Author | Lightnews

Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Jan 8

“It would be incomprehensible for an Oz minister to visit Israel at this time without being absolutely clear about Australia’s major priority, which is our nation’s commitment to the international humanitarian law essential to guarantee peace and human security.”

johnmenadue.com/australian-m...

Australian minister to fly to Israel to mend fractured relationship? - Pearls and Irritations

Surely no self-respecting member of the Albanese Government would exert any diplomatic effort on the Netanyahu regime which ignores international law and is responsible for crimes against humanity and...

johnmenadue.com

Reposted by Penny Underwood

Jane Caro @janecaro.bsky.social · Jan 8

Why are schools charging fees receiving any public funding at all? Especially when they are all allowed to pick & choose (& expel) their students, the communities they will & won’t serve, & the fees & levies they will charge? www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

These Sydney private schools will have funding cuts. They might not be the ones you expect

Some schools will lose more than $2000 in federal funding per student under a formula using their parents’ median incomes. See what will change by 2029.

www.smh.com.au

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 23

Shoddy

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 23

Appalling

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Reposted by Penny Underwood

Nadine Smith @nadinesmith.bsky.social · Dec 23

My New Year’s Resolution.
What’s yours?

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Reposted by Penny Underwood

Peter Murphy @peterwmurphy1.bsky.social · Dec 10

PM Albo needs to get some media training from fmr Vic Premier Dan Andrews or Qld Labor Leader Steven Miles. And he needs to stop pandering to NewsCorp trolls. NewsCorp and the ABC are pro-LNP, anti-Labor. He needs to reconnect with Labor values and find another way to get his message out. #auspol

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 11

Exactly. Appalling.

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 10

Time for ALP etc to get grubby

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 10

One of the best things I have listened to

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 10

Good call

Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 8

Is it time for a national, independent hate crime reporting system to capture the experiences of all targeted communities in Australia. And for the register to report the data annually?

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Reposted by Penny Underwood

David Pocock @davidpocock.bsky.social · Dec 8

Additional 10,000 Aussies a month falling into homelessness moves us from crisis towards a country none of us want.

More action from all levels of govt is urgent.

Important work from Homelessness Aus & Prof Hal Pawson from UNSW City Futures.
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

Extra 10,000 Australians becoming homeless each month, up 22% in three years, report says

Almost half were couch surfing or living in short-term accommodation, UNSW and Homelessness Australia say

www.theguardian.com

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 6

Especially before the perpetrators have been identified…

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Andy Mison @andymison.bsky.social · Dec 6

At Sydney Uni today with these two legends discussing the insidious commodification of our education system. @msciffer.bsky.social

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 4

Why do these schools ‘need’ public funding at all? Their families already choose to pay multiples of your school’s SRS when their children could attend their local public school. This is how gov funding of wealthy schools increases inequality in our school system.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Twenty private schools with wealthiest parents received $130m total in Australian public funds in 2023

Data comes as education minister remains stalled in negotiations with states and territories over contributions to Schooling Resource Standard

www.theguardian.com

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Dec 4

They leave our school flying’: how one Sydney school is defying its ‘disadvantage’
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

‘They leave our school flying’: how one Sydney school is defying its ‘disadvantage’

Auburn North public school outperforms others despite English not being the first language for 98% of students

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Penny Underwood

Barbara Pocock @barbarapocock.bsky.social · Nov 28

You are right Kaz. There is nowhere lower to go.

Kaz Cooke @kazcooke.bsky.social · Nov 26

@australianlabor.bsky.social I will vote & campaign against every ALP senator from Victoria if you pass these cruel anti-refugee bills. Depriving a refugee of a mobile phone while you try to deport them? You can’t sink any lower.

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Nov 28

How about effective media reform rather than this approach?

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Peter Murphy @peterwmurphy1.bsky.social · Nov 28

Today, 29th November 2024, is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. End the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. End the genocide in #Gaza. #RecognisePalestine #FreePalestine #IsraeliWarCrimes #GazaGenocide

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Nov 28

We need all the advocates we can get. Locking in segregation/ inequity as ALP and Coalition have done is neither good for our young people or our nation.

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Nov 27

We know Australia has a private/public divide. But there’s even more inequality

Such a timely piece from #LauraPerry and colleagues.

#auspol #schools

blog.aare.edu.au/we-know-aust...

We know Australia has a private/public divide. But there's even more inequality

Inequality: Ultimately students, families and societies lose in a system that divides students, rather than bringing them together.

blog.aare.edu.au

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Dr Tracy Westerman AM @drtracywesterman.bsky.social · Nov 26

A child at 10:
· Loses 4 baby teeth a year
· Knows the complete date
· Can name the months of the yr in order
·Can read & understand a paragraph of complex sentences
·Has developed skills in addition, subtraction
·Has some skills in multiplying & division,
And, in Aust, can go to prison
#RaiseTheAge

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Penny Allman-Payne @pennyallmanpayne.com · Nov 26

Think our school funding model is broken? You’d be right. More than half of all Australian private schools receive more government funding per student than comparable public schools.

Make it make sense.

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Penny Underwood @pennycu.bsky.social · Nov 26

Shocking