[Muanet] Fw: URGENT: Stop the sacking of Robert Austin

[Chris Latham]

Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2005 11:21:28 +1000
From: "Lisa Farrance" <october at net.au
<http://mymail01.mail.lycos.com/scripts/mail/compose.mail?compose=1&.ob=
20851ffeea20f701a23f74015284a57fdfa1b0b8&composeto=october%40bigpond.net
.au> >
Subject: URGENT: Stop the sacking of Robert Austin


Can you please pass this on to friends, comrades and colleagues. We 
urgently need messages of support.

The Federal Government in Australia has lately intensified its attack 
on public universities, with the full backing of commercial radio 
"shock-jocks" and their print-media equivalents. Not content with a 
complicit media, Nelson and Howard now want compliant, uncritical 
universities. And RMIT University is showing the way, with its latest 
political attack against an academic, Dr Robert Austin, a long-time 
union member. Currently threatened with the sack, Dr Austin's case 
highlights the real threat posed by the Howard-Nelson agenda.

After a dispute within Robert's department over the re-scheduling of 
classes so that students could attend a National Day of Action 
against Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU), local management proceeded 
to recommend Robert's termination. The Vice Chancellor has this week 
signed off on this recommendation, to take effect in 6 months. The 
National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has submitted a formal 
appeal, but we urgently need messages of support to help with this 
appeal.

All messages should be sent to the Vice Chancellor vc at rmit.edu.au
<http://mymail01.mail.lycos.com/scripts/mail/compose.mail?compose=1&.ob=
20851ffeea20f701a23f74015284a57fdfa1b0b8&composeto=vc%40rmit.edu.au>  
with a copy to the campaign coordinators liz.thompson at rmit.edu.au
<http://mymail01.mail.lycos.com/scripts/mail/compose.mail?compose=1&.ob=
20851ffeea20f701a23f74015284a57fdfa1b0b8&composeto=liz.thompson%40rmit.e
du.au>  and 
l.farrance at edu.au
<http://mymail01.mail.lycos.com/scripts/mail/compose.mail?compose=1&.ob=
20851ffeea20f701a23f74015284a57fdfa1b0b8&composeto=l.farrance%40
edu.au> 

A full list of articles, campaign updates and an area for public 
messages of support can be found on the campaign website: 
http://www.defendrobert.blogspot.com/


In solidarity
Lisa Farrance
MA student in Media and Communications
Until recently a Delegate to NTEU National Council and NTEU Branch 
Committee Member
__________
Campaign to Defend Robert Austin: http://defendrobert.blogspot.com
Please visit regularly for updates and to post messages of support

We act in solidarity with other academics across the globe facing 
similar silencing. We support the campaign to defend David Graeber 
(Yale University).

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