Posts Tagged 'ALSF'
Racism and Patronising Arrogance By NSW Opposition
The NSW Opposition's stance on school league tables has become more than a national joke. Jokes we can at least forgive. More dangerously, it has become a national disgrace for the NSW Division of the Liberal Party.
The NSW Opposition is formally at odds with not only the Federal Parliamentary Wing of the Liberal Party, but also the Liberal party in EVERY STATE IN AUSTRALIA. To make matters worse, they are at odds with the standing policy of both the NSW Young Liberals, and the Federal Young Liberals. Yesterday, the position of the NSW Opposition was unanimously condemned by the Australian Liberal Students' Federation (and believe me, it isn't easy to get over a hundred Liberal Students from universities all over Australia to agree unanimously on a motion!)
The position for allowing school league tables is straightforward. The give parents information, allow them to make informed choices, and put pressure on underperforming schools to improve. In sidling up to the self-preservation agenda of the radical and extreme-left NSW Teachers Federation (and I should know about NSW Teacher Federation Activities – my mother has been a member for the last several decades) they have betrayed parents without a doubt. As was noted in yesterday's Australian, "Banning the publication of league tables ranking schools does not protect students – it protects teachers, schools and governments who allow almost one in 10 teenagers to leave school illiterate". In fact, even if you disagree with the concept, to go from that to demanding media censorship on the issue, as the NSW Opposition has done, is a pure and simple disgrace.
What concerns me even more, however, is a more recent justification given by the NSW Opposition for their disgraceful position. One based on the fact that "you can't compare different areas for different reasons". Because it is clear that if you analyse this, they have gone beyond mere political pragmaticism, and have engaged in socioeconomic arrogance and naked racism. In a manner that can only be described as morally repulsive.
I refer to an interview by NSW Shadow Education Minister Adrian Piccoli on Alan Jones yesterday. In this interview, Mr. Piccoli made two statements, loud and clear. There could be no disputing the message. Firstly, we shouldn't expect students in lower socioeconomic areas to do as well in students in Vacluse, and secondly, that we shouldn't expect migrants to do as well as Australian students. Both these statements are an utter disgrace.
Firstly, WHY should we expect students in differing socio-economic areas to achieve different results? Why is it accepted as a matter of dogma that if you live in a poorer area, your test results should be lower? Why is it an accepted norm that students living in less wealthy areas should perform worse that people living in "Vacluse" (I use Vacluse as it was specifically cited by Mr. Piccoli). If this is indeed the case, doesn't it show something fundamentally wrong with our education system? That we are failing an entire generation of Australians? And rather than covering up the results, shouldn't we try to address it?
What is even more sickening, however, is the comment that you can't compare two schools "When you know there are a lot of kids from non English speaking backgrounds…" in one. I am not one to generally harp on about issues of race, but this is racism pure and simply. There is NO reason whatsoever that NESB students should perform worst than native Australians. NONE. Educational statistics do not support such a claim. Mr. Piccoli is relying on racist assumptions to make his case. This is racism pure and simple.
I was raised in a household where English was almost never spoken. When I entered Kindergarten, I knew few words of English. In primary school, I attended ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. And I'll be DAMNED if anyone DARES suggest I performed any worse because of it. I find such comments grossly offensive, vile, and despicable, and Mr. Piccoli owes an apology to everyone from non-English speaking backgrounds. It is my firm belief that if Mr. Piccoli does not apologies for this outrageous insinuation, then he should resign.
One more thing though, where are the 'alleged' right wingers in the NSW Liberal Party through all of this? Where are the people who constantly harking on in the party about 'conservative values'. In fact, speaking to Coalition staffers earlier today, these alleged conservatives and Hooray Henrys are the ones complaining about how "the party doesn't understand what the parliamentary wing is doing"! They are the ones defending and promoting this policy! Not one – NOT ONE – allegedly conservative NSW MP has stood up for principles and truth in this matter. How anyone can can take these (insert) seriously is beyond me.
If any Coalition MP wishes to publically state their opposition to this policy, please email me and I will issue a correction and apology. In fact, I issue a call to you all – speak now, publically, or forever be deemed as a sell out.
As I said previously, the Liberal Party membership is fuming. Crossing all factional lines, crossing all divisions, our members are up in arms. Unless something is changed, the real Liberal Party supporters, the truly passionate ones, will just sit out in 2011. Many seats will be lost because of it, and none of us want this to happen.
For the sake of the Liberal Party, and the future of NSW, I beg the NSW Coalition: please reverse this disastrous policy. There is no other course of action for you.
Tags:#BOFail, ALSF, NSW Liberal Party, School League Tables
Stop Student Taxes
It's official. Labor has violated it's pre-election pledge and has introduced legislation to slug all university students with an unfair, regressive $250 student tax.
This policy – introduced by former professional student politician and university drop out Kate Ellis – will tax all students $250. It doesn't matter if you can't afford it, it doesn't matter if you don't want the "services" provided. All students will be forced to pay this tax. And all the money raised will go straight to radical student politicians.
Make no mistake: this is the far-left of the Labor Party imposing its radical ideological agenda on Australian university students. It is compulsory unionism by stealth and it is morally repugnant. This is a policy that will hurt students.
Fortunately, there's something we can all do to stop this anti-student legislation! The Australian Liberal Students' Federation has launched the new Stop Student Taxes website.
Stop Student Taxes is an amazing website, and a credit to current ALSF President Byron Hodkinson who has put an extraordinary amount of work into making it a reality. It utilizes the the very latest in modern technology and new media to allow you to write directly to undecided senators, vote in a poll, sign a petition, expose the myths the radical student politicians are propagating and become actively engaged in the fight to stop student taxes. Stop Student Taxes also has embedded YouTube clips, and is integrated with Facebook and Twitter. I have no doubt that this is one of the best political-issue webpages we've seen in Australian politics. Byron really should be commended for his hard work and tireless dedication to putting the interests of students above student politicians.
Visit www.stopstudenttaxes.com right now to get involved.Vote in the poll. Sign the Petition. Email the Senate. But do more than that:
Set your facebook status to "[Name] is fighting student taxes by visiting www.stopstudentaxes.com"
Post the website, www.stopstudenttaxes.com, on your Facebook wall, so that all your friends can see it. The more people who visit this site, sign our petition and write to the Senate, the better chance we have of winning this battle. The more people who post it, the more the facebook algorithm places it in mini-feeds. Do it now!
If you're on Twitter, you can tweet about this anti-student policy using the tag #stopstudenttaxes
If we all work together, we can win this.
Labor has attacked the rights of students for long enough. First it taxes alcohol and restricts our right to drink. Then it proposes to censor the internet. Now it wants to tax us AND force us to join a union against our will. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Don't just read and then disregard this message. The fight to retain freedom of association on campus is too important to leave to someone else. Do your bit and visit www.stopstudenttaxes.com, update your status and post the address on your wall.
Update 1: The text of the bill can be found here.
Update 2: This is just laughable. The bill contains a provision that this money can't directly go to support a political candidate in a Local/State/Federal Election. Now, obviously money can go on 'campaigns' which makes this completely redundant anyway, but it's even worse than that. Under this wording however it is perfectly legal for a student union to take your money, give it to a third party, and have the third party spend it on promoting a political party. Please remember that in 2004 in the dark days before VSU legislation, the National Union of Students spent $250,000 of compulsorily acquired students funds supporting the Labor Party. So, what will happen is that student unions will again give up millions of dollars in NUS "accreditation" fees, and this money will go directly to supporting Labor Party candidates in the election.
The Australian Labor Party is presenting legislation therefore that is taxing students to support itself politically. This is corruption. Pure and simple. No if, no buts.
Update 3: If you havn't already, visit www.stopstudenttaxes.com!
Tags:ALSF, Compulsory Unionism, CSU, Education, Kate Ellis, Rudd is a lying sack of shit, Stop Student Taxes, Voluntary Student Unionism, VSU
Hamas's culture of death
By now most of us would have seen the Youtube of the school Hamas rigged with explosives – despite the mainstream media's attempts to keep such news hidden.
The news of Hamas atrocities keeps getting worse. Today it's reported that:
"A Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament admitted in a recent televised address that his group makes regular use of willing Arab civilian human shields in its battle against Israel."
Speaking on Hamas-owned Al-Aqsa television two weeks ago, Fathi Hammad further noted that Hamas is fostering a "culture of death" among the Palestinians, and that this initiative is being eagerly adopted by Palestinian women and children, especially."
The Australian Liberal Students' Federation recently organized a bipartisan rally with over 1000 people in support of Israel's right to self defense. ALSF President Byron Hodkinson speaks about the rally here:
Other speakers at the rally, including Liberal Senator Mitch Fifield, Labor MP Michael Danby and AIJAC President Colin Rubinstein AM, can be seen here.
oMore..
Tags:ALSF, Hamas, Israel
Posted in Foreign Affairs | Leave a Comment »