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!

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.

Our health workers are the backbone of our hospital system but changes to staff parking at RPA is making it harder for employees to get to work every day to provide the excellent service we are all used to. NSW Health has caused chaos for staff by implementing changes to car parks that are already heavily used by hospital users, university students and those who use local businesses. It’s bad enough that NSW Health is slugging the public with exorbitant parking fees, but now they want to push staff out so they can raise even more revenue. Instead of trying to rip off the public with huge parking fees, Jillian Skinner should be finding ways to support long-suffering employees. We are calling on the Baird Government to instruct the Local Health District to reverse its unfair parking decision. It is clear that this is another mean decision from a government that puts dollars and budgets before patients and staff.

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 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.

Women’s representation on government boards is starting to slide again. The Australian Government Boards (Gender Balanced Representation) Bill 2015 requires Government boards to comprise of at least 40 per cent men and 40 per cent women, and provides for annual reporting requirements in relation to the gender composition of Government boards. Aspirational targets are not enough. What we need is a positive obligation that will apply to each appointment to a Government board; this Bill provides this. The public sector, in serving the interests of the Australian community, demands that public sector boardrooms reflect the gender diversity of our community. The government must also provide leadership to the private sector in this area, where gender diversity among company directors and key executive management personnel remains poor. Value women. Pass the Bill now.

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!

The Commonwealth Government has provided a loan to the ACT Government to pay for the Mr Fluffy asbestos disaster, and are charging more than $215 million in interest. This interest burden will impact the Canberran community for a decade, diverting scarce resources from hospitals, schools and important public services. At the time that the loose-fill asbestos was distributed throughout Canberra, the Commonwealth Government managed the administration of the ACT. The Commonwealth Cabinet during the 1970s and 1980s was responsible for the dangers, according to recently released Cabinet papers. Given the trauma so many Canberrans are experiencing, the nature of the financial burden involved, and the Commonwealth’s historical role in this disaster, we urge you to take responsibility for your Commonwealth predecessors and help fund 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!