Members, 1 July is an important date for Australian workers. It is the day that your super – I repeat, YOUR super, starts earning you interest from the day you get paid rather than up to 3 months later.

You can find all about it here – I urge you to take a few minutes to read our great summary. This simple change means your super is in your super account earning interest rather than in the employers’.

This is another step forward, safeguarding the futures of Australian workers for future generations.

While we are talking about the future I can’t let this edition of United go out without a word about the Australia-wide campaign spearheaded by your union in all states and nationally to increase funding to local government.

Did you know that Financial Assistance Grants, as a share of national taxation, has gone from from one per cent in 1996 to just 0.49 per cent in 2026-27 – more than half! This has certainly increased the urgency of our call for fairer funding.

Halving funding in 30 years is as ridiculous as it sounds and cannot sustain the industry. USU General Secretary Graeme Kelly covers the fight for a fair go here. I was proud to see Graeme representing our local government workers at the rally and leading the protest with our trucks sending a strong message.

By Your Side,
Sharon Sewell
President
United Services Union

It was also a great opportunity to speak with the Governor General the Hon Sam Mostyn AC (pictured above), alongside other union leaders.

Once again I urge you to read as many journal articles as you can – you will find many member wins, including the recent newly negotiated Local Government State Award. Congratulations to our negotiating team and members who all had the opportunity to vote with an outstanding 89.94% YES vote. Read about some of the great aspects of the new Award here. Local Government members – don’t forget to look out for your pay increase in the first full payday after 1 July!

Meanwhile if you’re an office worker, bank employee, insurance worker, finance professional, medical receptionist or administrative support worker, there are some important workplace changes taking effect from 1 July that could directly benefit you. Read more about it here.

On a final note I am proud that your executive is looking to the future. The future of our great union and the future of the local government sector. We have approved the introduction of Apprentice rates of membership – find out more about this fantastic initiative here.

I hope you enjoy this edition of United as much as I have – it is a wonderful representation of the great work by members, delegates and officials and I am very proud of our great achievements in working towards a better, fairer future.