General ASU News

THE Government will invest $1 billion boosting innovation, productivity and competitiveness through its Plan for Australian Jobs, including $500 million to establish 10 Industry Innovation Precincts, and $378 million to stimulate venture capital. Projects worth more than $500 million must include an Australian Industry Participation Plan, and there will be…

If you support better funding for Australian schools, give a Gonski on Saturday, the 25th of May. The Gonski Review made it clear that we must urgently invest in education and public schools. The Prime Minister has put $9.4 billion on the table to make the Gonski reforms a reality…

A message from ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver I've been a union member all my working life. The union movement I believe in is one that fights every day for fairness and which puts its members' interests first. Recent allegations against a few individuals, the most prominent being Craig Thomson and…

It is often argued that reductions in the corporate tax rate are necessary to create employment, increase investment and deliver a range of other benefits to the Australian community. However, despite the widespread support for this view, particularly among the business community, the theoretical and empirical case for such an…

2013 is going to be a really important year in education with the future funding of all schools due to be decided in the next few months. The Federal Government and the State and Territory Governments are negotiating over the recommendations of a major inquiry called the Gonski Review which…

While Australia's 'big four' banks claim to be fiercely competitive a new analysis by The Australia Institute shows that in fact over 53 per cent of each bank is owned by the same small number of institutional shareholders. The rise and rise of the big banks by Senior Research Fellow…

Michael O'Sullivan, who died on January 7, was the National Executive President of the Australian Services Union until he retired in 2004 after 38 years of active union service. He was previously National President and Deputy President of the Victorian Branch of the Federated Clerks Union of Australia (FCU), one…

The ASU National Delegate of the Year awards are one of the very special events held at each meeting of National Conference. The 2012 award was announced by National Secretary David Smith at the ASU National Conference Dinner last night at Adelaide Town Hall. It was awarded to Kristen Gilbertson…

ASU National Conference key note speaker Dr Anne Summers addressed delegates about the 40 year history of the gender equality project in Australia. After outlining some key issues and examples, Dr Summers questioned concepts of progress and success in relation to the project. Despite a long history of implementing measures…

Today in Adelaide the biennial meeting of the Australian Services Union National Conference was convened. National Secretary David Smith delivered the opening address of the Conference, reflecting on achievements of the Union since the last Conference in 2010 and raised the future challenges we will face. After acknowledging the traditional…