Are you retiring soon?
Have you recently retired from teaching or are you close to retiring? Retiring Federation members can maintain their interest in education by joining the Retired Teachers Association. The RTA currently has more than 5000 members. The association conducts monthly meetings where important issues are raised and discussed. Such meetings regularly canvass pertinent information relating to the aged, health care and education.
There are, in addition, regular visits to galleries, cultural exhibitions and places of interest throughout the year as well as organised lunches. The RTA is a great organisation to be a member of and you’ll make many new friends.
In search of safety
Anita Chan and Rena Gupta, from Australian Red Cross, addressed RTA members at the August meeting. The focus of the presentation was on refugees and asylum seekers. A refugee is someone who has been granted refugee status by the United Nations or a third-party country, such as Australia. Asylum seekers are those who leave their home country due to fear of persecution and seek protection in another country. Red Cross has a number of programs that support both groups, including emergency relief, humanitarian settlement, assistance for trafficked people and immigration detention monitoring.
Anita and Rena highlighted some of the ways in which we can all help. Simply saying “welcome”, volunteering, staying informed and sharing accurate information, donating, lobbying governments and supporting organisations that assist forced migrants are strategies that will lead to positive outcomes.
AFTINet update
Ian Massingham reported that from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, both Japan and South Korea are still proposing stronger monopolies to the standard 20 years for new medicines. Meanwhile, the US Trump administration is escalating its America First strategy by using its power as the world’s strongest economy to secure more benefits for US corporations from individual trading partners. The gaining of a domestic political advantage in the mid-term Congressional elections due in November 2018 appears to be the motive. But there are long-term consequences for the global economy and the global trading system.
TAFE funding
Enid Hokin presented a motion condemning the NSW Government for the massive cuts it has made to Technical and Further Education. Since 2012, such cuts have amounted to $130 million and Federation has estimated that some 4000 jobs have been made redundant. The motion was carried unanimously by members at the August meeting.
Upcoming events
Our next two meetings in 2018 will be held at Federation House on Friday, 12 October, and Friday, 9 November. Both meetings commence with lunch at 12.15pm, followed by a guest speaker at 1pm and conclude with a general meeting starting at 2pm.
There will be a lunch at the International College of Management at North Head on Wednesday, 24 October. The regular Club York luncheons are scheduled for 17 October and 14 November commencing at noon.
Paul Regan is the Administrative Secretary, NSW Retired Teachers Association