BY MATT RICH
MELBOURNE — Many students are expected to attend protests outside the October 3-5 Commonwealth Business Forum, as activists have been fiercely publicising the events.
At Melbourne University, support for the blockade is growing rapidly. A 120-strong blockade of a campus meeting addressed by International Monetary Fund counsel William Holder was organised by the O3 to CHOGM Collective on September 5.
RMIT vice-chancellor Ruth Dunkin is scheduled to speak at the CBF. At thrice-weekly stalls, the socialist youth group Resistance has already collected 40 student signatures pledging to protest at the CBF if Ruth Dunkin speaks. The pledge cites two reasons: Firstly because as an unelected bureaucrat she cannot represent the views of students, and secondly because the CBF supports the implementation of the General Agreement on Trade in Services. If GATS is implemented it will allow public services, including education, to be privatised.
RMIT is already heavily influenced by corporate interests. Twelve of the 20 University Council members either are or have been representatives of big businesses including Holden, Kodak and ANZ Bank. In 1999, the university made a profit of over $50 million.