International Women's Day and Harmony Week 2020

Issues International Women’s Day

#EachforEqual

International Women’s Day is a time for everyone, regardless of gender or gender identity, to celebrate the progress women have made towards equality and remember how much further there is to go. This 2020 International Women’s Day campaign has set its sights even higher with their #EachforEqual crusade. Celebrated on 8 March, the year-long campaign is about celebrating women and bringing the issue of equality to the forefront of everyone’s agenda. Each and every one of us can help to create a gender equal world – businesses, politicians, media organisations and the like can all play a part. This year’s mantra: an equal world is an enabled world, is one where economies and communities can thrive. One in which we celebrate women’s achievements, challenge stereotypes, fight against bias and broaden perceptions. There are many obstacles that remain for women and girls including being undervalued, working more and being paid less – particularly in non-unionised industries– unpaid parental leave in different industries, cultural barriers, and family and domestic violence. It’s our individual actions that can make a huge impact throughout the world to cultivate change. Let’s use the opportunity to take action, organise, unite, network and mobilise for meaningful change to achieve gender equality and human rights of all women and girls. Everyone can take action in various ways including: using social media to promote an #EachforEqual pledge and message, hosting an event at your school or workplace, or collecting and donating to a group working for gender equality and women’s rights, such as Ishar (www.ishar.org.au), or others near you. Visit bit.ly/2SBeqJt for school resources and unwomen.org.au/internationalwomens-day/about/ for more information.

How will you help forge a more gender equal world? Some ideas, from internationalwomensday.com:

I'll call it out when I see or hear gender stereotypes or bias. I'll reflect on how fair and equal my actions and comments are. I'll respect and embrace difference. I'll reflect more on how my actions are perceived. I'll boycott products where advertising stereotypes women. I'll take children or friends to women's sporting matches. I'll donate time or resources to a women's charity or initiative. I'll question and challenge all-male speaker panels. I'll mentor a woman and help her build her networks.

#EachforEqual

Harmony Week 2020

Harmony Week is a chance to celebrate our vibrant multicultural state and to promote the core values of inclusiveness, respect and acceptance where everyone belongs. The state government initiative runs from 15-21 March and is an opportunity to celebrate our wealth of cultural, religious, linguistic and ethnic diversity whilst recognising and breaking down barriers. Without our diverse community Australia wouldn’t be the prosperous nation it is today. From job creation to building new skills and networks, multiculturalism has amplified our global presence. It’s brought a plethora of cultural and linguistic gains and will continue to help shape our young people of tomorrow in a positive way.

School education is crucial for Harmony Week and is an opportunity for children to be exposed to, learn about and celebrate the variety of people and cultures that make up our communities. To access a diverse range of resources and curriculum aligned school kits for a range of subject areas and year levels, as well as ideas for school activities and events, visit bit.ly/2ObY6fO.

HARMONY WEEK 2020

CELEBRATE WA’S DIVERSITY

Western Australians share a diverse heritage that originates from every part of the world and builds upon our rich Indigenous culture. Harmony Week is a time to celebrate our unique community and reflect on the many social, cultural and economic benefits that diversity brings to every Western Australian.

Take time out this Harmony Week to join in celebrations with your friends, your family, your workplace, and our remarkable multicultural community!

National education and union news National education and union news

Laws must adapt to keep workers safe in changing climate

Occupational health and safety (OHS) laws which are designed to keep workers safe at work need to be updated to deal with the reality of climate change, which will mean hotter days and more bushfires, resulting in conditions which are hazardous to workers, especially those who work outside. Nearly one in four Australian workers spend part of their day outside, and they need national standards to ensure that they are not forced to work in dangerous heat or when the air quality is dangerous to human health, as it has been frequently over the past year. The ACTU has released two safety alerts, one regarding smoke and one regarding heat, and has called on the Morrison Government to act urgently to implement new regulations to protect workers from these hazards. ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said all workers were entitled to be safe and healthy at work. “Global warming will mean hotter temperatures as well as more bushfires. This is already affecting working people, especially those who work outside,” she said. “The Morrison Government has been missing in action as the current bushfire emergency has developed, but action is needed now to make sure that our workplace health and safety regulations are fit for purpose in a changing Australian climate. “The levels of smoke we have seen on the east coast in recent weeks has been more than 10 times the hazardous level, but we have seen reports of workers being ordered to keep working. This is completely unacceptable. No worker should be forced to work in dangerous conditions, regardless of what industry they are in or what work they do. “We have distributed new OHS advice relating to heat and smoke exposure to all Australian unions and Trade and Labour Councils, but we need action from the Morrison Government to ensure that all Australian workers are safe at work. “The government could move immediately to include these new regulations in OHS law, protecting Australian workers from the damaging effects of global warming.”

Call for private schools to pay local government rates

Private schools should pay rates, according to the Municipal Association of Victoria. It claims that local councils are missing out on millions of dollars in revenue because private schools are exempted from paying rates. It says the exemptions are unfair and inequitable as other ratepayers must pay more to cover the revenue loss. The call by the Municipal Association was made in a submission last November to an inquiry into Victoria’s Local Government Rating System. It said that the rate exemptions amount to several million dollars in subsidies for private schools. For example, there are 69 rates exempt private school properties owned by 30 private schools in the Boroondara Local Government Area (LGA) which includes the suburbs of Balwyn, Camberwell, Canterbury, Kew and Hawthorn. These are some of the most expensive suburbs in Melbourne. The private school properties have a capital improved value of $969 million and the revenue loss from the rate exemption will amount to $1.4 million in 2019-20. The association said that the exemptions mean that private schools are subsidised by other ratepayers in an LGA. Other ratepayers must pay the costs of providing roads, footpaths, drains, traffic measures,

car park works and school crossing supervision around exempted schools. These costs are considerable because the volume of vehicle and pedestrian activity is often very high in a school precinct. Other costs include the use of public open spaces and sportsgrounds maintained by the local council. Under Victoria’s Local Government Act, land used exclusively for a charitable purpose is exempted from paying rates. Private schools are recognised as charities. The submission also called for exemptions for a range of other organisations to be also revoked, including universities and religious property holdings used for commercial purposes. Private schools are charities because they are considered to provide a public benefit by advancing education. Under existing legislation, a charity whose purpose is the advancement of education is presumed to be of public benefit and does not have to demonstrate this. On this basis, the Commonwealth and state governments grant a range of benefits including exemptions from income tax, GST, payroll tax and land tax as well as local government rates. These exemptions are not entitlements of charities but are decisions of governments. Save Our Schools (SOS) Australia believes the public benefit criteria for registration

as a charity should be more rigorously defined. The public education advocacy organisation says it is insufficient for private schools to say that they provide education to gain charity status, especially in the case of exclusive wealthy private schools. “Private schools must be required to show that they deliver a real public benefit before being granted charity status and the tax benefits that come with it,” SOS states. “Schools that do not provide a net public benefit should not be given charity status.” To read more visit: bit.ly/3b8y6vk

ACTU welcomes greater access to parental leave but more to be done

The Australian Council for Trade Unions (ACTU) has welcomed the announcement by Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter that families coping with stillbirths, infant deaths and premature births will be able to access an entitlement of up to 12 months of unpaid leave. The ACTU has called for appropriate monitoring and safe guards for the additional announcement that parents will be able to stop and restart parental leave if an infant requires hospitalisation. The ACTU stresses that employers should not put undue pressure on parents to stop their leave, and be away from their child, if they wish to be with them during a hospitalisation. The call by The Australian Labor Party to additionally equalise the payment for parents who experience a stillbirth with other bereavement payments is also supported by the ACTU. The announcement has led to the ACTU renewing its call for the establishment of a right to 26 weeks paid parental leave in the national employment standards as a shareable family entitlement. ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said: “Supporting families dealing with the tragedy of losing an infant or coping with the complications of a still or premature birth is something that should be part of our workplace relations system."

“Ensuring that families are not subject to undue pressure from their employer to return to work while their child is in hospital or financial stress must be part of how we support working families. “

To read more visit: bit.ly/31uYfjR

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