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Join the Fight The Fees electronic sit-in
by savehighered Thursday March 25, 2004 at 09:54 PM
savehighered@yahoo.com.au

The save.higher.ed collective is hosting an electronic sit-in of the DEST website to protest the increasing university fees.

ACTION ALERT: Join the DEST electronic sit-in
***********************************
Do not circulate after 31/03/2004
***********************************

The federal government successfully passed its controversial and draconian higher education changes in late 2003. Now universities across Australia are raising fees for everyone. These increases are going to prevent working class and disadvantaged students from getting a university education. It is going to ensure ongoing institutional discrimination against those that cannot afford to go to university and maintain the poverty trap. Worst of all female graduates will have a HECS debt well beyond their retirement age.

Student debt will grow astronomically. Students that get a public place will finish university with a debt the size of mortgage loan - and that doesn't include the cost of associated learning costs like textbooks, internet access, software or study materials. The government's worst changes to higher education will create a 2-tier university system where the big universities will gain the most.

Yet, while the government allows university fees to increase they haven't increased student allowances. In fact they have harmed students more by closing the student supplement loan scheme. At the end of June 2004 the educational textbook subsidy scheme will be closed, which will push the cost of textbooks up by 8%. Despite government rhetoric of creating a knowledge nation all they are doing is creating a nation that has no hope of competing in the knowledge economy.

The philosophy of the free market will destroy public higher education and destroy most Australian's chances of getting a higher education.
***************
What Can You Do?
***************

If you disagree with higher university fees, more student and household debt and fewer public places then join the electronic sit-in on Wednesday 31st of March 2004. This action is running along side the National Union of Student's National Day of Action.

Log onto http://www.dest.gov.au
@ 12pm to 2pm in Qld, NSW, ACT, Tas and Vic
@ 11:30pm to 1:30pm in SA and NT
@ 10pm to 12pm in WA
Wednesday, 31st March, 2004

You can help by sending this action alert to other citizens concerned about the exploitation of Australian students and families.
*******
Need More Information?
*******
Email: savehighered@yahoo.com.au
URL: savehighered.angelcities.com

add your comments


.
by . Thursday March 25, 2004 at 10:13 PM

or you could do something that will actually achieve something. like vote this fucking government out and put in labor. they've said they'll change the law.

electronic sit in? forgotten by next week. remember the one last year? achieved f...all

vote. vote. vote.. that's what these pricks are scared of.

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what their really scared of
by class war Thursday March 25, 2004 at 11:02 PM

What they really fear, is the working classes ability to think and organise. Build a revolutionary movement based on non-hierarchical, decentralized, autonomous, direct democratic prinicples with consensus decision making, and there my friend you will have a force to reckon with.

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nice words but so what??
by charley Friday March 26, 2004 at 04:34 AM

if the students are really serious, then the only course of action is the HIGH COURT.

I will probably head the well ahead of time and pave the way for any action to fight Howard's education plan.
But it has to be in HIGH COURT before it too late.

If youc an get signatures together, i will log the HIGH COURT claims for all and absorb and costs

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Optimistic
by Jed Friday March 26, 2004 at 09:18 AM

Thank God for Charley. Judging from his written expression skills, I am very optimistic that a submission prepared by him will achieve a great victory in the nation's highest court.

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DO or DO NOT
by charley Friday March 26, 2004 at 04:32 PM

I see you have offered great help on the matter. With written skills are well enough to have a HIGH COURT case pending??

what have you achieved in you miserable life??

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DO OR DO NOT, DONT TRY
by charley Friday March 26, 2004 at 04:53 PM

Just to clarify the last post lol.

Even with those written expression skills, I have a HIGH COURT case pending, and am scaring them enough for them to try to bury it.

And thats NO easy feat !

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BTW JED
by charley Friday March 26, 2004 at 05:23 PM

You have articulated my argument without knowing it.

1. deprive a person of his education
2. call him inferior
3. put him in a gas chamber for his inferiority

Does it sound familiar to anyone?

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Voting is on polling day
by Kom Monday March 29, 2004 at 03:51 PM

meanwhile there is that website....

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