision, with the full support of Cr Adam Allan, to negotiate these out of the current construction contract show poor community priorities while other items in the contract including irrigated sports fields, a leased clubhouse and a 200 space car park are unchanged.