This is such a gross oversimplification that I find it difficult to believe that it issues forth from an "education" union. At one extent it is patronising, and at another it suggests that indigenous students deserve any lecturer, regardless of qualification, as long as they are black. Further, it denies the extensive commitment of many non-Aboriginal staff of Aboriginal Centres, and in the mainstream, of Australia's three dozen universities. How one gets a sophisticated analysis of this most complex of issues of vast educational disadvantage, yet answer the need for motivated, caring and professionally qualified individuals to overcome this disadvantage with professional facilitators of learning one cannot answer in a media release of one page. This appears to be an issue where we have "L"iberals on the one ill informed hand, and this type of ignorance at the other and is beyond me. Perhaps Fred Hollows trachoma programme should have been conducted by the local marburn? I think not. Is it reasonable to have a bricklayer as the head of a neurological surgical unit? Get real NTEU, speak to your members and call for adequate funding for students and staff to answer this most pressing need - first. When the indigenous community is approaching parity in the professions, then the balance may be established in the teaching institutions, but first, I suggest the need is for lawyers, medical practitioners, nurses, teachers, engineers, veterinary surgeons et. al. Then, the base established, the professional staff follow, but whomever the staff are, they must be the BEST, given of course a depth of knowledge and appreciation of the reality of the indigenous experience of the colonising processes that have been imposed. Are we simply seeking the Bantu Act - in reverse? Or, do we seek to overcome educational disadvantage? On 27 May 99, at 16:36, Trudy Bray wrote about AAP: Unis need indigenous hiring preference: NTEU: > > Unis need indigenous hiring preference: NTEU > From AAP > > 27may99 > > 2.30pm (AEST) INDIGENOUS people should be given preference > over other workers for jobs in higher education, the National > Tertiary Education Union said today. > > The NTEU said universities were not doing enough to help stem > growing unemployment among Aboriginal people. > > NTEU general secretary Grahame McCulloch said the union would be > pushing for institutions to give preference in employment for > indigenous people in Aboriginal-related areas of study. > > "Indigenous Australians make up two per cent of Australia's > population, but only 0.58 per cent of the staff of Australian > universities," he said in a statement. > > "If universities are serious about reconciliation, they must put their > money where their mouths are and develop strategies which improve > opportunities for indigenous Australians to work in higher education." > > The union would also be pushing in enterprise bargaining for > agreements to reflect the concerns of indigenous people in relation to > study leave and workload. > > Lifting the number of Aboriginal staff at universities would also flow > through to boosting the participation of indigenous students, he said. > > It came after Employment Minister Peter Reith this week outlined > the Government's indigenous employment strategy. > > That included wage subsidies of up to $4000 for indigenous > workers and a push for the private sector to hire more indigenous > workers. > > > ************************************************************************* > This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without > permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, > scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal > copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of > the copyright owner, except for "fair use." > > > ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
