Springtime for Sycophants
Undeterred by the facts, Murdoch's academic propaganda arm refused to publish a letter which corrected serious errors in an article late last year, and hints at its own complicity in the RMIT dismissal. See attached comments, and
here. Carmen López is Salvadorean, Viviana Ramírez is Chilean. They know from experience how effectively political dismissal intensifies cultural conformism: see
here.
Fighting Fund: with thanks
Update: Dr Austin's dismissal has been settled under Unfair Dismissal legislation in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission after RMIT management, despite claims that it awaited resolution there, blocked a hearing under the EBA (see Unfair Dismissal: settlement, below). The DOU Fighting Fund which helped defray the legal costs for the case has now been closed. A Solidarity Fiesta/Fundraiser in April raised around $800: see
here.
Unfair Dismissal: settlement
The dispute over the Murdoch press-driven political dismissal of Dr Austin from RMIT this year has been settled under the Unfair Dismissal legislation of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The terms are confidential. Background information and space for comments will remain here; a video-documentary is planned for release this month.
The limited but concrete gains in this dispute graphically demonstrate that decent-minded and committed supporters of public higher education, working together, can influence the political struggle to reclaim our universities as open democratic spaces, where full student participation and intellectual diversity overcome the ignorance, fear and conformism promoted by the mainstream press, multinational capital and neocon managements. An unpublished GLW interview backgrounds the case brought by the DOU committee against RMIT: see
here.
An updated summary of events surrounding Dr Austin's dismissal is available at Chronology II FIN 03 06.pdf
During the 2005-2006 DOU campaign, this space allowed readers to edit, sign and send letters of protest to RMIT management. By late 2005 over 200 such messages had been copied to the DOU committee, alongside another hundred support emails and, separately, the public messages of support posted below and throughout. Union Solidarity (Melbourne) published a summary of its exemplary work, with and beyond this campaign, in 2007; see
here.
Tariq Ali is a popular historian, political campaigner & co-editor of
New Left Review. He recently confirmed support for the campaign to Defend our Universities and stop the sacking of Dr Robert Austin: see letter from Professor Richard Harris (California State University)
here.
¡A Cazar Brujas! (Spanish & English)
Un nuevo artículo por dos escritoras populares latinoamericanas compara ésta lucha en medio de una universidad "progresista" con otras en el contexto de sus países natalicios. Y se encuentra el eco de prácticas dictatoriales. Pinchar
aquí.
A new article by two Latin American women writers compares this struggle in a "progressive" university with others in their countries of birth. And they find the echo of dictatorial practices. Click
here.
Preston Reservoir Progress Assoc.
Our Association is made up of residents from the City of Darebin. At our last meeting the issue of the sacking of Robert Austin was raised. There was deep concern expressed at the way in which this academic was treated, and it sees indicative of the unprincipled attacks that are taking place around this country on decent citizens who are attending to their responsibilities in the most proper way as they see it.
There was a time when we considered places of education as standard bearers in our country, where debate and difference welcomed and enjoyed. Universities and other places of academic learning produced some of the finest minds in our country. No more, what we are now seeing is almost cloning, where different opinions are no longer welcomed, but simply a nuisance to be silenced.
We felt most strongly about this and there urgently request that Dr. Austin be re instated and that he also be provided with documented evidence of whatever misdemeanor with which he is being accused.
Yours sincerely
Marion Harper, Hon.Secretary. Preston Reservoir Progress Association.
34 Gisborne Crescent, Reservoir 3073 [April 2006]
Great Debate II
Professor Richard Harris (Cal. State U.) wrote a critique of the Austin dismissal, published
here. In view of the misinformation disseminated by management, we now publish the debate between Professor Harris, Professor Manfred Steger (ex-Head, RMIT School of International & Community Studies) and Dr Robert Austin which ensued. See
here.
This article originally appeared in the
Freedom Socialist Bulletin, Nº 34 (2006). It was first published on Indymedia then updated shortly after, in April 2006; see
here.
RMIT NTEU branch meeting
The DOU committee thanks the 120 branch members who petitioned for a meeting on Dr Austin's dismissal, which took place on 9 March at the City Campus. Branch executive abandoned normal practice of a parallel meeting at the Bundoora campus. A school delegate had requested that there be consecutive meetings on both campuses so that key members could address both. The net result was no quorum (c. 40 members present) and no vote on the resolutions below:
1. This meeting of RMIT NTEU members condemns RMIT management for its failure to follow probation procedures and proper process, leading to the dismissal of Dr Robert Austin. Further, we condemn the lack of natural justice afforded to him. We call on the Vice Chancellor to reverse the dismissal and nullify the probation report on the basis of breach of procedure.
2. Further, we denounce management’s practice of publishing and disseminating insidious and unsubstantiated claims about the member or any member, thereby impugning his or her professional reputation.
3. This meeting endorses a work ban on the backfilling of Dr Austin’s Spanish program coordinator duties, and on all other duties included in Dr Austin’s job description and/or agreed during 2005.
4. We direct the Branch Committee to organise a public demonstration on the steps of the State Library at 12:30 PM on Wednesday 22 March, in the week before the AIRC hearing.
A Solidarity Fiesta/Fundraiser will be held at the Comrades Bar, 520 Swanston St, Melbourne on Saturday 15 April, from 7 pm - midnight. Salvadorean dance group XochitlQuetzal will perform; empanadas will be available. All proceeds go to the DOU fighting fund. Many thanks to the Electrical Trades Union and Union Solidarity for their support. For more details, click on the header above, plus
here.
