General ASU News

The judgement handed down by the High Court yesterday in a case between petroleum and gas giant ESSO and the Australian Workers Union has made Australia’s industrial action laws – which are already some of the most restrictive in the OECD – much more oppressive. The High Court has described…

ExxonMobil, the parent company of Esso, who has attempted to drive down wages and conditions of workers at their Longford on and offshore sites, will be hauled before a Senate Inquiry into corporate tax evasion. This comes as a result of the report published today by ASU partner the Tax…

The message from the community has been loud and clear during the deliberations of the People’s Inquiry into Privatisation: take back control of public services! After public hearings all over Australia last year, taking written submissions from individuals as well as affected organisations, and commissioning research, the People’s Inquiry is…

The ACTU welcomes Brendan O’Connor’s announcement that the Australian Labor Party will act to address the use of non-representative agreements if it forms the next government. The dispute at Carlton United Breweries drew national attention to the use of non-representative agreements – which are signed by a handful of workers…

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), with the support of the ASU, has called for the Turnbull Government to combat the rising cost of power by standing up to the excessive corporate power in the privatised energy market. A new report today reveals private energy companies are playing the…

Australian Unions are calling on the Turnbull Government to take urgent steps to plug gaping holes in the national tax framework which are robbing Australia of badly needed funds for schools, hospitals and services. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) Commissioner revealed there are large loopholes in the Government’s flagship anti-corporate…

Tonight the Federal Government handed down a budget that entrenches inequality at the same time as rewarding corporations. The message from Canberra is clear: Don’t be poor. Don’t be unemployed. Don’t be vulnerable. This Budget attacks those in our community who need the most support. The proposed changes to welfare…

Last week, Sally McManus, a unionist from the ranks of the Australian Services Union, officially took on the role of ACTU Secretary and ever since, we’ve barely had a moment to sit back to celebrate the fact. Sally has made a running start to the job of leading the Australian…

How a once-off street party became an iconic annual event Today, everyone acknowledges the iconic status of the annual Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras as both a key Australian cultural and political event, even its opponents admit this. Bitterly. However, few know the origins of the event. Even fewer…

Last week, high level politicians and corporate leaders across the world have been named in yet another series of tax related leaks, this time from the Bahamas, an infamous tax haven. >> Click here to read this on the PSI website Neelie Kroes, former EU Commissioner for Competition, has come…