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| Cardinal George Pell Charged with Sexual Abuse. Also: Uber Drivers Fight for Worker Rights. | Cardinal George Pell Charged with Sexual Abuse. Also: Uber Drivers Fight for Worker Rights. |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The Breakdown puts a selection of Australia’s daily news into context. Today’s picks: | |
| • A dramatic lesson for Sydney students | |
| Scaring the Kids, for a Cause? | |
| On Tuesday, year four students at St Justin’s Catholic primary school in Oran Park skipped to school, expecting a day of fun learning. Instead, they were greeted by a nun, who told them that they would be taken away by the government from their parents. | |
| Some kids cried, while others plotted how to escape. At the end of the day, the teacher told them it was a lesson on the Stolen Generations, the Australian parliament removed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children for their parents based on discriminatory policies. Parents of some children were incensed and told local media that the lesson was emotional abuse. “When children start crying, you know you should stop,” said Natalie Wykes, whose son was in the class. | |
| Tim Gilmour, Assistant to the Director of Schools at the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong, the group that oversees the school, told us the experiment started because the class was studying a well-known fictional children’s book called “The Stolen Girl.” | |
| ”What’s happened here is that the intention and execution haven’t matched up as well as they might,” he said. “We understand the criticism and it is certainly the last thing we want to upset the students.” | |
| Was it a case of creative education gone wrong? | |
| “This incident reflects an attempt at experiential learning gone horribly wrong,” said Dr. Glenn Savage, a Senior Lecturer in Education Policy at the University of Melbourne. At St Justin’s, both the parents and the school seem to agree that while the lesson was a worthy one, its implementation was questionable. It feeds into a debate, however, on how much control teachers get in the classroom, and how students are taught about the injustices of the past —- or the future. | |
| Classrooms across the world, in particular those who have complicated relationships with race and a colonial past have walked the line between what some see as politicization and others, education. In 1968, Jane Elliott, a third grade teacher at an all-white school in Iowa, attempted to simulate the impact of the civil rights movement by dividing up her students based on their eye color. The experiment, which came to be known the Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes exercise became notorious, with teachers abroad also adopting it for their students. | |
| These days, hot topics like climate change, sex and drug education, and even etiquette have caused friction between parents who may hold different views to that of those of education officials. Even students themselves might take offense at curriculum, like In Wellston, Ohio, where our reporter examined how a new teacher’s treatment of climate change and global warming ran up against resistance in a mining town. In the United Kingdom, a public school reportedly holds a one week boot camp before the school term that trains its students to enter classrooms quickly and keep silent in hallways. | |
| “Horrific injustices of the past clearly need to be addressed in Australian classrooms, and schools should be able to exercise some autonomy over how such issues are embedded into learning experiences,” Dr Savage told us in an email. In this case however, he believed a pedagogical approach that simulated a person’s removal from was misguided and age-inappropriate. | |
| And perhaps it’s the teachers that got the true lesson in this case. | |
| “We’ll learn from this experience,” Mr Gilmour said. | |
| [Published at 4:05 p.m. AEST] | |
| Australia’s senior Roman Catholic prelate, and one of Pope Francis’ top advisers, has been charged with sexual assault, the police in the Australian state of Victoria said on Thursday. | Australia’s senior Roman Catholic prelate, and one of Pope Francis’ top advisers, has been charged with sexual assault, the police in the Australian state of Victoria said on Thursday. |
| The prelate, Cardinal George Pell, became the highest-ranking Vatican official in recent years to face criminal charges involving accusations of sexual offenses. | The prelate, Cardinal George Pell, became the highest-ranking Vatican official in recent years to face criminal charges involving accusations of sexual offenses. |
| “Cardinal Pell has been charged on summons, and he is required to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court” on July 18, Shane Patton, the deputy police commissioner, said at a news conference. | “Cardinal Pell has been charged on summons, and he is required to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court” on July 18, Shane Patton, the deputy police commissioner, said at a news conference. |
| The charges were served on the cardinal’s legal representatives in Melbourne. Commissioner Patton said there were multiple complainants, but refused to provide further details about them, including their ages. | The charges were served on the cardinal’s legal representatives in Melbourne. Commissioner Patton said there were multiple complainants, but refused to provide further details about them, including their ages. |
| Cardinal Pell is a senior Vatican leader. As the Vatican’s de facto finance chief, he is one of the most powerful figures in the Catholic Church ever to be charged with sexual abuse in an ongoing scandal that has been engulfed dozens of priests in various countries all over the world. | Cardinal Pell is a senior Vatican leader. As the Vatican’s de facto finance chief, he is one of the most powerful figures in the Catholic Church ever to be charged with sexual abuse in an ongoing scandal that has been engulfed dozens of priests in various countries all over the world. |
| He had been accused in hearings before Australia’s Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse of mishandling misconduct cases against clergy members while he served as the leader of the Archdioceses of Melbourne and Sydney. Then allegations surfaced that he had sexually abused minors himself beginning early in his priesthood and continuing until he became archbishop of Melbourne. He has repeatedly denied the accusations. | He had been accused in hearings before Australia’s Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse of mishandling misconduct cases against clergy members while he served as the leader of the Archdioceses of Melbourne and Sydney. Then allegations surfaced that he had sexually abused minors himself beginning early in his priesthood and continuing until he became archbishop of Melbourne. He has repeatedly denied the accusations. |
| Here’s our full story. We’ll be adding more context and reporting there. | Here’s our full story. We’ll be adding more context and reporting there. |
| [11:04 a.m. AEST] | [11:04 a.m. AEST] |
| Uber, the ride-hailing company that can’t seem to get out of its own way, has a fresh battle on its smartphone-clutching hands. | Uber, the ride-hailing company that can’t seem to get out of its own way, has a fresh battle on its smartphone-clutching hands. |
| Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman has announced an investigation, which will focus on whether Uber is in violation of Australian workplace rules. | Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman has announced an investigation, which will focus on whether Uber is in violation of Australian workplace rules. |
| Local drivers are making a push to be classified as employees, which would entitle them to full benefits, like sick days and superannuation. Currently, Uber classifies its drivers as subcontractors. | Local drivers are making a push to be classified as employees, which would entitle them to full benefits, like sick days and superannuation. Currently, Uber classifies its drivers as subcontractors. |
| For years, the company has been achingly familiar with scandal. It’s had the unscrupulous inner workings of its culture peeled back and revealed, over and over again. There have been accusations of institutional sexism and bullying. Deceit and evasion of local government and authorities. Underpayment of drivers. Through all of this, while in the eye of the storm, the company has continually made unforced errors, which culminated in the recent ousting of Travis Kalanick, the chief executive and co-founder. | For years, the company has been achingly familiar with scandal. It’s had the unscrupulous inner workings of its culture peeled back and revealed, over and over again. There have been accusations of institutional sexism and bullying. Deceit and evasion of local government and authorities. Underpayment of drivers. Through all of this, while in the eye of the storm, the company has continually made unforced errors, which culminated in the recent ousting of Travis Kalanick, the chief executive and co-founder. |
| So, what do Australian drivers want — and why? RideShare Drivers United, an Australian-American driver advocacy group, wants Australian Uber drivers to be classified as employees, rather than subcontractors. The group says that “real subcontractors” would have far more ability to control and grow their business: Think directly negotiating prices with customers, asking for the destination before having to drive out to a customer and picking up people hailing on the street. | So, what do Australian drivers want — and why? RideShare Drivers United, an Australian-American driver advocacy group, wants Australian Uber drivers to be classified as employees, rather than subcontractors. The group says that “real subcontractors” would have far more ability to control and grow their business: Think directly negotiating prices with customers, asking for the destination before having to drive out to a customer and picking up people hailing on the street. |
| “More than 60,000 Australian driver-partners choose to drive using the Uber app because they like setting their own schedule and being their own boss,” Uber said in a statement emailed to Reuters when the news broke. | “More than 60,000 Australian driver-partners choose to drive using the Uber app because they like setting their own schedule and being their own boss,” Uber said in a statement emailed to Reuters when the news broke. |
| “Drivers don’t get any superannuation. No holidays, no sick days, you have to work every day of every week. Most full-time drivers will tell you, they can’t even take a few days off,” said Max, RideShare Drivers United’s Melbourne-based founder. Over the phone, he told The New York Times that he needed to conceal his full name: “I’m a full-time driver — they’ll fire me on the spot.” | “Drivers don’t get any superannuation. No holidays, no sick days, you have to work every day of every week. Most full-time drivers will tell you, they can’t even take a few days off,” said Max, RideShare Drivers United’s Melbourne-based founder. Over the phone, he told The New York Times that he needed to conceal his full name: “I’m a full-time driver — they’ll fire me on the spot.” |
| Similar battles over employee classification have unfolded in the United States, Britain and Canada. | Similar battles over employee classification have unfolded in the United States, Britain and Canada. |
| Max said that being classified as casual employees would allow Australian drivers to bring a living wage home, even if it were the minimum wage. | Max said that being classified as casual employees would allow Australian drivers to bring a living wage home, even if it were the minimum wage. |
| “Either they pay us well — let us run a business, pay us like subcontractors — or pay us minimum wage,” Max said. “They’re trying to have it both ways.” | “Either they pay us well — let us run a business, pay us like subcontractors — or pay us minimum wage,” Max said. “They’re trying to have it both ways.” |
| [11:34 a.m. AEST] | [11:34 a.m. AEST] |