UNION members are playing a vital role in the recovery process of bushfire affected communities.

Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said unions were offering their members support to cope with the trauma they had experienced, as well as providing practical support rebuilding communities.

“This work will be needed not just for a few weeks but for a few years. It’s up to the union movement to make sure affected workers and their communities remain at the forefront of everyone’s mind,” Mr Morey said.

Morey launched the innovative online professional development carried out by the IEUA NSW/ACT Branch to provide online trauma advice to 480 teachers and support staff, 350 of whom actively participated. Many were from the south coast of NSW, which was severely impacted by fires.

“This is a model for the type of support unions can offer their members. This initiative is bringing people together in an innovative way through a huge online union meeting. These innovative strategies enable workers to form connections and network with each other,” Mr Morey said.

“It’s particularly important that teachers and school support staff, who are central to the recovery process moving forward, are offered this type of assistance.”

The course, Responding to Bushfire Trauma,  was conducted, free of charge for non government school staff who are members of the IEU, by Professor Lisa Gibbs and Jane Nursey of the University of Melbourne, authors of the study Delayed Disaster Impacts on Academic Performance of Primary School Children (2019).

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch secretary Mark Northam said it was important for school staff to attend to their own wellbeing so they could provide the best possible support and education for their students.

“Schools and early childhood services are important community hubs during crisis, and we are doing our best to make sure teachers and support staff are supported and can continue to provide a safe haven for children,” Mr Northam said.

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch is also claiming up to five days paid leave per year for employees, unable to attend work due to a natural disaster, in its current negotiations for the NSW and ACT Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement 2020-2022.

Morey said all future awards and enterprise agreement negotiations should include considerations of our changing climate, with flexible arrangements to allow employees to deal with emergency situations such as the recent bushfires.

New guidelines on how to deal with hazards such as poor air quality are also required, he said. The ACTU is now examining all these issues.

“Unions will take  a holistic approach to dealing with all aspects of climate change. Our members are at the front line  when it comes to tackling natural disasters,” Mr Morey said.

ends

THE Financial Services Council (FSC) has today published its submission on the 2020–21 Budget, which outlines a solution to a long-standing problem: how to modernise legacy products in financial services.

FSC CEO Sally Loane said many Australians are being substantially disadvantaged by being locked into out-of-date legacy financial products that lack the better returns, better features and easier access of more modern products.

“Financial services businesses including superannuation funds and life insurers are unable to move customers into more modern products for a raft of complex reasons, including large tax or social security penalties. Despite widespread recognition of the need for a modernisation scheme, no noticeable progress has been made in more than 15 years,” Ms Loane said.

“To expedite the modernisation of legacy products, the FSC recommends the Government explore an institutional mechanism, such as a tribunal, where independent experts could facilitate the removal of barriers that have long prevented consumers from being rolled into modern products.

“This would help address the concerns of both consumers and industry by providing greater certainty, transparency and timeliness around a process that has historically proved difficult to negotiate.

“The Productivity Commission (PC) in its 2019 report into the superannuation industry found there was $162 billion invested in legacy superannuation products, which is 10 percent of the total assets held in large superannuation funds," she said.

“We are talking about significant amounts of money trapped in outdated products, often providing poor results for consumers – we are urging the Government to implement this already existing commitment to fix this, which is now clearly overdue.

“A modernisation scheme would be a win for the community, a win for the economy, and a win for Governments who would have a long-term boost to tax revenue while saving on Age Pension spending.”

Read the submission in full here: https://fsc.org.au/resources/1928-fsc-submission-budget-2020-21/file

ends

FULLERTON HEALTH, in its commitment to improve the lives of communities in which it operates, has donated A$50,000 to the Australian Red Cross Relief and Recovery Fund.

This contribution goes towards assisting efforts to bring relief to residents and neighbourhoods affected by the devasting fires in Australia.

Mr Steven Harvey, managing director of Fullerton Health Australia said, "This humble donation is by far the largest contribution to any fund-raising effort in Fullerton Health Australia's history, and we are very proud that we can support this important appeal.

"The rains in the past few days may have helped, but the devastation from extreme weather is far from over. Our dedicated teams across Australia, many of whom were directly threatened by the fires, are there to help at all times.

"Local fund-raising efforts by our employee groups throughout the country highlight the passion that our employees have for their fellow Australians at their time of need. We stand side by side with our people to help them in any way we can." 

Ho Kuen Loon, group chief executive officer of Fullerton Health, said, "We watched the fires burn with deep concern, and we recognise that our colleagues and patients have been affected by this tragedy. Besides the donation, our primary care facilities in Australia continue to care for our patients and work to keep our communities safe. We must do what we can for the communities in which we operate."

Fullerton Health delivers care through over 550 healthcare facilities and a global network of over 10,000 healthcare providers in nine markets across Asia Pacific. In the last month, Fullerton Health, through its partnership with Stop TB, launched a program to screen 150,000 workers across 250 factories in Indonesia for Tuberculosis this year. Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world and is particularly prevalent in Indonesia.

About Fullerton Health

Fullerton Health is a leading integrated health system in the Asia Pacific region. Founded in Singapore in 2010, today the company serves clients through over 550 healthcare facilities and a large global network of healthcare providers across nine markets in Asia Pacific. Fullerton Health's value proposition is the integration of healthcare service offerings with customized management and advisory capabilities, in line with its purpose to deliver affordable and accessible care for all in Asia Pacific. 

http://www.fullertonhealth.com

About Fullerton Health Australia

Established in 2013, Fullerton Health Australia is made up of a number of established businesses that have been delivering health services to more than five million people over the last 20 years including leading occupational healthcare provider Jobfit Health Group, Fullerton Health Medical Centres, Northcare Physio, and Baseline Group.

http://www.fullertonhealth.com.au

ends

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy is commencing public hearings for its inquiry into vegetation and land management relating to bushfires.

Its first hearing will be held in Canberra on Wednesday February 12, 2020, with representatives from CSIRO, to discuss the science and research behind bushfire behaviour, and activities such as hazard reduction burning, clearing and land rehabilitation.

The Committee continues to welcome public submissions to the inquiry, due by March 31, 2020.

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Time: 10:15am to 11am
Location: Committee Room 2R2, Parliament House, Canberra

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

The Committee intends to hold public hearings at various locations, which will be announced in due course on the inquiry website. Further information about the inquiry can also be found on the website.

ends