
Issue No 35		15 October 1999

Education

Count Yorga's Evil Plot

NTEU president Carolyn Allport looks at Kemp's brazen attack on univestities and warns the battle is not won yet.

There is nothing like a leaked Cabinet document to excite the media, and the wires have been running hot all week - the old Count Yorga (aka David Kemp, Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs)is back in the spotlight.

While his privatisation plans for universities have been howled down by all and

sundry, including to some extent the Prime Minister, we should not assume that the plan will disappear.

The leaked submission has been circulating on email and fax machines since spoken to by Michael Lee, ALP Shadow Minister. If you haven't yet seen a copy of the document, it's available on the NTEU National Website at http://www.nteu.org.au.

Kemp has two clear messages:

. To students and aspiring students - you and your families will be paying near $100,000 for a degree in the future

. To university staff - Government is prepared to bribe Vice-Chancellors to hold out against NTEU claims on salaries and conditions.

What the Government seems prepared to pay for in higher education is non-union agreements, AWAs, increased workloads - span of hours and low pay.

Vice-Chancellors, for all their "worthy" statements in the press and TV must have known something about this for some time. A spate of non-union ballots and an unexpectedly tougher industrial line from some suggests that they have been complicit in negotiating with the government against students and their own staff.

What would the changes mean ?

Kemp's plan is for students to pay fees for each course they undertake. While the Government may pay a "subsidy" (voucher), the major cost to students would be the fees charged by universities.

This year the University of Melbourne is charging $132,000 for a full fee Dentistry degree, while a Law degree costs $75,000. If you aspire to be a Vet, then you would be looking at $144,000.

These are an indication of what universities will charge in a deregulated market. To do this, Kemp wants to scrap HECS, and introduce a loans scheme with a market rate of interest attached.

The implications are clear - under the Kemp plan, it will be the size of your wallet which will determine the course and the university you're able to attend.

Regional and outer suburban universities will find it impossible to compete with the likes of UNSW, Sydney or Melbourne - so we will be back to a two-tiered system. One type of education for the rich, where resources for both staff and students would be plentiful and another group of universities where salaries would be lower and where resources for students would be limited.

Don't be fooled - despite John Howard's attempts to hose down the furore these proposals are real, and must be stopped. NTEU members will be joining students in a National Day of Action on October 21. We would welcome other union members joining the rallies. Details are below.

Say NO TO KEMP Rally October 21

Melbourne: 1.30pm - State Library

Sydney: 1.00pm - Town Hall

Newcastle: 12.30pm - Newcastle University / behind library

Brisbane: 12.00pm - King George Square (subject to permit)

Perth: 1.30pm - Menzies House

Adelaide: 1.30pm - Commonwealth Offices, King William Street

Darwin: 12.30pm - The Breezeway, Casuarina Campus, Northern Territory University

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  Issue 35 contents

Interview: Strategic Responses
NSW Police Association president Mark Burgess has worked in the coal mines and the waterfront - now he�s the public face of NSW police

Republic: Negative Campaigning
If the Republic fails, one of the main complaints which should be leveled against the ARM is its refusal to play dirty.

Unions: Interpreter smooths the way for Kosovar Refugees
�The people really appreciate what Australia has done for them but they still want to go home," said Ariana Biba, a HREA member who has been worked recently as an interpreter assisting newly arrived refugees from Kosovo.

Education: Count Yorga's Evil Plot
NTEU president Carolyn Allport looks at Kemp's brazen attack on univestities and warns the battle is not won yet.

Safety: Death in the Snowy
Beyond the engineering achievements of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, there is the tragic story of those workers killed or seriously injured in the construction of the project.

International: Why Is the WTO So Anti-Labour?
Driving the cost of labour down appears to be the main priority of the World Trade Organisation

History: The Importance of Tradition
Historical documents bring us into closer contact with the past and its concerns as this 1945 extract from the NSW Nurses Association journal, The Lamp, shows.

Review: McLibel - The Mice That Roared
This documentary is the classic tale of the little guys against the system, a battle for the right to dissent.

Satire: Government Privatises Numbers
Prime Minister John Howard released a new policy on numerals yesterday, to bring them in in line with the Liberal Party's plan to privatise �Pretty much everything before we lose office.�

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