The Fair Work Commission has proposed alarming changes to the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award that would have devastating consequences for our sector, our workers, and the people we support.

When businesses collapse, Australian workers have a safety net. Migrant workers don’t. Right now, temporary visa holders are locked out of the Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG)—the government scheme that ensures workers get their unpaid wages, redundancy, and leave entitlements when employers go bust. 🚨 This isn’t just unfair—it’s exploitation. Shady employers game the system, shutting down businesses to dodge paying workers. The result? Migrant workers lose everything.

Celeste and Connor, two former employees at Monkey Bean Café in Toorak, have been waiting nearly three years to be paid the wages and entitlements they’re owed, despite multiple court rulings in their favour. Let’s make sure Monkey Bean Cafe pays!

Kindergarten teachers and educators are the key to giving every child a great start in life when it comes to their education. Every day, families across Victoria rely on their children accessing a high-quality kindergarten education to ensure their learning and development in the years before school. This is critical for our youngest Victorians to thrive. But right now, teachers and educators in Victoria’s kindergartens are not respected by the state Labor government for the important work they do. They have been bargaining for improved conditions and pay increases for more than 12 months without being offered any decent pay increases. This is as outrageous as it is unacceptable.

The Victorian State Government is planning to shut down Parentline, a vital and confidential telephone counselling service that has supported parents and carers across our state for more than two decades. Parenting does not come with a manual, and the challenges do not end after the first year. Parenting is a lifelong role that needs strong social safety nets. Parentline is as close to a manual as you can get, providing expert advice and support when families need it most. Parentline receives over 1,000 calls each month from parents and carers seeking help with everything from mental health and family breakdowns to parenting strategies and child wellbeing. Many describe it as a “lifesaver” that strengthens families, prevents crises and connects people to the right help. The Government plans to cut this service on 31 October 2025. We are calling on the Government to reverse this decision and commit to ongoing funding so Victorian families do not lose this essential lifeline.

More than 2000 Victorian nursing and midwifery students will miss out on a graduate program place in our hospitals in 2026. Student nurses and midwives will find out if they have a graduate place on Wednesday 17 September 2025. It is absurd that many of the students who received financial assistance from the Victorian Government and the taxpayer and encouraged to start their course in 2023 will be told they are not wanted or needed. Nothing could be further from the truth. We know that our public and private hospitals are relying on nurses and midwives to work overtime and double shifts, and employers are still relying on agencies to fill gaps in the roster.