28 mars 2015

By Courtney Sloane (NTEU National Office). The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) stands with students in rallying on Wednesday 25 March against the federal government’s higher education funding cuts, fee deregulation and privatisation policies. More...

By Paul Kniest (NTEU National Office). As the defeat of the Higher Education and Research Reform Bill on 17 March this year showed it is becoming increasingly clear that to be successful higher education reform must enjoy wide support amongst universities, staff, students and the broader community.  We agree also agree with Universities Australia and see the defeat of the government’s higher education funding reform agenda for a second time as an opportunity for the Government to engage with all stakeholders in developing a robust funding framework that is durable, sustainable and predictable. More...

By Paul Kniest (NTEU National Office). In the very first episode of Yes Minister, Bernard Woolley, Principal Private Secretary to newly-appointed Minister Jim Hacker, observes that there are ‘two kinds of chairs to go with two kinds of ministers: one sort that folds up instantly and the other sort that goes round and round in circles.’ Christopher Pyne has certainly demonstrated that he is not the sort of Minister for Education to fold. But Pyne’s relentlessness shows Bernard’s words may have some truth because his continuing unsuccessful attempts to negotiate the passage of his policies through the Senate is going round and round and not getting anywhere in a hurry. More...

By Terri Macdonald (NTEU National Office). In January, the Abbott Government released its review on the public consultations on reporting requirements established under the Workplace Gender Equality Act (WGEA) 2012. The scope and focus of the review appears to be very much in favour of business and employer interests, which is not surprising given the single-sidedness of the consultation process. More...

By Jen T. Kwok (NTEU National Office). Submissions to the FADT Comittee's review of the implementation of Defence Trade Controls are now available. Check them out here: 
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/Trade_Implementation/Submissions. More...

By Terri Macdonald (NTEU National Office). The NTEU represents the ACTU on the Federal Government’s  Education Visa Consultative Committee (EVCC), which meets in Canberra quarterly.  The scope of the EVCC is broad, but in general it deals with Australia’s interests in international education. More...

By Jen T. Kwok (NTEU National Office). The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) applauds the decision of the Senate to reject the second attempt by the Abbott Government to price a university education out of the reach of ordinary Australians. The Senate emphatically voted down the deregulation of university fees, the cutting of government funding and the subsidising of private education profiteers. More...

By Celeste Liddle (NTEU National Office). The Queensland state election was full of many wonderful surprises and firsts – such as the momentous swing and a Cabinet with a majority of women – but one of the most striking is that two Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander ALP candidates won office. More...

By Grahame McCulloch (NTEU National Office). Although the Union has a core obligation to maximise investment returns on members’ funds, it also needs to ensure that investment is ethical and sustainable, with a particular focus on labour and environmental standards. More...

By Celeste Liddle (NTEU National Office). The release of the Closing the Gap Report 2015 in February brought with it few surprises, with it reading much the same as the 2014 report. Prime Minister Tony Abbott expressed his disappointment that there had been little-to-no improvement in most of the identified target areas. There are many opportunities for the government to engage the higher education sector in achieving more equitable outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (A&TSI) people. Yet they are reluctant to do so. More...