The Western Mine Workers Alliance and its members are deeply concerned for the well being of all workers within Rio Tinto's Australian Pilbara mining operations.

We may have won marriage equality, but the fight is not over. The government has led brutal attacks on trans and non-binary people with the cuts to Safe Schools; queer people seeking refuge in Australia after fleeing from countries where they face persecution for being queer, are locked in offshore torture camps indefinitely by the Australian government, in countries where it is also illegal to be queer and where queer-bashing is common; the Liberals have set up a ridiculous inquiry into ‘religious freedom’ to discriminate against queer people; queer people can still be fired for being queer; meanwhile queer people still experience high rates of depression, homelessness, danger from incarceration, and suicide. We need to make it clear that none of this is acceptable, and we will not allow the Liberal party to promote themselves in our parade in the lead up to the election while this continues. We also in particular stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, trans people, and others who continue to frequently be assaulted by police, and this cannot be allowed. Across the world Pride parades are removing the police in recognition of the cruel role they continue to play in society - Aboriginal people in Australia are one of the most incarcerated populations on the planet and many have died in police custody. This is no coincidence. We cannot ignore this. We also do not think it is ethical for us to be connected to corporations which undermine vulnerable parts of our community, such as asylum seekers. Many seek to come to Australia as they flee homophobic execution, and they are either imprisoned in offshore detention where homosexuality is illegal or sent back to the places that abuse them. In the UK their Pride march called upon the airlines to cease deportation, and managed to win a commitment to ending forced deportations. We can too!

Security officers at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) are facing potential job losses because of a contract change from Spotless to Wilson. There is no guarantee that current security staff will keep their jobs; they have to reapply for their positions. Some security officers have worked at UTAS for over 13 years and are now faced with having no job, and if they are hired by Wilson there is no guarantee that they will have permanent employment or the same amount of hours. Other security officers are long-term casuals, with some working at UTAS for over 9 years without job security. These guards now face the prospect of no job, no entitlements and no redundancy. Wilson has already advertised the positions at UTAS without meeting with the current security officers first. Security officers had some simple questions to ask WIlson, but Wilson has chosen to ignore them so now they are calling on the Vice-Chancellor of UTAS to direct Wilson to answer them and to give them a job they can count on.

In 2016, the Government agreed to reassess the model of staffing for nurses in the state’s public system. This body of work has not been completed in the agreed timeframe and left Tasmanian nurses and midwives concerned about the potential risks to the community. Information provided by the Tasmanian Health Service show that there are currently more than 250 nursing jobs vacant in the public health system in Tasmania. Combine this with the fact that by April 2019 Tasmanian nurses will be the lowest paid in Australia* this paints a serious problem for our health system. With the shortage of nurses and the increasing pressure due to lack of beds across the state, we are calling on your support, whether you are a nurse, midwife, care worker, politician, family member or concerned community member to help show the government that we need to stop disregarding the future of nursing in Tasmania and take action to retain, recruit and recognise these valuable community members. *As compared to a Registered Nurse Grade 3 year 8 or equivalent

"When my father died I was at Uni, there was no question about how much time I would take off, I took what I needed. My mother however, who was in the workforce was expected to take only 2 days leave to grieve." In Australia, employees are only allocated 2 days leave to grieve when someone they love has passed away. There are so many considerations both physically and emotionally as you adjust to your altered reality. Recent models of bereavement recognise the oscillating nature of grief; where our view moves from a loss orientation to an orientation of restoring our changed world in some way. 2 days bereavement leave is more like funeral leave. Memoleaves is a website devoted to sharing grief and end of life stories. Our research into the state of bereavement leave is available here, we continue to research this important area. With this petition we hope to shine a light on the insufficient amount of bereavement leave as decreed in the National Employment Standards. Grief doesn't discriminate and neither should we.

Hairdressing is already one of the lowest paid trades. This proposal by HABA would be a kick in the guts hairdressers just don’t need, particularly when pay is already so low. HABA is a powerful lobby group that represents salon owners. It’s time hairdressers made their voice heard! Make your voice count and sign this petition.

Family Violence is a crime that seriously reduces the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities. The Premier has stated that eliminating family violence is a top priority of the Tasmanian Government. Tasmania Police data shows a 15 per cent increase in reported family violence arguments and incidents over a three-year period from 2014-15 (4,486) to 2016-17 (5,154). The FVCSS is struggling to deal with the increase in referrals due to lack of resources. The Family Violence Counselling and Support Service provides victims with: ◾Information, counselling & support ◾Trauma Counselling for children and young people ◾Information and support to family and friends ◾Arranging assistance from police ◾Assisting in organising a safe place to stay ◾Referrals to Legal Aid and/or Court Support ◾Act as an advocate in accessing assistance e.g. Housing, Centrelink ◾Liaise with Government and non-government sector on behalf of clients ◾Group work programs for affected adults, children and young people.

The voices of sexual assault survivors deserve to be heard. Jane Doe wishes to speak out under her real name to challenge the stigma and break down silences surrounding sexual assault. In the #MeToo era we have seen how powerful it is when victim-survivors chose to waive their right to anonymity in order to shift the shame, and shift the blame. Today, public sexual assault survivors from around the country including Tara Moss, Bri Lee, Saxon Mullins, Jenny Aitchison, Steve Fisher, Jane Caro, Nina Funnell, Jannika Jacky, Joanna Williams, Codie Bell and Freya Willis have joined together to demand that sexual assault survivors in Tasmania and the Northern Territory are afforded the same right to speak out that survivors in other states and territories have. The laws in Tasmania and the Northern Territory must be amended to say that no person or media outlet is entitled to reveal the identity of a sexual assault survivor, UNLESS that survivor consents to waive their right to anonymity. “The most empowering thing I ever did following my own assault was to speak out publicly about it. It was an important part of my recovery” said Nina Funnell who has designed the campaign in partnership with End Rape On Campus Australia and Marque Lawyers. “There is tremendous power in survivors owning their own stories without fear or stigma. It is incredibly disempowering for survivors who want to reclaim ownership of their narrative, to be told that they have no right to speak out about their own abuse”. "This law protects perpetrators, not victims". “By silencing Jane Doe- and other survivors- the courts are keeping the stigma and silence around sexual assault in tact”. Under existing law, survivors have to appeal for a special exemption by the Supreme Court in Tasmania so they can speak. This can cost in excess of $10,000 and there is no guarantee it will be granted. Survivors should not be financially penalised just so they can earn the right to speak. Please join with us in pushing for urgent law reform. Jane Doe’s voice matters. She deserves to be heard. Change the law and #LetHerSpeak *Not her real name

It is important to remember that we the Australian people, the tax payers employ these numbskulls to act in the best interest of the country and represent us. They can carry out thier factional infighting on thier own time, not ours!

• Logan is “...one of the state’s fastest growing communities…the state [has] used the city as the backdrop for announcing its $45 billion four-year infrastructure plans.”* • Those at the pointy end of delivering the City’s successes continue to go unrecognised. Logan City Council staff have not had a pay rise since July 2016! • In that time, all Executive Managers, Councillors and even the suspended Mayor have received annual pay increases. • Council’s current staff pay offer fails to address this two-year pay freeze, and would see wages for the lowest-paid admin staff (who are mostly female) go backwards. • Council staff are community members just like you. We are your librarians and your water & sewage workers. We fix your roads, maintain your parks and plan your new community facilities. • If you agree that it’s not fair that those working hard to deliver major outcomes for our City have to suffer a wage freeze, sign our petition to support the hard-working Council staff who support your community! *Judith Kerr, ‘Logan A City On The Rise’, Courier-Mail, 16 August 2018

Big banks can’t be trusted with workers’ money. Banks have been forced to refund or compensate their customers $480 million in the past two years. They have engaged in reprehensible behavior that includes robbing the dead, deceiving the regulator, rigging markets, giving dodgy advice, forging documents and breaching laws that stop people laundering money and financing terrorism. In contrast, our union-won industry superannuation is reputable and accountable to members, and it consistently delivers better returns for members than any bank super fund. Industry super is strong. It’s the big banks that are broken. Big banks have no place in super and should be banned.

The concerning global business practices of one of the world’s fastest growing and most profitable multinational port companies International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has sparked protests around the world. We’re talking about a company whose international reputation and business model is built off exploiting workers and their families, crippling the communities in which they operate and partnering with dictatorships. It is a fact that at the time the contract was awarded in Australia, ICTSI was in business with the Government of Sudan – while both the UN and US had placed sanctions on doing business with the regime. The President of Sudan was then – and still is today – wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. And from day one, ICTSI imported its aggressive anti-worker business model that they have run out all over the world to Australia. We’re asking you to join with us and demand an enquiry into ICTSI license to operate in Australia that asks: • How did a company with the international reputation that ICTSI holds, ever eligible, or even short-listed, to win a tender to operate critical port infrastructure in Australia? • What consideration was given to ICTSI’s dealings with anti-democratic and international sanctioned regimes, like the Al-Bashir regime in Sudan in the due diligence process? • Did the previous Liberal Victorian Government consult with relevant Commonwealth security agencies considering the relationship between ICTSI and the Government of Sudan? • How did ICTSI satisfy “community benchmarks” given its appalling international reputation when it was awarded the tender to operate the VICT terminal at Webb Dock in Melbourne? It is time for both levels of government to investigate ICTSI and reassure the public that this deal does not compromise our international obligations and meets the strictest of security standards.