Alliance union join
If you have joined the Alliance, you would be in the AJA section, the Australian Journalists' Association. It is a section of the powerful union called the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA).
I once served on the state committee, and I believe in journalists belonging to their union. For protection, and mostly for valuable information.
Here is why it matters. Freelancers especially are vulnerable. Without a union, you are on your own when an editor refuses to pay, when a publication folds owing you money, or when someone threatens legal action over something you wrote. The MEAA has lawyers. It has industrial officers. It has decades of experience fighting for journalists' rights and conditions.
The MEAA also publishes rate guides, so you know what you should be getting paid. It runs training, networking events, and the Walkley Awards, which are the highest honour in Australian journalism.
Membership is not expensive, especially for freelancers and students. The MEAA offers reduced rates for both. You can contact them at meaa.org
Even if you never need their help with a dispute, the information alone is worth the membership fee. And if you do need help one day, you will be very glad you joined.