An estimated 3000 students have rallied in Sydney against the Coalition government's proposal to deregulate university fees. This was part of a national protest organised by the National Union of Students (NUS) on May 21.
On the same day, staff at the University of Technology Sydney, went on strike for 24 hours and joined the protest. They have been in negotiations with the university for increased job security, fairer pay and equity in the workplace.
They are seeking a pay rise in keeping with Sydney’s rising cost of living as well as decreases in staff workloads across the university.
Staff have also been seeking new permanent positions to address increasing casualisation, meaningful Indigenous employment targets, and appropriate leave provisions for staff experiencing domestic violence.
They were joined by construction workers from the UTS Lend Lease site.
About 4000 students and staff rallied in Melbourne. NUS education officer Sarah Garnham said: "We are here to put a stop to this budget – not only for students, but for every sector of the community under attack from this budget."
Greens MP Adam Bandt told the crowd: "Our country is at a crossroads. Is going to university going to be dependent on how much your parents earn?
“The money is there for everyone to have education. At the moment we are spending $2 billion a year alone so that Gina Rinehart can have cheap diesel for the trucks [in her mines], while a student can't go to university because their parents are working class."
National Tertiary Education Union secretary and Victorian Trades Hall Council president Colin Long said: "Unions understand how important education is. Working people don't want education cut off for their children by the rich people in Canberra. Those who were fortunate enough to get a free education in the Liberal government are now taking this away from students. It's a disgrace.”
At the Australian National University in Canberra, about 500 students took part in a protest on the same day. Several hundred people then occupied the administration building for a short time, and the evening ended with a sit-in outside the Chancelry.
Students and their supporters decided to let university workers leave the building, but not the university’s vice-chancellor. Police tried to break up the protest, but were forced to retreat.
Students stayed and collectively drafted a statement explaining why they were there, and continued to listen to speeches about the future of education and how the government’s cuts will hurt students and many others. A meeting was held to discuss future actions.
Students have held protests around the country as government ministers visited university campuses during the week to sell their budget. After students disrupted events that targeted education minister Christopher Pyne and foreign minister Julie Bishop, Prime Minister Tony Abbott cancelled his visit to Deakin University in Geelong on May 22.