DARWIN — The Charles Darwin University Students' Union has been hit with a pre-emptive strike from the university management as it tries to beat PM John Howard to the punch in starving the student union of funds. The university administration is withholding Student Amenity Fee funds, collected on behalf of the Students' Union, and has declared its intention to set up a new student association.
The decision has been met with disgust by students and staff and a campaign has been launched to force the university to reverse its decision. A rally will be held at 12.30pm on September 29 at the Casuarina campus library breezeway, where a petition will be presented to university management.
For copies of the petition, or more information, phone (08) 8946 7722.
Kathy Newnam
Union hosts candidates' forum
SYDNEY — On September 14, 60 people attended a forum at the Marrickville Town Hall to hear candidates running in the September 17 Marrickville by-election discuss workplace rights and protecting pay and conditions.
The forum was organised by the inner city sub-branch of the Australian Services Union (Social and Community Services Sector). Introducing the forum, ASU member Sibylle Kaczorek outlined the challenges facing state governments in protecting quality services to the most vulnerable. The cutbacks to services meant that qualified and experienced workers were leaving the sector, Kaczorek said, adding that developing an industry standard would help protect community services from the ravages of the budget cuts.
The meeting closed with the Socialist Alliance's candidate, Pip Hinman, motivating all those parties opposed to Howard's workplace laws work together to make the next IR rallies on November 15 as large as possible.
John Gauci
From Green Left Weekly, September 21, 2005.
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