Health and Community Services Union (HACSU)

31/12/2025

Wishing a Happy New Year to all our HACSU members and comrades! 🥳

Thanks for a great year in 2025. We had some amazing accomplishments with our vibrant Public Mental Health EBA campaign, supported bargaining on the Zombie agreements, a ferocious start to the Do You See Us Now? campaign and much more. 💪

We'll pick up the fight again soon, have a safe and happy New Year! 🎆

24/12/2025

HACSU wishes all members, healthcare workers, consumers, participants and their families a happy and safe holiday season!🎄

See you all again next year ✊

22/12/2025

The HACSU office will be closed for a period of two weeks over the holiday period – closing 1pm Wednesday 24 December and returning on Monday 5 January.

In case of emergencies, we have an on-call service that will operate during business hours on 29, 30, 31 December and 2 January. If you need to contact HACSU urgently, call 1300 651 931.

We ask that members only use this service for important emergencies. Voicemails left on the number will be assessed by an on-call staff member during business hours, and any members assessed as having urgent issues will be contacted. If you are in immediate danger, please call 000.

We understand that the holidays can be a difficult time for many of us. Workers in Disability, Mental Health and AOD are often at the frontline of care for people experiencing violence, alcohol abuse and mental health problems. For some of us we may also be experiencing these issues at home.

If you need support during our shutdown period, or at any time throughout the year, HACSU members and their families have 24/7 access to counselling and mental health services through Hunterlink. To access this, call 1800 554 654.

Other specialist support services:
☎️ Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre: 1800 015 188
☎️ Sexual Assault Crisis Line (CASA House): 1800 806 292
☎️ Lifeline (mental health and su***de prevention): 13 11 14
☎️ Direct Line (alcohol and drug services): 1800 888 236
☎️ National Gambling Helpline: 1800 858 858

15/12/2025

Peace is union business.

12/12/2025

No one understands the impact of inadequate services more than the families of NDIS participants - who know all too well what it's like when their loved ones don't get the care that they deserve.

Being forced to stand by and watch when someone you love misses out is a heartbreaking and cruel way to treat Victoria's most vulnerable.

People with disability deserve timely support, dignity, and real choice from a system that shows up when they need it most.

With less than 3 weeks to go until the state subsidy funding for disability ends - how many more lives is the government going to risk falling through the cracks? Anthony Albanese Jenny McAllister Mark Butler MP Jacinta Allan Lizzie Blandthorn

Help us to act. Visit savedisability.org

11/12/2025

As part of the Royal Commission into Mental Health, our government promised to centre lived experience in mental health reform. Now, that promise has been broken.

After every traumatic and sensitive detail shared with the Royal Commission to get us this far, cutting LLEW leadership is an insidious betrayal.

This isn’t reform - it’s a blind step backwards. Victorians deserves a mental health system informed by real people’s experiences.

Read more here:

The mental health sector says axing a requirement for people who have experienced mental health challenges to be at the forefront of reform is a betrayal.

09/12/2025

ABC News reports: HUNDREDS of group homes will close as State subsidy comes to an end in the New Year. Hear from participants and their families in this video. 🧡💜

08/12/2025

"Hundreds of group homes... housing almost 2,000 of Victoria's most vulnerable disabled people with the highest care needs — are at risk of closing when a state government funding package dries up at the end of the month," reported the ABC this morning.

HACSU State Secretary, Paul Healey worries that residents will be separated after living together for decades. He said, "While the governments are going to be pointing at each other, I think participants are going to miss out on the care and support they need."

Read the full article here: https://buff.ly/USzkrdT

🦺💜🧡

07/12/2025

Hey Minister Blandthorn, we’ll ask the same question again and again and again until you give us an answer that actually holds merit. When are you going to stop passing blame and tell us your plan for disabled Victorians, their families and the workers that support them?? 😡

Thanks David Ettershank MP for continuing to call it out how it is ✊

🦺💜🧡

06/12/2025

The results from our recent bullying and harassment survey at Albury Wodonga Health were so condemning that they made it to the floor of parliament. As unionists we know that bullying and harassment is never ok!

When bullying happens in the workplace, workers entrust leadership with their safety and wellbeing. Yet at Albury Wodonga Health the bullies in question are the exact leaders meant to protect the workers who are caring for others day in and out.

It's a non-negotiable, everyone deserves to be safe at work! ❤️‍🩹

Thanks Georgie Purcell - Animal Justice Party MP for standing up for workers ✊

06/12/2025

Hey! Psst! To all our disability workers out there… we say THANK YOU! 🤩 💜🧡

05/12/2025

A huge 🎉CONGRATULATIONS🎉 to HACSU members at Aruma for a second decisive NO vote on the proposed EBA! ❌

HACSU members once again voted down an unfair deal which would have seen wages and conditions go backwards. Workers stood firm and united in the face of a divisive employer campaign based on scare tactics. 😡

Members have strongly told Aruma they deserve better and HACSU is committed to continue the fight for a fair deal in 2026. Thank you to all our staunch members who put in the work and voted NO to get this result. ✊