isyulli: howard

Tampilkan postingan dengan label howard. Tampilkan semua postingan

Selasa, 03 Mei 2011

Teachers Bonus a Waste of Money

There isn't much doubt that the bonus scheme for teachers will not work. Like the mystique of "time and motion" where the claim is made that human productivity is linear and is an increasing curve, it's a pipe dream! Machinery can only be speeded up so much before parts start flying off in all directions and everything shuts down for maintenance. Furthermore, when task are done too quickly a lot of "non-size" rubbish is produced. While output in some industry can be improved, for paper carriers such as teachers this is virtually impossible.

Some teachers are better than others and for the main part this is innate: it is not learned and never can be. The only measurement is the quality of students that are lucky enough to be taught by them. Even then, tying down the factors that do improve matters is not easy to identify. Usually. students have an affinity with a teacher; thus they are prepared to work harder. It is not the teacher who is putting in more effort - it is the student. Testing students to deduce the performance of their teachers will also drive a wedge between teachers and students. Considering only one in ten teachers will benefit from the bonus scheme it is divisive for teachers themselves. Industrial strife is just down the road.

Overall, it is a silly exercise. Why should the Government, the taxpayer, pay more? Will good teachers be paid more for what they are already doing? It seems so. Why single out one sector of employment for a reward that everyone else doesn't get purely because it is motivated by one person, Julia Gillard? Apparently it has to do with good teachers being virtuous people. It is not much use holding out one group as an example if there is no intention to apply it to the whole workforce. Paying good teacher more will not make lesser beings respectful toward them. It will make the average teacher angry. Let's not go back to pet projects like in the Howard and Rudd eras.

http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/
http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/
http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia
http://www.technorati.com/blogs/
http://adventure--australia.blogspot.com

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Education

Rabu, 19 Januari 2011

History Wars Argument Ends With Labor Cutting Educational Curriculum Off at the Knees

In a move to take the politics out of education the Labor Government has literally taken politics out of education. Retired Prime Minister John Howard's attempt to relinquish all blame for all Australians for persecution of Aboriginals has caused this. The Labor Government has hit back in kind, taking out all teaching relevant to the development of Liberalism in Australia.

Note we have a Liberal party in Australia that is really a far right conservative party. A touch of welfare, a lot of big business, but essentially no change should occur unless it is to collect more tax from the ordinary taxpayer. Stop the new tax on mining companies and stop the new National Broadband Network Though this hatred of the new NBN is due to Labor doing it not them.

No education system should be without instruction on how the market economy formed. But this argument over the true "facts" of history goes very deep indeed, so Labor puts a red pen through curriculum covering "free" markets just out of spite really.

It is notable that the struggle for individual freedom is included. Only from 1945 though. It is much easier that way, with the UN institutionalizing it in that year. The fight for rights by minorities is emphasized in support, of course, of Labor's side in the history debate. Labor as been so harsh as to remove the word "entrepreneur' totally from the whole syllabus.

It is unfortunate that the actions of one man, a very influential man at that, John Howard, could intervene in a debate among historians and change the course of political history of a nation. People are what they are taught and the baby has surely been thrown out with the bathwater.

~~~~~Politics Education~~~~~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kamis, 29 Juli 2010

Coalition Election Campaign Paid for by Mining Companies

Australia's new mining tax gets support from Nobel prizewinner Joseph Stiglitz. He says mining companies have too much say in Australian politics. This is particularly the case when one sector of politics, namely the Coalition, gets free adds for its re-election to government. The only way to "equalise" this situation is for unions to dig deep and pay for Labor ads. It is obvious who has more to spend - the ones who owe back tax to the Australian people. Over the last few years output and income has gone through the roof for the mining industry.

If the Coalition wins office then Australians will pay the tax foregone to mining companies. Executives will be driven in luxury limousines to the bank to check their bank balances. Then on the way home they will check in for $1,000 meals paid for by their mining companies, out of income before it becomes profit on the books.

Promises have been made on cutting company tax on businesses. But where is the money going to come from? It will come from higher income taxes on the majority of Australians.

Will Tony Abbot break the unwritten rule of new governments - never remove a tax put in place by an earlier administration. Labor condemned John Howard for introducing the GST. Yet it wasn't removed when Labor won government.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Senin, 19 Juli 2010

Young People Are Too Busy for Religion

Tony Abbot is acting like John Howard and is indicating that social engineering is on the cards. Toward the end of John Howard's "reign" he got a little bit carried away with his power and ignored advice from fellow members of his Coalition. He did things without consulting his cabinet. Kevin Rudd got the power bug very early in his time as prime minister. Support from the people soon wanes when they feel they are not being listened to.

Tony Abbot said the young are "dismissive" of the "fundamental views of our society." He aims to remould them in the "proper" way. However, stopping homosexual behavior is really beyond his capability, as is the prevailing sentiment toward religion. Two thirds of teenagers in the UK do not believe in God. It is probably the same in Australia. Julia Gillard does not believe in God. In a survey of Americans, 53 percent said they would not vote for an atheist candidate for President. Voters in Australia now have a clear choice, an atheist versus a Roman Catholic. Maybe because she is the country's first female prime minister she will make it over the line.

It has not been made into an election issue by Tony Abbot, yet. As the election deadline approaches this could change. The debate could become very hot indeed. The Coalition leader has already alienated the younger generation with unplanned remarks, like his opinion on abortion. Some young people have said they find his walking in public in a bathing costume is offensive. It seems they hold some values that are more to the right than Tony Abbot's. They even used the strine phraseology of "budgie smugglers".

Unfortunately, people don't change. Attempts to rehabilitate prisoners have in large part failed in the past. Perhaps Tony Abbot should leave things there - in the past. For most people today practising a religion is not on. They are too busy.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sabtu, 17 Juli 2010

Processing Offshore Is No Answer

What is the point of processing people offshore? This won't solve the problem of refugees choosing to get in a boat and head for Australia. A delay has helped. It has put off some from applying. For them, going home seems to be the only choice.

The goal should be getting the message through to Afghans, Tamils and Africans that Australia will not take over a certain number of refugees each year. Northern European countries are doing this. They are ignoring calls from Mediterranean countries who are being flooded by new arrivals for other nations to take some. Southern countries have certainly got the message even if refugees haven't. The Australian Government should be strong enough even if it upsets the UN to make a yearly refugee limit. After all, this is what used to be done by all countries in regard to people who wanted to stay.

Something new is needed. It is ironic how similar Julia Gillard's Timor solution is to John Howard's Pacific solution. And that didn't work. The number of new arrivals actually increased with temporary visas. Many who were given money to go home returned a year later.

The election is an opportunity for a bold party to say that is enough, and to put up the barriers. When the limit is reached and announced to the world the influx will cease.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sabtu, 12 Juni 2010

Australian Government Plans Greater Privacy Intrusion

The Australian Government is planning to order Internet providers to keep records of their clients browsing history. Plans are afoot to examine an Internet user's political leaning, sexual orientation and general interests. This is part of the Government's plan to join the European Convention on Cybercrime.

Critics say everyone will be classed as criminal from the word go, and it takes away personal freedom. Michael Fraser of the Communications Law Centre at the University of Technology has condemned the move. Who you send emails to will become public as government employees responsible for data collection gain access. The temptation to leak such knowledge to the press will be too great.

Australia should make its own path in the world not follow what has happened in Europe. Countries in that region are in an awful political and economic mess. With people allowed to reside in any country they wish, political and financial systems are breaking down and states are trying to pry on people's private lives in response.

It is common knowledge that the Howard government was able to stop continued production of an ABC comedy program by putting pressure on the ABC. If the Government gets private information what more will it do - stop bloggers giving their own opinion?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .