Media Releases 2023
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
Economy Slows, Workers’ Troubles Deepen
June 7, 2023
New data released from the ABS today reported that the Australian economy is continuing to slow, with GDP growth falling to 0.2% for the March quarter and 2.3% for the year, under the weight of sustained interest rate rises from the RBA.
New employment legislation reflects modern Australian workplaces
June 6, 2023
The bargaining reforms legislated in the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act start today.
Workers and their unions will be able to pursue higher wages to support their members through a cost-of-living crisis, with the changes to bargaining laws allowing unions to bargain for agreements that will apply to several employers, in what is known as multi-employer bargaining.
Working people being hit by profit-price spiral
June 6, 2023
Today’s interest rate hike of 25 basis points to 4.1% will be a real hit to workers’ ability to keep their heads above water.
This hit will just hurt families purchasing power.
Qantas cabin crew employed by 14 companies
June 5, 2023
ACTU research has mapped the extensive use of labour hire companies by Qantas to drive down the wages and rights of Australian workers.
The research shows that Qantas has split its cabin crew workforce across 14 companies and contractors to drive down wages and conditions so they can post billions in profits, whilst workers struggle with the cost of living.
Unions welcome additional protections for migrant workers
June 5, 2023
Today’s announcement that the Albanese Government will begin to tackle the systemic and widespread exploitation of migrant workers in Australia is an important step forward. Drivers of exploitation include temporary visa conditions that tie workers to single employers, no protection or guarantee that workers reporting workplace exploitation will not face deportation and weak regulation and enforcement.
Lowest paid workers need a lifeline as inflation up again
May 31, 2023
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics today show that after three months of steady decline, inflation has again jumped – to 6.8% in the 12 months to April 2023. Over the 12 months to March 2023, inflation rose by 6.3%, so today’s figures reveal a rise of 0.5%.
Time to close labour-hire loopholes and restore fairness
May 29, 2023
Big business is outsourcing labour in Australia at rapidly rising rates, undermining wages, job security and conditions in all industries. The practice is rife in aviation, mining, manufacturing and transport, as well as hospitality, agriculture, meat processing, security and cleaning.
Explosion in sham contracting shows reform needed to protect all workers
May 25, 2023
The number of workers on sham or “dependent” contracting is at record highs, and now outnumbers genuinely independent contractors for the first time, new research by the ACTU shows.
Cambodia: Casino Union Leader Chhim Sithar and Strikers Convicted
May 25, 2023
Chhim Sithar Sentenced to Two Years; Eight Others Receive Up to One and a Half Years
Record Qantas profit paid for by workers and the public
May 23, 2023
Qantas announced this afternoon it is set to post a record $2.48 billion full-year profit for the
2023 financial year.
The Guardian reports that this forecast is almost $1 billion higher than the airline’s previous
profit record of $1.6 billion in 2018
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