Latest News
VPA Welcomes New Committee Members for 2023
A big thank you to all psychologists who joined the VPA AGM and PD session...
Solidarity with women’s strike in Iceland
Last week, tens of thousands of women and non-binary people in Iceland,...
Healthcare Workers should not have to beg to access hard-won entitlement
The Union negotiated long and hard with Health Services for the inclusion...
Latest Campaigns
We say YES!
On 14 October Australians will be asked to cast their vote in an historic choice – called a referendum – about the kind of country we want for the future. It’s long overdue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be recognised in Australia’s Constitution. The upcoming referendum on 14 October will ask you if you support: Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our nation’s constitution; and Giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a voice to Parliament. There should be nothing controversial about recognising in our constitution the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are Australia’s first and continuing custodians. With a continuous culture of over 65,000 years, it just makes sense they are recognised in our 122-year-old constitution. A voice to Parliament means real change, giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a say on laws that directly affect them. It is something that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander overwhelmingly support. By voting Yes, Australians will ensure our country takes a very real and meaningful step in the right direction towards reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Voting Yes also sends a powerful message to all politicians that Australians want...
No Pay? No Way!
Over the past decades staff reductions forced through budget cuts has caused workloads to steadily increase. Health managers have long stopped thinking about how we cope with extra work. We are just expected to do more and more work in the same amount of time. In 2015, hundreds of thousands of hours of unpaid time will be worked to cope with unreasonably high workloads. There is growing evidence of a systemic reliance on unpaid work to keep many services afloat. And this will only increase with cuts to health spending announced in the Federal budget. As workloads continue to grow without increases in staff, the pressure is mounting on already over-worked and stressed staff. The Union wants to use the campaign to: Reduce unsustainably high workloadsEnforce Workload Clauses in our AgreementsHave fewer members doing unpaid workEliminate injuries arising from high workloads; andEngage more members in the work of the Union Ready to take action? Find out what you can do right now to support the campaign. How much unpaid work is done? We know that members are working longer hours without being properly compensated. From our work on the Public Sector agreement in 2011-2012, we know that 2503 members...
Anna Stewart Memorial Project
What is the Anna Stewart Memorial Project? Designed to encourage more women to be present and active in unions, the Anna Stewart Memorial Project is a structured, two week long internship program consisting of two days each week at Trades Hall, with the remaining days in a union of choice. In some cases women nominated move outside their comfort zone and experience vastly different sectors. Each participant may represent diverse workplace settings, for example finance, education, health, transport and maritime; enabling each participant exposure to a rich pool of skills, vision and experiences. Women form a critical voice and can influence the culture of a workplace. Within unions and at the workplace, women have the immediate capacity to identify workplace aspects and assist in accommodating changing demands through consultation and inclusion. The Anna Stewart Memorial Project has highlighted the way forward for women who are motivated to support other women and continue to nurture voice, opportunity and change. Unions are invited to participate in the Project in a number of ways. They may: Nominate a woman member and either train her in their union office for the two weeks or for one of the two weeks in a “hosting”...