Government amends VSU legislation

By Jo Brown

MELBOURNE -- Amendments to the Kennett government's voluntary student unionism legislation, announced on May 24, add a number of services to the list that can be funded through compulsory fees and abandon the requirement that all services be compulsorily tendered.

The changes have met with the approval of university vice-chancellors but have not satisfied student activists, who say the legislation will still destroy student unions and student representation.

Fees may still not be used to provide paid student representatives, clubs and societies or student newspapers.

Resistance student activist Alex Bainbridge told Green Left: “The amendments only make the political nature of this attack more clear. The Liberal government really wanted to destroy the political opposition of student unions and to undermine the ability of students to defend their rights. They are happy to concede the funding of a greater range of services in order to attempt to dampen and divide the campaign against VSU.”

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