Media Releases 2021



Read current and past media statements from the ACTU.

You can also keep track of ACTU media releases by following the official ACTU feed on Twitter at @unionsaustralia.




All ACTU media enquiries should be directed to ACTU Media team:




T: 03 9664 7315 (24 hours)
E: media@actu.org.au


Recent Media Releases

Agricultural visa program will allow employers to treat workers like property

November 10, 2021

Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud, has conceded on RN Breakfast this morning that the new Agriculture Visa has virtually no limits on how employers can use short-term migrant workers, and evaded questions on whether it will allow workers to be traded between bosses like property.

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New Agriculture Visa would strip safeguards present in routinely exploited Pacific Labour Mobility program

November 9, 2021

Migrant workers facing widely reported exploitation under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme will be at greater risk of abuse and mistreatment under the Morrison Government’s new Agriculture Visa, which offers even fewer protections than the PALM scheme.

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Profits defy pandemic recession while workers continue to battle stagnant wages and rising insecurity

November 4, 2021

ACTU President Michele O’Neil will address a Senate Inquiry on job security to tell Senators that while Australian businesses netted a 17.9 per cent increase in profits over the last 18 months, workers continue to inch towards a decade of record low wage growth.

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Up to 700,000 workers to have disaster payments cut today

October 29, 2021

Up to 700,000 workers will have their disaster payments cut by the Morrison Government today as Victoria reaches 80 per cent full vaccination, despite reopening being incomplete and worker capacity remaining staggered.

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Workplace deaths increase two years in a row, report shows

October 28, 2021

Workplace fatalities have increased for a second year running according to data released this week. In a year that saw the Morrison Government reject including industrial manslaughter in model OHS laws, 194 workers lost their lives due to injuries at work.

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$5 billion in superannuation stolen from workers

October 28, 2021

$5 billion in superannuation has been stolen by employers from almost 1.7 million men and 1.3 million women, according to a report released by Industry Super Australia today.

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Removal of $450 threshold a huge win for working people

October 27, 2021

After years of campaigning by the Australian union movement, the Morrison Government finally introduced legislation today to remove the $450 minimum threshold for superannuation guarantee contributions, marking a significant step towards workers being paid super on every dollar earned.

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Morrison Government attempts to shift responsibility for Respect@Work to private sector, states and territories

October 25, 2021

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash has today tried to shift the responsibility for implementing the recommendations of the Morrison Government’s Respect@Work report to states, territories and the private sector.

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New data shows Central Queensland leads the country in insecure jobs

October 22, 2021

Insecure work is at crisis levels in Central Queensland, with nearly 4 in 10 workers (38.7 per cent) in casual work, well above the Australian average of 21.9 per cent, according to a report released today by the Queensland Council of Unions and the ACTU.

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Australians working multiple jobs at highest level on record

October 21, 2021

There are now 867,900 Australians working multiple jobs – the highest number since the ABS began tracking secondary jobs in 1994.

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The ACTU Network

Australian Unions

Whether you want to join a union, take action in campaigns, or make the most of the benefits of being a union member, Australian Unions is the place to go for information and resources.
Visit Australian Unions

Mind Your Head

We’re taking action to protect workplace mental health.
Visit Mind Your Head

Worksite

Your rights at work for students and for people entering the workforce for the first time.
Visit Worksite

OHS

Information and resources for health and safety representatives and workers about how to speak up at work for health and safety.
Visit OHS

Union Aid Abroad

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is the overseas aid and development agency of the ACTU. Our work aims to build self-reliance through support to educational and training projects for workers and their organisations in the developing world.
Visit Union Aid Abroad

ACTU National Union Directory

Find who you are looking for from the who’s who of the union movement.
Visit the ACTU National Union Dictionary
Australian Council of Trade Unions

Representing Australian workers and their families.