Union disappointed at failure of ANU Council to act on School of Music debacle
The NTEU ACT Division has just issued the following Media Release in response to Chancellor Gareth Evans' announcement this afternoon that 'Council expressed its full support for the change process that has been set in train' for the School of Music.
Union disappointed at failure of ANU Council to act on School of Music debacle
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has expressed severe disappointment with the decision of the ANU Council to not act on the increasingly disastrous situation confronting the ANU School of Music.
ACT Division Secretary, Stephen Darwin said ‘the Council had the benefit of knowing the enormous human and reputational damage the Vice-Chancellor’s proposal for the School of Music has generated. Yet they failed to act and, worse still, they have effectively endorsed this ill-conceived proposal.’
‘Today’s decision by the ANU Council appears to give the green light to the mass sackings of School of Music staff and the irreversible loss of the enormous musical teaching talent and support staff.’
‘It is conspicuous that no support at all was offered by Council to School staff or students’, Darwin said.
The NTEU notes that the ANU Council has chosen to fully support the implementation of the Vice-Chancellor’s proposal, even though the consultation period has not yet ended. Given this, the NTEU will now investigate its available options to contest this apparently already made decision.
‘This decision merely compounds the poor judgments and cold indifference to staff and student welfare that have characterised this entirely flawed change model’, Darwin said.
'ANU staff, students and the NTEU want to see the performance program remain credible and viable, as the ANU Council says it does. We strongly hope Council members understand that the changes as proposed will not achieve that, but will have the reverse effect.’
‘Council today have seem to have completely disregarded the critical issues raised by staff, students and the ACT community about the role and value of the School of Music.’
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