Newcastle students fight cuts
By Tim E. Stewart
NEWCASTLE — Responding to cuts to education in the last federal budget, and frustrated by the inactivity of the University of Newcastle SRC and NUS, campus activists have formed a Committee Against Cuts (CAC).
Spokesperson David Ryan said, "The main aim of CAC is to inform and involve as many people as possible about what the loans scheme means, and why the government is generally cutting back in the education sector.
"The Labor Party has laid the groundwork for a full fees system that the Coalition would like to implement."
"CAC want to let as many people know about this as possible, because it seems that it's something that NUS and the SRC don't seem to care about. The students involved are aiming to fill the gaps that these organisations ignore."
Ryan saw the reason for inaction was that NUS was "a factional body mainly controlled by ALP careerists. There are a lot of paid positions within the bureaucracy. Many of these are controlled by the ALP, and I think that that's a strong inducement not to say the things that Committee Against Cuts is saying."
CAC has called a rally for 12.20 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, at the new university administration building. It is widely known that the building cost some $1.3 million to construct. Rumours are circulating that the landscaping cost $600,000 and an adjoining footbridge $260,000. The administration has refused students access to financial records.