PUT COMMUNITIES FIRST

Act now to block the VSU bill

In the next two weeks the Howard Government wants to pass a law that will drastically cut services on university campuses around the country -- services used by the whole community, like childcare, health services and sporting facilities.

It's not too late to take action. Some Howard Government members are mounting a last minute effort to block the voluntary student unionism (VSU) bill before it becomes law. These MPs need to know they are not alone.

Sign the letter of support to ask these parliamentarians to stay strong and block this bill. To back up the letter GetUp has also produced a television ad asking MPs to vote against this radical bill. This ad is already on air in Lismore and Townsville.

Sign the letter now! We have 10 signatures.

Dear: Greg Hunt MP, Ian Causley MP, Kay Hull MP, Paul Neville MP, Peter Lindsay MP, Senator Alan Eggleston, Senator Barnaby Joyce, Senator Fiona Nash, Senator Nigel Scullion and Senator Russell Trood

The Government's VSU bill will attack services in local communities across the country. We urge you to stay strong and block this bill. Thousands of Australians are behind you.

Photo: Australian Greens

Voluntary student unionism: SA UTS

What Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) basically means is that students will have the choice about whether they pay their membership to the Students Association. The rhetoric behind this argument is based in some ideal of choice, where the Liberal Government argues that students should exercise their freedom of association and therefore should be able to have the right to choose whether they want to join the student organisation on campus.

This rhetoric of freedom of choice is a farce as a university that does not have equitable access or sufficient resources effectively decrease students' choices. The Students Association is the only space on campus where students can defend their rights independently of the whims of the university management. Having such an organisation provides students with choices, as without this we would not have the ability fight for campus conditions and regressive government policies, which directly inhibit students ability to access higher education and other social "privileges".

What would life be with VSU?

If students had the choice over whether or not to join, student organisations would be dramatically under-funded and the kind of work that we are able to do know, like provide an active voice for students to voice their dissent, would be obsolete. The fact is, the small membership fee, in practical terms, is nothing compared to what you would be paying to the university administration if student organisations did not exist. Through the Students Association, students ran a campaign against the proposal of UTS management to introduce upfront fees for undergraduate students. Students won the campaign, with management forced to back down with a student occupation. Through the Students Association, women, queer and ethno-cultural students are provided with a space through which they can fight the discrimination they face through society.

It may seem that having choice about your membership of a Student's Association is a good thing but in reality, having voluntary membership actually inhibits the choices of others, including access to university and the quality of education we receive.

Without student organisations to actively fight government attacks on higher education, students, and the community, would not be able to resource a voice of dissent against regressive policies. All government funding cuts to universities would proceed with hardly any dissent. The privatisation of university, while existing very concretely today, would be in full bloom. Universities would probably be more heavily privatised. This is not to say that such phenomenon does not exist widely today, but the deterioration of government funded education would be occurring probably more quickly and broadly, and worse still, without no dissent being voiced about it.

Further, student organisations do not exist in a vacuum, just as the funding cuts do not occur in a vacuum. While we fight for real gains on a campus level, we also understand that cuts to campus occur concurrently to cuts to other social sectors as health, and women's organisations. Fighting for gains on the campus level always occurs with an understanding of the regressive policies that are part of the wider ideology of the Liberal Government. Therefore, when we argue for a better quality education we also argue for an end to sexual harassment on and off campus, for the rights of indigenous people and the rights of queer people. Discrimination that occurs off campus also occurs on campus, as UTS is not an institution existing in isolation from the rest of society.

The Students Association is more than an active and open organisation that fights for campus conditions. Further, it is the only independent space on campus that can act as a student voice. For example, academic appeals are an important function of the Students Association whereby we try to fight for students' rights in their degrees.

How do you get involved in the Students' Association?

Having an active Students Association on campus, with maximum involvement of all students means that we can grow stronger and make real gains at a campus and societal level. Getting involved is easy, you can come along to a collective meeting, or drop by in the office and say hi.

''Voluntary Student Unionism''

As university students across Australia begin classes this week, they will find out that practically everything at university other than their lectures may not exist by the end of the year. From academic advocacy and support, childcare and health services, to food outlets and sporting teams, university life as we know it is under threat.

The Greens Position:

The Greens believe a responsible government should foster a strong, vibrant, top-quality public education system that is fee free from preschool to university.

Public Education

Now that the Howard government has been re-elected, we must all do what we can do oppose attacks on public education and higher education.

Kerry has spoken frequently in parliament defending public schools and universities.

The Greens

GetUp!
Action for Australia

So you better:

Get up, stand up! (in the morning! git it up!) Stand up for your rights! (stand up for our rights!) Get up, stand up! Don't give up the fight! (don't give it up, don't give it up!) Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up!) Stand up for your rights! (get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up! ( ... ) Don't give up the fight!
(get up, stand up!) Get up, stand up! ( ... )
Stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up! Don't give up the fight!

Related Audio:



By GetUp! 24 August 2005

War on terror should tackle child abuse says UN...

A United Nations official has told a Brisbane conference tackling child abuse must be part of the war on terror, [? the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East.]

The international society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect is holding its 15th international congress in Brisbane.

The deputy executive director of UNICEF, Kul Gautem, has told delegates the issues behind child abuse are the same as those behind the rise of global terrorism. [State Sanctioned Terrorism.]

"So long as we do not tackle poverty, injustice inequality in the world, terrorism will continue to thrive," he said.

Mr Gautem says the world must address the imbalance between the $1,000 billion spent annually on armed conflict and the $60 billion spent on aid.

By Just Us and No War 21 September 04

Related:

Experts set to criticise Aust over children's policies
THE HOWARD government has been accused of failing in their duty of care to children. The way the Howard government treats children is one of the key topics being discussed in Brisbane at the 15th world congress on child abuse and neglect.

Iraq war illegal, says Annan
United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan says the United States decision to invade Iraq in March 2003 was "illegal". Australia was a key supporter of the war on Iraq and sent troops to join the United States-led invasion last year.

AMA slams major parties over Indigenous health
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says Indigenous health standards will continue to be as poor as some third world countries, because the nation's major political parties are not serious about fixing the problem.

'Refugees and Indigenous People in John Howard's Australia'
Senator Aden Ridgeway - (Democrats Senator for NSW)
Merlin Luck - (Big Brother Evictee and Refugee Activist )
Farshid Kerohallpour - (Iranian refugee )
Phil Glendenning - (Director of the Edmund Rice Centre )

Australia: Kids Help Line says 44 per cent report physical abuse
A national counselling service has called on parents to reconsider the way they discipline their children. Kids Help Line says 44 per cent of the children who contacted the service last financial year did so to report physical abuse, often by a family member.

Apologise to children abused in care: report
A Senate report on children placed in institutional care has called for the Federal Government to apologise to those who were harmed by their experience.

Gillard stirs Liberal leadership pot
Mr Costello yesterday said that the Federal Government should aim to get all children out of immigration detention and he suggested there should be an increase in immigration levels.

Compo claims could follow child detention, group warns
A refugee group has predicted a string of compensation claims, after the Human Rights Commission found numerous and repeated breaches of the UN convention on the rights of the child in immigration detention.

Child detention breaches UN convention: human rights report
A leaked final draft report by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) is calling for urgent changes to Australia's immigration detention laws.

Detention centre media ban criticised
The Howard Government has been criticised in a report by media freedom advocate Reporters Without Borders for stopping journalists covering the conditions in refugee detention centres.

Report recommends freeing child detainees
The Human Rights Commission has found that some children held in Australia's immigration detention centres have been exposed to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.

No more children for Baxter, pleads SA
The South Australian Government is urging the Commonwealth not to shift any more children into the Baxter detention centre in the state's north.

Nauru staff 'fear children are next'
Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone says women and children are sitting in on a hunger strike at the Nauru detention centre, but are not participating.

Australian Govt human rights record 'worsening'
Community groups have given the Federal Government five out of ten for its record on human rights this year. Mr Purcell said the Government was also marked down because of the policy of holding children in immigration detention centres.

Here is a new project
1. Do you believe it is right to imprison innocent children?
2. Do you believe it is right to imprison innocent women?
3. Do you believe it is right to imprison innocent people?

Federal Budget: Tax cuts for the rich!

Nothing for the working class!

For the Howard government, unemployed people are not even worth thinking about. Having dumped them into the hands of private job network agencies, and forced most of them to do work for the dole, John Howard and Peter Costello figure that they can be ignored.

So in this so-called "big-spending " budget do we get anything? No! Mark Latham is now very popular. He has based his support on the "aspirational voter". So the Latham threat has to be countered.

Costello does this by tax cuts and cash handouts. The idea is that if Latham wants to change the agenda significantly, he has to do this at the expense of his beloved aspirational voter and lose their votes.

Alternatively he does nothing and offers no alternative and therefore not worth voting for. Costello creates a clear divide. Those above fifty one thousand dollars per year income get tax cuts and those who earn below that get nothing.

Costello has made the family a big issue. He wants Australians's to have more children.

But his handouts only enable rich people to have children.

For low-income earners, low wage and unemployed, bringing up a child is extremely difficult if not impossible.

The Budget also refuses to address childcare, schools,and suitable housing. Which we cannot do without if we want to satisfactorily bring up children.

We think voters will see through the fist full of dollars gimmick.

According to ACOSS parents whose child turns seventeen will actually be $67 per week worse off after this family friendly budget.

But what does Mark Latham have to offer? Well for a start, he wants everyone to have a tax cut and not only those who earn fifty one thousand dollars per year. He doesn't explain how he will arrange this? Will there be cuts in services? Or will there be other taxes elsewhere?

But unlike Costello he is at least concerned about unemployment, especially youth unemployment. He appears to have forgotten about the oldies. "Learn or earn" is his catchcry. So many unfortunate young people are going to be forced back to school to show the government that they are "doing something" for their meagre dole payments. Will there be any work for these educated unemployed when they leave school? Latham doesn't say.

On the whole no there won't is the real answer. Latham appears to be repeating the strategy of Hawke and Keating. The Newstart scheme forced the unemployed (of all ages) Basically we were forced to do all sorts of courses, which were boring, useless, and a sheer waste of our time.

A Department of Social Security contact of ours told us that most courses had a shelflife of six months, after that they were utterly useless. The Budget and Labor's reply show that the major parties have no answers and treat us with utter contempt.

Posted 4 June 04

Related:

Australia: Private job network agency blues
Can you trust a private job network agency? No you can't! A friend of ours is registered at MTC Marrickville. This agency has a practice of forcing unemployed to fill out preparing for work agreements. Of course they didn't offer him any work! So why was he cut off the dole?

Work for the dole? $10.00?
StandUp! Wishes to draw your attention to a serious attack on all of us--work for the dole. We were assured that unemployed would not be forced to work in areas where employed workers would normally be employed.

INDIGENOUS EMPLOYMENT: ISJA
If we want to survive we must work at it Indigenous unemployment reaching crisis: welfare group Action to lower Indigenous unemployment rate Govt underspends on indigenous employment: dept Economic development: The outback malaise Call for end to Indigenous welfare cycle.

Howard's Job Network Bailout
Up to 670,000 people on disability support pensions will be encouraged to sign up to the Job Network under a radical new plan to get disabled people off social services and into work.

The Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 Qld
The Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 (Qld), requires that any person who has committed an offence which is less than 10 years old or which resulted in a prison sentence of more than 30 months, must disclose that offence if requested eg. for employment purposes. If a criminal record is disclosed in a job application, it is unlikely that person will be given the job.

Shoplifting and homelessness
Shoplifting increased by 7.5 per cent last year, making it the only major crime category to register a significant increase in 2002, crime statistics show. "It's a chain reaction kind of thing. No payments, more crime. More crime, more cops. More cops, more harassment. It goes back to the bloody payments, basically," he said.

Democrats approve tougher welfare penalties: But how does that pan out? There used to be an old saying in Australia" if you're hungry steal a sheep and leave the pelt on the fence. How do you plead, Peter Saunders?

Social services groups swamped
A new report has revealed higher costs and increasing demands are forcing [social services] groups to turn more people away.

Fears for poor if Social Services take a social slide?
The director of the NSW Council for Social Service, Alan Kirkland, said it was very difficult to balance the impact of problem gambling against the broader community benefits.

Social Services small change? Or wast the money on WAR!
Lone parents on [social services] average 12 years of benefits - and are often worse off if they work. But reforming the system is risky and often costly, Bettina Arndt explains.

EX-PRISONER UNEMPLOYMENT: SENTENCED FOR LIFE
Name removed by request served time in prison decades ago. Shes still being punished today. According to commonwealth and state legislation, ex-prisoners applying for jobs must declare any conviction that fits into the following categories: less than 10 years old, more than 10 years old but served more than 30 months in prison.

Unemployed farm postings would cost jobs: AWU
The Australian Workers Union has rejected a proposal to place work-for-the-dole participants on drought-affected rural properties.

Tough luck! Kicks the poor to death
Australia is urged to adopt a United States-style welfare system, [?] cut welfare spending [social services spending] and encourage people to help themselves in a book on poverty published today.

Economy benefiting from non-profit institutions
Non-profit institutions are contributing $30 billion a year to Australia's economy. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has found about a third of that comes from volunteers who worked free for more than 550 million hours in 1999/2000.

NSW prisons - primary industry bailed up!
In many quiet regional centres around NSW there is a new primary industry shaping up. It has something to do with Bail but not with bales. The minister for Agriculture Richard Amery who also has the prisons portfolio is now committed to farming prisoners.

Robin Egan
Two thirds of fines are never collected because they go beyond the means of the defendants and because in lots of cases people do not see that they are responsible. Especially where people know their in the right and no fine ought to have been a penalty.