RAIL industry employees across Australia and New Zealand are creating a conversation movement by asking, “Are you ok?” of each other on  April 12, the fourth annual Rail R U OK?Day.

Partnering on this initiative are suicide and harm prevention charities R U OK? and the TrackSAFE Foundation.

“Through the initiative Rail R U OK?Day we are helping rail industry workers feel safe and genuinely supported at work. Due to the nature of the roles in the rail industry, there are some workers who could potentially be exposed to traumatic incidents as part of their jobs,” said Bob Herbert AM Chairman TrackSAFE Foundation.

“The Rail R U OK?Day initiative is aimed at helping rail employees deal with these confronting challenges they may face at work, (along with life’s challenges) and connecting in a meaningful way to co-workers. There’s a real difference between small talk and genuinely asking the question of a workmate, “are you really ok?”

TrackSAFE and R U OK? have made a commitment to equip rail workers with the skills to recognise when someone might be struggling, and strategies to employ support for their workmates. R U OK?s four steps to starting a conversation: Ask, Listen, Encourage action and Check in, are a key part of this strategy.

This year TrackSAFE has complimented the existing R U OK? strategies to upskill rail employees by introducing Mental Health First Aid training.
 “By introducing Mental Health First Aid training specifically for the rail industry we’re working to encourage more and more rail employees to recognise the signs that someone might be doing it tough and to check in on those they are concerned about,” said Mr Herbert.

In the eight-week lead up to Rail R U OK?Day, TrackSAFE and R U OK? sent an interactive digital question mark named ‘Quentin’ on a relay-styled trip travelling every state and territory via rail. Quentin issues educational and informative challenges and will complete his cross-country trek at Metro Trains Melbourne on Rail R U OK?Day.

In addition to this, R U OK? branded locomotives, courtesy of Pacific National and Aurizon will act as visual reminders to Australians to join the conversation movement by checking in with friends and loved ones, as they pass through cities and regional towns in Western Australia and Queensland.

R U OK? Ambassadors and former NRL players Daniel Conn and Brett Finch will be spreading the word that listening to your gut and having a genuine conversation with a workmate who doesn’t seem themselves, can be life-changing.

R U OK CEO Brendan Maher said, “R U OK? is committed to continuing the collaboration with TrackSAFE to support rail workers who are often faced with work related stressors and need additional support.

"In our fourth year now, we believe we are embedding strategies to assist rail workers when they are faced with challenges, and this initiative is one we are extremely proud of,” said Mr Maher.

https://www.ruok.org.au/rail-r-u-ok-day

TrackSAFE

R U OK?

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LIBERAL DEMOCRATS Senator David Leyonhjelm has condemned the actions of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and its Commissioner following revelations made in today’s media.

“As taxpayers we are at the mercy of an entity with unparalleled power to act as investigator, prosecutor, judge, appeal judge and sentencer,” Senator Leyonhjelm said.

“The ATO assesses what an individual or business must pay and it’s too bad if that assessment is wrong. The current system demands the taxpayer to pay up anyway, then go through the courts to seek justice.

“Those with deep pockets can send in the big legal guns but there are myriad examples of small businesses and individuals who have either been sent to the wall fighting their case or simply paid up because they know to take on the ATO would financially ruin them.”

Senator Leyonhjelm said his Judiciary Amendment (Commonwealth Model Litigant Obligations) Bill 2017, introduced into the Senate last year, would help prevent government agencies such as the ATO from taking advantage of a claimant’s lack of resources when litigating a dispute that reaches the court.

“The Productivity Commission has already recommended that state and federal governments should impose enforceable model litigant obligations on its agencies, given governments’ power, resources, ‘frequent-player status’ and role of acting in the public interest,” he said. 

“There are too many stories of the ATO getting it wrong and leaving a trail of devastated businesses and individuals in its wake, and offering paltry financial compensation that is too little too late as its only redress.

“The modus operandi of the ATO is a prime example of why the Senate must pass my Bill.” 

www.davidleyonhjelm.com.au

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INDIVIDUALS or organisations who have engaged the services of an Australian migration agent or education agent are encouraged to share their experiences as part of the Federal Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Migration’s inquiry into the efficacy of current regulation of Australian migration agents.

While the Committee is unable to intervene or provide advice or assistance in relation to individual circumstances, it wants to ensure that its findings are informed by those with personal experience As such, the Committee has launched two anonymous online questionnaires.

The first questionnaire enables people who have engaged the services of a migration agent or education agent to make a personal contribution to the inquiry, and will assist the Committee to understand the individual experiences of a broad range of people.

The second questionnaire enables Australian migration agents to put forward their views on the current migration agent regulatory regime.

Organisations are encouraged to share the questionnaire with their clients and members. You must be over 18 years old to complete the questionnaires, and it will take up to 15 minutes of your time. The questionnaires will close on Friday 1 June 2018.

• The questionnaire for individuals who have engaged an Australian migration or education agent is available here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/migrationclientsurvey
• The questionnaire for Australian migration agents is available here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/migrationagents.

To obtain more information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference, and to find out how to participate, visit the inquiry website: www.aph.gov.au/mig.

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NEARLY 10 million Australians have experienced a problem with their phone or internet service, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman will announce at the Comms Day Summit today (4pm, April 9, 2018).

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman introduced a comprehensive survey for the first time in 2018 and  surveyed almost 3000 people from across Australia’s residential consumers and small businesses.

In her speech to the conference, Ms Jones will also note 20 percent of residential consumers had more than one phone or internet issue over the last year, and one in four issues were not resolved after four months.  For small businesses the picture is more problematic, with almost 60  percent identifying  a phone or internet issue affecting their business.

Ombudsman Judi Jones said, "Today's results show us that everyone with responsibility for planning and delivering telecommunications service has to make things better. Phone and the internet services are essential services, making a vital difference to families, within communities and to business.

"We all have to be proactive and accessible in managing the  issues. We have to listen to residential  consumers and small businesses, understand the impact of problems, and offer quick, supportive solutions.”
 

Six Month Update complaints snapshot will be released April 17, 2018

THIS six month update provides key data on complaints from residential consumers and small businesses to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman for the period July 1-31 December, 2017.

About the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is a free and independent dispute resolution and complaint handling service for residential consumers and small businesses who have an unresolved complaint about their phone or internet service.

www.tio.com.au or 1800 062 058.

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