500 staff and students rally at ANU

By Will Williams

CANBERRA — On March 26, 500 staff and students attended a rally at the Australian National University to protest against the continuing attacks on education. The rally marched to the ANU Chancellery where it was met by police.

Speakers at the rally included Doug Kelly, ANU National Tertiary and Education Industry Union president; James Connor, ANU education officer; and Stephen Schneider from the ANU education department.

The speakers pointed out the hypocrisy of the ANU administration spending millions of dollars on schemes such as the Endowment for Excellence (a vice-chancellor slush fund) and the Master of Business Administration program (a heavily subsidised, loss-making course targeting overseas full-fee paying students), while claiming it cannot afford to maintain half the courses and staff in the arts department.

Students and staff have been angered by the administration's threat to enforce seven "involuntary redundancies now, or 14 mid-year"; philosophy tutorials being reduced to fortnightly; only one contact hour per week for French classes; and the abolition of first year Russian. Add to the fact that there is a university funded, heated pool in the VC's back yard!

ANU will save $3000 this year from axing Russian, which probably won't cover the cost of calling the police in for rallies on campus.

On April 1, the education national day of action, ANU students will rally in Union Court, then march to Civic to join NTEU members, University of Canberra and Canberra Institute of Technology students, other trade unionists, and high school and college students for a demonstration.

The ANU education department's annual general meeting will be held on April 8 to discuss policy and coordinate the campaign against the cuts.

From GLW issue 312