As a CFMEU member, I know John and Shaun spend every day fighting to make my workplace safer and to defend my workplace rights. Construction is a tough and dangerous industry. Going to work can be a life or death situation at times, and it shouldn’t be. It’s only thanks to the CFMEU that we have the safety and conditions we do at work. When workers rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back. Please sign my petition to show your support for John and Shaun; and ask that they keep fighting to defend workplace safety in this country.

While Treasurer, Joe Hockey accused everyday people of being "leaners" and criticised expecting mums as being "double dippers" for accessing paid parental leave (he said it was "basically fraud"). Under his two budgets as Treasurer, Hockey cut billions from essential support services, education, hospitals and the ABC and SBS, amongst many other public services and supports. Now, having left Parliament mid-term, he will draw two salaries. It's time for (former) politicians like Joe Hockey to practice what they preach.

All workplace injuries and deaths are preventable. Everyone should come home safe and healthy from work at the end of the day. The eight deaths in November 2015 were: November 30: A 41-year-old man working at a poultry farm at Lethbridge, near Geelong, was struck by a forklift late at night. November 22: A 49-year-old farmer was found late in the evening underneath a quad bike on a property at South Purrumbete, east of Cobden. 19 November: A 42-year-old man fell to his death while removing a downpipe from a two-storey home at Hamlyn Heights in Geelong. 12 November: A 25-year-old refrigeration mechanic was electrocuted while doing maintenance work on an air conditioner at a factory in Braeside. 12 November: A 29-year-old worker was killed at a business in Keysborough when a piece of equipment fell off a forklift and crushed him. 10 November: a 76-year-old farmer was crushed by his tractor after it rolled over at Loch, in South Gippsland. 9 November: A 64-year-old contractor died in an explosion at a housing development site at Harkaway in Melbourne’s outer east. 4 November: A 76-year-old farm worker was electrocuted while maintenance was being undertaken on a pump at a farm at Anakie, near Geelong.

The deal that was done on ChAFTA is inadequate. This agreement is a threat to Australian jobs, safety and sovereignty. Without giving effect to these commitments, CHAFTA and any future agreement will seriously undermine Australia’s national interest.

My name is Ron and I am a hospital orderly at Royal Perth Hospital. Colin Barnett has recently made a decision to cut 1,500 jobs from our hospitals and my job is one of the ones that could go. A first class health system relies on having enough skilled professionals like myself and my colleagues to ensure all Western Australians receive the best possible healthcare. Cutting jobs in our hospitals puts patients at risk. Western Australians deserve better.

What is the government doing? The Victorian Labor Government has announced an Expression of Interest (EOI) process for the provision of the Victorian public disability services. Taking the next step toward privatisation of the sector. The Labor Government’s privatisation agenda is a breach of the Labor Party platform, and a broken election promise. What does this mean for workers? There are currently over 5000 public disability workers who are already very low paid, privatising these jobs will see wages cut by up to 30% and huge cuts to conditions and a loss of job security. The disability workforce is dominated by hard working women, who have fought for many years to win important protections offered by the public sector EBA. What does this mean for people with a disability who live in public services? This will mean that current residents of Victorian public disability services will HAVE NO CHOICE but to be moved into the private/not for profit sector, where there is a higher turn around of staff, much less supervision, less support and less funding. The private/ngo sector at a glance: No EBAs Award wages No minimum shift length No minimum hours required in permanent contracts Minimum maternity leave provisions No EBA Health and Safety protections No discipline processes No family violence leave No recognition of qualifications No career structures

The Electrical Trades Union is serious about workplace safety. It is a matter of life and death. We know that licensing of high-risk trades, health and safety training and right of access for workers' representatives are crucial to a good safety culture. Extending these basic protections to workers in the offshore oil and gas industries could be the difference between a tragic loss and a happy future for thousands of Australian families.

Across the country, students are increasingly facing struggles which impact on their ability to participate in and succeed at university including: -financial difficulties -health problems and -familial responsibilities. These struggles are even more pronounced for disadvantaged students including women students, lgbtiqa students, aboriginal and torres strait islander students, ethno-culturally diverse students, students with disabilities and students from regional and rural areas. At most universities, student organisations help to address these issue through the provision of a range of student services including student counseling, financial support, and autonomous departments which provide an independent voice for students. However, while these services are essential, they are almost entirely reliant on the funding their receive through the Student Services Amenities Fee (SSAF); which is often not sufficient or ongoing This is largely due to the fact that loopholes in the SSAF legislation allow universities to bypass recognising the most pressing needs of students in their SSAF distribution. While the federal SSAF legislation dictates that Universities are required to consult with student organisations about the distribution of their SSAF revenue; many Universities do so in a way that is superficial, and does not ensure the adequate resourcing of essential student services. Further more the SSAF is at risk under the current Liberal government, which has had a longstanding opposition to its existence. 
In order to ensure that all students receive the support they need at university, it is essential that the SSAF is supported, and that student representatives are given more control over student affairs.

My name is Rafael and until Friday I worked into the night cleaning Myer Melbourne. In just 3 months I was underpaid by at least $7000. I spoke out. And a few weeks later I was sacked. When I started, a Myer subcontractor made me work on an ABN number on a flat rate of $20 an hour - that's below the award. We got no sick leave, no super, no weekend rates and we had no job security. It was only when I spoke to my union, United Voice, that I realised I was being underpaid by almost $20 an hour on some days. In three months I missed out on $5000 in wages and $2000 in super. That’s a huge amount of money for me! I asked if I could be employed directly and if I could be paid the Award. But they refused. I rely on my job to pay my rent and my bills, and buy my food. I don’t know what I’ll do now. I have no income. I may need to return to Colombia without completing my studies. I can’t believe I lost my job simply for asking to be paid the legal rate. What’s worse is the other cleaners who’ve been ripped off at Myer are now too scared to try and claim the back-pay they’re owed. I thought workers had rights in Australia. Myer should know better. Just six months ago another Myer subcontractor was exposed for ripping off cleaners. I want my job back. I want all Myer cleaners to have secure jobs with fair pay and for our right to be union members and speak out to be respected. Can you tell Myer to respect its cleaners and make sure I get my job back?

While most nurses are assumed to have a safe working environment, those nurses who undertake hazardous service should receive Commonwealth Honours exactly equal with those received by other State public servants offering similar service. Nurses in psychiatric intensive care units manage the same violent criminals that police and prison staff manage, but while the police and prison guards do receive medals, nurses do not. Virtually all Psychiatric Nurses manage patients deemed to be a "danger to others". Therefore they should have their hazardous service recognised. Nurses who voluntarily surrender their right to a safe working environment by serving as Violence Managers; by joining Epidemic Community Response Teams; or working in dangerous locations such as Casualty Wards should have their hazardous service recognised. Nurses whose work exposes them to the risk of violent assault should receive the National Medal, and those who voluntarily surrender their right to a safe working environment, for whatever reason, are offering service "above and beyond", and so should be eligible to receive the Public Service Medal. Please sign this petition to demand that State Health Ministers submit the necessary applications to Canberra, back-dated to 1987 in accordance with Commonwealth regulations, so that all nurses, whether working or retired, can receive the recognition that their service, and all too often their sacrifice, justly entitles them to receive. At the end of the day, this campaign is an equal work for equal pay, equal recognition for equal service demand.

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.

People who work for Pizza Hut and Dominos have been exploited by their employers. Pizza Hut have put delivery drivers on sham "contractor agreements" instead of hiring them directly. These contractor agreements result in delivery drivers being paid less than $12 per hour and having no access to sick leave or other entitlements - yet drivers were still "employed to deliver the company's product as and when directed. [They were] not genuinely running a pizza delivery business", according to Maurice Blackburn principal Josh Bornstein. According to the father of a Domino's employee: “My 19-year-old son is paid $14.51 per hour for two hours per day, plus $2.27 per delivery. He has to pay the cost of running his vehicle out of this $2.27. So per shift he is paid after expenses about $30. If he was paid the minimum wage he would work three hours at a payrate of $18.98 plus 41 cents per km for vehicle use. So he would earn after car running costs about $60.” Both Pizza Hut and Domino's have been ripping off their workers. It's time for it to stop. Australians won't tolerate this exploitation. We support pizza delivery drivers and demand that Pizza Hut end sham contracting arrangements!