Right-wing threat to Rabelais

By Ray Fulcher

MELBOURNE — La Trobe University's student newspaper, Rabelais, is threatened with closure by the right-wing coalition which controls the Student Representative Council.

Last week, right-wing students from the Liberal Club, Labor Unity (ALP right) and the Greek Club moved to replace Rabelais with a broadsheet to be produced by the Herald Sun.

Last year's SRC voted to have Rabelais incorporated into the student union's constitution so that it would take a two-thirds majority of the council to abolish it. The current SRC challenged the validity of this. The constitutional change was delayed while it was examined by a government body. Meanwhile, the SRC moved to abolish Rabelais under the old constitution.

An SRC meeting on January 29 was to decide on closing down Rabelais and replacing it with a monthly eight-page broadsheet. This broadsheet would carry "beer and barbecue" information and be devoid of students' political input.

On January 29, the government body responsible for validating incorporated bodies' constitutions accepted the new SRC constitution. This put the brakes on the right's anti-democratic move.

The threat remains. The Rabelais editors have not been paid this year. They were only given keys to their office on January 28, the SRC has said it wants to "change their contract" and the question of funding for Rabelais has not been resolved. A massive cut in its budget the likely.

Rabelais editor Sonia Popp said that the whole episode was "an attack on the fundamental democratic rights of students, who elected the editors to run Rabelais". To send messages of support, telephone (03) 9479 1028. To condemn the actions of the SRC, telephone SRC president Anastasia Liberatos on (03) 9479 5576 or fax on (03) 9479 3550.

From GLW issue 306