Local people’s experience of the Housing Crisis. How did we get here? How do we find solutions? How can Tenants Rights be improved? Current Housing Crisis Campaigns. Speakers:                                   Cherie Brandon:   Blue Mountains Women’s Health & Resources Centre (BMWH&RC) Sue Wildman:        From "Somewhere to Live" Ben Connor:         Tenant Advocate (Previously advertised speaker Dr Jenna Condie has sent her apologies.) Blue Mountains Unions & Community For more details contact Peter (02) 4782 7302 Authorised: D Smith, Secretary Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc ABN 91557766185 bmucinc@gmail.com  

BMUC members will be joining Action for Public Housing in a rally at Sydney Town Hall. We'll be travelling as a group in the second last carriage of the train to Sydney. See the schedule below for the train timetable so you can join us. Check the Transport NSW website for up to date information about travel alerts, track work and accessibiltiy. NSW is facing a severe housing crisis. Rents have risen by nearly 20% in Sydney in the past 12 months and more in many regional areas. Public housing waiting lists have grown by 15% while the stock of public housing grew by less than 1%. Homelessness is rising around the country while more than a million homes sit empty on any given night. In Sydney renters have had weekly rents climb by 23.7% in the last 12 months and it continues to rise. As a result of continuing interest rate increases some 300,000+ mortgage holders are at risk of defaulting on their loans. Some face homelessness. Shamefully, 1 million properties are empty on any given night. 122,494 people are homeless every night based on ABS 2021 figures and the number grows weekly. The Albanese Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund will barely scratch the surface, aiming to fund homes for just 12% of households currently on a public housing waiting list.  Instead of developing a public housing plan to support the vulnerable, the new ALP Minns-led NSW government will continue with the Liberal Party plan to demolish public housing in Waterloo and Wentworth Park Road, Glebe.  The plans will result in replacement of some of the public housing lost, however private housing will dominate the redevelopments.    The public and social housing waiting list across Australia is more than 150,000 and rising. When you include people living in housing stress, the actual need for public housing is over 600,000 homes. This number continues to grow as the housing crisis and homelessness continues to rise.  The problem is governments treating housing like a commodity. But we need housing for people, not for profit. On June 17, 1pm, at Sydney Town Hall join Action for Public Housing, a group of public housing tenants, homelessness advocates, unions and anti-poverty groups for a Rally to demand: Housing for People, Not Profit.  We are demanding: Freeze and lower rents and end no-grounds evictions now! Build more public housing. Eliminate homelessness and the waiting list and make public housing a genuine alternative to the private rental market. Stop privatising public housing. Don’t demolish -- repair, refurbish and renovate public housing.  

$368 billion on Nuke-powered subs when services are inadequate & people struggle to pay rent and buy food The Morrison-Albanese AUKUS Pact & US war threats Nuke subs in Port Kembla, dangers & mythical jobs Speakers: Gem Romuld, Australian Director of Nobel Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Mick Cross, Port Kembla Maritime Union Deputy Secretary Nick Deane, Sydney peace activist, The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network & National Anti-AUKUS Coalition NSW contact.   For more details contact Bruce 0422 966 393 Organised by Blue Mountains Unions & Community. Authorised D Smith Secretary Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc bmucinc@gmail.com  

"Money to Burn", a Politics in the Pub hosted by Blue Mountains Unions & Community at the Family Hotel from 3pm on Saturday 18th March will explore the NSW Coalition government's response to the 2019 - 2020 Black Summer megafires. Many Australians are still trying to rebuild their lives after fires and floods in recent years, further complicated by COVID. It takes government support to both mitigate the potential impact of these disasters and to help communities recover afterwards. In the mountains we've seen an explosive increase in plant growth - fuel - and are expecting a dry winter, creating a dangerous risk in the upcoming fire season. This is further exacerbated by lengthening fire seasons caused by climate change. How well prepared are we for future fire seasons?  And what was the effect when the Blue Mountains and other non Coalition electorates missed out on grants from the state government's Bushfire Local Economic Recovery funds? MC: Ann-Maree McEwan Speakers are: Kim de Govrik, an Organiser for the Public Service Association with remote fire fighting experience in his former job with National Parks, Mike Holland, lawyer since 1979 and a law lecturer who retired from legal practice and academia in 2016. Mike is a BMUC member and commenter on issues of government integrity and corruption on Rights, Rorts and Rants, Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM. Mark Greenhill OAM, a Blue Mountains City councillor for 20 years, 10 of which he has served as Mayor, brings a Council perspective. He was Mayor during both the 2013 fires when 210 local houses and other buildings were destroyed, and during the Black Summer fires, when 2,448 homes, including 90 in the Blue Mountains, were destroyed across NSW. The speakers will be followed by a Q&A from the audience. Media and other enquiries: D Smith 0408 238 586 Authorised by D Smith, Secretary, Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc, 52-52a Great Western Hwy, Mount Victoria, 2786

Blue Mountains Unions & Community are hosting this FREE film screening because million-dollar fines, police raids, phone taps and trumped-up criminal charges – the harshest anti-union laws in the western world are now targeting Australian construction workers and their union. Written & Directed by Matt Peacock / Executive Producer Paddy Gorman This is the untold human story behind the twenty-year war on workers’ rights – while all the time, companies who kill and maim go unpunished for their negligence and greed. Corporate killers go largely unregulated while every day construction workers & unions face massive fines for standing up against deadly safety breaches. This is a product of deliberate conservative government policy. It’s a deadly double standard: a Lethal Bias. ‘Lethal Bias’ was produced by Matilda Films in conjunction with the CFMEU Construction & General Division. PLUS! We'll also be featuring BMUC's entry in the inaugural 2022 Dare to Struggle Short Film Festival showcasing talented Blue Mountains activist artists - "Sing It! Say It! An Activist Fest Talent Quest". Hosted in the Dining Room of the Family Hotel, Katoomba with the ongoing support of the fabulous Family Hotel management and staff. Enquiries: Deb Smith 0408 238 586

George Mann (US) is a songwriter's singer who would just as soon share stories and songs from the long history of folk music as sing his own songs. His concerts are singalong sessions as well as history lessons. He has produced albums featuring such folk music legends as Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton, and produced national tours of the US and Australia in honour of the Almanac Singers (2013) and Joe Hill (2015). George brings his experience as a union organiser and educator to his concerts - stories and songs about real events and the struggle for a better life. He has played the Illawarra Folk Festival several times and performed for most of the folk clubs in Australia, and will be at the Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival and touring Australia in October 2022. His latest CD “A World Like This” is featured at this link: https://georgemann.org/a-world-like-this/.   *The meal provided with a ticket is a set dish.

It's Australia's other pandemic, the Pork Pandemic, and Australians are sick of it as more and more pork barreling rorts are exposed. Millions and millions of tax payer dollars - your money - are splurged on dubious "grants" to marginal seats as the Coalition desperately clings to power. According to the Liberals, it's not corrupt, it's business as usual. Their answer to demands for a strong and independent commission, a strong Federal ICAC, is a model so toothless it's widely regarded as a joke. Blue Mountains Unions & Community believes that the only way to beat the Coalition rorters is for Australia to have a truly independent federal watchdog with real powers to investigate institutionalised corruption - a Federal ICAC. Speakers: Ross Jones. Is so concerned about corruption, he's a founding member of the Federal ICAC Now political party with a single objective - the establishment of a federal commission against corruption. His message will be particularly relevant in the coming election as Transparency International's Corruptions Perception reported Australia's worst ever result - 18th. Andrew Fowler. Is an award-winning investigative journalist and author. His work has featured on the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent, Four Corners programs. He has been chief of staff and acting foreign editor of The Australian newspaper and a reporter with SBS Dateline and Channel 7, and a leader of the ABC’s Investigative Unit. Michael Holland. Practising lawyer 1979 -2016. Law lecturer since 1989. NTEU Branch President College of Law 2012 - 2016. Current NTEU member. Member BMUC. Occasional legal commentator Rights, Rorts and Rants on Radiou Blue Mountains 89.1FM. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arrangements to attend this event in person may change at short notice due to COVID restrictions. If you are unable to attend in person, you can still join in via Zoom using the details below: Topic: Catch the Crooks! Politics in the Pub Time: Feb 26, 2022 03:00 PM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83665185209?pwd=NjEyRWttbzRSQXBoWFNnK3A0RGJodz09 Meeting ID: 836 6518 5209 Passcode: 653157 One tap mobile +61370182005,,83665185209#,,,,*653157# Australia +61731853730,,83665185209#,,,,*653157# Australia Dial by your location         +61 3 7018 2005 Australia         +61 7 3185 3730 Australia         +61 8 6119 3900 Australia         +61 8 7150 1149 Australia         +61 2 8015 6011 Australia Meeting ID: 836 6518 5209 Passcode: 653157 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kl5GuQ6T2 This is a COVID safe event. You'll need to follow any COVID restrictions that may be in place at the time of the event. While you don't need a ticket to come, if there are too many, preference will be given to people who book a ticket.

The end of year get together for Blue Mountains Unions & Community members will be held at Fran Dyson's place after the Annual General Meeting (which starts at 10:30am) and the December General Meeting (which will start after the AGM). The address is 66 Cascade St, Katoomba but the entrance (and parking) is at the rear in Harvey St. Please bring a plate and your own drinks, and register for a free ticket to help Fran with planning the event taking weather and potential COVID restrictions into account. You can find the rules to keep us safe from COVID here. Of course they may change at short notice. At present visitors to a residence need to be fully vaccinated unless they are under 16 or medically exempt. Nick Franklin is organising a Trivia competition as a fundraiser, so if you would like to enter, bring $5. Merran MacLaren will also bring her ukulele and some union songs for us to sing along with. The ticketing system has been restricted to members, but if you'd like to bring a non member with you, you can include them by booking more than one ticket. If you are unable to book a ticket send Deb Smith an email at bmucinc@gmail.com.  Deb can check your membership status and, if you need to pay membership fees, you can do so by direct debit to our Westpac account, BSB 032-828 Account number: 249136, including your name in the transaction reference so you're credited with the payment. 

Happening soon at 4pm! Join Zoom Meeting The Air Watch team of Blue Mountains Unions & Community wants you to know about their campaign to reinstall air pollution monitors with publicly available data in almost real time across the Blue Mountains and Lithgow communities. Our event is one of the Blue Mountains Environmental Sustainability Network's "Let’s Showcase What We Are Doing, Even During Lockdown" online events. In our area we can rapidly go from unpolluted air to choking bushfire smoke. Hear about the campaign to monitor and share air quality information from a panel with expertise in local environmental activism, environment science, and protecting workers health and safety. Chaired by Peter Lammiman of BMUC's Air Watch team. Speakers: Julie Favell - Lithgow Environment Group Maggie Davidson - Environment Scientist based at the Western Sydney University Natasha Flores - Industrial Officer Unions NSW   Join Zoom Meeting  

Our long time BMUC supporters, the Family Hotel, will be re-opening on Monday thanks to a loosening of pandemic restrictions which means the pub will be able serve fully vaccinated guests. Many of us have missed getting together at the Family so we'll having a social catch up from 6:30pm at the Family on Monday. Some of our radio team will be there too, so if you'd like to take part in a vox pop for broadcast on the following Friday, come along and have a chat. We'll be there with our recorders. Tell us what you've missed or how have you felt about lockdown? How do you feel about re-opening? How good does it feel to be having a drink with your mates again? Or, just come along, support a local business that supports us, and catch up with old and new friends.

It's An Activist Fest Talent Quest with MC Willem Hendriksen of Retro Rehash! We're pleased to announce the acts which have made it past our audition stage! They'll be performing at Sing It! Say It! at the Family Hotel on 19th December from 6:30pm and you, the audience, will get to decide who wins the prizes of $500, $300 and $200! We'll also have speakers from local student climate activists, MESCA, one of the Presenters of our Rights, Rorts and Rants radio show, and Blue Mountains Unions & Community President Kerry Cooke. Most of the acts will be performing original material.  Deej Aye Sam Bucca Linda Mizzi Dirty Bindoff & Pub Skrillex Lexodious Dadd Sy Dyson Yanhadarrambal Kay.Collier Trash Baby Gabbi Bolt Fuq boi n tha boiz Edith Grove Jacky Parker Aleisha Khan You can also watch our Rights, Rorts and Rants and Blue Mountains Unions & Community Facebook pages for updates.  If you're interested in sponsoring the event, contact Deb Smith via email bmucinc@gmail.com. NOTE: The acts will probably appear in a different order to the above list. Advertised acts may be changed or cancelled without notice. A change in pandemic restrictions may also change many aspects of the event.

BMUC fundraiser. Bring something for yourself to throw on the barbie and your own drinks! If you bring a savoury plate to share with others you'll pay less for your ticket! Just let Susan Lammiman know what you intend to bring by sending her an email at susan.lammiman@bigpond.com. As well as opening here home, Susan will generously provide salads and desert. Musician and BMUC member Tom Flood has agreed to entertain us! Good music, good food and good company - does life get any better than this? Ticket sales close 23rd October. The tiresome but necessary part... Maximum of 20 people at a time at the time of publishing. Ticket availability may change if pandemic restrictions change. Under the rules as at 8/10/2020, "if there are more than 20 visitors at a home at any one time, every person will be held individually responsible for a breach of the public health order."