18 December 2003 - Media Release

Brief reprieve for ScreenSound won by Community Action

ScreenSound Australia was today granted a brief reprieve from the threat of major job losses, and this decision should be directly accredited to the community campaign which has been waged since the release of the Directions paper by the Australian Film Commission.

It has been less than one week since staff were told that several key functions of ScreenSound and potentially dozens of jobs would be abolished and/or relocated to Sydney and Melbourne in a blatant attempt by the Howard Government to dismantle ScreenSound Australia.

ScreenSound is a world class facility charged with responsibility of collection, preserving and restoring our nation’s history in film and sound which rightfully belongs in the Nations Capital.

It is outrageous that these proposals were ever brought to the staff of ScreenSound, and it is only because of the voices of staff and supporters around the world, that the Howard Government has been forced to back flip on these cuts.

Senator Humphries has been wheeled to deliver the news as a result of the immense pressure he was placed under as the only Federal Liberal Representative in the ACT, indicating this was a political decision from the Minister’s office, not necessarily a change of heart from the AFC.

This is a step in the right direction but we do not believe that the fight to save ScreenSound is over. We must not be dissuaded from our campaign to preserve and indeed build upon the work of ScreenSound Australia.

I urge everyone to continue make your concerns and support known and ensure that as many responses as possible are forwarded to the AFC by the 16 February 2004.

Copies of a petition against the dismantlement of ScreenSound Australia are available at www.katelundy.com.au

Media contact: Adina Cirson ‑ (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

15 December 2003 - Media Release

Humphries says ScreenSound dismantlement good

ACT Liberal Senator Gary Humphries has today made clear that he supports plans by the Howard Government to dismantle ScreenSound Australia by abolishing key functions and sacking up to 60 percent of staff.

Senator Humphries is quoted in the Canberra Times saying “There is a lot in the review that is good, that I support and want to see implemented” and it is outrageous that he has the gall to say that the review has been “misconceived.”

There is nothing about this review that could be labelled good and the few obvious sweeteners identified by Senator Humphries shows how quickly he is willing to sell out.

The supposed merger between the Australian Film Commission and ScreenSound Australia is nothing short of a blatant attempt by the Howard Government to dismantle ScreenSound, and transfer its major operations to Sydney and Melbourne on the grounds that a State capital is more national than Canberra.

Senator Humphries was left in the dark like a mushroom by his senior party members last week, evidenced by his pathetic re-assurances that all was well at ScreenSound just a day before the cuts were announced.

The Howard Government is waging a war on culture and our National Institutions and make no mistake: Senator Humphries is just another foot soldier for John Howard.

Senator Lundy has requested urgent meetings with the Minister and the Australian Film Commission.

Copies of a petition against the dismantlement of
ScreenSound Australia are available at www.katelundy.com.au

Media contact: Adina Cirson ‑ (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

12 December 2003 - Media Release

National Institutions an endangered species as ScreenSound is torn to shreds

The Howard Government will abolish several sections and jobs at ScreenSound Australia with as many as 15 positions and major functions relocated to Sydney or Melbourne.

This is after Minster for the Arts Senator Kemp stated unequivocally, during a debate in the Senate on the merger, that; “…staff will not be disadvantaged.” Senator Kemp also gave assurances that ScreenSound would remain in Canberra.

This is latest attack by the Howard Government in their culture war. It exposes the lies and deception around the so-called merger of ScreenSound and the Australia Film Commission (AFC).

This merger took effect from 1 July this year.

ScreenSound is the latest victim in John Howard’s cultural war which was planned in his secret Cultural Institutions Review, a review which should be made public.

The Howard Government has stripped nearly $8 million in funding and dozens of jobs from the National Gallery, the National Archives and the National Library. The National Museum has also been under sustained attack.

In short, the release yesterday by the Australian Film Commission of its Review of Programs - Stage Two Directions Paper advocates the tearing apart of ScreenSound as we know it and is part of the ongoing Canberra-bashing by Howard and Senator Kemp.

ScreenSound must stay in Canberra and the Howard Government must honour their promises.

Senator Lundy will launch a Petition tomorrow at the
CPSU Save ScreenSound Australia Rally outside ScreenSound Australia
at
12 noon
Saturday 13 December 2003
McCoy Circuit, Acton (near the ANU)

Media contact: Adina Cirson - (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

11 December 2003 - Media Release

Howard Government Asserts Control over National Museum of Australia

The Howard Government today announced the appointment of Mr Craddock Morton as the Acting Director of the National Museum of Australia (NMA) throwing any doubts about the extent of political control of the Museum out the window.

Mr Morton is currently the Chief General Manger of Corporate and Business Division within the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA).

The significance of appointing an acting director as opposed to a new director gives the Howard Government the ability to impose without opposition the Prime Minister’s ‘whitewashed’ view of Australian history onto the National Museum of Australia.

Outgoing Director Dawn Casey publicly exposed the Howard Government’s blatant politicisation of the Museum this week.

The continuing politicisation of the National Museum is part of the Howard Government’s cultural war and is completely unacceptable.

It is about time that the Museum was given complete independence and allowed to reflect Australian culture and character: not just the world according to the Prime Minister.

Media contact: Adina Cirson - (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295

10 December 2003 - Media Release

Labor Puts Recreation back on the sports agenda

The incorporation of recreation into the Sport and Recreation shadow portfolio reaffirms Labor’s commitment to providing participation opportunities for all Australians where the Howard Government has failed to deliver.

Since the Howard Government came to power it has dropped recreation from the sport and recreation portfolio, ditched the Active Australia program and cut funding for the $3 million Sport and Recreation Development Grants Program.

The impact of the Howard Government’s continued axing of participation and recreation funding is now becoming clear. Even the Australian Sports Commission has issued dire warnings of the effects that decreased participation opportunities will have on the future of this nation.

Knowing that the Howard Government feigns concern for the health of this nation on the one hand, while slashing funding for recreation and participation programs on the other makes the ASC’s position seem ludicrous.

Currently, obesity is on the rise and fewer than 40 per cent of the Australian population aged 15 or over participate in exercise, recreation or sport 3 times a week or more, the bare minimum recommended to maintain good health.

This is not surprising given that only 13 per cent of the Howard Government’s entire sports budget for the last year was spent on encouraging participation programs, and zero per cent on recreation.

An ironic symptom of the Howard Government’s neglectful public policy is that at this time when we understand more about the benefits of physical activity, fewer Australians have the opportunity to exercise.

Contact: Kate Roffey - (02) 6277 3334 or 0411 969 364

4 December 2003 - Media Release

DCITA’s $4 million web site down for 24 hours: still waiting… waiting… waiting

The saga of the hugely expensive web site of the Department of Communications IT and the Arts (DCITA) (www.dcita.gov.au) continues, with the news that even the expenditure of $4 million of taxpayers’ money wasn’t enough to keep the site online for the last 24 hours.

As at 1 30 pm today, the costly site was still down.

Constituents who have approached the Office of the Minister for Communications complaining about the website failure have not been provided with any reason for it still being down.

The Howard Government’s record with web sites is nothing short of embarrassing. This outage comes close on the heels of the recent revelation that in August 2003, 3378 Government web sites dropped off line for several hours because the Government forgot to renew the registration of its internet addresses!

Given the history of this web site, someone should suggest to the new Minister, Mr Daryl Williams, that he demand higher standards. He should be leading by example.

Media contact: Jason Ives – (02) 6277 3334 or 0411 237 683

2 December 2003 - Media Release

Labor Supports Passage of Spam Legislation

After over a year and a half of dithering by the Howard Government, Australians now enjoy the protection of anti-Spam legislation, passed with Labor support.

Labor is disappointed that the Government chose to reject our amendments, and therefore the concerns which they addressed.

The amendments proposed by Labor would have improved and refined the Bills by:

For the past twelve months, Labor has called for legislation of this type, in response to Australians who have been clamouring for action to stem the rising flood of spam appearing in our in-trays.

Labor will keep a close eye on the operation of this legislation so that our concerns will be appropriately addressed in the review of this legislation scheduled for two years’ time.

It is clear that this legislation will not stop spam outright, but it is an important step in addressing the problem. Therefore, in addition to monitoring the operation of the Act, Labor will maintain pressure on the Howard Government to ensure that appropriate attention is given to other solutions.

These include co-operation with the Internet community, appropriate international responses, and, most importantly a full and effective commitment to an e public education, so that individual users can do their best to fight spam in their own in-trays.

Media contact: Jason Ives – (02) 6277 3334 or 0411 237 683