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Legislation welcomed

H E ST A h as we l co m e d t h e f ed e r al government progressing their legislation through the Parliament last week, removing the $450 monthly wages threshold for payment of Super Guarantee contributions. The threshold has unfairly disadvantaged the retirement savings of low paid casual and part-time workers for years. “The requirement to earn $450 per month with one employer before you get paid super has compounded financial insecurity for casual and part-time workers, who often have lower pay and are in insecure or precarious work,” HESTA chief executive officer Debby Blakey said. “More than 80 per cent of our members are women. Women are more likely to work in multiple part-time or casual roles with different employers. “The result is that they can totally miss out on the benefits of super, which leaves them more vulnerable to poverty as they age.” Ms Blakey said that HESTA had advocated for many years to scrap the $450 super threshold and congratulated the government on ending a super system inequity that disproportionately impacted women. “Super is for all Australians and ending this outdated measure helps make our super system fairer for women and those on lower wages,” Ms Blakey said. “Our members spend their working lives caring for others and the long overdue removal of this threshold will ensure that they’ve now got a better opportunity to enjoy a more financially secure retirement. “The fact that super continues not to be paid on parental leave remains an obvious gap in our super system that needs to be addressed.”

Regional and remote students eligible for tertiary scholarships

NATIONALS Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath said more than 1000 eligible students from regional and remote Australia will have access to a scholarship worth up to $18,000 to support their tertiary education in 2022. Ms Bath said applications for Round 6 of the Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships (RRES) program were now open. “These scholarships support students to undertake courses from Certificate IV to PhD level,” Ms Bath said. “Since 2018, these scholarships, funded by the federal Nationals and Liberals, have helped support more than 4000 regional and remote students to access a tertiary education. “As a former secondary school teacher I understand the importance of supporting and delivering access to tertiary education for all students regardless of where they live. “Regional students most overcome so many more barriers when it comes access to education - it is important all levels of government close this gap. These scholarships support the cost of tertiary education, aiming to reduce financial stress for regional students and their families." Ms Bath said she is strongly encouraging all eligible regional and remote Australians to apply for these regional study scholarships to support them in their higher education pursuits. For more information, visit https://www.qtac. edu.au/rres-program

Using reusable bags when shopping will cut down landfill waste. Photo: Contributed

Play your role in reducing landfill waste

A NEW state government campaign that is being delivered by Sustainability Victoria is encouraging Victorians to remember their reusable bags when heading out to shop to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill. While nearly three quarters of Victorians are committed to reducing their use of single-use plastics, they often forget to take reusable bags when heading out to shop. "Building habits to make it easy to remember reusable bags is a simple step that all Victorians can take to reduce waste," Sustainability Victoria chief executive officer Claire Ferres Miles said. The new campaign highlights simple actions that everyone can take to reduce waste such as keeping reusable bags by the front door, in the car or in a carry bag. Single-use plastics are often used for only a few minutes but remain in the environment for a very long time. Another step that Victorians can take to reduce waste and help the environment is to try reusable fruit and vegetable bags that are readily available at many supermarkets and retailers. The statewide campaign will run from now through to March 26, 2022 and will include advertising, community engagement and public relations activities. By building strong habits to remember reusable bags, we can all help create a more sustainable Victoria. This campaign is funded through the Recycling Industry Reform Package and is supporting the state government's circular economy plan Recycling Victoria: a new economy. For more tips and information about alternatives to single-use bags, visit sustainability.vic.gov.au/ bags