Brunswick Labor.net

Carlo told the meeting while there were good and bad things in Eddington the report opened up an opportunity not just to oppose the tunnel, but also to acheive a paradigm shift in favour of funding for public transport in Victoria.

The meeting resolved to oppose the cross city road tunnel and set up a community campaign in response to the Eddington report.

In 2007 the Brunswick ALP Branch ran a campaign to bring the plight of the Brunswick Baths to public attention.

1000 people signed the petition either at the Sydney Road Street Party, at the baths or online.

Council listened to the community and committed to renewing the Brunswick Baths and is now seeking State and Federal Government support.

Yesterday the LHMU Cleaners Union launched its collective bargaining campaign at Federation Square. The LHMU is campaigning for cleaners to earn a minimum princly sum of $400 per week.

Speaking at the launch were Victorian Deputy Premier, Rob Hulls, Bishop Hilton Deakin and others including Carlo Carli. Youtube video's of teh day as well as stories from cleaners about their industry are available from www.youtube.com/cleanstart.

You can also join the Cleanstart facebook group.

Mr CARLI (Brunswick) -- Tomorrow, 9 August, the International Transport Workers Federation and the International Trade Union Confederation have called an international day of action over the arrest and detention of two Iranian trade union leaders.
I too want to voice my concern and protest at the imprisonment of two trade union leaders in Iran.

Mansour Osanloo, president of the Tehran bus workers union, has been arrested three times over the past year and a half, and he continues to be in detention. He was arrested while travelling on a bus on 10 July. He has been charged with conspiracy against national security.
Also Mahmoud Salehi, a founding member of the Saqez Bakery Workers Association and the Coordinating Committee to Form Workers Organisations, has been arrested and is being detained. He has major health issues, and it seems his health is dramatically deteriorating as a result of inadequate health care.

There is an international movement to seek the release of these two trade union workers and to ensure that the rights of trade unionists and the right to organise in Iran are protected. This involves numerous activities around the world, particularly putting pressure on Iranian authorities

A new study compiled by Griffith and Curtin University Professors David Peetz and Alison Preston, has examined workers’ wages on AWAs with wages from certified agreements.

The Howard government has argued that WorkChoices would encourage increased wages, particularly through AWAs. In the absence of any analysis by the federal government, this report provides the first study of the effects of these reforms.

The study is proof that AWAs are a fast-track in the race to the bottom in terms of wages and conditions.
AWAs are achieving exactly what the Howard Government intended - to make life harder for ordinary Victorian men and women trying to make ends meet.

Findings of the study include:

• Typical Victorian workers on AWAs earn 23 per cent less than their counterparts on collective agreements.
  
• Median wage rates for AWAs in Victoria were significantly lower because there were fewer high-paid mining jobs and a bigger take up of AWAs in the hospitality industry.
  
• Australia-wide, the study showed a typical worker employed under the Federal Government’s AWAs earned 16% less than a typical worker on a registered collective agreement.
  
• It found Australians employed on collective agreements were paid a median $24.50 an hour, some $4 an hour more than those on median AWA earnings.
  
•  Over half of AWAs abolished entitlements such as overtime pay, penalty rates, public holiday payments, shift loadings and other allowances.
  

Victorian workers are worse off due to Workchoices, which is why Labor’s pledge to abolish it is good politics and good policy.

Coburg ALP Branch will meet on Tuesday 17 July, at 7.30pm in the Coburg Library Meeting Room.

This month our guest speaker is Veronica Ilias, LHMU Assistant Secretary for Childcare, who will update the branch on the Every Child Counts campaign to change Kennett era regulations governing childcare.

New Members are always welcome.

For more information contact Chris on 0403 056 494 or Nosrat on 0401 682 092.

The LHMU, supported by Community Childcare Victoria is holding a forum on Monday April 2 to brief Parents, the community and childcare workers on their campaign to have Kennett Era Childcare regulations changed.

The forum is on Monday April 2, from 7pm at the Australian Greek Welfare Society, 7 Union St, Brunswick.

The LHMU Childcare Union has just launched a campaign urging the Victorian Government to change Kennett era regulations governing conditions at childcare centres.

For more information visit the campaign website or watch this video

Last night Carlo Carli MP made a short speech to Parliament regarding the Brunswick Baths.

In the speech Carlo indicated his support for any funding application Council might make for the State Government to contribute a proportionate amount for any upgrade of the Brunswick Baths.


The full text of the speech is below the fold.

Yesterday was the Sydney Road Street Party, Brunswick's biggest community event of the year.

Brunswick & Brunswick South ALP Branches had a stall with Carlo Carli MP and Kelvin Thomson MP outside the Brunswick Town Hall. Hundreds of signatures were collected for the Save Brunswick Baths campaign, which will be presented to Council shortly.

If you missed out you can sign the petition here.

Untapped is an uncoming benefit to raise money for Melbourne Citymission at the Retreat Hotel on Sunday February 4th. According to the website it

creates a platform from which Melbourne's bands and singers looking for a kick-start in their career can fully express their music by performing live within the community.

The inaugural event will be held at The Retreat Hotel in Brunswick, and will feature live performances from 10 bands, Sunday afternoon drinks and a fundraising barbeque.

Melbourne City Mission is a Melbourne non-profit organisation seeking to take a lead role in creating inclusive and resourceful communities, where opportunity and fairness are embraced as a way of life. They provide resources and choices to those who are marginalised and living with disadvantage, delivering services that respect the rights of individuals and embrace diversity.

Tickets are $13 on the door and it begins at 2pm.

Here is a video of the anti-poverty day rally in Sydney. Well done to our friends from the LHMU

Last week I attended a function at the Foundation House for the Survivors of Torture in my electorate. The Minister for Health Bronwyn Pike presented a progress report on the Government’s Refugee Health and Wellbeing Action Plan.

This plan, first launched in 2005, provides support to refugees and asylum seekers trying to re-establish their lives in Victoria. This support extends to asylum seekers who are under temporary protection visas (TPV) and would otherwise be ineligible for free access to our health system.

Victoria is the first State which provides refugees with a TPV visa to free access to public hospitals, the community dental program and ambulance services.

For nearly six months now cleaners across Australia and New Zealand have been campaigning for wage justice.

Many cleaners struggle to stay above the poverty line so this October across Australia and New Zealand cleaners will be taking part in Anti-Poverty Week - with most focus on the UN-declared International Anti-Poverty Day (October 17) when we expect to have hundreds of people out in the streets of major CBDs.

In Melbourne on October 17 the International Anti-Poverty Day Clean Start: Fair Deal for Cleaners - community rally and march.will begin at 4pm outside the State Library (cnr Swanston St and Latrobe St).

I'm going to make an effort to join in the rally - why don't you?