Fund Uni Fairly campaign at pointy end

Michael Evans, National Organiser (Media & Engagement)

The August issue of Sentry detailed the Morrison Government’s attack on the higher education sector through the Job-Ready Graduates legislation announced by Education Minister Dan Tehan on 19 June.

NTEU quickly launched the Fund Uni Fairly campaign, to mobilise members and university staff, students, the wider community and politicians to oppose the Government’s attempts to cut overall funding to the sector and make some courses, especially humanities, more than twice as expensive.

So what have we been doing?

• Over 16,000 people have signed our Fund Uni Fairly petition to Education Minister Dan Tehan. The petition was tabled in the Senate by ALP Senator Louise Pratt on 2 September.

• Nearly 6,000 people from around the country sent emails to the crossbench Senators urging them to block the Government’s legislation.

• Over 100 members from three NSW Branches sent emails to National Party MPs and Senators urging them to block the Bill because of the potential effects on regional universities.

• Nearly 600 members and supporters sent submissions to the Senate inquiry on the Government’s proposed legislation. Over 80% of the submissions received were negative about the proposed changes to funding.

• Many NTEU members have contacted their local MP urging them to not support the Bill. • We have prepared briefing papers to assist members and supporters to lobby their MPs.

• ALP education spokespeople Tanya Plibersek and Louise Pratt spoke to a gathering of Tasmanian members online to announce that the ALP would not support the proposed Bill.

• We developed a Fund Uni Fairly pledge that has been signed by ALP and Greens MPs, an independents Senator Rex Patrick (SA) and Andrew Wilkie MP (Tasmania).

• We have regularly targeted social media ads at the crossbench Senators urging them to block the Bill.

• We ran a full page advertisement in the Burnie Advocate on 21 August, urging the crossbench Senators (and Jacqui Lambie in particular, as Burnie is her home town) to block the Bill.

• NTEU prepared three different submissions in relation to the Bill, and NTEU National President Alison Barnes gave presentations to two Senate inquiries about the legislation.

• We have had strong support from the Australian Services Union and the Australian Education Union who have sent information to their members and urged them to contact their local MP.

• Our ACT members demonstrated against the Job-Ready Graduates Bill in front of Parliament House in August, the first sitting day of the last Parliamentary session.

• We have received support for our campaign from a range of academic professional associations, especially in the arts and humanities.

• Over 80 NTEU Tasmanian mem- bers, students and supporters attended an online meeting on 24 September to discuss the Bill and our campaign.

• Over 180 people attended an national online seminar on 25 September to hear a presentation on the Bill and the campaign. The meeting culminated in participants sending emails to the crossbench Senators, phoning their offices, and tweeting and posting on social media to get the message across to the MPs.

• On 30 September, Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie announced she would vote against the bill.

Whew indeed! It’s been a busy few weeks.

The fight continues and we will certainly never give up

The Senate inquiry handed down its report on 25 September. The government-dominated Committee (predictably) recommended that the legislation be passed without amendment, despite strong opposi- tion to it from a wide cross section of stakeholders, including all three SA Vice-Chancellors, Sydney VC Michael Spence, and a range of higher educa- tion policy specialists.

The legislation will return to the Senate in the Budget session of Par- liament, beginning on 6 October. The two One Nation Senators have said they will vote with the Government.

Independent SA Senator Rex Patrick has publicly opposed the Bill and will vote accordingly, as will Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie. Lambie de- clared in a statement that she want- ed 'everyone to get a chance at being what they want to be. I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the vote that tells the country that poor people don’t get dream jobs.'

Centre Alliance Senator Stirling Griff is yet to declare his final position. The Government needs his vote for the Bill for it to become law. NTEU is encouraging members to send Sterling Griff a video message.

Watch out for more lobbying efforts over the next few days in the lead-up to the Senate vote next week.