
Issue No 91		06 April 2001

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News

Activist Notebook

If winning the war for workers comp is not enough to keep you busy, we have a labour history conference and a lecture on IR.

Labour HIstory Conference

The theme work organization struggle highlights the role played by work as a source of identity, consciousness and mobilization, and as site of political struggle. It will be the background to the contributions by historians, journalists, industrial relations specialists and those generally concerned with labour history to the 7th Biennial National Labour History Conference to be held at the Australian National University, Canberra from 19th to 21st April.

The sessions will include panels run by Ray Markey, John Shields and Bradon Ellem on peak union bodies, Marilyn Lake, Bain Atwood and Sue Taffe convening a panel on Aboriginal Rights and Community Activism, Stuart Macintyre convening a series of panels on the history of the Federal Parliamentary ALP, Brad Norington and Helen Trinca on the role of the IR journalist in writing labour history and, showing its not all just talk, Marilyn Dooley and David Headon presenting rare political historical material from the national film and video collection.

Keynote speakers are Neville Kirk from Manchester Uni, Joy Damousi from Melbourne Uni and Terry Irving, President of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History. Sharan Burrow will give the opening address at 10.00am on Thursday 19th.

The conference and its themes are timed to coincide with the centenary of the Federal ALP (8th May, 2001). The ALP's role within the labour movement will be a major theme of the conference.

The conference program and registration information are available at http://histrsss.anu.edu.au/labourhist/program.html#Timetable

Kingsley Laffer 1911 - 1993

The Ninth Annual Kingsley Laffer Memorial Lecture will be presented on 2 May by Sharan Burrow on "Trade Unions in the Future". The lecture will be at the Institute Building Lecture Theatre 1, City Road, University of Sydney.

Kingsley Laffer was the founding father of industrial relations at the University of Sydney and a pioneer of teaching and research in Australian industrial relations. At the time of his retirement from the University of Sydney in 1976, he was Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Industrial Relations within the Faculty of Economics. Kingsley was the founding editor of the Journal of Industrial Relations for 18 years and helped establish the Industrial Relations Society of NSW, which later became a national organisation.

Born in Western Australia on 28 February 1911, Kingsley Laffer became an external student of Economics at the University of Western Australia while working in the country. He was the first external student to be awarded the Hackett Bursary. After graduating with first class honours, he taught briefly at the University of Melbourne and then joined the University of Sydney in 1944. He was a member of the academic staff at Sydney for more than three decades. After his retirement, Kingsley became the first Fellow of the Nepean College of Advanced Education (now part of the University of Western Sydney) where he helped develop academic programs in industrial relations.

The inaugural Kingsley Laffer Memorial Lecture was given in 1993 by the Hon Bob Hawke. Subsequent Laffer Lectures have featured Mr Bert Evans (1994), Justice Deirdre O'Connor (1995), Ms Jennie George (1996), The Hon Jeff Shaw (1997), Mr Justice Bill Fisher (1998), Ms Quentin Bryce (1999) and Brian Pickett (2000).

The lecture is co-sponsored by the Centre for Work and Organisation Studies, at the University of Sydney and ACIRRT

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Issue 91 contents

Interview: Costa on Compo
Labor Council�s secretary gives his take on the Big Stink over Della�s workers compensation package.

Politics: Della's List
All Labor members of Parliament were this week asked to indicate whether they would support injured workers. More than half said 'yes'. Here they are.

Unions: Picketing Joy
Rowan Cahill chronicled the definitive dispute of 2000 for Workers Online. He looks back on the battle and the lessons to be drawn from the workers at Joy.

History: Vale Tony Mulvihill
The environment, migrant workers and the hairy nosed wombat have reason to be thankful for the active citizenship of Tony Mulvihill.

Economics: Stopping the Rot
A national campaign is underway to persuade politicians from both the major parties that they need to be addressing the issue of poverty within Australia.

International: East Timor � Beyond the Headlines
It�s now more than 18 months since the violence and bloodshed following the popular consultation on the future of East Timor was front page news in Australia.

Technology: Online Breathing Space
The global collapse of faith in new technology has given journalists a chance to prepare themselves for the real revolution, writes David Higgins

Satire: Howard Cuts Beer Price to Get Voters Drunk
Prime Minister John Howard has agreed to cut the excise on beer, in the hope cheaper drinks will help get the country drunk enough to vote for him.

Review: The Battle for 96.9Fm is Over
What would you get if you crossed 2DAY FM, 2MMM, JJJ and MIX 106.5 FM? A fairly commercial radio station that wouldn�t know the difference between throwing up, stuffing up, growing up or breaking up.

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» IT Workers � We Need You!

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» English Teachers Ripped Off

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» Employment, Environment Vital to US-Australia Trade Deal

» Extra $1.37 Billion Needed for Unis

» Campaigning Workshop Establishes Local Campaign Initiative

» Activist Notebook