This petition is being run by United Voice members in the ACT region. We are cleaners, security guards, early learning educators, and hospitality workers who need our federal politicians to represent low paid workers. We know what it's like to get underpaid and lodge a complaint, only to have our shifts cut, never recover stolen wages and see bosses go unpenalised. The ACT may have the highest average income in Australia but workers all over our community are getting ripped off by bosses and need change. Our local candidates should commit to working on these issues before they seek our vote in May.

Le Bon Ton is a New Orleans-style bar in Collingwood and one of Melbourne’s hottest late night venues. The bar closes at 6am on weekends and staff often don’t finish until even later. But whenever you work, you don’t get penalty rates. I worked for the owners of Le Bon Ton for more than a year and like countless other workers I wasn’t paid penalty rates either - I got paid a flat rate of as little as $18 per hour. In total, they stole about $5000 from me. Lots of others are also owed thousands of dollars. Will and Mick Balleau didn’t care if I couldn’t pay my rent. They’d you give a free beer at the end of your shift and reckon that makes it all right. They made me speak to their accountant who promised me the money. They even sent me a spreadsheet confirming I’d been underpaid by thousands and promised they'd pay me in the next pay run. But they never did. They were betting on me not knowing how to get my money. I finished working for them three years ago and I'm still waiting to get paid. What this is, is theft. But hospo bosses just keep getting away with it. I want to see these wage thieves held to account for how they treat their staff. The watchdog needs to take serious action against these guys. https://vimeo.com/319264816

Your commitment to the Respect. Now. Always. Campaign requires you, as a university leader, to raise awareness of sexual violence and lift the visibility of support services for students. At its core, the campaign acknowledges that every student has the right to feel safe as they work towards their degree. This is recognised in various university policies, including the UWA Code of Ethics and the Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities, which both reference that the university fosters the value of “responsibility in social, moral and academic matters”. The substance of Ms Arndt’s ideas is grounded in harmful, biased and unsupported rhetoric. Allowing her to speak on campus marks a gross irresponsibility in fostering responsibility in social, moral and academic matters, and a complete lack of respect for survivors of sexual violence that learn and teach on your campus. The On Safe Ground best practice guide published the University of New South Wales in collaboration with the Australian Human Rights Centre acknowledges the role university administrators must play in demonstrating institutional leadership that is supportive, appropriate to the needs of survivors and intolerant of offensive conduct. On Safe Ground asserts that university administrators have a role to play in addressing confusion and ignorance about these issues. Visible university leadership and sustained commitment to cultural change is essential in making campus safer for all students. Importantly, On Safe Ground acknowledges university leadership must challenge harmful attitudes and practices. These are identified as “those that seek to hold the victim responsible for SA, that suggest victims take steps to protect themselves against potential assaults, or that view presence of alcohol or drugs as the basis for dismissing an investigation”. This must be underpinned by clear institutional commitment.

UQ management's current negotiations with the Ramsay Foundation - a conservative organisation that proposes to fund programs and majors in “Western Civilisation” threaten academic freedom at UQ, UQ's national and international reputation and the university's commitment to equity and diversity. The published statements of Ramsay Centre board members make clear that it is an explicitly political-ideological enterprise dedicated to promoting a particular, uncontested view of “Western Civilisation” expressly counterposed to current practices and approaches at UQ. Why is this important? NTEU members, staff and students at UQ are determined that the proposed centre will not go ahead. The project would allow Ramsay representatives to have decision making power on the hiring for staff teaching into the program. This is an attempt to pay cash for a University curriculum that serves conservative political ends. UQ must reject Ramsay and demonstrate that we are NOT FOR SALE. Call on the Vice Chancellor, Chancellor and the Senate to reject the proposed Ramsay Centre! Sign the petition below:

Campus counselling services usually cap the number of sessions offered to individual students each year. As mental health support off-campus isn’t accessible to many students, this locks them out of mental healthcare either entirely or for extended periods. Counselling sessions at universities must be uncapped. Campus counselling services rarely hire enough staff to meet student demand, forcing students to wait weeks or even months to book sessions with no mental healthcare while they wait. Universities must adequately staff counselling services to keep wait times for sessions below two weeks. Some campus counselling services prevent students from booking sessions at all through walk-in only policies. In other services bookings can be made but only in person, not online or over the phone. But for many students with mental ill health or various disabilities, such policies prevent them from accessing sessions at all. Students must be able to book sessions in advance and through accessible methods. At some campus counselling services students have no choice of counsellor, they're stopped from changing counsellors as needed or forced to change counsellors against their wishes, neither of which is conducive to effective mental healthcare. Students must be allowed to choose counsellors according to their needs. Many campus counselling services don’t provide specialist services relevant to students’ needs, such as counsellors trained to support students with experiences of sexual assault, trauma, and psychological conditions other than depression and anxiety. Universities must provide counsellors with training relevant to the mental health issues students are affected by. Universities largely fail to promote campus counselling services to all students. Many promote services inconsistently during peak times like orientation and exams but not all year, and promotion often targets first years but not other students. Universities must do more to promote services and regularly integrate promotion into communications with students.

Council aged care services are trusted and well- loved achieving high customer satisfaction ratings. With a federal election imminent and a Royal Commission into aged care underway it is a bad time to consider outsourcing. Why make the decision now? There has been little if any consultation with the community. Council’s commitment to care and its accountability to the community will never be replaced. Ensure our elder’s dignity and capacity to stay in their homes. Please vote to maintain our aged care services in Council.

Nearly 80 Australian seafarers have been sacked by BHP and replaced with exploited overseas visa workers. These should be Australian jobs for Australian workers, but Scott Morrison's Government chose BHP's profits over the jobs of locals.

Whilst the ANU has made great strides to tackle the complicated issue of providing accommodation for a growing student population, there are still many pressing and urgent issues for postgraduate students that must be addressed. There are still postgraduate students being exploited by predatory landlords, skipping meals to pay for the bare necessities, and sleeping rough in the library and their offices to ensure that they have a safe place to sleep at night. In recognising that the ANU is providing additional accommodation for students in the upcoming years, it is not merely enough to have this accommodation available, it also needs to be accessible, affordable and adequate. Additionally, to meet the first-year guarantee, second- and third-year students will need to seek accommodation off-campus in a city that was just named the most expensive rent market in Australia.

Pharmacists study for 4 years, undertake an intern year and continuous professional development through their careers to ensure they can care for our community. That they are paid under $54,000 for such a vital job is a national shame. For two years Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA) have argued in the Fair Work Commission to increase wages. Our members have provided evidence that a pharmacist’s work-value has increased with greater educational requirements, greater responsibilities and workload and yet pay has not kept up with change. The Fair Work Comission has rejected raising all wages, but will now consider intern and pharmacist rates and allowances for professional services. Sign to support our final submission to raise pay and ask your colleagues to sign as well.

Workers at Botany Cranes went without pay increases for five years in order to support the business through a slow period. In 2018, they finally came to an agreement with management on a new set of wages and conditions. The workers were relieved. They thought it was a done deal. But now, management are refusing to sign that agreement. Then, as if to add insult to injury, they've sacked long time employee and union delegate Howard Byrnes. Howard was sacked for raising issues on behalf of the whole Botany Cranes workforce with management. Workers were worried that the EBA hasn't been signed by management, that their superannuation hasn't been paid in months, and that their redundancy and income protection insurances are out of date. Howard was just doing his job as union delegate and raising these issues on behalf of the workers.

If Cathy doesn’t vote for the bill, it probably won’t pass. This is a chance to finally get the help these children desperately need. Cathy has said she wants her constituents to tell her how they feel, and that she’s undecided. She must be told loud and clear that she needs to show some backbone.

Workers in Australia have a right to join and participate in their union. The Federal government should not be allowed to tell workers what they can and can't wear. This is a blatant attempt by the Federal government to stop workers being active in their union. Sign our petition to tell the Federal Minister that this is unfair.