At the end of 2022 members voted to determine their elected representatives at both Branch and National level. Thank you to all members who put their hands up for positions, and congratulations to all members who were elected. A list of our newly-elected RTBU National Executive is included on page 4.
I was personally humbled and honoured to be elected as the RTBU’s National Secretary. I am fully aware of the great responsibility that comes with the National Secretary role, and I want to thank all members for placing their trust in me.
Our union democracy ensures that our elected members are drawn directly from the ‘shop floor’. To be eligible for an elected position you have to be working in the industries we represent. But I believe it is also important that we continue to engage ALL members in the unions decision-making process – and not just at election time. That’s why at the end of 2022 we also conducted a huge national survey of members. The survey told us that members want the union to keep a laser-like focus on our core functions of negotiating better pay and conditions for members, and keeping our workplaces safe. You can see a full summary of the survey results on pages 9 - 11.
2023 will certainly be a big year for Enterprise Agreements right around the country. The report from the SA/ NT Branch on page 23, for example, outlines the upcoming negotiations for that branch. Meanwhile in NSW, we have finally made a breakthrough in the long-running dispute
with the NSW State Government, and members will get to vote on a proposed agreement over the coming weeks.
Another major focus of our work will be to make sure that all the new transport infrastructure being built around the country can be operated safely. This edition of Transport NOW looks at three major rail investments – Perth’s new airport link, Melbourne’s metro tunnel and Inland Rail, and outlines some of the work your union o cials have been doing to monitor progress on the construction of these projects.
Finally, I’d like to say ‘Happy Amalgamation’ to the newly united Western Australia Branch (see page 19). As we head into our 30th year as an amalgamated union, it is great to see passenger and freight members in WA back together under one roof. Unity is strength, and having a united branch in the west will ultimately lead to better outcomes for all members.
With the beginning of a new year, the RTBU is also at the beginning of a new four-year term in our union governance cycle.In Unity Mark Diamond NATIONAL SECRETARY
I believe it is … important that we continue to engage ALL members in the unions decisionmaking process – and not just at election time.
Published
Designed
Congratulations to all members who put their hands up for an elected position. Here is a full list of the members who were elected to positions on the RTBU National Executive.
National President Victor Moore
National Secretary Mark Diamond
Assistant National Secretary Shayne Kummerfeld
National Vice President (Women) Leanne Holmes
National Vice President (Rail) James Styles
National Vice President (Road) William Lekkas
Assistant National Secretary (Locomotive Division) Keith McMahon
Assistant National Secretary (Rail Operations Division) Darren Galea
Assistant National Secretary (Administrative, Supervisory, Technical & Professional Division) Noel Morris
Assistant National Secretary (Infrastructure Division) Trent Howard
Assistant National Secretary (Fleet Manufacture, Overhaul, Maintenance & Service Division Greg Tatnell
Assistant National Secretary (Tram & Bus) Phil Altieri
NSW Branch Secretary Alex Claassens
Victoria Branch Secretary Vik Sharma
Queensland Branch Secretary Peter Allen
Western Australia Branch Secretary Joshua Dekuyer
SA/NT Branch Secretary Darren Phillips
Tasmania Branch Secretary Ric Bean
Branch Delegate to National Executive (NSW) Craig Turner
Branch Delegate to National Executive (NSW) Farren Campbell
Branch Delegate to National Executive (NSW David Babineau
Branch Delegate to National Executive (Vic) Diego Esqueria
Branch Delegate to National Executive (Vic) Cathy Birch
Branch Delegate to National Executive (Qld) Carla Jones
Branch Delegate to National Executive (Qld)
www.rtbu.org.au/rtbuvotes2022
TBC - recall election to be held
Shonky contractors with track records of poor workplace safety and poor-quality work are putting the future of the massive Inland Rail project at risk, and leaving the Federal Government vulnerable to expensive rectification works.
The RTBU has outlined its concerns about the project in a submission to the Independent Review into the Delivery of Inland Rail.
Assistant National Secretary Shayne Kummerfeld said Inland Rail was a nation-building project that will deliver enormous benefits to the agricultural sector and stimulate jobs and economic development for regional communities along the route.
“There have been, however, a number of serious flaws in the delivery of this project to date,” Shayne said.
“The flaws have included a lack of transparency in contracting arrangements, leading to significant concerns over workplace safety and employment practices on the project.
“The reliance on shonky firms with a history of fraudulent behaviour and defective work will undermine the reliability and quality of the railway itself, and will ultimately lead to the need for expensive rectification works in the future.
“That’s why the RTBU has called for the current ad-hoc approach to contract management to be replaced by a Best Practice approach, similar to the Best Practice Principles applied to major government procurement projects in Queensland.”
Shayne was also critical of the lack of genuine consultation around the project.
“The RTBU has had long-standing concerns over the chronic failure
of ARTC to e ectively engage with stakeholders,” he said,
“From our perspective, engagement with ARTC has been virtually non-existent. Indeed, the only communication we have had with ARTC over the Inland Rail project has been when we have taken issues to the company and pressed it for a response.
“We’ve also noted a concerning trend of businesses, particularly labour hire firms, setting up sham “shopfronts” in local communities to demonstrate their local credentials.
“This is emblematic of ARTC’s entire approach to engagement and consultation – it is engagement on the surface level at best, and has no real substance.”
See the RTBU’s submission to the Inland Rail Review at https://www.rtbu.org.au/ submission_to_the_independent_ review_into_the_delivery_of_ inland_rail
The reliance on shonky firms with a history of fraudulent behaviour and defective work will undermine the reliability and quality of the railway itself
The Federal Government’s landmark Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill was passed by the Senate in early December, after the Greens and independent Senator David Pocock decided to back the news laws.
National Vice President Leanne Holmes, NSW Fleet Manufacture, Overhaul, Maintenance & Service Division Secretary Nyssa Parsons and SA/NT Branch President Brett Dawson went to Canberra to lobby Senators to help make sure the bill got over the line.
Leanne said the reforms won’t lead to immediate pay rises for workers, but they will make it easier for unions to negotiate better deals on behalf of workers in the future.
“Bosses have been using the power to terminate agreements as a bargaining tool – as we saw when NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet publicly threatened to tear up the Sydney Trains and NSW Trains EAs.
“But one of the biggest wins for rail, tram and bus workers out of the new laws is the amendment to stop employers from unilaterally terminating Enterprise Agreements at the drop
Research published by the Centre for Future Work suggests collective bargaining coverage will rebound under the new laws, which will allow for multi-employer collective bargaining in certain circumstances.
Bargaining coverage in Australia has declined dramatically since 2013, with just 11 per cent of private sector workers now covered by a current enterprise agreement. That fall in coverage has been the largest single cause of record-slow wage growth over the past decade.
“These reforms will lift wage growth and improve fairness in workplaces across Australia, big and small, in all sectors of the economy,” said Dr Jim Stanford, Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work.
“These measures will rebuild collective bargaining, enhance gender equity, ensure greater transparency, and equip workers with critical tools to pursue fair treatment,” Jim said.
The Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill will improve the workplace relations framework by:
» Restoring fairness and integrity to workplace relations institutions by abolishing the Australian Building and Construction Commission
» Boosting bargaining by removing unnecessary complexity, ensuring bargaining is genuine, fair and conducted in good faith, and making the better o overall test simple, flexible and fair.
» Encouraging bargaining for single enterprise agreements by making it easier to bargain and simplifying approval requirements.
» Making it easier to undertake multi-employer bargaining in some industries.
» Restoring balance and fairness to the system by ensuring the process for agreement terminations is fit for purpose and fair, and sunsetting ‘zombie agreements’.
» Improving job security and gender equity by including both concepts in the objects of the FW Act, limiting the use of fixed term contracts, introducing a statutory equal remuneration principle and prohibiting pay secrecy clauses.
BRANCH NEWS NATIONAL
The derailment of a 1.7 kilometre-long freight train with 55 carriages at Inverleigh, west of Geelong, during November, once again exposed the frailties of Australia’s national rail safety regime.
National Secretary Mark Diamond said rail workers had lost confidence in the rail safety regime, and an urgent review of the Rail Safety National Law was needed.
“Miraculously, there were no injuries to traincrew in the incident at Inverleigh,” Mark said.
“But a derailment like that would be catastrophic if the train was carrying passengers, rather than freight.
“Rail workers are increasing concerned that Australia’s rail safety regime is no longer fit for purpose, and not enough is being done to ensure that tracks are safe.”
The incident happened after a period of heavy rain and flooding throughout southeast Australia, but Mark said rain should not be used as an excuse to justify infrastructure failings.
“Australia is a big country with a big rail network. It therefore needs a rail workforce that is big enough to ensure that every kilometre of track is appropriately maintained and regularly checked – especially during times of extreme rainfall or heat.
“It has also been ten years since the adoption of the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL). It’s time that safety laws were brought up-to-date with
contemporary practices and standards in the rail industry.”
Mark said the introduction of the Rail Safety National Law in 2012 was a milestone moment for the industry, and a key achievement of the former Labor Federal Government.
“Since then, however, it has become clear that the Regulator needs greater powers in order to hold rail operators fully accountable.
“There are also inconsistencies between the responsibilities of employers under the RSNL and model Workplace Health and Safety laws and these should be considered and, where appropriate, aligned.
“A comprehensive review would allow for the Act to be strengthened, ensuring workers have the protection of a world class safety regime.”
Mark said a major problem with the current rail safety regime was the lack of transparency.
“For example, when an individual makes a report to the regulator, they are not provided with any information about what happened with their report – or even advised if any investigation has been conducted.
“This undermines rail workers’ trust in the system, as they do not know
whether anything has been done about the safety issue.”
Data from the O ce of the National Rail Safety Regulator shows there have been 57 deaths on the national railway network since January 2016.
RTBU analysis of rail safety statistics found that in recent years:
» Workplace deaths have increased;
» Derailments have increased; Level crossing incidents have increased;
» There has been no reduction in SPADS (incidents of Signals Passed at Danger); and
» The total number of injuries is most-likely under-reported.
“By any objective analysis, the rail safety regime is failing to do the job it was set up to do,” Mark said.
A derailment like that would be catastrophic if the train was carrying passengers
Terminal Operators at Pacific National received nearly six months’ backpay in their Santa Sack after locking in a new three-year Enterprise Agreement just before Christmas.
The deal secured a 3% increase to the Base Rate for each year, and was backdated to 30 June 2022.
National Director of Organising and National Vice President Leanne Holmes said the members backed the agreement with a 65% YES vote after a six months of negotiations and a series of depot meetings around the country.
“It was gruelling negotiation, but in the end we achieved a very solid result for members,” Leanne said.
“I’d like thank all the Delegates and the negotiating team for their hard work and determination, and all members for their patience as we worked through the details.”
The agreement also achieved:
» An increase to the APM Night Multiplier from 1.18 to 1.265 from the commencement of the EA;
» A further increase to the Night Multiplier from 29 June 2025 to 1.3, which guarantees that rate into the next EA;
» A $1,000 bonus in the first year for those that work less than 15% night work, plus a $500 bonus paid in years two and three;
» A $500 bonus paid yearly for three years for those who work less than 25% but more than 15% of night work;
» Simplifying the Classification structure to remove wage increase hindrances from June 2023;
» Updating the Parental Leave clause include a 12-week parental leave entitlement for primary care givers;
» Updating the Domestic Violence Leave clause to reflect the new standard 10-day entitlement;
» Enhancing the Redundancy Clause to allow for retraining in the case of Automation;
» Introducing an Employee Representative Committee (ERC);
» Additional protections and wage outcomes for introduction of the Flying Crew concept; and
» Additional full-time employees to cover existing shortfalls and facilitate the Flying Crew concept.
“This package was been achieved without the loss of a single entitlement or condition, and will result in the
creation of approximately 40 full time PN employee positions,” Leanne said.
While PN Terminal Operators were able to get their EA knocked over, it’s been a more di cult process for members waiting on a new PN Assets & Infrastructure EA.
Leanne said the combined RTBU/ AMWU Bargaining Team has been hoping to get in-principle agreement before Christmas, but intransigence from PN management had made that impossible.
“The Negotiating Team put forward several proposals seeking to get a fair and reasonable deal, but unfortunately PN engaged in delaying tactics in order to kick the can down the road into 2023.
“We’re ready to move forward, but we won’t wait forever. The onus is now on PN management to get its act together and negotiate in good faith on this EA.”
The results of the 2022 RTBU National Members Survey are in, and members have sent a strong message that they want their union to keep taking up the fight to bad bosses.
In total, 2,358 members filled out the online survey form, with 57% of respondents from NSW, followed by Victoria (16%), Queensland (10%), WA (8%), SA/NT (5%) and Tasmania (3%).
Members were asked about the importance of a wide range of union functions.
The most important union function, which rated as ‘very important’ by 94% of members, was “challenging employers who treat their workers unfairly”.
Functions that were overwhelmingly rated as ‘very important’ by members were:
Challenging employers who treat their workers unfairly
Ensuring employers comply with the employment obligations
Negotiating better wages and conditions
Improving job security
Providing legal support and advice to members
Advocating to preserve the superannuation system so it is not dismantled
Improving safety in your workplace
Other union functions that received strong support from members included:
Advocating to government for better safety regulation in our industries
Advocating to protect Medicare so it is not dismantled or defunded
Ensuring that qualifications in our industries are fit for purpose
Assisting members or their families when they are in distress
Providing input and advice to government on the future of our industries
Growing jobs in our industries
But that’s not all! Members also identified a further list of union activities that they considered very important – which goes to show just how extensive the role a trade union really is. Other functions which were identified as very important were:
Ensuring there are enough people to fill the roles available in our industries
Advocating for government for infrastructure projects or upgrades in our industries
Providing members with core qualifications like RIW Cards and ‘Safely Access the Rail Corridor’
Advocating on issues that do directly impact our industries but make Australia a better place to live
Negotiating discounts on various goods or services to members
Providing members and their families with recreational facilities or events
The survey asked members to identify the main reason why they joined the RTBU. It’s clear that members recognise that the importance of having strength in unity, with well over half of respondents (58%) saying the main reason they joined the RTBU was because they believe in trade unionism.
Other important reasons for joining were:
» To get involved in an EA negotiation or industrial action (14%); and
» Being approached by a Delegate or Organiser (7%).
We can all help grow our union strength by telling new employees about how the RTBU works for them, and asking new workers to consider joining up.
Members were asked to list the top three issues a ecting their vote in elections at national and state levels. Unsurprisingly, given Australia’s rising inflation rate and low wages growth, the most significant political issue for members was the cost of living, which was nominated by 70% of respondents.
Important issues a ecting how people vote were:
It was interesting to see how the way members access news and information is changing, with 64% of respondents accessing news from internet news websites. Television is still important, with 56% of respondents saying they get their news from TV, while 50% said they get their news from social media. The growth of social media, along with the concentration of media ownership, is a reminder that we all need to be careful when making judgements about what information is reliable, and what isn’t (see both the Carmichael Centre’s explainer of media ownership on page 13, and the review of Van Badham’s book QAnon and On on page 28).
But rest assured, you always trust information from the RTBU social media pages and from union publications like Transport NOW!
The survey also showed that the RTBU is a multi-cultural union, with just 9.5% of respondents born in Asia, and 44% of respondents having at least one parent born outside of Australia.
Minister for Skills Brendan O’Connor MP has announced the establishment of the new Jobs and Skills Council’s arrangements for Australia’s vocational training system.
These new bodies will collaborate closely with Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), industry, and a range of stakeholders – including trade unions - to address the many workforce planning and skills development challenges facing the nation.
Australian Industry Standards (AIS) will establish the Jobs and Skills Council for Transport and Logistics across the supply chain - which includes road transport, logistics, rail, aviation, maritime, omnichannel logistics and space transport industries. The RTBU is represented on the board of AIS by National Secretary Mark Diamond.
“There’s an enormous task ahead, and much at stake,” Mark said.
“On top of established skills shortages, and major investment in infrastructure, our supply chains are being digitally transformed
“It’s creating a vast upskilling and reskilling challenge that needs unprecedented levels of collaboration between stakeholders.
“AIS will bring the new thinking and high-level capability needed to ensure that as we work through the challenges, we leave no worker behind.”
AIS Chair Laurie D’Apice said the transport and logistics sector was crucial to the national economy.
“Whether it’s devastating floods, bushfires, the global pandemic or unexpected trade restrictions, it’s the resilience and strength of our nation’s supply chains that dictate how we fare as a society and how quickly our economy rebounds and grows,” Laurie said.
“Our model brings together leaders from right across Australia’s core supply chain sectors with the strategic
goal of building a world class, resilient and agile supply chain workforce.”
As a Jobs and Skills Council, AIS will have a broad range of responsibilities including:
» Workforce planning to identify industry’s current and emerging skills needs, culminating in national workforce development plans
» Training product development to lift the quality, innovation and speed to market of training products
» Implementation of solutions, promotion of career pathways and monitoring the impact of training delivery
» Industry stewardship to give industry a strong, evidentiary-based voice on issues a ecting their industries and to provide advice on VET system policies to ensure they are fit-for-purpose.
The Jobs and Skills Councils will be established from January 2023.
We live in an ‘information economy’ – but our access to reliable, objective information and news is undermined by powerful, private companies which use their control of the media to promote their own powerful interests. Meanwhile, Australian jobs in media have been degraded by costcutting, precarious work, and globalisation.
Access to accurate, timely, objective information and news is an essential ‘public good’: it is critical to our ability to have a healthy, cohesive and democratic society. Yet how information is created and distributed in Australia has been distorted by the vested interests of a few enormous corporations – some Australian, some global.
Sure, anyone can express themselves on social media. But ownership of the most critical media platforms has become tightly concentrated in the hands of just a few companies. Each media sector (newspapers, broadcasting and digital streaming) is dominated by a handful of giants.
Even worse, the Federal Government eliminated rules which formally prevented ownership across media segments. This has facilitated further domination. Today a company like Nine Entertainment is a dominant presence across all forms of media. All told, Australia’s media industry is estimated to be the third most concentrated of any country – behind only Egypt and China.
Another worrisome dimension of corporate domination is the concentrated power of global digital platforms like Google and Facebook. They poach news and other information produced by others, and share them for free through their own channels, and then collect the advertising revenue generated by the resulting tra c. Their enormous but targetable audience allows them to sell advertisements for much cheaper than conventional,
domestic media outlets. This digital free-riding has done enormous damage to the economic viability of journalism.
The unmatched power of large corporations over information and news is bad for consumers, workers and democracy. These corporations have more power in their respective segments than the big banks or grocery chains. They have downsized and degraded jobs in the media, with relentless cost-cutting and conversion of once-attractive careers into a never-ending series of gigs. And like any private corporation, they use their power to promote ideas and policies that are beneficial to the companies and the people who own them. The ideological bias of Australia’s private
media is recognised as among the most aggressive and conservative of any industrial country.
The most extreme example of the concentrated, ideological power of private media in Australia is the reach of News Corp, the enormous conglomerate majority-owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch. (Murdoch also owns a separate media conglomerate, 21st Century Fox, which was split from the original company in 2012.) In Australia, News Corp owns over 150 newspapers, and exercises a strong influence on information, politics and culture.
The unforgiving and aggressive political bias of Murdoch’s businesses has sparked calls supported by former Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull for a Royal Commission into the company’s operation and influence. While News Corp is an extreme example of the dangers of private concentration of media, the billionaires who dominate Australia’s other media giants are also active in wielding their economic might in pursuit of the business community’s interests.
News and information is a ‘public good’, so we must support Australia’s capacity to produce and distribute accurate, timely and accountable domestic news and cultural content. This will require active measures to resist and o set the underlying pressures – driven by technology, globalisation and private ownership – that will see the media centralised even more tightly in the hands of a few platforms.
Specific policies which would help to build more trustworthy and representative media industry include:
» More funding to support public broadcasting (including the ABC and SBS), and measures to insulate these institutions from political pressure;
» Strengthening the bargaining code which requires Google, Facebook and other platforms to negotiate fair payment for content they post. The funds generate from this system should be available to
community, cooperative and public media agencies;
» Reinstatement of limits concentrated private ownership of media platforms, including on cross-ownership across media segments;
» Fiscal supports for the production of domestic news and cultural content, including tax measures to support engagement of professional journalists. These can be funded through collection of fair taxes on global media giants which currently evade most Australian tax;
» Stronger domestic content requirements for media networks, including digital streaming services, so that a fair amount of Australian-made productions are supported by these new technologies.
In addition to supporting these and other policies to help sustain a trustworthy and representative media in Australia, unions and other progressive forces need to invest in developing their own capacities to ‘get the word out’ to workers and communities.
Want a health fund that treats you fairly? At Union Health, we’re big on the idea of a fair go, and nobody deserves that more than the workers that make up our unions.
Because, while life may not always be fair, we believe your health fund should always be. We’re all about people over profits, every time.
Why GO TO Union Health for your family extras?
Generous allied health benefits – for life’s bumps, bruises and breaks. Dietician benefits – to help you conquer that dreaded fear of broccoli.
Unlimited preventative dental benefits – so those adult teeth make it through to adulthood (plus access to no out-of-pocket preventative dental at our large network of preferred providers)
Up to $260 back on optical – plus additional discounts*, so you and your kids can see the future.
We like to say we’re creating health insurance that’s fairer for all.
Whether you’ve just started thinking about starting a family, or you’ve already got a full mini-bus and want to be sure you’re covered for whatever life throws at you, we’re here to help, and we want to support you and your family through all of life’s stages.
Switch to Union Health and get 4 WEEKS FREE after your first month of payment.**
Click here to get in touch with us today!
*Discounts available at preferred providers **Terms and conditions apply.
RTBU members have claimed a massive win in the epic Sydney Trains / NSW Trains rail dispute after the NSW Government signed a deal locking in safety modifications to its Koreanmade New Intercity Fleet.
The dispute stretched more than a year and involved the mothballed trains as well as the long delayed new Enterprise Agreement.
The RTBU and the Government have now agreed in principle to a new EA, to
the safe trains and the fair Enterprise Agreement commuters and workers deserve,” NSW Branch Secretary Alex Claassens said.
“There is still more work to be done, but this is a significant step forward.”
The Government has also:
» Agreed to a number of outstanding items, including an allowance of $2.25 per hour for cleaners, sta ng guarantees for station sta , on-boarders, guards and repeaters, and new rostering arrangements.
» Agreed at the Fair Work Commission (FWC) that it will not backflip
Alex said the NSW Government had no idea what it was up against when it picked a fight with RTBU members.
“This dispute is one for the history books,” he said.
“And those books will show that when the Perrottet State Government thought it could get away with forcing people on to unsafe trains and forcing workers to deal with an inferior enterprise agreement, it was proven very wrong by a membership of strong, united rail workers.”
Alex said rail workers deserved better, after putting their health and their families’ health on the line during the
“Workers deserve an EA that keeps them safe and provides us with decent wages and working conditions.
“And the commuters of this state deserve better.”
Alex said the New Intercity Fleet was a disaster waiting to happen from the moment the NSW State Government signed a contract for the o -the-shelf trains from South Korea well over six years ago.
“Members have been fighting tooth and nail to get those trains fixed ever since,” he said.
“We’ve won court battles, we’ve had independent assessments conducted,
“But we’re still here, and we’ll keep fighting until we are sure people’s lives won’t be put at risk on a train that doesn’t allow us to keep commuters safe.”
Alex said the NSW Government had treated rail sta and the state’s commuters appallingly throughout the dispute.
“When Transport Minister David Elliott stood in front of the TV cameras in February and called us terrorists, he took politics in this state to a new low.
“But they picked a fight with the wrong workforce that day.
“They thought they would be able to
Alex thanked RTBU Delegates who worked around the clock to get the right outcome.
“Our Delegates are a big reason we’ve been as successful as we have been.
“They’ve given up months of their lives – time with their families and friends that they’ll never get back – in order to make sure RTBU members and the state’s commuters get what we deserve.
“It’s a common tactic of governments to try and play the ‘union-bosses card’. To try and separate workers from the o cials in the eyes of the public.
“They do it because they know the
Perth has taken a big leap forward with passenger services now running on the new $2 billion Airport Line, part of the Metronet project.
RTBU o cials including Western Australia Branch Secretary Joshua Dekuyer and Industrial Organiser George Johnston took part in a twoand-a-half hour inspection of the new Forrestfield-Airport Link before it opened and were broadly happy with what they saw.
The inspection included reps from the WA Public Transport Authority and the Transport Minister’s o ce, and took in the line’s tunnel, egress shafts and three new stations.
It was followed by meetings with PTA Safety to ensure HSRs would get a reasonable opportunity to conduct their own inspections.
“While the stations were most definitely not completed at the time,
we saw very little that gave us concern for the safety of our members or the public,” Joshua said.
“Now, with the Airport Line open, there have been some small teething issues, but it has been well received by the public and our members.
“Members are happy as it has created more variety with new stations and lines to work.”
The new line has created more than 100 new jobs, with additional drivers, transit o cers and other sta
“When those workers are put through schools we are meeting them and actively recruiting them,” Joshua said.
“This will ensure strength in numbers and help us maintain pay, conditions and safety on the Airport Line and throughout the WA rail network.”
Joshua said the RTBU commends the McGowan Government for its work on the new project, but it will be keeping a close watch to ensure new and existing rail workers are not ignored.
“We must not forget the importance of investment in the workers who sta these projects once they are complete.
“It’s one thing to invest in new infrastructure, but you have to invest in people.
“Otherwise you’ll have these great new trains and stations, but no one to properly run them.”
Joshua said the RTBU will also be pressing the Government for more rail investment outside of the city.
“We shouldn’t forget regional areas where we want to see more trucks o the road and reinvestment in rail.
“Rail is the future, and the RTBU Western Australia Branch will continue to lobby the Government to ensure continued and new investment in our beautiful regional areas, which are being devastated by thousands of daily truck movements.
“It’s time to put freight back on rail!”
metronet.wa.gov.au
Western Australian RTBU freight and passenger members have been reunited under the one banner with the January 1 creation of the new Western Australia Branch.
The Western Australia Branch will be headed by Secretary Joshua Dekuyer, who has been Secretary of the WA PTA Branch for just over four years.
Joshua says the move sees the RTBU become a union with more than 1,700 WA members and strengthens its power on the ground and in the political sphere.
He says the change will bring challenges but will ensure the strength of the RTBU in WA well into the future.
“Reuniting the two branches, freight and passenger, is a big thing,” he says.
“It will put us all under one banner, which is better for members as it will eliminate a lot of internal administrative duplication and costs.
“But far more importantly, it will end the us-and-them situation that has existed for some time between the two old branches, and in doing so give us unity, solidarity and much greater strength in numbers.”
Joshua joined the Public Transport Authority as a Transit Guard (now Transit O cer) in July 2006 at age 19.
He left that role in September 2018 when elected as a paid RTBU o cial, and has been an active member of the RTBU for more than 16 years now in roles including delegate, Sub-Branch Secretary, Branch Assistant Secretary, and Branch Secretary.
“I am a passionate advocate who has successfully fought for, secured, and obtained improved pay, conditions,
and benefits for my members,” Joshua says.
“Although my experience has been with representing members in passenger rail, I want all members in freight to be confident that my passion and knowledge is transferable and applicable to your area.
“I have a willingness to learn and become familiar with your concerns and priorities.”
In preparation for the celebration of the amalgamation, the RTBU engaged well-known pro-union comic artist Sam Wallman to prepare an artwork marking the occasion.
The Western Australian Branch is selling 100 limited edition signed and personally numbered (by Sam Wallman) for $100 per copy.
Number 1/100 will be framed and hung proudly in the Western Australia Branch O ce.
If you would like to express an interest in securing one of the limited prints then please contact the Western Australian Branch.
The profits from any sales will be shared with Sam Wallman to support the great work he does as a comic-journalist, cartoonist, and labour activist. The rest is set to be donated to a well deserving charity that has yet to be determined.
Melbourne public transport is racing ahead, with the new $9 billion-plus Metro Tunnel project on track to open in 2025.
Metro Tunnel includes twin 9km rail tunnels between South Kensington (northwest of the Melbourne CBD) and South Yarra (in the southeast) and five new underground stations.
Victoria Branch Secretary Vik Sharma said the scale of the project means it’s essential that Metro taps the collective wisdom of its experienced workers.
“People who have worked in rail at stations and in various other areas affecting the opening of the tunnel know the challenges they face with existing infrastructure,” Vik said.
“These workers already know about things such as evacuation procedures, emergency drills, operations challenges, accessibility issues, control-room issues.
“So whenever there are new stations, or a set of stations, it’s critical to get their feedback in terms of design and operations.”
Vik said it’s important to get key Metro Tunnel issues right because, while rail workers will have to deal with them, problems will flow on to the commuting public.
For this reason the RTBU will be campaigning in support of proper training, minimum sta ng numbers and fair
recruitment processes for sustainable jobs that put members first.
“When they open the new stations, we want Metro to ensure they have adequate sta ng, so gold-class customer service can be provided to commuters,” he said.
“There may be issues around job classifications, as with new stations companies can try to recruit sta at lower classifications than existing stations.
“We want to make sure we get into those conversations early to ensure those workers are not being paid less than their counterparts elsewhere.”
Metro Tunnel features new technology such as high-capacity signalling and platform-screen doors (PSDs).
“Every station will be di erent and there will be challenges front-line sta will need to overcome,” Vik said.
“For example, platform-screen doors will change the boarding experience and the operational approach to services and safety.
“So proper and thorough consultation with experienced workers and the Union will be key to ensuring the e ective introduction of new practices.
“There should be two customer-service representatives on the platforms at all times. This will assist with the PSD boarding experience, and enhance safety and customer service levels.”
As always, the RTBU will campaign hard on behalf of its members.
“There are no workers yet, but we want to play an important role in their recruitment as we want internal recruitment prioritised,” Vik said.
The Metro Enterprise Agreement is up for re-negotiation in June, with bargaining set to commence in February.
“It’s the perfect opportunity to bring a log of claims to deal with these issues and lock them in,” Vik said.
“And we will continue to engage with Delegates, HSRs and members on the job to ensure members get the opportunities and training they need and deserve throughout the opening of Metro Tunnel.”
“Members who have been on the network for years should be given the opportunity to move into these new stations.”
complaints. We wanted to inspect the yard, locker rooms and toilet facilities make sure they were adequate.
“We were blocked from the yard, but still got to speak to members, which was our main goal.”
Stef says she could have called ahead and told Aurizon that the RTBU wanted to come to the depot, but the surprise visit was far more e ective.
“The whole reason not to give them a heads-up was to say, ‘we are watching you and can turn up with no notice –our members come first, and we will protect them any way we can’.
“And we wanted to send the bosses a message: ‘be afraid, as we can rock up any time’.”
The element of surprise can pay dividends when going on the o ensive, and that was the case when RTBU o cials turned up unannounced at Aurizon’s Acacia Ridge depot recently.
The Acacia Ridge depot in Brisbane hosts freight drivers and maintainers, with RTBU members covered under a bulk rail Enterprise Agreement.
Queensland Organisers Stef Whyte and Dave Bullock, both qualified drivers, went into action after reports of some serious workplace health and safety concerns.
“The reports mainly concerned bullying and harassment,” Stef says. “Management failed in their duty to keep people safe, and that’s not on.”
“We were told about it Monday and by Wednesday we were out there.
“We didn’t give management notice, and that was the goal – to rattle them.”
Stef says Aurizon tried to block their entry but she and Dave were able to do exactly what they needed to while they were there.
“We went in under Workplace Health and Safety right of entry rules and listed a number of additional issues beyond bullying following some further
It is with great sadness that we inform Members of the passing of Hristos Tsirkas.
Hristos o ered so much to the building of our union and took great pride in looking after all of his fellow railway workers.
Hristos was made a life member of the Rail Tram and Bus Union in 2018, in recognition of his
contributions to the RTBU Victorian Branch, as a Member, Delegate and elected representative on numerous RTBU committees over many years. He retired in 2019 after 44 years at V/Line.
Hristos will be remembered by the RTBU for his all that he contributed, and he will live on through the many RTBU Members who called him a comrade.
Since the visit Stef has had more calls, this time from Acacia Ridge maintenance workers, who want an Organiser to come and look at some urgent issues. And Aurizon has made assurancess that it is going to act.
“They say they are going to conduct investigations and conduct some training, involving some managers as well. That’s a good response for now.
“But we will be coming back, making sure that’s done, and will be checking with members and doing regular visits.
“So if you have concerns in your workplace, please reach out to us and don’t wait until it’s really bad.
“And if in doubt, talk to your RTBU Delegate, Organiser or phone the RTBU O ce!”
Members and o cials in the SA/NT Branch face a huge year with no less than 13 separate Enterprise Agreements up for negotiation in 2023.
Branch Secretary Darren Phillips said the various EAs cover RTBU members across all areas - including Freight, Infrastructure and Metro Trains & Trams.
Darren said it’s essential that members involved in the negotiating process, to make sure their agreements reflect their needs, and that an active and vital membership will make a big di erence.
“When we enter EA negotiations, it’s important that we have a strong collective position to put forward claims regarding improvements and to stop companies trying to erode our members’ conditions,” Darren said. “These conditions have been hard fought for and won by our predecessors and current members, and are worth fighting to retain now.”
Darren said the RTBU will also be guided during EA negotiations, and in workplaces in general, by the results of the recent member survey, where more than 90% of those surveyed said it was very important for the union to:
» Challenge employers who treat their employees unfairly;
» Ensure employers comply with their employment obligations to employees; and
» Negotiate better wages and conditions.
“We will focus on engaging with members in all these areas so that we can achieve success collectively,” he said.
There are important things members can do.
“If bosses think they can get away with it, then they will try,” Darren said.
“So members should call out bad behaviour by employers – this includes coercion and harassment – and where necessary seek the assistance of Workplace Delegates and RTBU O cials.
“They should also work to the rules and conditions of their Enterprise Agreement, calling out and recording employer breaches.
“This can be done directly to your immediate manager or supervisor, and
then by passing on unresolved matters to your RTBU Delegates and O cials.”
Darren says a solid union Delegate structure and an active member network will also be key to successful EA outcomes.
“Only by acting in unity during negotiations will we be able to preserve and improve on existing conditions and lift workers’ pays.
“The rail industry has a known shortage of qualified workers, and it is in the interests of your employer to attract and retain you.
“Let’s make the most of this situation in this round of EAs, as that could change sometime in the future.
“So encourage co-workers to join the RTBU, participate in surveys and meetings, and think about becoming part of a workplace delegation or negotiating team.”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its final report into the unmanned runaway of TasRail’s driver-operated remote control cement train – some four years after the dramatic incident on 21 September 2018.
The report found that the train went on a 23-minute runaway journey, through ten active and three passive public level crossings, beneath a highway overpass, and through five sets of points, mostly at speeds greater than the maximum track speed.
The train was eventually directed away from public areas to a siding in Devonport Yard, where it collided with a concrete footing and surrounding fences. Fence debris struck two pedestrians nearby, resulting in minor injuries to both.
The 154-page report identified a number of serious failures on the part of TasRail relating to the procurement and introduction of the 3rd generation Remote Control Equipment (RCE) for use on the business’s cement train. Some of these failures included:
» Problems associated with TasRail’s management of change – most activities required by TasRail’s procedures for a significant change were not performed;
» TasRail had not identified or fully assessed safety implications of remotely controlled train operation, or its specific implementation;
» TasRail did not have a reliable process to identify, track and analyse reported faults or to identify potential safety implications;
» TasRail did not submit a Notification of Change to the O ce of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) –even though it was a completely new system with
about 40 changes from the 2nd generation equipment;
» TasRail could not provide evidence that risk assessments were performed for the absence, suppression, alteration or limited access to a number of safety features as a result of RCE operations; and
» TasRail failed to ensure that the manufacturer held records of what was tested and to what extent.
» The report also confirmed that drivers had reported significant concerns about the RCE prior to the incident, including specific warnings that the equipment was unsafe.
In fact, the report says that hundreds of faults had been logged in just over seven months of operation of the 3rd generation RCE, and a TasRail representative acknowledged that faults were likely being under-reported!
The report notes that in correspondence from TasRail to the equipment manufacturer in relation to RCE faults, TasRail expressed concerns of a ‘significant risk to the business’ with no mention of safety.
The report then goes on: Safety was not explicitly stated among TasRails concerns. As a TasRail representative described to the ATSB, TasRail’s concerns were from operational
and business perspectives due to time delay impacts.
Tasmanian Branch Secretary Ric Bean said that when you read through the fine detail, the ATSB report is a damning condemnation of TasRail.
“It again highlights the massive chasm between TasRail management’s claim that safety is its number one priority, and the reality of how they run the business,” Ric said.
“Clearly all the warning signs of a potential disaster were there, yet management chose to ignore them.
“The lesson here is that management ignore the advice of experienced workers at their peril.”
Ric said that soon after the runaway incident, TasRail initiated its own internal report conducted by an external third party.
“To this day that report has been treated as if it’s a top-secret document, with many within management itself not being given access to it,” Ric said.
“The RTBU has formally requested access to the internal report, but management has refused - which makes us wonder what else they are trying to hide.”
Ric said it was also clear there had been no oversight of TasRail’s change management by the rail safety regulator – once again showing that the ‘co-regulation’ model is failing.
“In this instance, the woeful lack of accountability led to a runaway cement train charging through a busy urban area just before 9 o’clock on Friday morning, just as children were going to school.
“It’s a miracle that no-one was killed.
“The entire incident makes a complete mockery of a quote in big letters on ONRSR’s website home page – Everything we do, every day has to be for the outcome of rail safety, that is absolutely paramount.”
Runaway and derailment of TasRail freight train no. 604
With more than 60 million votes, Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva has been elected president of the Brazilian Republic. The president-elect began his third term as president of the country on 1 January 2023.
“We are going to live in new times of peace, love and hope,” Lula said in his victory speech.
“They tried to bury me alive … and now I’m here to rule the country — in a very di cult situation, but I am sure that with the help of the people we will find a way out and restore peace.”
Lula has been a central figure in Brazilian politics for over three decades. After serving as the head of a steel-workers’ union in São Paulo in the 1970s, and leading an historic strike during Brazil’s military dictatorship, Lula was pivotal in establishing the Worker’s Party alongside other trade unionists, intellectuals, and politicians. His victory represents a historic comeback after serving as the first
working-class president for two terms between 2003 and 2010, and then the ensuing political persecution that saw him accused and convicted of corruption. In March 2021, his convictions were annulled by a Supreme Court judge opening a path for Lula to run for presidency in 2022.
During his campaign, Lula expressed a desire to adopt new labour legislation based on tripartite bargaining that will restore workers’ rights, strengthen union representation, and give special attention to informal and gig economy workers.
International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) President Paddy Crumlin said trade unionists the world over were celebrating Lula’s victory.
“We stand with our Brazilian comrades in supporting Lula, and the labour movement in Brazil, to rebuild and reunite a nation that has been bitterly damaged and divided by Bolsonaro and his far-right, populist policies,” Paddy said.
“Lula said that his number one priority is alleviating the crippling poverty that has led to 33 million Brazilians facing hunger and over 100 million living under the poverty line.
“His renewed leadership to restore social, environment and economic justice, and to build an economy around equality and not greed, will ensure that tens of millions of people are better o .”
Angela Ransome has been a bus driver in Ontario, Canada since 2014. She is a member of the Canadian transport union UNIFOR, and loves her job.
Access to decent sanitation facilities, however, is one of the biggest challenges for her and her colleagues
“The lack of sanitation facilities at terminals is a big problem for bus drivers. Sometimes there are no washrooms even made available to us,” she said. “When you are thinking, ’oh my good ness I have to go use the washroom’, it will make you want to use it more. Nobody wants to have an accident at work, especially as an adult; it is embarrassing and should not be happening.”
Angela said the situation for female bus drivers at her workplace has dete riorated over recent years.
“We used to have ‘his’ and ‘hers’ toilets five years ago, but someone com plained because males began using the ladies’ washrooms,” she said.
“Male workers use the women’s toilet because they only have a few minutes to get o the bus and go to the toi let quickly.
“After the complaints by women workers, the company management decided to make all toilets unisex. From a female perspective, sharing the washroom with men is unsafe and dirty. We have to wipe the seats before we use them.”
Safe access to decent sanitation facilities is vital for all workers, but it is an issue felt particularly acutely by women transport workers.
To break down these barriers for women working in the transport industry, and the wider world of work, and to ensure dignity and safety for all workers, trade unions around the
world are taking up the campaign for better conditions.
Angela’s story is part of a new international exposé of the sanitation conditions faced by workers in public transport around the world. The report, Sanitation rights are human
profiles the stories of public transport workers and their everyday reality of having insu cient access to safe, clean, decent sanitation facilities.
You can read the full report here: https://www.itfglobal.org/sites/ default/files/node/resources/files/
This year has marked an important milestone, the TrackSAFE Foundation’s 10th anniversary.
We remain committed to our purpose, to reduce fatalities, injuries and near hits on the rail network caused by suicide, trespass, and human error. Ultimately, reducing incidents and near hits reduces the impacts on our people, and this continues to be a key driver for TrackSAFE as we move into our next decade.
As a registered charity, TrackSAFE relies on the generosity of our supporters. I would like to thank our founding donors UGL and the Australasian Railway Association, along with 50+ organisations from across the rail supply chain who support us via an annual donation.
Over this next decade we will continue to:
» focus measures to reduce the national rate of suicide on the rail network.
» increase knowledge amongst the Australian community of how to stay safe on and around rail, and
Heather Neil, Executive Director, TrackSAFE
SAFETY .
The TrackSAFE Foundation is currently conducting a review of the national Rail Industry Trauma Management Framework.
» bring the rail community together to share knowledge and insights, and to help support our fellow workmates.
To see TrackSAFE’s 2022 Year in Review video go to https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=pEdYETuGIWU
For many of us, the new year marks time for setting goals.
While a new language or mastering an instrument might be yours, there’s no doubt that focussing on our mental fitness will serve us well.
Just like our physical fitness, mental fitness is another way of taking care of yourself.
Mental fitness is about taking some regular time out to build your inner strength, mental health and resilience, preparing you to deal with life’s stresses and di culties.
For some practical tips to building a mental fitness plan, and making your new year’s resolution a reasonable one, visit Mens Line at https://mensline.org.au/mensmental-health/mental-fitness/ or call 1300 78 99 78.
RTBU Assistant National Secretary and TrackSAFE Foundation board member Shayne Kummerfeld said the union made a submission to the review, and was pushing for a number of changes to better ensure workers received the support they need after a traumatic workplace incident.
“While there is a lot more work to do in terms of preventing serious safety injuries on the rail network, it is important that we continue to improve the post-incident response process as well,” Shayne said.
“There is a great deal of inconsistency in the trauma management policies and procedures in di erent rail workplaces across the country.
“These policies must be informed by the needs and experiences of workers, but they must also reflect industry best practice.
“The Critical Incident Procedures at Sydney Trains and NSW Trains, for example, were developed through extensive consultation with workers. These could now be used as a valuable template for other workplaces across the country.”
To see the RTBU’s full submission to the review go to https:// www.rtbu.org.au/submission_ on_the_rail_industry_trauma_ management_framework
Lance Edwards left his longterm o ce job to drive buses and trams and now – about 15 years on – loves the job … except for the managers!
Lance, from Craigmore in northern Adelaide, has been a driver at Torrens Connect Glengowrie light rail depot for 13 years. Before that was a bus driver for a time with Southlink.
“I was at Telstra for 19 years and wanted a career change and decided instead of being an o ce worker I’d go drive buses, and then trams,” he says. “And it’s a great job, pity about the management.”
Lance joined the RTBU on his first day as a tram operator and became a Delegate soon after.
He and three other Delegates now represent about 91 members from Torrens Connects (out of 104 sta ).
Lance looks after drivers’ issues with the help of delegate Garry O’Donnell, while Je Ventress looks after controllers and Dave Medley looks after the customer service operatives.
Lance says the new South Australian Government’s move to bring the privatised light rail network back under public operation in its first term is one of the RTBU’s and its members’ biggest achievements.
Keeping a strong union presence under the private operators has been a personal highlight of Lance’s time as a Delegate.
“We successfully brought 97 members over from the State Government into the private system without a big drama,” he says. “The private operators were a bit feisty about that at first, but they settled down pretty quickly.
“We have had other wins – fixing the air conditioners in the trams, seat issues, master controller issues – there have been so many over the years they blur into one.
“But I see every win for every individual member as a big win.”
Lance says it can be hard to convince new workers of the need to join the RTBU, as many these days have no experience of being in a union.
“I tell them the most important thing about the RTBU to me is that it’s insurance,” he says.
“It helps protect my job if needed - and it has done in the past. You wouldn’t drive your car out on the street without insurance, and it’s the same with a union.”
The US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol (also known as the January 6 Committee) released its final report just before Christmas.
The report found that former US President Donald Trump acted ‘in support of a multi-part conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 Presidential election’.
But the January 6 Report does not explain the apparent willingness of so many ordinary people to fervent ly believe that the US election was ‘stolen’, and to risk their lives for a hare-brained scheme that always going to end badly.
Van Badham’s book QAnon and On: A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults helps to unpack the psychological, sociological, historical, economic and technical forces behind modern-day conspiracy movements.
As Van notes, conspiracy theories are far from new. But what has changed is the way the internet and various forms of social media can speed up the transmission of conspiracy ideas. Online discussion of these ideas doesn’t just become an echo chamber, it leads to the formation of highly tribal online communities that provide a rewards system of validation, notoriety and even revenue to people who become fully-fledged members.
Continued next page
One of the most extraordinary conspiracy communities to have sprung up over the past decade is QAnon, and Van follows the evolution of QAnon from its humble beginnings as a thread on the on-line imageboard 4chan to its influential role in the 2020 US Presidential election, and the failed January 6 coup.
In essence, the QAnon conspiracy claims that the world is run by an evil cabal of people (or lizard-people) who use the power of the ‘deep state’ to maintain their privileged position while running a global paedophilia racket.
The rulers of the world are described as ‘dark hats’, while the people seeking to overturn the cabal are described as enlightened ‘white hats’. In between this battle between good and evil lie the masses of people who are just going about their lives oblivious to the operations of the cabal all around them. These people are ‘sheep’. While the QAnon cult started in the USA, and has become closely aligned with the Trump political machine, it’s reach is global. In Australia, the extent of its reach was exposed in a bizarre sequence of events in which a QAnon adherent and personal friend of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Tim Stewart, claimed credit for getting Mr Morrison to use known QAnon
code words in a speech about child exploitation.
The QAnon conspiracy has its own prophet - the mysterious self-styled insider Q. On the surface, Q’s lurid tales of paedophile networks and lizard-people sound ridiculous. But as Van shows, the specifics of the theory don’t really matter. No-one is really sure who Q is, or if Q is even a single person, and - in any case – Q’s prophecies have a spectacular track record of failing to come true.
But the power of Q is not in its ability to foresee the future, it’s in its ability to meet a fundamental psychological need for inclusion and community –especially for people who may feel unwanted or excluded by the real world.
As Van says:
“It was the power of Q’s narrative to overwhelm facts that had always been the essence of the movement’s appeal …. one could argue Q’s only real identity was an impassioned desire in a shared fantasy of personal specialness … it was like you found yourself fighting a battle for goodness, and in it, you were the hero.”
Where there are villains, there is also fear, and fear is a powerful motivating factor for adherence to the tenets of the Q cult. That’s one reason why it
can be so di cult to bring people back once people they have been indoctrinated into a cult community – whether it be online or otherwise. But Van says that where there is patience, there is hope:
“Presenting a preferable social alternative to fear is how loved ones can recover friends and family members from the ‘rabbit hole’ of conspiracy cults …. kind patient conversations, establishing rapport, discussing shared experiences, and always finding a way to pivot a conversation back to common ground.”
If the Trump Presidency was the posttruth era, then it’s time for a post-posttruth era. Part of the challenge we have as a society now is to educate the broader community on how to judge the reliability of information they come across, particularly from the internet and social media.
That will take time, but if the outcome is to reduce the influence of conspiracy-based political movements on our body politic, then it’s time worth taking.
National Secretary: Mark Diamond
Email: rtbu@rtbu org.au Tel: 02 8203 6099
NEW SOUTH WALES
Branch Secretary: Alex Claassens
Email: nswho@rtbu-nsw.asn.au
VICTORIA
Branch Secretary: Vik Sharma rtbu@rtbuvic com.au Tel: (03) 8630 9100
QUEENSLAND
Branch Secretary: Peter Allen Email: info@rtbu com.au Tel: (07) 3839 4988
Branch Secretary: Darren Phillips
Email: theteam@rtbusant org.au Tel: (08) 8243 2511 / Freecall 1800 801 063
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Branch Secretary: Joshua Dekuyer Email: general@rtbuwa.asn.au Tel: (08) 9225 6722
TASMANIA
Branch Secretary: Ric Bean Email: tasadmin@rtbu org.au
