This year we can change our national constitution to recognise the undeniable connection to country and history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. After more than 65,000 years of continuous culture, it is time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are recognised in our 122-year-old constitution. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want recognition in a practical form by having a say on issues and policies that impact their lives. The Voice to Parliament referendum to be held later this year will ask Australians about changing our constitution to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a voice in the laws and policies that impact them. As union members, we know the importance of having a say on the matters that affect us, of having a seat at the table, and having appropriate representation. The union movement is built on the idea of everyone having a fair go. Through the Voice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are simply asking to have a say on the things that directly affect them. This year, all Australians have the opportunity to be part of a real change. Following on from a recommendation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members and activists, last year your Branch Conference delegates endorsed supporting the 'Yes' campaign in this year's referendum. This follows on from our union's commitment to the Uluru Statement - a commitment to voice, treaty, and truth. The Voice to Parliament is a practical step to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say in matters that affect them. This is an opportunity to bring our nation together, for a better future. Many members have already expressed that they would like to be more involved in campaigning for a 'Yes' vote - if that's you, you can now sign up to be part of your union's campaign here.
Thank you for everything that Together members have achieved in 2022! Once again union members have made the difference in our communities and our workplaces. If you are taking a break these holidays, we hope you stay safe and well and you get to spend time with your loved ones. The Together Office will close on Friday 23 December 2022 and will reopen on Tuesday 3 January 2023. Stay safe and well and see you in 2023!
The federal budget has now been released. Here's an update from our ASU national office representatives from the budget lockup. Government paid parental leave increased to 6 months representing the biggest expansion to paid parental leave since its inception Measures to improve the costs of childcare and to fix aged care A new Net Zero Economy Taskforce to make sure that workers benefit from Australia’s transformation to a renewable energy superpower. $560 million funding boost for community services that are federally funded to provide for wage increases won by unions in the Fair Work Commission $1.7 billion in funding for women’s safety programs including creating 500 new frontline domestic violence support roles, implementing all the recommendations of the Respect@Work Report, nationally accredited training for frontline DV workers, and introducing laws to expressly prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace. An independent review of the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) where we will be advocating for better jobs, training, portable entitlements, and higher wages for members. Financial support for the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the referendum on the voice next year. Establishing a new Housing Accord which will include building 20,000 new social housing dwellings, and additional funding for crisis and transitional housing for women and children fleeing violence. 480,000 free TAFE places. It's great to see the federal government has delivered on the commitments it has made to union members. We'll post more news about the federal budget as it becomes available.
The latest figures continue to underline the need to get wages moving. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicator rose 7% in the year to July and 6.8% to August 2022. The largest contributors, in the 12 months to August, were wew dwelling construction, up 20.7%, and automotive fuel, up 15.0%. Food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation increased to 9.3%, with prices rising across most food categories, led by fruit and vegetables increasing from 9.1% in June, to 18.6% in August. At the same time, data published by the Fair Work Commission show that the average annualised wage increase (AAWI) for agreements lodged in the last month was only 3%. While this represents an increase in AAWI, it is well below the CPI rate. This means that real wages continue to decline. The Fair Work Commission's data releases have also provided strong evidence that the best way to secure a wage increase is to be a member of your union.
Amid the cost of living crisis, the Australian union movement has a positive plan to improve the national workplace laws in Australia. Wages are not keeping pace with cost of living, and it's because our laws are stopping workers - especially in the private sector - from achieving good workplace agreements. The current system of enterprise bargaining in Australia is more than 30 years old. Only 14% of workers are now covered by an enterprise agreement - and this is trending downwards. At a national level Australian unions are campaigning for new laws that will allow more workers to be part of a collective agreement that protects and improves their pay and conditions. We have an opportunity now with a new federal government and an increased focus on wages failing to meet cost of living pressure to fix this crisis by changing our work laws. It starts with reviewing our bargaining system - if so many workers are not covered by an enterprise agreement, how can with improve wages to keep up with the cost of living increases? As the Australian Council of Trade Unions says: Our jobs and workplaces have changed over the past 30 years and our bargaining system needs to as well. This is not a new problem and it’s not just caused by the pandemic or overseas conflict. Workers’ wages have been frozen or declining for the last decade. Next week, unions will be attending the new Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit. We’ll be taking our positive plan, with common sense proposals to fix collective bargaining, and make it meet the needs of workers, as well as employers. Watch ACTU Secretary Sally McManus talk about it here and here. You can do something today to be part of the solution to fix the wages crisis in Australia - ask your friends, your family and your workmates to become a union member. We know that union members win better outcomes and pay at work than non-union workers and union members drive positive outcomes in our community. Being a union member is your first step on a path to better pay and conditions at work.
Last night, on the basis of union members’ campaigning so far, the government indicated that it was prepared to negotiate around its wages policy of 2.5%. On the basis of this movement, public sector unions have agreed to postpone today’s rally outside 1 William Street. For details on the latest wages negotiations, make sure you’re registered to join the Together report-back meeting on Friday – you can register here. Congratulations on putting on the pressure and ensuring movement on wages in 2022!
As a union member you are helping to build better workplaces and better communities, across Queensland. This work cannot succeed without your support, so thank you. In the 2022/2023 financial year union fees will increase to support our union’s ability to campaign and win better wages and conditions. You can see the schedule of increased fees here. For most members the increase will be 2.5%, in line with the wage increases that members in the public service have won through collective bargaining agreements. Members who are Custodial Corrections Officers pay an insurance levy to fund a group legal insurance policy. This levy has not been increased since 2020. In the 2022 financial year the levy will be increased to reflect the increased cost of the policy and the fact that Custodial Corrections members have won a wage increase including significant back pay. Remember that union fees are 100% tax-deductible. You can go online to find member discounts, benefits and ways you can save money through your union membership. Also in administrative news – our Brisbane union office has officially moved! Our new office address is Level 4, 43 Peel Street, South Brisbane. All other contact details remain unchanged.
Sorry Day is held every year on 26 May. This is a day to commemorate the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were forcibly removed from their communities, as documented in the Bringing Them Home report of 1998. Policies of forced removal began in the 1880s and continued until the 1970s. They were enacted by both state and federal governments. The deep trauma of forced removal affected the lives of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and it continues to affect their lives and communities today. Members of Together are committed to redressing the wrongs of the past and securing justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Recognition of past wrong requires that we commit to remedying current injustice and building a better future. Sorry Day 2022 is the fifth anniversary of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which was made in 2017. Together has endorsed and supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We call for it to be implemented in full. The new Australian federal government has committed to implementing the Statement from the Heart in full and Together supports that commitment. Learn more about Sorry Day here. Learn more the Uluru Statement from the Heart here.
Health care is an important issue for Queenslanders at this federal election. Together members know health care, because you are health care workers. You know how the health system is functioning right now and you know it needs significant investment from governments so you can continue to provide the valuable care you do for patients. This is why Together members have been talking about health care in key electorates this federal election. Together is calling for commitments from candidates to ensure our health care system has the adequate funding required to allow you to provide the level of care needed. Without doubt, the COVID pandemic has had an impact on health system, but it has only exacerbated the issues that were already present. Just one of those issue are people struggling to see a GP, whether because of availability or cost. It means Queenslanders are putting off health treatment until they can't avoid it. Queenslanders should receive the health care they need, regardless of where they live or how much money they earn. Scott Morrison's record on health is undeniably poor. He won't commit to properly funding public hospitals, or raising the Medicare rebate so more patients can access bulk billed GPs. He has let down aged care residents and NDIS recipients are struggling with the poor support from his government. Together members are out in the community putting these issues front and centre when they talk to Queenslanders. We deserve a top class health care system that ensures ALL Queenslanders can get the care they need when they need it. When you go to vote this election - think about public hospitals and your community and who will best support our health care system.
I want to thank each and every member for the work they do every day to protect our communities. Prisons play a vital role in protecting the people of Queensland, even if it is not always visible in the community, like other emergency services. This year, members in Correctional Centres have faced riots, overcrowding, increasing numbers of assaults and an ever changing COVID-19 situation, which has added to an already challenging working environment. Together Delegates have been on the front line ensuring that vital Work Health and Safety measures are put in place to keep members safe and that members' voices are heard. The dedication from Delegates in every centre across Queensland is invaluable and every Delegate and member should be congratulated for the work they have done in the challenges of their work environment. Corrections spans across many professions and workgroups, and we cannot forget the work from members in Community Corrections and support officers in Correctional Facilities. Thank you for your commitment to keeping Queenslanders safe! The environment you face is often difficult and the role you play in Community safety is paramount to ensuring appropriate rehabilitation