
Issue No 80		01 December 2000

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Tool Shed

China Beach Girls MASHed

Introducing the Major Frank Burns of Australian politics, Veteran Affairs Minister Bruce Scott, the man who doesn't believe field hospital nurses in the Vietnam War were part of the national effort.

Scott is the man who's said no to nurses who want access to veterans' entitlements, claiming on technical grounds that they were not directly engaged by the Defence Forces.

Try telling that to the 120 brave woman working close to the front and dealing with casualties from battles like the Tet Offensive.

Of course, Scott, who's been one of the under-achievers in an under achieving government, can't. Instead he hides behind bureaucratic advice.

Try this for tangled logic: "In line with established policy the Government has decided not to extend Repatriation benefits to members of Australian civilian surgical and medical teams who worked in Vietnam as no clear evidence of their attachment to the Defence Force has been provided."

Excuse me? Doesn't the process of putting together bodies of defence personal that have been hacked apart in battle suggest some sort of connection??

No, the Minister is more interested in being " mindful to ensure that the application of the repatriation system remains within its legislated bounds of recognition and compensation for service by veterans of the Australian Defense Force." Pure twaddle.

The crazy logic of Scott's determination means that 'members of approved philanthropic organisations' such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army have been deemed to have been attached to the Defence Force and, thus, eligible for benefits. But the civilian nurses miss out. Why? Because they have not been deemed. Yosarian would be proud of that one.

Worse still, this position sits in direct conflict with recommendations for the Defence Force to accept the role the civilian nurses played. Like his role model, Frank Burns, Scott grasps legalistic definitions to try to bluff his way out of taking the decent course of action.

This is an issue that is not going to go away, the NSW Nurses Association and their leader Sam 'Hotlips' Moait, is fuming and committed to embarrassing the Howard government until it shows the respect these nurses deserve.

Until that time, Scott will remain in the Toolshed, a prime example of a politician who has risen way beyond his level of competence. You're a Goose, Bruce.

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Issue 80 contents

Interview: Chewing the Fat with Della
In a rare extended interview, NSW 's new industrial relations minister State John Della Bosca outlines his vision for the new workplace.

Unions: Organising - There Is No Choice
LHMU national secretary Jeff Lawrence responds to Brisbane Institutue director Peter Botsman's attack on organising.

Corporate: The Riddles of Democracy at Telstra
Shareholder activist Stephen Mayne explains how the big guys ran roughshod when he and trade union activists attempted to stand for the Telstra board.

Education: Training for Change
Labor Council's Michael Gadiel outlines a traiing agenda for the 21st century.

History: A Stack of Hypocrits
Ballot rigging, sanctioned by the courts, sponsored by the government were a Liberal Party and Bob Menzies speciality - and they introduced legislation to legalise it.

International: African Unions Go To War Against AIDS
The war on AIDS is now the number one priority of the ICFTU's African Regional Organization (AFRO), which has launched an ambitious five-year action plan in nine of the most severely afflicted African nations.

Satire: Teenage Hackers Behind Shock Cabinet Reshuffle
Seasoned front-benchers and political greenhorns alike were joined in stunned surprise today, as a sudden Cabinet reshuffle radically altered the shape of the Federal Government.

Review: Manufacturing Dissent
A new production explores Australian's approach to refugees and their experiences coming to a strange land.

» It's Official: Union Leaders More Trusted than Bosses!

» Reith Isolated on Workers Entitlements

» Light for Shafted Woodlawn Miners

» ATO Workers Stand Up to Bullying Bean-Counter

» Schweppes Lockout Bubbles Internationally

» Online Registration Takes Hold

» Bush Apprentices Face Breadline

» ALP Council Faces Workers' Wrath

» Local Action to Back Burma Sanctions

» WorkCover Needs First Aid Help

» Shier Under Fire � At Your ABC

» Social Charter Puts Heat on Howard

» Wattyl Make 'Em Fair Dinkum?

» International Union Aid Jobs on Offer

» The Soapbox

» Sport

» Trades Hall

» Tool Shed

» Botsman Off Beam

» Botsman Off Beam II

» Fatherly Advice

» Concerns on Fundraiser

» Let's Be Frank about Frank!

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