SENTRY

Artificial Intelligence Psychological Reality or Technological Mimicry? Kick 'em when they're down Budget 2020 Job-Ready Graduates bill becomes law Short term gain for longer term pain

Published by National Tertiary Education Union • nov 2020 • vol. 1 no. 6 • nteu.org.au/sentry CONTENTS Budget 2020 Artificial Intelligence Frydenberg's Budget is a case of Professor Daniel Stoljar asks is short term gain that will result in AI psychological reality or just longer term pain. technological mimicry? 03 07

Cover by Dmitry Ageev/123rf

Sentry is a free online news magazine for NTEU members and Australian higher education staff. Sentry will be published during the COVID-19 shutdown in between publication of the Union's regular member magazine, Advocate. Sentry will be published in May, June, August, September, October and December. Advocate will be published as usual in July and 10 November. Kick 'em when they're down Despite the NTEU's best efforts, the Morrison Government’s Job-Ready Graduates legislation was passed in the Senate by the barest of margins. SENTRY ISSN 2652-5992 Editorial 01 Published by National Tertiary Education Union PO Box 1323, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia In case you missed it... 02 ABN 38 579 396 344 All text & images ©NTEU 2020 unless stated Coping with COVID changes 12 Publisher Matthew McGowan Editor Alison Barnes Union win in ballot at Curtin 14 Production Manager Paul Clifton Editorial Assistance Anastasia Kotaidis Sentry is available online free as a PDF and e-book at www.nteu.org.au/sentry

Sentry • november 2020 EDITORIAL Building on our strengths and defending our achievements

As the year draws to a close, we should stop and draw breath for a minute and reflect on what we've been forced to deal with: the biggest crisis the higher education sector has ever faced.

We have had to confront bushfires, At the same time, tenacious cam- hailstorms, floods and, with COVID- paigning by members helped to 19, the near-total collapse of the expose 13 (at least) universities – a international student market, the third of the sector – involved in challenges of working remotely, varieties of wage theft. We also took massive revenue shortfalls at many Federal Court action against JMC universities and, worst of all, the Academy, a private higher educa- disappearance of thousands of jobs, tion provider, over allegations of which has hit insecurely employed long-standing wage theft and sham staff especially hard. contracting. The case is continuing.

Throughout 2020, union members Throughout all this, the Union has have campaigned to protect as many remained strong and continues Throughout 2020, union members have jobs as possible in the face of an to grow, with membership hav- uncaring government that changed ing reached its highest level ever. campaigned to protect as many jobs JobKeeper rules 3 times to prevent Levels of activism and involvement as possible in the face of an uncaring access by higher education workers. are harder to quantify but are likely government... to match or exceed anything we We have had to deal with short- have seen. We will need all of this sighted and over-paid VCs, most of strength and more as we enter the whom weren’t prepared to protect next bargaining round in 2021. We jobs or defend the sector when the should acknowledge the work of our Government announced its Job- workplace Delegates, Committees, Ready Graduates package, which Caucuses and Councillors who have was narrowly passed by the Senate continued to selflessly give their on 8 October (see p.10). time for the good of the entire mem- bership and the sector despite their But not before we had run our Fund own working lives facing so much Uni Fairly campaign. Members across disruption this year. Australia in their many thousands petitioned, wrote parliamentary We need to build on the strengths submissions, sent emails, attended we have honed during this most snap actions, and lobbied politicians difficult of years and organise our to demonstrate their opposition. We workplaces so we can continue to sincerely thank independent Sena- grow our ability to defend not only tors and Rex Patrick, our conditions of work but the future the Greens and the ALP for their sup- of the sector. As always, we are Alison Barnes, port in opposing these unfair laws. stronger together. National President • vol. 1 no. 6 • nteu.org.au/sentry 1 NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

In case you missed it.... CATCH UP CATCH State of the Uni Survey NTEU is currently running a special 2020 COVID-19 edition of NTEU State of the Uni survey, usually repeated every 2 years to establish longitudinal infor- mation about university staff attitudes to their work and workplace. This special interim survey will focus on the impacts of COVID-19 on workers in the University sector. It should take less than 20 minutes to complete the survey.

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Budget 2020: NTEU response NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes discusses the failures of Josh Frydenberg's Budget in our Budget response video. 'This budget does nothing to help the 12,000 people who work in our universities who are already standing in unemployment queues after being denied access to JobKeeper on three separate occasions'.

Watch the video M

National Council 2020 Annual Report Right to Protest The first ever online NTEU National NTEU Annual Report 2019-20 was On 13 October, NTEU won a case in Council was held on 30-31 October. presented to 2020 National Council the NSW Supreme Court, defending A full report will appear in the up- and is available online for members. the rights of members to hold coming issue of Advocate. COVID-safe protests against higher Read the report a education cuts.

Sentry • november 2020 Short term gain=longer term pain Budget 2020 Director (Policy &Research) Paul Kniest vol. 1no. 6 • nteu.org.au/sentry bly leadtolonger termpain. ers shortgain but will inevita- on itshead. This Budget deliv- gain without shorttermpain sion thatthere isnolong-term very muchturnstheexpres The 2020-21 Federal Budget trillion) or 44%of GDP in2023-24. be intheorder of $1,000 billion($1 Government debt isexpected to four years. Net Commonwealth deficits are forecast over thenext turn of themillennium.Sizeable the average of about25%since the represents 34.8% of GDP, well above increase of 22.8%over 2019-20. This ments will bearecord $677b, an In 2020-21 total government pay and government debt. public expenditure, budget deficits The Budget delivered record levelsof Image: Annie Spratt/Unsplash continued overpage... POLICY &LOBBYING - - 3 BUDGET POLICY & LOBBYING

Figure 1 clearly also shows that the crisis of deficits and debts has mere-

BUDGET record increases in government ly been relegated to reserves bench spending is a short-term temporary rather than permanently retired from boost to the economy. Australia’s political discourse.

In addition to the short-term gains There are already muttering amongst from this boost in public spending some of the more conservative the Budget, at cost of $17.8 billion members of the Govern- over the forward estimates, also ment that once a vaccine or effective brings forward stage 2 of the Gov- treatment for COVID-19 has been ernment’s tax cuts. All other things found, there will a return to more being equal, this reduces the ongo- traditional conservative economic ing level of government revenue or lectures about escalating govern- We fear that even if there is a change income and in a comparative sense ment debt, living within means, and (structural budget outcome) puts tightening belts. in government, the short-term gains the Budget in a worse position into included in this Budget will inevitably the future (refer to Budget Paper 4 Given the permanent tax cuts result be followed by longer term pain. Chart 3). in larger underlying or structural deficits this will inevitably result in While the proponents of Modern austere (back in the black) Budgets Monetary Theory (MMT) might see which will achieved by cutting public this as an affirmation of the fact spending on public services includ- that the size of Budget deficits don’t ing welfare, health and education – matter, the more likely explanation not by increasing taxes or living with is that the rhetoric around the fiscal high level of government debt.

We fear that even if there is a change Figure 1: Australian Government Budget 2001-02 to 2023-24 in government, the short-term gains Receipts, Payments and Underlying Cash Balance ($billions) included in this Budget will inevita- $800b bly be followed by longer term pain.

$600b Payments Receipts $400b

$200b 2001-2007 2008-2013 2014-2020 Forecast Underlying Cash Balance -$200b 2001-02 Budget 2008-09 Budget 2014-15 Budget 2020-21 Budget

4 Sentry • november 2020 POLICY & LOBBYING

• Modern manufacturing strategy A budget business wanted ($1.5 billion). BUDGET • Apprentice wage subsidies ($1.2 Numerous commentators have said billion). that this as the Budget that business wanted. One only need look at the • Various infrastructure programs major initiatives announced as part (totalling $10.7 billion). of the Budget to see that, apart from the cost bringing forward personal By contrast, the initiatives that pro- income tax cuts, it strongly favours vide additional public service, social providing support for business. or welfare support are far more modest totalling less than This includes a total of almost $70 $10 billion over the forward esti- billion of commitments over the mates. This includes: forward estimates on: • Further support for pensioners and ...the initiatives that provide additional • Allowing business to fully write other welfare recipients (additional public service, social or welfare support the cost of investments in year of two $250 payments) ($2.6 billion). are far more modest totalling less than purchase ($26.7 billion). • Additional aged care support ($2 $10 billion over the forward estimates. • Extension of JobKeeper payments billion). ($15.6 billion). • Access to COVID-19 vaccines and • Loss carry back provisions (allow- consumables ($1.8 billion). ing business to claw back tax paid • Supporting hospitals ($1.1 billion). in previous years) ($4.8 billion). • University guaranteeing Medicare • JobMaker hiring credit (wage ($1 billion). subsidy for those under 35) ($4 billion). • Research support ($1 billion). • R&D Tax incentive ($2 billion). continued overpage...

vol. 1 no. 6 • nteu.org.au/sentry 5 POLICY &LOBBYING $2,000m $1,000m $1,500m

$500m BUDGET longer term with the passage oflongerpassage the termwiththe in higher education will beoffset by Government’s Jobs-ReadyGraduate These short-term temporary gains 2019-20 902 legislation... Figure 2:Research supportfunding,2019-20 to2023-24 2020-21 1,918 2021-22 927 fulltime. faced by parents wishing to work very higheffective marginal taxrates around thecost of childcare andthe not specifically addressing theissues There was criticismof theBudget for manufacturing. construction, energy, defence and male dominatedindustriessuchas described astheishelpinghigh-vis est assistance to what mightbe Instead theBudget provides great- supported intheBudget. of female workers were not those and which haveahigher proportion recreation, administrative services namely hospitality, tourism,thearts, sectors hithardest by COVID 19, budget. Ms Wood notes thatthe have describedthisavery blokey Woods from theGrattan Institute, most amongstthemDannielle A number of commentators, fore- A very blokey budget Sentry 2022-23 929 • november 2020 2023-24 938 edition of theAdvocate. bill will becovered intheupcoming Budget andtheJob-Ready Graduates A more detailedanalysis of the 15% per student. investment per university place by legislation which slashedpublic Government’s Jobs-Ready Graduate longer term with thepassage of the higher education will beoffset by short-term temporary gains in Supported Places (CSPs). These and 12,000 new Commonwealth 50,000 new short-term courses, announced aspartof theBudge: for theother two new inanities This short-term boostisalsotrue the next. id here thisfinancial year andgone short-term temporary sugar which like therest of theBudget delivers a However, asFigure 2shows this sity research supportfunding. billion increase inthelevelof univer above, theBudget alsoincludeda$1 In additiontotheinitiatesoutlined sugarResearch fix • - Mimicry? Technological Reality or Psychological Artificial Intelligence Daniel Stoljar ANU

vol. 1no. 6 and socialmedia.He isjustaneloquent and distinguishedexample. general anxiety about AI, present in different forms inboth traditional The conflation here isnot uniquetoFinkel; infact, itisafeature of a second raises achallenge thatispressing butnot fundamentally new. AI. The first raises amoral challenge thatisnew butnot pressing, the But Finkel’s proposed certificate conflates two different notions of goo.' it, is'toproduce humanintelligence without theblood,tissue,and foundational documentof AI. The project of AI, asFinkel characterises published Computing MachineryandIntelligence , widely regarded asthe The reference isto Alan Turing, theUK mathematician who in1950 of artificialintelligence (AI). new andpressing moral challenge: theethicalimplications posed a‘Turing Certificate’ todeal with what heseesasa The Chief Scientistof Australia, Dr Alan Finkel, haspro • nteu.org.au/sentry Innovation (Mirakian), Tokyo, Japan (Maximalfocus/Unsplash) Alter theandroid, National Museum of Emerging Science and continued overpage... MEMBER EXPERTS - 7 TECHNOLOGY MEMBER EXPERTS

What are these two notions of AI? ring things, you could have artificial intelligence, human intelligence One notion – let’s call it psychologi- without the goo.

TECHNOLOGY cal AI – has its home in the attempt to understand the psychological ca- At the same time, the likelihood of AI pacities and achievements of human in this sense is extremely remote – a beings, the capacities to speak a lan- ‘fantasy’ according to scientists Gary guage, think, reason, perceive and so Marcus and Ernest Davis. You don’t on. This is a huge and multi-faceted need to be a Cartesian dualist to say task that draws on many disciplines this – someone who thinks the mind including linguistics, psychology, can’t be explained scientifically at neuroscience, philosophy, computer all. You just need to appreciate how Since those systems could in principle science and others. intricate the computational systems come about in artificial things rather underlying thought or language must than naturally occurring things, you A guiding idea behind psychological be, and how limited our current could have artificial intelligence, AI is sometimes called the computa- understanding of them is. tional theory of mind. This is both an human intelligence without the goo. empirical hypothesis and recommen- What pressing moral challenge dation for research. The hypothesis does AI in this psychological sense is that humans have the capacities present? Basically, none. Since the we do because we have various com- likelihood of AI in this sense is so putational systems. The recommen- low the question of how to react if dation is that to understand those it occurred is not an urgent practical capacities you need to understand matter. the systems. Caption That is not to say that this ‘what if’ From this point of view, to under- is uninteresting. On the contrary, stand how we speak a language, for questions like this are well worth in- example, you would need to under- vestigating since they teach us about stand the underlying computational the scope of moral and other princi- systems – how they work, how they ples. But they are not questions of interact with other systems, how they immediate moral concern. It is like develop in individuals, what their asking what would have happened evolutionary history is, and so on. if the Neanderthals had not died out in their evolutionary competition The computational theory of mind with humans, and continued to live means that AI is possible in princi- amongst us, perhaps (unfortunately) ple. Suppose we have the capacity as second-class citizens – an excel- to understand a language because lent question, but not an urgent one. we have certain computational systems. Since those systems could Does this mean that there are no in principle come about in artificial pressing ethical questions surround- things rather than naturally occur- ing AI? No, because the second

8 Sentry • november 2020 MEMBER EXPERTS notion of AI does raise urgent and different writers, including Ruha serious moral questions. Benjamin, Kate Crawford, and Safiya Noble. No wonder so many universi- This notion of AI, technological AI, ties, such as Oxford and ANU, have has its home in the attempt to build established centres to research the technologies that duplicate or mimic ethics of AI. things that humans do. That is the notion at issue when people express Interesting and important as they concern about driverless cars, drone are, the underlying form of these warfare, or the huge data sets used challenges is familiar from an his- in medical diagnosis, advertising, torical point of view. The struggle and political campaigns. against the de-humanising effects of technologies and the people that Technological AI is quite different control them did not start with from psychological AI. Mimicry is not Turing’s 1950 article. Charlie Chaplin reality. That a machine mimics some- portrayed it brilliantly in Modern thing we do within limits does not Times well before Turing wrote his begin to show it’s doing what we do famous paper. And don’t forget CaptionCharlie Chaplin and the feeding machine in when we speak or reason. Moreover, Blake’s dark satanic mills. a scene from Modern Times, 1936 (United as psychologist Chaz Firestone has Artists/YouTube) recently pointed out, contemporary While the real target of Finkel’s Tu- AI machines often make mistakes ring certificate is this second notion, no human would dream of making his rhetoric often invokes the first. – that’s good evidence their under- 'We want rules that allow us to trust lying computational nature is quite AI, just as they allow us to trust our different from our own. fellow humans', he writes. But if ‘AI’ here is the psychological notion, we Technology on its own is neither don’t at present need such rules, good nor bad, but it can greatly am- and if ‘AI’ is the technological notion, plify the human capacity for both. It the proper object of trust is not AI allows a factory to sack its employ- systems but the human beings that ees but also opens up the possibility make and use them. of new jobs in other domains. It can give you the power to wipe out an None of this is to criticise Finkel’s entire city, but also to produce a underlying idea; having a certifi- vaccine for COVID-19. cate of the sort he suggests may be helpful in dealing with technological Technological AI is no different. It AI. But, while we should of course try Technology on its own is neither good places unprecedented levels of infor- to react to the moral challenges that nor bad, but it can greatly amplify the mation seemingly at our fingertips confront us, a big part of doing so is human capacity for both. but presents it in way that may en- identifying them correctly. • trench existing inequalities – a point explored in different ways by many Daniel Stoljar is Professor of Philosophy at ANU

vol. 1 no. 6 • nteu.org.au/sentry 9 10 FUNDING NEWS &CAMPAIGNS We alsohope that the price that Senator generation of students who will now be Job-Ready GraduatesBillbecomeslaw Kick'em down whenthey're burdened with overwhelming debt... Griff soldhis vote for is worth it to a National Organiser (Media& Michael Evans Engagement) Bill, saying that it would provide the vote thathe would supportthe line, announced afew days before was theonethat got theBillover the CA Senator , whose vote phoned theCA MPs’ offices. sent emails,socialmediapostsand and supporters around thecountry where over 300members, students a snaponlineactionon2October of Mayo over along weekend, and MP Rebekha Sharkie’s electorate Bill, whichwas Alliance (CA) tovote against the mobile billboard callingonCentre The campaigningincludedagiant oppose theBill. Patrick publicly declared they would Senators Jacqui LambieandRex Alliance’s vote, after independent bers andsupporters to win Centre last-minute campaigningby mem- This was after afrenetic few days of October. gins –justonevote –on8 Senate by thebarest of mar legislation was passedinthe ment’s Job-Ready Graduates efforts, theMorrisonGovern- Despite theNTEU's best Sentry • november 2020 driven around CA - in 2019. freeze imposedby theGovernment from next year, andendthefunding 'funding certainty' touniversities courses, andmake it more difficult in particular artsandhumanities double thecost of many courses and funding from universities, more than The legislation will strip$1billionof because of thecost. from seekingauniversity education overwhelming debt, or deterred who will now beburdened with worth ittoageneration of students Senator Griff soldhisvote for is We alsohopethattheprice that federal election. tralian voters remember atthenext something that we hopeSouth Aus contacted themtoopposetheBill, the thousandsof constituents who haschosentoignore It isespecially disappointingthat funding cutof $1billion. Australia’s universities isanoverall Centre Alliance hasdelivered to But theonly 'fundingcertainty' that 'Certainty' meanscuts - NEWS & CAMPAIGNS for many students to go to universi- that is smashing our universities as a ty. It will jeopardise more university result of COVID-19, with over 12,000 jobs, increase insecure employment jobs lost and a revenue shortfall of and the quality of education provid- nearly $3 billion. ed to students. The author of this mess is Dan Tehan It is also extremely disappoint- and the Coalition Government, ing that this has been done with which has completely abandoned the complicity of the majority of Australian universities during their Vice-Chancellors who supported the worst ever crisis. package, and we ask them to explain why they supported a package that Rather than stepping in with a will make university even more robust support package, the Liberals expensive for their students, while and Nationals have pushed the cost reducing the funding for research of the crisis onto students and the and teaching overall. university workforce. Livelihoods and careers are being destroyed and Thousands of NTEU members, irreparably damaged. supporters, students and friends, including student organisations NUS This Government has used the and CAPA, signed petitions, wrote COVID-19 crisis as an excuse to im- submissions, attended online and plement an agenda which sees less in-person rallies, posted on social funding for universities to teach and media, and wrote, phoned and research, more debt for students, emailed politicians expressing their opens the door to rampant privati- opposition to this unfair legislation, sation, and drives up insecure jobs Above: Independent SA Senator Rex Patrick under the banner of the Fund Uni in higher education – its agenda is signing the NTEU's Fund Uni Fairly pledge. Fairly campaign (see the October to cut the heart out of our university Below: Opposition Education Spokesperson, edition of Sentry for more details of sector in what is an ideologically Tanya Plibersek, presenting our Fund Uni the myriad of activities we did to driven vendetta against universities, Fairly petition, signed by over 15,000 people, convince the crossbench Senators to students and staff. in Federal Parliament. oppose the Bill). The campaign to repeal this legisla- It’s fair to say that our vigorous tion and win fair university funding campaign was a significant factor in will continue and run right up to persuading both Jacqui Lambie and the federal election and beyond. Rex Patrick to vote against the Bill. We need a fair and equitable higher education system where obtaining a degree doesn’t depend on your Funding & jobs crisis continues capacity to pay. • This legislation does nothing to address the funding and jobs crisis

vol. 1 no. 6 • nteu.org.au/sentry 11 MEMBER STORIES

LA TROBE Coping with COVID changes Harm, hope & hypocrisy

Having worked for over twelve years at Monash University in a variety of sessional and fixed-term contract roles, I moved to La Trobe University in November 2019. I work as an Academic and Language Skills Advisor and the new position offered me the exciting chance to extend my work with graduate and higher degree research (HDR) students, within a very different institutional context. There was also the benefit of a (slightly) more secure position that was closer to home. It started well, then COVID-19 came.

Trying to establish myself in a new position in the shadow of a pandemic has certainly had its challenges, although there have been benefits as well. Fortunately, I had some time to get to know some of my colleagues and tentatively start to plan for how my new position would function.

However, the academic year had only just started when Dr Lynda Chapple the chaos of COVID-19 descended, and we were forced La Trobe University into crisis management and the whole online, working- from-home adventure.

Since March, we have made rapid shifts in the ways we work. Gone is the belief that working from home means lower productivity – indeed, many of us feel To tell your COVID-19 story to guilty moving away from the screen, and others work the NTEU member community, early in the morning or late at night to accommodate please contact Helena Spyrou

12 Sentry • november 2020 MEMBER STORIES the juggle of home-schooling and have been dispiriting at best. The childcare. upshot, of course, will be far fewer secure jobs across the university. Interesting word, ‘flexibility’. I now run workshops and consultations ex- On top of this, there’s the shocking, clusively on Zoom, but to be online although not unexpected, antipathy constantly is exhausting. At the end of the Government for the entire of each day my eyes sting, my back sector. I was privileged to have aches and I simply want nothing to access to free tertiary education and do with screens. am appalled that our younger people today do not have the same oppor- There’s also a great deal that I miss tunity. about being on campus: the chance encounters, the energy of students, That MPs and Senators who have That MPs and Senators who have campus events, corridor conversa- benefitted in this way (many of benefitted in this way (many of whom tions and productive collaborations whom studied arts and humanities) studied arts and humanities) see fit that arise when we are physically see fit to deny the next generation is to deny the next generation is the proximate; the lemon-scented the ultimate hypocrisy. ultimate hypocrisy. gums, the ducks, even the grungy old moat. I work in a wonderful and As I sit down to write this, we are supportive team and feel it would slowly, hopefully, longingly moving be so restorative just to meet them out of lockdown. COVID-19 has for a coffee. taught us many things over the past six months or so, but by now, at The process of structural reorgan- least here in Victoria, we are simply isation in the wake of COVID-19 drained. What is clear though, is the has been a little less brutal at La importance of fighting to defend ed- Trobe than at other universities, ucation in a world that needs it more but has been swift and painful, than ever. • nonetheless. My team will have lost four out of ten members to volun- tary redundancy packages by the end of the process – experienced and highly-valued educators who simply could not face yet another re-structure. At least they had the choice – there will be many others who don’t.

We have been shifted into a different portfolio, had staffing reduced and lost another colleague to a different team. The disruption and uncertainty

vol. 1 no. 6 • nteu.org.au/sentry 13 NEWS & CAMPAIGNS Union win in ballot at Curtin

INDUSTRIAL Members at Curtin University ran a successful campaign to defeat a man- agement attempt to vary the terms of their Enterprise Agreement.

A ballot seeking to vary value staff and the quality against unnecessary the terms of the Curtin education we deliver over wholesale job cuts, and Enterprise Agreement, protecting investment demanding management’s relinquishing the 2% pay reserves and a profit at accountability for change increase scheduled for any cost will continue. June 2021, was defeated with a No vote of 55.4% It also tells the University A union is only as strong as that NTEU members are a its members. We are the The successful rejection united and powerful voice only ones championing the of the University’s drive on campus. protection of our jobs, pay, to attack our salaries conditions, and decent unnecessarily sends an im- The fight, however, is not funding for higher educa- portant message that WE yet over. Our campaign tion. •

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14 Sentry • november 2020