News - Australian Services Union NSW & ACT Branch

$56 million to be cut from homelessness services

“You cannot say in one breath that you are concerned about the mistreatment of women and then cut the funding to essential services and women’s refuges.”

The Federal government wants to cut $56 million from homelessness services that support women and children leaving violence. This means women’s refuges will have to close their doors. Scott Morrison is all talk and no action and it’s not good enough.

ASU Secretary Natalie Lang speaks to 7NEWS Australia with Vinnies Australia at Elsie's Women's Refuge. Watch here.

Communities Need A Pay Rise

This recession was the only recession in Australian history were profits went up.

They went up 15%.

Billionaires don’t spend profits, but workers spend pay rises.

Our communities need a pay rise to help us recover from drought, floods, fire and the pandemic.

If you agree join your union. We’re calling for a 3.5% increase to the minimum wage.

That’s an extra $25 a week for millions of Australians to spend in our local communities.

Neighbourhood Centre Workers Make The Difference

Recently Newtown Neighbourhood Staff met with their Organiser to discuss the campaign around leave entitlements being carried over within the community sector, as they are in the public sector.

NNC voted and moved this resolution:

We are workers who make a difference every day. We should be valued for the difference we make, we should be recognised for our contribution to a Civil Society over many years.

Portable entitlements will make a difference to the workers who make the difference. Portable entitlements will make a stronger sector and stronger services for the people we support.

We call on our colleagues to join our campaign and to our employers to support us.

Members Meet Deputy PM about airline jobs

Today four fearless ASU members in airlines spoke to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack about the reality right now for aviation workers.

Yvonne, Pascale, Catherine and Katrina spoke up on behalf of every aviation worker across the country, and they did a fantastic job.

Sign this petition and let’s make sure they get the message – no airlines worker left behind.

COVID VACCINE UPDATE: CATEGORY 1B (Disability Services)

Many disability workers are in category 1B and can now get the COVID vaccine. We held an online meeting for disability workers about the COVID vaccine rollout you can watch below.

Disability workers will need to show that you work in disability services – either by filling out a declaration form or by taking a letter from your employer saying you are in category 1B.

There are 6 million people who are in category 1B – that’s a lot of people. So there could be delays in getting the vaccine and it could be several weeks before you get an appointment at your GP.

Latest Training for Union Members

The ASU Career Launchpad is your exclusive member-only professional development program designed for ASU members. Below are just some of our upcoming courses available free of charge for union members.

Check out the course guide, catch up with past courses or enroll in upcoming courses via your member portal.

New Members Meeting: Penrith Hub Day

New union members from the community and disability sectors met for the first time at our Western Sydney office in Penrith. We’re making plans to make work safer and fairer (and learning how to make the most out of our membership!).

We hold regular inductions for new members at our regional hubs. Email [email protected] or give us a call on 0293104000 to find your nearest one.

Uluru Statement: ASU members visit Parliament House

This week First Nations ASU members joined union members from across Australia to meet with politicians about the Uluru Statement. This was the biggest delegation of First Nation Union members at Parliament House ever.

Members attended Noel Pearson's speech at the National Museum of Australia. According to ABC News, "Mr Pearson urged the government not to give up on the decades-long push for constitutional recognition and reiterated his support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the constitution, in line with the calls of the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart."

Call for nominations: 2021 HESTA Awards

HESTA is calling for nominations of dedicated professionals working in disability and community services in Australia for the 2021 HESTA Excellence Awards.

With a $60,000 prize pool up for grabs, the national Awards celebrate professionals from the four sectors who are going above and beyond the everyday high-quality care they provide to achieve outstanding health outcomes for Australians.

HESTA CEO Debby Blakey said the ongoing battle with COVID has demonstrated the critical importance of allied health, disability services, aged care and community services professionals in protecting and supporting their communities, as well as to our economic recovery.

“These amazing professionals are supporting Australians to stay healthy and well, and our economy to remain resilient and productive. They’ve often delivered the very highest standards of care in the most challenging of circumstances,” Ms Blakey said.

Scott Morrison Turns Back on Aviation Workers

The Federal Government has announced its aviation industry support package and in doing so turned its back on thousands of airline workers across Australia.

The Government has announced it will not be extending JobKeeper, even in the industries that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic like airlines and tourism. ASU members went to Scott Morrison's office to tell him to #KeepAustraliaFlying.

Add your name to our petition here https://keepaustraliaflying.com/.