Latest news with #JohnPaulLangbroek
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Queensland government refuses to say when it'll release landmark school review
The Queensland government is refusing to say when it will release a two-year landmark review into teacher resourcing. The Comprehensive Review of School Resourcing, conducted from 2023, examined factors including funding, teacher shortages and workload, and staff and student welfare. It's expected to recommend a new resourcing model to manage the issues. The government is currently locked in pay negotiations with the Queensland Teachers Union (QTU), with its bargaining agreement due to expire in two weeks. On Wednesday afternoon, it offered a wage increase of 8 per cent over three years, short of what the union is seeking. The QTU has previously said a pay offer also needed to include a commitment to implement the outcomes of the review. Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the review was "being worked on" and would be "revealed in the relatively near future", but that wouldn't be before the wage agreement ended. "There are no sinister reasons for us not having had more public discussions about the school resourcing review. The enterprise bargaining agreement expires in 11 days," he said. The government received the report in December and state cabinet has not yet considered it. "It's the first review in over 30 years of school resourcing, so we had to work through it methodically and calmly," Mr Langbroek said. "It also needs to go to cabinet and we don't talk about what happens in cabinet." In a statement, the QTU said it was "appalled" by the government's refusal to release the review. It said it was using it to "strengthen its position ahead of enterprise bargaining negotiations". "Clearly, the decision to hide this report from public view is strategic and not in the interests of transparency and accountability, two key elements the premier campaigned on at the state election. "In simple terms, this government is hiding a detailed report to ignore the true issues because it doesn't fit its agenda." Opposition leader Steven Miles called on the state government to release the review. "Queensland parents want to know that their schools are properly resourced. Queensland teachers want to know that their government and their minister have their back. "I'd simply say to John-Paul Langbroek, what are you hiding here? Why are you afraid of this report?" In a letter, Department of Education Director-General Sharon Schimming offered teachers a 3 per cent pay increase next financial year and a 2.5 per cent increase for the following two years. "This offer also aims to create a replacement agreement that is easy to navigate, has a focus on employee entitlements, is clearer and more accessible for principals and senior leaders to understand their industrial obligations and supports greater workforce flexibility," she said. Prior to the pay offer being made, Mr Langbroek said "significant negotiations" had taken place. The QTU — boasting 48,000 members — has stated it would push for "nation-leading salaries and conditions". Teachers are the latest frontline workers the government needs to secure new bargaining agreements with. Pay negotiations with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union broke down last month, with the health workers taking industrial action for the first time since 2002. Agreements with police and firefighters also need to be brokered, totalling more than 260,000 public sector employees.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Speaking out on Gaza: Australian creatives and arts organisations struggle to reconcile competing pressures
When Michelle de Kretser accepted the 2025 Stella prize on 23 May, the celebrated author shared a warning. 'All the time I was writing these words, a voice in my head whispered, 'You will be punished. You will be smeared with labels as potent and ugly as they're false,'' De Kretser told the Sydney writers' festival crowd. ''Career own goal,' warned the voice.' Earlier in her prerecorded speech, De Kretser had denounced what she called a 'program of suppression' against creatives, scholars and journalists for 'expressing anti-genocide views' in relation to Israel and Gaza. The speech received a standing ovation. It had been taped weeks earlier but arrived in the immediate fallout of exactly the kind of episode De Kretser was talking about. Three days before the Stella announcement, the Martu author KA Ren Wyld revealed she had been stripped of a $15,000 black&write! fellowship from the State Library of Queensland, just hours before it was due to be announced. A day earlier, the library's board received a written direction from the Queensland arts minister, John-Paul Langbroek, expressing his 'firm view' that Wyld should not receive the prize because of a Twitter post about the death of the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in October, which referred to him as a martyr who was 'resisting colonisation until his last breath, fighting the genocidal oppressors like a hero, sacrificing his life for love of his people and ancestral land'. Wyld has said she was not fully aware of Sinwar's Hamas ties at the time of posting. By the time De Kretser's speech aired, several judges of the library's Queensland Literary awards quit in protest. Sara El Sayed, an Egyptian Australian author and three-time judge was one of them. She says the minister's intervention 'undermines the whole process' of independent judging and makes it 'impossible to continue to work with the library'. 'I don't know how someone supporting the Palestinian people, supporting an oppressed people, people who are facing starvation, genocide every day … I just don't understand how the reaction is to take an opportunity away,' El Sayed says. 'That's the ultimate form of censorship, to me.' El Sayed says many artists now grapple with a choice between taking career opportunities and standing up for their beliefs. 'I think a lot of people, especially artists, feel a moral obligation to speak out against what is occurring,' she says. A State Library spokesperson said the library 'respects the decision of judges' and 'value[s] the conversations we have had with many judges and the writing community and acknowledge the concerns they have raised'. The Wyld case highlights a growing crisis for arts organisations and their management in how they respond to political statements that range from mild to polarising, but may be entirely unconnected to the subject matter of the artist's work. From the Khaled Sabsabi-Creative Australia furore to pianist Jayson Gillham's dispute with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO), arts institutions have struggled to reconcile commitments to intellectual freedom and creative expression with official positions of political neutrality and intense scrutiny from media and politicians, who in some cases may have an influence on their funding. At the MSO, the fallout has included the resignation of its longtime chief executive, high-profile event postponements and a long legal battle. The employment lawyer Josh Bornstein, who has represented the journalist Antoinette Lattouf in her unlawful termination case against the ABC over online posts about Gaza, says in his view a 'cancel culture' fostered by pressure from sections of the media, politicians and lobby groups is leading organisations to make fast, panicked decisions. 'An organisation goes into brand management mode and the usual denouement in the post-October 7 atmosphere is to eliminate the source of complaints from the organisation,' he says, speaking generally. But Bornstein also points to the University of Queensland's treatment of the UQP publisher Aviva Tuffield, who wore a 'Readers and Writers Against the Genocide' T-shirt to the Australian Book Industry Awards in May. In response to questions from The Australian, the university said its freedom of speech policy allowed Tuffield to express her lawful, personal views, which did not represent the university's. 'That's the sort of approach that should be adopted,' Bornstein says. Louise Adler is a veteran publisher and artistic director who faced criticism for programming Palestinian voices long before 7 October 2023, including Susan Abulhawa, who called the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a 'Nazi-promoting Zionist' in a social media post. Adler says many arts organisations have tried to abstain from the issue of the war in Gaza, despite demands by many artists that they take a position and defend the artists' right to speak. 'The tensions between the boards, the management and the artists have only increased, and one arts organisation after another has either publicly buckled or privately preemptively buckled on the pretext that art is not political,' Adler says. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion 'Of course, insisting on silence on the conflict in the Middle East issue is a deeply political position – it's just one that suits particular interest groups. 'The problem for arts organisations is that artists – not all artists, but many artists – want to speak to the issues of the day. So when arts managers and their boards fail to protect the right of artists to speak, a principle that should be sacrosanct, one has to question whether they have lost sight of the fundamentals.' Adler says there are some free speech frontiers that no publicly funded arts festival or organisation would cross, but the conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and the conflation of support for Palestine with support for terrorism, has made organisations shy away from defending artists' freedom of expression. 'I think there are lines for all of us; certainly in my current role, or when I was a publisher, I am not going to offer the microphone to people who are involved in hate speech or incitement to violence or racism. I don't think that's a question of free speech. 'No decent person wants to be accused of antisemitism, of any kind of racism. But once criticism of Israel is conflated with antisemitism … you've successfully manufactured the catalogue of silenced artists we have witnessed in recent years.' As with Creative Australia in response to the Sabsabi controversy, the State Library of Queensland announced an independent review following the withdrawal of Wyld's fellowship, the terms of which are still being prepared. It's the latest in a pattern of reviews and consultations in the wake of contentious decision-making. Earlier this year the State Library of Victoria unveiled a 'Ways of Working' framework, developed after it canned a Teen Writing Bootcamp in 2024. Freedom of information requests subsequently revealed that library management had scrutinised the social media posts of the three authors who were due to lead the workshops for content related to the Israel-Hamas war. In a statement the State Library of Victoria said it was 'crucial that we are a place of freedom of expression and respect for all', and that the 'sector-leading' framework established 'mutual obligations between the Library and anyone who works with us'. Since January, writers and artists engaged by the library have been obliged to agree that when making public statements, they 'clearly state that these views and opinions do not reflect or represent the views or positions of State Library Victoria, or any other person, company or organisation' from the moment a contract is signed. Jinghua Qian, one of the writers involved in the 2024 bootcamp, remains sceptical. 'If you contract someone for a one-hour panel or workshop, do you have the right to limit, police and punish them for their creative expression outside of that booking?' Qian wrote on Bluesky. For some creatives, these decisions expose contradictions in institutions that have tried to diversify their audiences and offer a platform to previously under-represented voices. Days before De Kretser's Stella speech, Nam Le, the newly crowned book of the year winner at the New South Wales Literary awards, asked a Sydney audience whether the 'goal of multiculturalism should be coexistence or cohesion'. 'If cohesion, how do we make sure that 'social cohesion' doesn't become 'social coercion' – a means of preserving the status quo, of preserving power?' Le asked, in a speech delivered by his manager. Like De Kretser's, Le's words would only become more pointed as the week progressed. 'What good is harmony if it only and always exists on terms dictated by power? If it's built on injustice, or enforced civility – enforced silence?'
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Queensland Literary Awards program under review after fellowship revoked from First Nations writer
The Queensland State Library says it remains committed to freedom of expression despite a decision to rescind a $15,000 fellowship awarded to Indigenous writer K A Ren Wyld over comments about the conflict in Gaza made on social media last year. The decision was made by the state's arts minister John-Paul Langbroek, who wrote to the library's board on Monday May 19. The library said it was legally bound to follow the minister's order. "To comply with the direction, the fellowship was not awarded to K A Ren Wyld," the library said in a statement. "State Library values freedom of expression within the limits of the law." Quoting its Intellectual Freedom Policy the library's statement said: "Libraries [sic] support the free flow of information and ideas, [and] have a responsibility to oppose the infringement of intellectual freedom." Speaking to state parliament last Tuesday, Mr Langbroek said concerns had been raised about a social media post by Ms Wyld following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in October last year, which was deleted shortly after it was posted. "The author, via comments on social media, has praised the mastermind of the 7 October Hamas-led terror attacks as a 'martyr' and a 'hero'," Mr Langbroek said. "Words matter, and that is why we have taken the decision that this award should not be presented at the State Library." Multiple panel judges for the Queensland Literary Awards resigned following the decision. In a statement on social media, Ms Wyld said they flew to Brisbane to attend the announcement, which was scheduled for last Tuesday. On arrival, they said they were given the news by State Library CEO Vicki McDonald that the fellowship had been rescinded . "Clarifying what's happened is not Vicki's fault, or the Black&Write team and partner organisations," they wrote. "She was not able to give me much information. "I will not receive the $15,000 award money, and my manuscript will not be edited as part of the Black&Write program." Ms Wyld said they had been contacted prior to the Tuesday meeting by a News Corp journalist who informed them Queensland arts minister John-Paul Langbroek had written to the library directing them to void the fellowship. The State Library confirmed there will be an independent review of its awards and fellowships programs. "It will have specific focus on how we balance our strong commitment to freedom of expression and our role as a Queensland government funded cultural institution," a statement said. Academic and fiction prize judge Dr Jeanine Leane and writer and critic Nigel Featherstone made up half the four-person fiction prize panel — which wasn't judging Ms Wyld's manuscript — before they both resigned on Friday. Dr Leane said she resigned from judging the awards due to what she called an "intervention" into the arts scene. "This kind of interference into the art scene becoming a frequent occurrence in Australia, where projects and artists and writers are being shut down because of their political views and the opinions that they express," she said. She said such interventions shift the focus away from the work to serve political narratives. "That makes it not about art or writing, or creativity, or diversity, or the possibility of considering the multiplicities of truths and stories that may exist out there. "Shutting down a truth of someone expressing their concern for a genocide in Palestine, and shutting down the truth of the cultural genocide here that happened through the Stolen Generations — which is what [Ms Wyld's] manuscript was about." Mr Featherstone said it was not solely about Gaza but the "core principle" of freedom of speech in the arts. "For me, it actually doesn't matter what those political views are, whether they're highly conservative or highly progressive, I think they should be able to express those views and not lose work opportunities or awards, grants, or fellowships," he said. Author of Muddy People and non-fiction panellist Sara el Sayed said she found it "impossible" to continue to work with the library following the decision. "It's completely against what the values of the State Library and these awards should stand for, and honestly I think it completely undermines the whole process and this whole project that we're involved in," she said. "What is the point in judging a literary award if a politician can swoop in at the last second and, for whatever reason he decides, say 'this person cannot receive this award because I say so'?" Ms el Sayed said a review of the library's suite of awards wasn't necessary. "What I'm concerned about is, what's it going to find out, what's it going to uncover? Is it going to introduce more power for these ministers?
The Australian
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Australian
Screen industry and politicians in uproar over Donald Trump movie tariff threat
The Gold Coast has spent decades trying to attract filmmakers to the famed glitter strip, and local mayor Tom Tate fears US President Donald Trump's potential tariffs will be a 'kick in the guts' for the industry. 'Investment in the Gold Coast film industry … it's a 30-year vision,' Mr Tate said. 'I really cherish our film industry.' Mr Trump put the global film industry on alert on Monday after posting on social media that he intended to implement a sweeping 100 per cent tariff on all movies 'produced in foreign lands'. 'The movie industry in America is dying a very fast death,' the President wrote. But by Tuesday, the Trump administration appeared to walk back the comments, with White House spokesman Kush Desai telling reporters 'no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made' and further consultation with the industry would take place. Queensland's local film industry generated a $525m economic return last financial year and created 4000 direct jobs across the state, in production studios from the Gold Coast to Cairns. During that period, cameras have rolled on a dozen movies, including The Bluff, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban, while parts of a total of 45 different projects have been produced in Queensland. State Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek has put pressure on the re-elected Albanese government to get answers and protect the economic investment. 'Filmmakers are coming here because of the incentives. Now we have someone saying, well, those incentives have meant that they're going to bring in tariffs,' Mr Langbroek said. Filming is under way in Brisbane on the Owen Wilson-led film Runner, alongside the next instalment in the Godzilla and King Kong 'Monsterverse' franchise. Together, they are expected to create a $111m economic boost. At a national level, screen production in Australia generated $1.7bn in expenditure across 169 Australian and international film and television titles in the 2023-24 financial year, according to Screen Queensland. Of that, $768m was linked to 70 international projects. This figure was down on previous years due to the 2023 Hollywood writers' strike. The Cook government in Western Australia is spending $290m on a film studio in Malaga that is due to be ready by April next year. WA Premier Roger Cook on Monday said Mr Trump's tariffs were a clear disincentive for US producers and added to the deteriorating global economic environment. He said he was hopeful that demand from Australian filmmakers and US studios keen to capitalise on WA's natural wonders would help insulate the new film studio from the tariffs. 'We obviously have a lot of domestic content that we can develop in WA and there are other film-producing countries right around the world, but we continue to believe that there will still be opportunities for us to attract US production houses,' he said. 'Don't forget that at the end of the day, they need quality environments and opportunities to shoot in unique settings, and that's also what WA offers.' California Governor Gavin Newsom is reportedly attempting to smooth tensions between the Trump administration and the film industry by proposing a $US7.5bn ($11.62bn) federal tax incentive to bring production back to the US. Many US states offer individual tax offers. Mr Newsom said a federal partnership would strengthen domestic production and 'Make America Film Again'. Additional reporting: Paul Garvey Read related topics: Donald Trump Mackenzie Scott is a property and general news reporter based in Brisbane. Prior to joining The Australian in 2018, she was the editorial coordinator at NewsMediaWorks, covering media and publishing, and editor at travel and lifestyle website Xplore Sydney. Nation NSW's top cop is set to step down in September following weeks of rumours, and a three-year tenure plagued by public and internal criticisms. Nation In emotional testimony, two children of Don and Gail Patterson have described the events leading up to a fatal lunch at which their parents were poisoned to death by a beef Wellington.
