VUT tries to silence critics
An industrial dispute is brewing at the Victorian University of Technology (VUT). Three staff members, one a member of the University Council, have been denied access to their e-mail, in breach of award agreements, after publicly criticising university management.
At an April 19 meeting with National Tertiary Education Industry Union officers, management agreed to restore e-mail access, but the agreement was not acted on.
An angry meeting of union members the following day noted that this was a threat to members who dared criticise, discuss and debate. The meeting called for immediate reinstatement of members' e-mail access. A broad campaign around freedom of speech and open university governance is to be launched. A contingency plan for industrial action is being drawn up.
Newcastle students discuss Kosova
NEWCASTLE — Twenty students attended a forum sponsored by Resistance at Newcastle University on the Kosova crisis on April 22. Speaker Alison Dellit argued that the movement against NATO's war on Serbia must also support national self-determination for the Kosovar people.
A lively, and at times heated, discussion ranged over the views of other left parties, the history of the region and whether the movement should include the demand for independence for Kosova.
Protest against health and child-care cuts
HOBART — Around 150 people attended a hastily called rally on April 24 outside Glenorchy Council to oppose the state Labor government's decision to close the only state-funded child-care facility.
Katrina Sage from the St John's Park Child Care Centre Parents and Friends Association explained that the service was established to meet the needs of nurses and other shift workers. It currently serves about 150 families. Since there are no other facilities in the region offering the range of hours, some parents may be forced out of the work force by the closure.
The Greens Deidre Wilson also spoke, as did Labor Health and Human Services minister Judy Jackson who said that the $410,000 state subsidy to operate the centre was needed to help cover the health budget shortfall.