• Petition to the Director-General, National Library of Australia
    The NLA’s strength in Asia-related resources has always been a magnet, world-wide, drawing academics and researchers to Australia. It put Australia on the map internationally as a major centre for Asian Studies. The significance of this for Australia, the region and the world is self-evident. In more recent years of budget cuts, most university libraries throughout Australia have ceased collecting in Asian languages with the rationale that the NLA would provide central resources that we all could access. If this ceases to be the case, Asian Studies and the important, hard-won centrality of Australia’s role as a bridge between East and West will be permanently and irretrievably damaged. For that reason, we would urge you to reconsider the proposed new policy, collection strategy and the closure of the Asian Reading Room, long a mecca for international scholars and a place where Asian Australians have felt at home in the NLA since the Colombo Plan and for decades afterward.
    2,275 of 3,000 Signatures
    Created by Prof Dr Jon von Kowallis
  • Western tunnel layoffs , workers stood down
    Rapid growth of Werribee, Geelong and Craigieburn There's no North South Express way. PT Cook gridlock needs bypassing to get to employment mecca's in the North, Trucks from Geelong to Bypass Pt Cook princes Hwy. Link Both Airports , has potential of removing 50 % of inner west traffic. (A Manhattan city) to decentralize, located on E6 And Werribee River, Central between Geelong & Craigieburn , accessible for all western regions of Victoria. Such economic potential Compared to West gate tunnel.
    1 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Neale Garing
  • Carer's leave for staff required to care for their children during Victorian school closures
    Members have been contacting us with their stories: "I have only recently started at Monash and do not have the leave balance or personal wealth to cover this requirement. I have no choice but to let my kid’s education suffer as I cannot assist them and fulfil the full requirements of my role." "I have two children in lower to middle secondary school. Their schooling has shifted online, which requires me to monitor their schooling from 8.30am to 3.15pm each week day, and react to technical and learning issues throughout the day. In a non-COVID19 environment, I acquit my fractional hours by working uninterrupted during school hours from Monday to Friday (8.30am to 3.30pm). I am no longer able to get the uninterrupted school hours, so I am working much later into the evenings and on weekends, and this is impacting on my ability to look after my children outside of school hours and to assist my mother with the care of my father, who has Alzheimers." "I am the parent of a 5 and 6 year old. The 6 year old is in the process of being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and needs close and constant supervision. It is not possible to do any work at the same time as home-schooling. I am seeking carers leave to cover two days a week and my partner would be undertaking the other three days. I will spend the three work days fulfilling my teaching and engagement obligations, and will forego my research during this time. Clearly this is likely to impact on my track record for ARC grant applications and my next promotion application, but I feel I have no other choice due to pressures from my department." "I have a secondary school-age child. She has some significant health problems including anxiety, I have to spend a considerable amount of time keeping her on track with her learning. I also have an elderly mother (78) who lives on her own. I therefore need to regularly do her shopping, something she would normally do for herself, but should not at the moment because of the health risks of her leaving the house. Now when there is the prospect of me actually being able to take COVID-19 related leave, it has suddenly been withdrawn. This feels like a slap in the face, especially given the generosity of the university toward students. By contrast, for academics the so-called generosity has been swiftly removed, making a farce of the entire "thanks for being so incredible working overtime" statements that have been made routinely during the crisis. Personally, I worked more than 12 hours a day for 3 weeks, with no days off, and received nothing in recognition, except hollow words."
    377 of 400 Signatures
    Created by NTEU Monash Branch
  • Reduce the tuition fees for international students for semester 1 and 2 2020
    This should be recognised and compensated for since it is unjust treatment of international students who are paying a high price for something they are not receiving, and who in addition are not eligible for Job keeper payments or Centrelink (but are still expected to pay full tuition fees which is causing extreme financial distress). The University is offering Emergency Support grants for students who have lost their income. However these are not guaranteed and are addressing another issue. They are not a recognition of the change in quality of the teaching and learning experience; a change which should be reflected in the pricing of impacted semesters. For approximate pricing per year for international students see: https://study.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/84399/2020-tuition-fee-tables-for-international-students.pdf
    14 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Victoria Larsson
  • All risk no incentive? Pay rise for essential service workers
    The recent Covid 19 income support package has resulted in an imbalance. A hospital cleaner working full time is earning around $1000 per week before tax, and usually takes home around $750. The worker must meet all personal expenses including housing, transport, food, childcare, education and medical costs. The essential services workforce is being severely affected by the current crisis as many workers are having to stay home to care for families. We are not going to be able to recruit new workers to replace those who are unable to work. Potential employees would be better off on Centrelink benefits, safer and wealthier.
    16 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Susie Wallis
  • Demand working from home for all Probe ATO workers
    Enough is enough. Respect our staff. Protect our health
    17 of 100 Signatures
    Created by El I
  • Money for Taxpayers without jobs
    Because too many people under the current government support system does not include so many households where two incomes are required to survive. This not a normal situation. Support every taxpaying worker who lost their jobs in this fallout.
    99 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Michele Brown
  • WOOLWORTHS TO GIVE BONUSES TO TEAM MEMBERS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
    As everyone is racing the grocery store and panic buying - we are getting abused, things thrown at us and not being treated with respect. We are risking our lives/our families because we don’t know if anyone we are coming into contact with has the virus. Hundreds of people visit supermarkets per day and the rate for people being tested positive is doubling everyday. It’s not right - we’re not being protected enough. Woolworths should be giving both salary and EBA team members a bonus to support their staff. We, retail workers, and our families matter too.
    1,168 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Lor Brown
  • Reduce painting & decoration course fee
    As all you know, Covid 19 is having a devastating affect on small businesses, workers and non - salaried student employees. We are international students and although we have proven family financial support, the whole world is in crisis and in need of help. A lot of schools already have adopted the reduction of fees up to 50%. We are having all our jobs cancelled and this help would be a great opportunity to allow us to continue staying and studying in Australia. Also, we recognise the importance of us for the Australia economy, mainly for the schools that offer courses to international students in general. We are seeing big part of us going back home and leaving the courses and all the investment behind. We really want to finish our course and make this investment worth it and gain this knowledge as we planned.
    119 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Stephanie Zumckeller
  • this pandemic is not ,an easy way to reduce your work force
    Well if this happens , if there are any more and there will be , serious world issues , the bosses will use this to put more of us, working class poor on well fair, across all industry,s
    1 of 100 Signatures
    Created by mick hope
  • Assign Poker Machine Revenue to Health Care
    Poker Machine owners have done very well from Australians for decades, and in troubling emergencies like COVID 19, it is time for Governments to call for emergency measures. By re-assigning 85% of poker machine takings, it still allows all related employment to be saved. It avails money to be spent on childcare workers to care for Medical Professional's children
    3 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Bruce Lund
  • Contain the virus and support the vulnerable
    There is nothing normal about the COVID-19 outbreak or the devastating economic impact it will have / is having on the most vulnerable. Some estimate that up to 60% of the population may be affected, and a catastrophic overburdening of the health system seems inevitable. Moreover, countless workers, artists, and students will have to deal with devastating economic conditions on top of these biological worries. With the Reserve Bank of Australia announcing that it is commencing Quantitative Easing (QE), and the treasury preparing another stimulus package, it is essential that the government embrace policies and programs which will actually address the source of the problem and which will secure a basic standard of living / survival for those who have neither the incomes nor savings to sustain themselves. By honouring the demands above, and sparing no expense in their pursuit of a best-practice response, the government has a genuine chance at minimising the economic and biological damage of the COVID-19 outbreak. A failure to institute any of the above demands, however, would amount to gross negligence: anything short of a significant economic response, which supports casual wage earners and the vulnerable, will lead to increased transmission rates or, worse, a serious and perhaps fatal deterioration in people's quality of life as they lack the liquidity and income to secure accommodation and acquire essential goods. Moreover, without social distancing and rapid investment in health provisions the number of cases will start increasing exponential. If implemented these demands will not only "flatten the curve", but raise the system's overall capacity, saving many lives. Honouring these demands (among others) will minimise damage to the largest degree, and is ultimately the only way the government can truly protect its citizens. Anything less is negligence.
    129 of 200 Signatures
    Created by University of Sydney Students' Representative Council