10,000 MACS staff back fair bargaining as 265 workplaces hit 50%!
This week, we achieved clear majorities in three more employers - including the state’s biggest! MACS, St Bede’s and MACS Specialist Schools joined FCJ Benalla and Catholic College Sale as employers with clear staff majorities for fair bargaining rights.
The campaign for fair bargaining rights has passed more major milestones, with more than 10,000 staff at Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools now signing the Petition of Support, and majorities reached at St Bede’s and MACSS (Specialist Schools).
More than 13,500 Catholic education staff have now signed the 2026 Petition of Support, with two-thirds of MACS workplaces now over the 50 per cent mark.
And the strength of support continues to grow right across Victorian Catholic education.
Support for fair bargaining grows broader - and deeper!
265 workplaces at a majority is impressive - but even more so is how far over the line many of them are!
More than 180 workplaces have reached 60 per cent support, more than 100 are at 70 per cent or higher, 50 workplaces have reached 80 per cent, and 25 are now at 90 per cent or above.
This means that in more and more workplaces, staff are not simply reaching majority support – they are building the kind of overwhelming support that employers simply cannot credibly dismiss.
Big movers this week
Notre Dame College Shepparton has been one of the biggest movers of the week, adding around 45 supporters, while Galen College Wangaratta has added close to 40.
There have also been major bursts at St Monica’s College Epping, Iona College Geelong and St Bede’s College Mentone, each adding 25 or more supporters over the week.
St Luke the Evangelist School in Blackburn South is among the latest MACS workplaces to reach the 50 per cent mark after another burst of support, while in DOBCEL a big late-week surge at St Brigid’s College Horsham has pushed the workplace into majority territory.
In Sandhurst, new supporters at St Bernard’s School Wangaratta have propelled it into this week’s diocesan Top 10, while fresh support at St Joseph’s School Cobram has strengthened its place among the Sandhurst leaders.
There has also been strong activity at Nazareth College, Marist-Sion College Warragul, Holy Cross Mickleham, St Mary’s College Seymour, Thomas Carr College, St Jude’s Langwarrin, Mackillop Catholic Regional College Werribee and many other workplaces.
Our updated Top 50 diocesan workplaces
St Peter’s School – Keilor East – MACS
Our Lady of the Rosary School – Kyneton – MACS
St Anne’s School – Kew East – MACS
St Oliver Plunkett’s School – Pascoe Vale – MACS
St Joseph’s College – Ferntree Gully – MACS
St Richard’s School – Kilsyth – MACS
Sacred Heart School – Morwell – DOSCEL
St Joseph’s School – Wonthaggi – DOSCEL
St Mary’s School – Alexandra – MACS
Queen of Peace School – Altona Meadows – MACS
St James’ School – Sebastopol – DOBCEL
St Monica’s School – Footscray – MACS
St Mark’s School – Dingley – MACS
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School – Mickleham – MACS
St Clare’s School – Thomastown West – MACS
Marymede Catholic College – Doreen – MACS
St John’s School – Heidelberg – MACS
St Therese’s School – Essendon – MACS
St Philip’s School – Blackburn North – MACS
St James’ School – Brighton – MACS
St Laurence O’Toole’s School – Leongatha – DOSCEL
St Catherine of Siena School – Armstrong Creek – MACS
St John Bosco’s School – Niddrie – MACS
St Paul’s School – Monbulk – MACS
St Francis of Assisi School – Tarneit – MACS
St Francis Xavier’s School – Corio – MACS
Thomas Carr College – Tarneit – MACS
St Patrick’s School – Port Fairy – DOBCEL
St Thomas the Apostle School – Cranbourne East – DOSCEL
St Mary MacKillop School – Bannockburn – MACS
St Mary’s School – Cohuna – CESL
St Therese’s School – Cranbourne – DOSCEL
St Augustine’s School – Keilor – MACS
St Joseph’s School – Boronia – MACS
St Kevin’s School – Hampton Park – MACS
St Joseph’s School – Springvale – MACS
Ave Maria College – Aberfeldie – MACS
Padua College – Tyabb – MACS
St Thomas’ School – Sale – DOSCEL
Marian College – Myrtleford – CESL
St Luke’s School – Lalor – MACS
St Bernard’s School – Bacchus Marsh – MACS
St Patrick’s School – Kilmore – MACS
Catholic Regional College St Albans – St Albans – MACS
St Mary’s School – Lancefield – MACS
St Mary of the Cross School – Point Cook – MACS
Lisieux Catholic Primary School – Torquay North – MACS
St Patrick’s School – Mentone – MACS
St Margaret’s School – Geelong East – MACS
St Joseph’s School – Mernda – MACS
How is your diocese tracking?
The statewide Top 50 tells only part of the story. Across Melbourne, Sale, Ballarat and Sandhurst, Reps and members continue to build extraordinary levels of local support.
Our Week 6 diocesan leaderboards show plenty of familiar names holding strong – but a very warm welcome to new A-listers St Mark’s Dingley, St Columba’s School Soldiers Hill and St Bernard’s School Wangaratta!
Can you get your school onto next week’s list?
Reaching majority support is worth celebrating - but our experience last year showed us exactly why we cannot stop there.
We need big majorities across every employer group.
If your workplace has reached 50 per cent, keep going!
Every additional signer strengthens the collective case and helps build a margin that cannot credibly be disputed.
And if your workplace has not yet reached majority support, there is still time to move.
