April 21 May

“The argument that we must choose between jobs and climate action is another Coalition delay tactic. We can and must have good union jobs and a safe climate. “We must heed the scientists’ warnings and act urgently to restore a safe climate. The human cost of inaction on climate change is growing daily – our food production, ability to live and work, and personal safety will be completely disrupted if warming continues. The IPCC report shows us that we are running out of time.”

Investment call for two years of universal preschool

Joint statement on mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations

The National Cabinet should prioritise investment for every child to attend two years of preschool, in the same way Australian governments provide universal primary and secondary education. The AEU has written to the Prime Minister and all Premiers and Chief Ministers to urge National Cabinet to support universal access to preschool for three and four-year-olds. AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said this would not only benefit children and their families but would ensure a prosperous and productive future for all Australia. “The evidence is very clear. Children who have access to two years of high-quality preschool delivered by a qualified teacher start school ready to learn and have a stronger foundation for their future beyond school,” she said. “Children who attend pre-school can expect to achieve greater academic success, have better career prospects, better health outcomes and stronger family and personal relationships. “Access to two years of preschool should not depend on where a child lives, their family’s circumstances or their parent’s employment status. Every three and four-year-old child deserves the opportunity to thrive. “This investment would be the natural extension of the federal government’s 2021 budget commitment for secure, long-term funding for preschool in the year before children start school. “It would also bring Australia in line with comparable nations and help address the decline in Australia’s performance in international benchmark tests like the Program for International Student Assessment.

“We urge the National Cabinet to make investment in three and four-year-old preschool a national priority.”

Unions and business are committed to working cooperatively with governments to keep workplaces safe and to achieve the highest possible rates of vaccination though building confidence in the vaccination program and supporting workers to get vaccinated. The ACTU and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) acknowledge that the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination policy is that it should be free and voluntary. We believe that for the overwhelming majority of Australians your work or workplace should not fundamentally alter the voluntary nature of vaccination. Employers and unions recognise that for a small number of high-risk workplaces there may be a need for all workers in a workplace to be vaccinated to protect community health and safety. These are serious decisions that should not be left to individual employers and should only be made following public health advice based on risk and medical evidence.

The ACTU and the BCA call on governments and the National Cabinet to support this position and ensure that where mandatory vaccination requirements are necessary, they are implemented through the use of nationally consistent Public Health Orders.

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