By Jeannie Rea. Held in the shadow of the wholesale attack by the federal Coalition Government on the expansion and democratisation of public higher education, the start of a new round of anti-worker industrial legislation and the loss of over 1500 jobs across the sector this year, the 2014 National Council Meeting was a fairly sombre affair.
Much of the discussion was upon the implementation of the current round of Collective Agreements, while noting and expressing solidarity with those universities still bargaining. Prompted by not only the changes going on in the sector already, but also the Bill before the Senate incorporating the higher education changes announced in the Federal Budget, there was a more overt general consensus towards connecting industrial implementation with broader campaigns over policy, governance and university budgets. More...