ACT students and teachers protest education cuts

By Marina Carman Canberra — Protests are escalating against education cuts proposed by the Carnell Liberal government in the ACT. Students at a number of colleges and schools walked out of school on February 5 in response to cutbacks which would destroy 50 teaching jobs, reduce classes and increase class sizes. Three hundred students then rallied and marched to the Legislative Assembly, demanding to see the chief minister. Kate Carnell was out, but students occupied the reception room, using the microphone to chant and speak until she returned, demanding that she come down to see them. In the meantime, Bill Stefaniak, ACT education minister, addressed the students, claiming that the problem lay with cuts in Commonwealth subsidies to the ACT, leaving the government no choice but to implement cuts. Students refused to accept this and also refused to return the photo of Kate Carnell which had been removed from the foyer and burnt. In its October budget, the government cut education funding by $4.7 million. This was implemented through the retrospective removal of a 2% increase provided in an enterprise bargaining agreement in 1994-5 between the teachers and the government. Through a new agreement being negotiated from January 1, the government is demanding productivity increases, job losses and the trade-off of working conditions in return for salary increases. Its offer of a 4.3% pay increase does not even keep up with inflation. Additionally, for every further 1% increase in pay, 30 to 40 teaching positions will be lost. ACT teachers stopped work on February 6 for a mass meeting which over 2000 teachers attended. The teachers voted to continue enforcing bans to bolster their claim for a 9% increase in pay. More than 300 workers from ACT government rallied in support outside the meeting to link their own fight against Carnell's cuts and declining pay rates and working conditions in the public service to that of the teachers. Later that day, 100 students rallied at an action organised by the socialist youth organisation Resistance to discuss the issues and plan further action. On February 7, Carnell and Stefaniak came out in the media threatening that the 9% could be afforded only through increases in household rates by over $1000 in some cases. Despite the acceptance of this proposal by the teachers union, Resistance speakers at the student actions highlighted the need for increased education funding to come from taxes on big business rather than ordinary Canberrans. "Education is a right, and it is a social service that should be fully funded by the government and not through extra taxes on the community", said Resistance member and Narrabundah College student Erin Killion, addressing the February 6 rally. "This is what students are demanding. To win this, we need a focused and ongoing campaign. We need to keep building actions and involving more students. We need to support the teachers in their pay claim. We need to work with other sectors fighting against the government. This is the only real way that we can have our say as young people." Campaigns against education cuts in the ACT have won in the past. In 1989 the minority Liberal government was brought down through industrial and community campaigns, the most notable of these being the campaign to save Cook Primary. In 1993, the Follet Labor government tried to cut 80 teaching positions. A campaign of student action and walkouts, together with industrial action by the teachers, stopped the cuts. Speaking to Green Left Weekly, Killion stressed the similarity of the education agendas of the Labor and Liberal parties. "Labor and Liberal have been cutting education for years and years. This isn't my idea of government; this isn't my idea of democracy. Even if I could vote, this is only choosing between bad and worse every three years. "As young people with opinions, we need to take action, to discuss the issues with our teachers and friends, to hand out leaflets and to join organisations like Resistance to work with other young people towards the same goal." Further student actions are to be organised for February 14 through the coalition Students Against the Cuts. An all-day student strike is to coincide with a day of combined union action and a blockade of Canberra against Carnell's cuts.