AFTINET report
From the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network, Ian Massingham reported Labor has announced its National Procurement Policy, which will enable Commonwealth government purchasing of $50 billion per year. According to the ALP, this will create more manufacturing jobs and training in regional Australia.
Concerns have been raised regarding miner Adani’s ability to sue the Australian Government for millions via the Investor State Dispute Settlement clause should their mining licence be cancelled by any future government. Such action is already occurring overseas with Westmoreland Coal currently suing Canada and Legacy Vulcan at odds with Mexico.
ABC Friends
Patricia Campbell-Hardwicke indicated that ABC Friends President Margaret Reynolds recently stated that it was the Federal Government’s role to support independent and impartial journalism by backing the ABC and SBS in their efforts to provide the best of reporting to Australia’s regional neighbours. The statement served as an important response to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement of a subsidy to commercial media to represent Australia’s voice internationally.
Asylum seekers
The RTA condemns Federal Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton for calling asylum seekers “ungrateful political opportunists”. Minister Dutton should be reminded that there is nothing illegal about applying for asylum. What is illegal is putting asylum seekers in detention on Nauru and Manus Island indefinitely. A motion moved by Enid Hokin expressing these sentiments was carried unanimously at our December meeting.
A sign of the times
Father Rod Bower addressed the February RTA meeting and provided a great background to his work as an Anglican priest in the Gosford parish. His roadside signs outside the church have become famous and Rod now has more than 60,000 followers on social media alone.
Rod is a strong advocate for social justice and he nominated the domains of ethnicity, culture, spirituality, gender and sexuality as crucial to understanding inequality and disadvantage in modern Australian society. Rod also tagged “order” and “justice” as the chief drivers and that these have been in competition during many periods of our history. However, education is an important device that can draw these two processes together to effect positive social change.
Rod’s analysis of both society and the state of institution-based religions was informative and engrossing.
Have you recently retired from teaching?
The Retired Teachers Association provides opportunities for members to maintain their interest in public education and participate in frequent excursions and social gatherings. You’ll make new friends and be better informed on matters related to the aged, health care and post-work life. Contact Federation for further details.
Upcoming events
Our next two meetings will be held at Teachers Federation House on Friday 8 March and Friday 12 April. Both meetings commence with lunch at noon, followed by a guest speaker at 12.45pm and conclude with a general meeting starting at 2pm.
A planned lunch at Al Aseel Restaurant in Greenacre will take place on Wednesday 20 March and an organised tour of the Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum at Faulconbridge is happening on Wednesday 24 April.
In addition, the regular Club York luncheons are scheduled for Wednesday 13 March and Wednesday 17 April. Members should meet at noon for both events.
Paul Regan, Administrative Secretary, NSW Retired Teachers Association