Teacher unions have reaffirmed their opposition to the publication of school league tables, which rank schools by the results of their students in the same way that league tables rank football teams after each round of competition.
Pat Donohoe
The national ALP Conference was held in Sydney from July 30 to August 1. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s speech on the opening day of the conference was full of congratulatory remarks about the greatness of his party and the way the ALP federal government had handled the economic crisis.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) hosted a forum on the jobs crisis in Sydney on July 20. The Jobs Summit: Pathways to Recovery brought academics, economists and trade unions together to discuss the effects of the global financial downturn on working people, and solutions to the resulting jobs crisis.
On July 13, the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union placed a green ban on the NSW government’s proposed site for the Pyrmont-CBD Metro station. The union has refused to demolish four 130-year-old Victorian terraces in Union Square.
The threat of the publication of damaging school league tables in New South Wales has been averted for the moment.
The NSW budget was handed down on June 16. NSW state treasurer Eric Roozendaal tried to spin it as a beacon of hope for the state.
As students across Australia sat the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests last week, the media reported NSW government plans to introduce league tables, comparing student performance across schools.
New South Wales Teachers Federation (NSWTF)president Bob Lipscombe has announced an new position on performance pay on the federation’s website.
SYDNEY Two thousand people rallied in Hyde Park on May 3 to mark May Day. The crowd included contingents from trade unions, left-wing organisations and progressive campaign groups.
Blacktown ALP NSW MP Paul Gibson has openly urged Premier Nathan Rees to make public transport free.
In the aftermath of industrial action by Qantas workers at airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth on March 30 over plans out-source jobs, Qantas announced on April 14 that 1750 jobs would be cut.
Qantas workers at Sydney Airport struck for four hours on March 30. Workers held a mass delegates meeting to respond to plans to outsource jobs at Sydney, Launceston and Hobart airports. Baggage handlers, ramp, fleet and catering staff at airports in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth also took industrial action.
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