Social & Community Services

NEW REPORT: A new report examines the ability of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to provide decent jobs for disability support workers and sounds a warning on the developing problem of NDIS pricing. According to the report released by a University of New South Wales-led research team, the pricing…

Today the Fair Work Commission handed down its decision in the award review into casual and part-time employment. The ASU was successful in opposing employer applications that would have disadvantaged our members in the legal industry and the social and community services sector. Legal Services Award 2010 A group of…

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…

Nurses, teachers, cleaners, community, social, disability and construction workers are all at risk of having their penalty rates cut following the recent Fair Work Commission (FWC) decision. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has received independent legal advice that shows the FWC decision opens the door to penalty rate…

Mission Australia staff have voted overwhelmingly to endorse the new Mission Australia Service Delivery Enterprise Agreement negotiated and recommended by the ASU’s National Negotiating Team. Voting on the Agreement closed last Friday – and a whopping 97% of employees who voted, voted in favour of the Agreement. This is not…

The recent report of the Productivity Commission Inquiry that identified community services (including to the most vulnerable Australians and Indigenous people in remote areas) along with public hospitals, dental services, grants for family services, social housing and palliative care, as areas to introduce competition through privatisation, has reignited the debate…

Today the Productivity Commission has released its preliminary findings report about what vital Australian human services it wants governments to look at privatising. It does not bring good news for ASU members working at the frontline in grant based family and community services like alcohol and drug services, community based…

The ASU recently lodged its submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into introducing greater competition into human services. This inquiry was set up by the Liberal Government just days ahead of the recent election. The ASU submission focusses on our concerns about the impact of increased competition and marketisation on…

The Turnbull Government has asked the Productivity Commission to investigate commercialising vital community services – a move that would divert scarce public funding away from supporting victims of domestic violence and homelessness services to shareholders of opportunistic businesses. In the days before the election was called, Treasurer Scott Morrison quietly…

The Turnbull Liberal Government has directed the Productivity Commission to prepare a plan to increase competition and privatisation in community services. Last Friday, the Productivity Commission called for submissions on which community services are fit to be commercialised and privatised. This could include any and all community services, including support…