Labor students 'keeping a low profile' on VSU

Wednesday, February 10, 1999 - 11:00

By Kate Carr

BRISBANE — On January 14, an anti-voluntary student unionism (VSU) meeting here was dominated by office-bearers from the National Union of Students' Queensland branch (NUSQ), the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the University of Queensland and Griffith University.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the methods to be used in the anti-VSU campaign and to establish a non-binding network which could aid state-wide coordination of the campaign.

The non-binding network was established after a failed attempt by the National Organisation of Labor Students (NOLS) to establish a "committee" in which only student union and NUSQ presidents, welfare officers and education officers could participate. NOLS envisioned that this committee, in which their members would be a majority, would determine the direction of the anti-VSU campaign. This would have ensured that the NOLS perspective would have been implemented across all Queensland campuses.

Matt Carter, NOLS member and University of Queensland president, summarised NOLS' perspective when he said: "We feel it would be playing into the Liberals' hands if we were to be too active on this issue. We are just keeping a low profile."

NOLS, which controls the University of Queensland and QUT student unions and the state branch of NUS, has put the priority on lobbying politicians to oppose the legislation, enlisting the support of businesses which deal with student unions and will lose money if VSU is implemented, and concentrating on the loss of services to students.

If NOLS continues in this vein, the intent of the VSU legislation — to crush militant dissent to government policy — will have already been achieved at many Queensland universities through self-regulation.

The Griffith Student Representative Council is at this stage the only clear opponent of NOLS' strategy. Throughout the January 14 meeting, Griffith SRC members emphasised the need for an active and inclusive campaign which focuses mainly on the political intentions of VSU and the direct attack on students' democratic rights that it represents.

There will be an anti-VSU collective meeting at 1.30pm on March 3 at the Food Co-op, Griffith University.

[Kate Carr is the Griffith University joint education officer].