NTEU ENDORSES CALL TO MAKE ‘YOURVOICE’ HEARD
5 October 2004
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) on Tuesday welcomed the entry of a new player into the 2004 Federal Election, Richard Frankland, an independent Indigenous candidate running for the Victorian Senate.
Running under the banner of ‘Yourvoice’, Mr Frankland is supporting policies aimed not just at Indigenous issues but also those that target the broader national and social justice agendas.
“The NTEU supports Indigenous social justice and a fair go for all and on this basis we wish Yourvoice success and we look forward to working with another alternative political forum that is also concerned with these issues,” said NTEU Indigenous Officer, Joel Wright.
During a campaign rally at Melbourne’s Federation Square, Mr Frankland said: “The over 500 different Indigenous nations and the many different cultures that now make up Australia represents a great opportunity to change the identity of this country to one that reflects this diversity in spirit and practice.”
Yourvoice’s policies on higher education recognise both the historical disadvantage faced by Indigenous students in our universities, in particular, and the economic burden on all students through increased fees and charges, generally. Yourvoice also advocates:
- Increased public funding to Universities.
- Reductions in HECS and up front fees for courses as the beginning of a process of leading to the ultimate abolition of fees and HECS.
- Substantial increases in ABSTUDY and Youth allowance payments
- Short courses specifically designed for Indigenous students of all ages to increase middle management skills in the Indigenous community.
- Bridging and remedial courses to widen educational opportunities for mature age students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Scholarship schemes sponsored by future employers, particularly targeting Indigenous communities in rural areas.
“The NTEU supports Yourvoices’ concern that the capacity to pay rather than capacity to learn is what is increasingly determining the ability of students to participate in higher education under the Howard Government,” said Mr. Wright.
“We agree with Yourvoice that this is a depressing trend with enormous wastage of intellectual resources and the destruction of the aspirations and hopes of young Australians.”
For more information contact,
Joel Wright, NTEU Indigenous Officer: 03 9254 1910