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!

Victorian public schools are the lowest funded in Australia – and the Premier has walked away from her promise to fix this. Every school in the state is affected. That means the learning and wellbeing of every student is negatively impacted. In January 2025, Premier Jacinta Allan signed an agreement with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to deliver full funding to public schools – this was cause for celebration, especially during a chronic teacher shortage. But what the Premier didn’t tell us was that her government had already decided not to pass on any additional funding until 2031, effectively cutting $2.4 billion from our schools. Victoria is the only state or territory in Australia that does not have arrangements to deliver fair funding. This is unacceptable. Funding delayed is funding denied.

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.