Victorian NUS hits Bracks

BY RAY FULCHER

MELBOURNE — The National Union of Students (NUS) Victorian conference held at Monash University on November 25 adopted a number of progressive positions.

The policy motion condemning Labor Victorian Premier Steve Bracks over his support for police brutality at S11 drew the strongest opposition from Labor Unity students. The motion condemned Bracks and NSW Labor Premier Bob Carr and referred to the Bracks government as a "continuation of Kennettism".

Another motion that drew heavy fire from Labor Unity was one that commits NUS Victoria to support actions in support of a "free Palestine". It also calls for a withdrawal of Israel to its 1967 borders, supports right of return for Palestinian refugees and recognises of East Jerusalem as "the capital of an independent Palestine".

A motion on refugees rejected the federal government's racist scapegoating of refugees. It called for the repeal of the Border Protection Act and opposed the mandatory detention of undocumented refugees.

From GLW issue 431