You will find information about the Union’s campaign activities under many subject areas in this web site and in the sites of the state and territory branches. In this section, we highlight some of the major campaigns the Union is currently working on at a national or international level.

Contents

• World Day Against Child Labour
• Education is the Key: An Educational Future for Indigenous Communities
• Indigenous Studies for all Teachers
• Refugees Campaign
• Anti-Poverty Week
• Say No to Racism
• Teacher Supply Campaign
• Schools Funding Campaign - Demand a fair share for public schools!
• World March of Women

World Day Against Child Labour

• No to Child Labour! Yes to Education - 12 June 2008: World Day Against Child Labour
  • Education International materials for activities

Education is the Key. An Educational Future for Indigenous Communities

• Download the report
  
• Join the campaign

Indigenous Studies for all Teachers

• Excerpt from the AEU Submission to the Teacher Education Review, October 2002
• Indigenous Education Fact Sheet No.1 - Indigenous Studies for all Teachers, September 2002 pdf format
• Indigenous Education Fact Sheet No. 2 - Mapping of State and Territory Activities, May 2003 pdf format
• Media Release - 13 May - Union Congratulates New South Wales and Queensland for their Leadership in Indigenous Studies for Teachers pdf format

Refugees Campaign

In January, the 2002 Annual Federal Conference of the AEU condemned the mandatory detention of asylum seekers by the Howard Government and called for children in custody to be allowed to have access to public education and training and to live peacefully in the community with their families.

The Other Long Term Detainees - what can be done? Rights Australia

There is no Place Like Home

Under this apt title the 2004 Refugee Story Competition has just been launched by Australians Against Racism. The competition encouraged school students to interview refugees who live in their community to find out about their lives. A collection of award winning stories have been published. Copies are available from Australians Against Racism.

'Sisters Daughters Australians' - The AAR Billboard Project

The Australians Against Racism Billboard Project was designed to invite a positive response to Muslim people and, by association, all Australians and refugees of Arab and Middle Eastern origin. Despite the diversity of Arab and Islamic cultures, all are suffering from the effects of anti-Muslim feeling in Australia. For this reason a positive and strong image of Muslim individuals was AAR’s starting point.

The billboards target Australians who are uncomfortable about Muslims in their community. The image and message is designed to evoke the common ground we all share. A sense of identification and familiarity with people from a Muslim background will generate a better response to them in everyday life. People often fear and reject what they don't know – this billboard campaign aims to increase awareness and challenge those feelings.

Photos of the Billboards are available here:

• Billboard 1 (Melbourne)
  
• Billboard 2 (Melbourne)
  
• Billboard (Sydney)

Molly and Mobarak study guide for teachers
Documentary set in Young, rural NSW, "where ordinary Australians share their community with 90 Afghan refugees working at the local abattoir. Against a backdrop of occasional ignorance and hostility, these everyday Australians still believe in 'the lucky country': people like Tony Hewson who recruits the refugees, Anne Bell who organises English classes and social activities, and Lyn Rule who offers them hospitality in her own home."

Media Release from A Just Australia - 29 October 2003 - Persecuting the persecuted : the Department of Immigration's Annual Report

Face the Facts

A Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission site providing information on refugees and asylum seekers.

Make the Right Choice - Simple steps to fix refugee policy now.

• This information kit contains:
  1. Summary
  2. Permanent protection or voluntary return
  3. Human solutions for long term detainees
  4. Children and families
  5. Action guide

Take Action with Trade Unions

• "Take Action With Trade Unions", has been added to the Amnesty International Australia web site for refugee activists.

National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention

• AEU Submission to the HREOC Inquiry
• AEU Media Release - Teachers Propose Solution to Refugee Kids' Crisis
• Information about the Inquiry - HREOC web site

• In August last year, Captain Arne Rinnan and his ship Tampa made international news headlines by rescuing 438 refugees who were stranded on a sinking boat near Christmas Island.
• Former Labor MP and Patron of Australians for Just Refugee Programs, Barry Jones delivered this speech in honour of Captain Rinnan and his crew.

Voices of Hope

Amnesty International Australia's 'Voices of Hope' Youth Arts Festival is a national event for secondary school students around the country. Entering this festival gives young people a chance to express creativity and at the same time help organisations like Amnesty International remind Australians that refugee rights are human rights.

"Australia IS Refugees!"

Australians Against Racism devised a school project which encouraged school students to interview refugees who live in their community to find out about their lives and struggles.

Students in Years 6 and 7 and Years 10 to 12 were invited to tell the story of a child who had arrived in Australia as a refugee.

A collection of award winning stories have been published. Australia IS Refugees: Winning Essays and Stories 2002 is edited by Eva Sallis and Heather Millar. Copies are available for sale from Australians Against Racism. Some stories can be read online.

AEU Media Releases:

• Baxter : Teachers "Fired Up" Over Children's Rights pdf format
• Teachers Propose Solution to Refugees Kids' Crisis
• Schooling Outside the Wire for Asylum Seekers
• Teachers say: "Free the children"
• Let the children go... to school

• AEU Asylum Seekers and Refugees Project Report - Jenni Devereaux was the project officer for the AEU Asylum Seekers and Refugees Project in 2003. This is her report, presented to the 2004 AEU Annual Federal Conference in Hobart .
• Transcript from ABC Radio's AM program (21 May 2002):
  • "Child protection legislation failing in detention centres" - ABC journalist Rafael Epstein spoke to Marc Purcell, Executive Officer of the Catholic Church's Commission for Justice.
• Transcripts from the ABC's Lateline (8 May 2002):
  • "Health professionals demand release of detained children now" - Report by Deirdre Hazel
  • Interview between Tony Jones and Paris Aristotle, member of the Immigration Detention Advisory Group (IDAG)
• For their sake, and ours, let them go by Federal Secretary, Rob Durbridge.
  - as featured in the Autumn 2002 edition of The Educator.
• Myths and Facts About Refugees.
• The big lies of 'border protection' - opinion piece from The Age by former prime minister, Malcolm Fraser.
• Transcripts from the ABC's 7.30 Report (4 April 2002):
  • "School's Out for Asylum Seekers" - Report by Rebecca Baillie
  • Interview between Kerry O'Brien and Phillip Ruddock, Federal Minister for Immigration

• National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
• Children Out Of Detention (ChilOut) is a group of parents and citizens opposed to the mandatory detention of children in Australian immigration detention centres (IDCs).
• Australians for Just Refugee Programs- a coalition of individuals, non-government organisations, business, trade unions and legal, religious and advocacy groups.

Anti-Poverty Week

Anti-Poverty Week is an Australia-wide initiative than began several years ago and continues to grow.

The AEU, along with a wide range of community and other organisations, is a strong supporter of anti-poverty week, which each year focuses on national and international poverty. We encourage all schools and teachers to become involved in key aspects of poverty in relation to education, particularly in this week.

The AEU needs to take a leadership role in this area as poverty directly affects out students' ability to engage with the education system.

To find out more about how you could participate in Anti-poverty week, Click here

Anti-Poverty Week is 12 - 18 October, 2008. Why not do something with your class or in your school.

Say No to Racism

Anti-racism kit a basis for action

The National Non-Government Organisation Coalition Against Racism has recently produced a kit titled “A Fair Go: A Community Kit For Action Against Racism”, designed to develop an activist culture to combat racism.

The kit is comprised of a number of information sheets, and a range of strategies, designed to encourage people to act against racism and xenophobia in our communities. Some strategies that the kit recommends are engaging the local council to pass a resolution and adopt a local action plan to combat racism; contacting the media; engaging youth; and other specific groups, like women and people of faith. The AEU has endorsed this kit, and commends it for use in schools and their communities.

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Resource: Bringing them home Education Module

This Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission education resouce has been produced for Australian schools. It is an interactive, resource rich human rights education module based on the stories, findings, recommendations and responses to the report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families.

Please click here to access this education module.

Teacher Supply Campaign

Across Australia there is a growing teacher shortage. Unless this issue is addressed now with a comprehensive and national approach, we will have more classrooms without teachers and a decline in the standard of the teaching profession. The solution of looking overseas to recruit is no longer possible as the shortage is a worldwide problem.

The combination of shortsighted government policies and a decline in the status of the teaching profession and support for the teaching profession has meant that fewer young people are choosing teaching as their career. Many experienced teachers have left the job early due to the increased complexity and difficulty of the job, the lack of career progression and the loss of support from employers.

The Australian Education has released their solution to the teacher supply problem:
"A National Teacher Shortage. A Solution from the Australian Education Union".