The University News, Vol. 13, No. 4, March 30 – April 13, 1987

,~ Registration NBH 3127 of .'W-Newcastle :, Volume 13, Number 4 " 30 March to 13 April, 1987. ------------------------------------STUDENTS PROTEST OVER ADMIN. because of the inability of the CHARGE Common wealth Ed ucation Department to process AUSTUDY applications. The meeting also resolved to: • Can upon the Federal Government to free up sufficient resources to ensure that AUSTUDY delays are rectified and ensure that no student is forced to discontinue his or her studies due to the resultant financial hardShip. • Reaffirm the Students' Association's opposition to the reintroduction of tertiary tuition fees, and • Request the Administratiqn to ~ allocate extra staff to expedite the processin.g of applications made under the University's Loan Scheme. Mr Craig said that some other universities and colleges, including • Mr Chris Craig addresses the protest meeting. Newcastle CAE, had deferred the collection of the administration A PROTEST meeting over the having chosen to ignore guidelines charge until students received their collection of the $250 for the collection of the $250 AUSTUDY ailowances. : administration charge from administration charge from He said the delays that students students receiving AUSTUDY AUSTUDY recipients. were having in receiving their Mr Chris Craig, President of the AUSTUDY payments were allowances has resulted in a Students' Representative Council, compounding their problems. He call on the University to give told the meeting that the referred to the Sydney Morning an explanation and act 'more Commonwealth Tertiary Education Herald (14 March) in which Mr humanely and more Commission had advised Peter Robson, National Secretary of responsibly in future'. universities and colleges to collect the .Australian Administrative and the charge after students received Clerical Officers' Association, said Students who attended the their AUSTUDY payments, which that his members processed the meeting in the Union Courtyard on 18 included an additional $250 to cover applications for the Commonwealth March afterwards moved in a the charge. However, this Department of Education and the procession to the Administration to University had collected the $250 problem of late payment was caused register their protest. from the students before they had by a flawed computer system, The meeting unanimously voted received their payments. purchased second hand from the to express to the Vice-Chancellor, Mr Craig said the University's Department of Defence. Professor K. Morgan, the students' action had aggravated difficulties The Minister for Ed llcation, alarm and concern at the University being faced by students this year Senator Susan Ryan, told the Senate Inside: 2 on 26 February that where there 'Through our participation, we were delays in AUSTUDY payments Academics would hear what other unionists in it was usually because the original the Region are thinking about issues information given by students had now have a such as childcare, EEO, industrial not been accurate or complete and the d~mocracy, regional development, Department of Education had had to Federal high technology industries go back to the students to get fractional appointments: additional information. If a student organisation superannuation, long service leave was in extreme circumstances he or and the like and we would be able to she could explain this to an officer of share our views on such issues with the Department of Education and THE REGISTRATION of the others', he said. have the application accelerated. Association of Australian The Association also agreed in Mr Craig said students who had University Staff (AAUS) as an principle with the call made by the not received their AUSTUDY industrial organisation means Newcastle Peace Forum for the payments could take only one action Hunter Region to be declared a - agree to going further into debt so that academics now have a nuclear free zone provided that the they could meet their expenses. federal union. forum does not object to nuclear material being used for research and He said women who were not Reports on developments with eligible for AUSTUDY payments the establishment of the federal medical purposes. formed another student group that union were given to the annual The President, Mr P. Chopra, Or was currently in trouble. Some of general meeting of Newcastle Bern and Or Wood were re-elected them had husbands who were University's Staff Association on 24 for further terms of office. • against them being at university and March. The election of other officers had refused to pay their fees. ') am resulted: Treasurer, Dr E. von Nagy· p~eased that the University has Or John Bern, Vice· President, said Felsa buki; Assistant Secretary, Dr gIven an, assurance that these AA US had served a log of claims on R. Cotton; Executive, Mr Berghout, students will be sympathetically all universities and the stage had Or J. Wood, Professor R. MacDonald,\ ' considered if they apply for loans'. been reached where a consent award, Mr K. Doeleman, Ms M. HaItI covering existing work conditions, Auditors, Mr W. Warren and Mr B. had been virtually completed. O'Shea and Returning Officer, Mr J. ILlBififlB1f if@ Or Warren Wood, Secretary, said Lambert. that the Staff Association's iflhlB lErilf1if@1f Executive had been occupied with some of the broad issues which were I note from the last issue of likely to arise from the Review of University News that a Committee Efficiency and Effectiveness (the has been appointed by Council to Hudson Report). review the role and quality of 'Federated Australian University News. ) would like to point out that the University Staff Associations (FAUSA) has written a detailed original intention of this review was )) to investigate the question of response to this report and any censorship of University News. member who wishes to obtain a copy This arose out of submissions to the can do so from the Staff Association University Government Review Office. Members should be aware Committee of which I was a member. that it is FAUSA's policy that if )) It was decided by that any of the recommendations are to be Committee that the question of introduced, then it should be only after extensive discussions between • Mr Pran Chopra - re-elected censorship should be investigated by UNSA President. the former Vice-Chancellor FAUSA and the Australian Professor George. ' Vice-Chancellors' Committee' At the June meeting of Council I (AVCc)~ raised the issue again and I presume The Secretary also reported that this Committee will have the the Executive had recently met with investigation of allegations of the Vice-Chancellor for informal censorship of University News as discussions on a range of general part of its brief. issues. 'There was general agreement The Committee has called for among those present that such oral and written submissions, but I meetings are useful', he said. am concerned that it may not be A motion that the Staff apparent that censorship is in fact Association affiliate with the original motive for the creation Newcastle Trades Hall Council was of the Committee. approved by the meeting. Margaret Henry, Mr R. Berghout said the Council had forty-seven affiliated unions • Re-elected UNSA Secretary - Or Department of Community Warren Wood Programmes. comprising about 65,000 unionists. 3 WATER SUPPLY I DIVERSION l FOR ROAD , WORK I THE UNIVERSITY has been advised that work will start in the immediate future on the diversion of the Hunter District Water Board's major water mains within the University site. The work is part of the relocation of various public utility services which is necessary before work on the construction of Highway 23 can commence. The services to be diverted or altered include HDWB water mains, Electricity Commission and Shortland County Council ove~head power lines and Gas Company mains. The initial work will necessitate the laying of a new large diameter water main diagonally across the south west corner of the University . Ms Linda Barcan site. It will' then pass under the STUDENT future highway in a deep culvert Linda's ambition is to study similar to that under construction on CENTERS singing in France. She recently won a the opposite side of Rankin Drive. place as mezzo soprano in the newly During the anticipated three NATIONAL formed Hunter Opera Company. She month construction period the will be a participant in workshops to temporary access pathway betwe:n (pUEST be held by the company shortly, and the University and the shops m intends to audition for the company's Moore Street, Birmingham Gardens, MS LINDA Barcan, an Arts III first production, Mozart's The Magic will be fenced off and users will student at this University, has Flute. have to walk to the University along the grassed verge of R~nkin entered the Miss Australia Ms Barcan has been a member of the Young People's Theatre Drive. In order to minImise Quest. .. Company for many years, recently inconvenience to USers of this route to Ms Barcan, who is maJonng In having a part in a musical revue, A the University, the Depart'11ent of English and French and is a former Stroll Down Broadway. Main Roads has agreed to re-open President of the English Society, has the pathway once the current work is been sponsored by a leading local She plays the piano and is learning the guitar. completed until such time as the restaurant, Carrington House, where main road work commences. One of the fund-raising activities she works as a part-time waitress. In the longer term the University The Miss Australia Quest was organised to give Linda support will be a dinner on Friday, 19 June at will be served by much improved started in 1954, the aim being 'to find pedestrian and cycle access from the Carrington House, described by ~lise an Australian woman w.ho can Pascoe in the west via a ramped underpass and represent Australia overseas and Sydney Mornrng Herald as 'the best restaurant in pathway onto the University site.

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