Slight case of sunburn after picketing and marching with my colleagues in support of the national action led by the NTEU (National Tertiary Education Union) today. The strikes are part of an ongoing campaign against the federal government’s “reforms” of Australian higher education, which include university funding being tied to compliance with State governance and the abolition of collective bargaining.

Activism is not one of my hobbies, but as a postgraduate student hoping to eventually gain secure employment in higher education, and as a casual teacher and researcher, the government’s relentless and methodical attacks on the autonomy of universities and the rights of all those who work there (including not only academics but general staff) tick me off. Not mention Education Minister Brendan Nelson’s plans to purge the university system of “bizarre” research – that is, cultural critique that crosses the high-popular divide and most importantly has no immediate or external instrumental use (at least none that a shortsighted conservative can grasp). Make no mistake, the new humanities are always an easy target, but this kind of thinking is bad news for pure maths, physics, and biology in equal measure.

Hence the sunburn. Laughter may be the best medicine.

Update: Gary Sauer-Thompson has put together a balanced post outlining the background issues as well as the pros and cons of the strike at Public Opinion.