BY MELODY COUTMAN & ALISON DELLIT
NEWCASTLE — The ballots cast in the Newcastle University Student Association (NUSA) presidential by-election on November 6-7 are to be destroyed uncounted, following a decision by the NUSA executive to uphold the returning officer's disqualification of Resistance member and Keep Left candidate Peter Robson. The by-election has been declared won by the only other candidate, Matt Thompson.
The returning officer disqualified Robson on the grounds that Resistance campus stall set up during the election period had material for sale to students — copies of Green Left Weekly and Resistance Books pamphlets — that cost more than $5 to produce.
According to the returning officer this breached the NUSA constitution, under which candidates are only allowed to spend up to $5 on "materials in connection" with the election. (The NUSA provides free of charge to each candidate up to 500 A4 photocopies for their campaign literature.)
The NUSA executive meeting of November 10 upheld the returning officer's ruling despite the fact that the Resistance stall is a regular event on campus, and the "expenses" incurred in stocking the stall with copies of Green Left Weekly and various pamphlets were totally unrelated to the NUSA presidential by-election.
If this decision is allowed to stand it would effectively ban the distribution on Newcastle University during any NUSA election of any literature by any political organisation which has a member running as a candidate for an NUSA office.
Alternatively, to get around this ban and still distribute their literature on Newcastle University during campus election, political organisations with members running as candidates would have to conceal these candidates' political affiliation. This situation would suit groups like the National Organisation of Labour Students (NOLS) whose members regularly participate in campus election campaigns without publicising their political affiliation.
The returning officer's interpretation of the NUSA constitution only penalises organisations like Resistance which seek to draw the maximum connection between their politics and activity and their participation in campus election campaigns. Peter Robson has effectively been disqualified for being an active Resistance member during election week.
The key difference between the two candidates in the election was over the importance of broader political campaigning to student organisations. Robson pledged that if elected NUSA president he would attempt o increase NUSA's role in supporting campaigns like the Newcastle S11 Alliance, of which he is an active member. Robson centrally involved in campaigning to defend student internet access earlier this year and pledged that if he were elected he would use NUSA resources to continue this fight.
Matt Thompson, by contrast, argued in his election statement that "The twin pillars of uni life are fun and study" and "Studying history gives a clearer view of life than spouting ideology. Universities are terrific. The HECS system is a fair compromise, infinitely better than up-front fees."
Both candidates have expressed the opinion that Robson received significantly more votes than Thompson.
The executive meeting which rejected Robson's appeal against the returning officer's decision consisted of five members of executive (Matt Thompson is the sixth member, who was absent from the meeting). Three of these five actively campaigned for Thompson during the two days of polling. One member of executive, Melinda Nunn, placed posters around the campus headed "Get Lost Liar - Don't Vote for Peter", referring to Robson's claim that student organisations had played a relatively passive role at S11.
Contrary to standard practice, the meeting was held without observers. When the NUSA president, NOLS member Amie Grierson, was questioned as to the suitability of Nunn's participation at the meeting, she replied, "Conflict of interest is a matter to be worked out by members of NUSA themselves. They will not participate if they feel that it is inappropriate."
Students at Newcastle University and at other campuses around the country have been outraged by the decision. Protests have come in from over a dozen universities, and many student political organisations, including the NSW Broad Left and the Queensland branch of NOLS. Resistance members around the country have been collecting motions of condemnation and forwarding them to Keep Left and to NUSA.
At Newcastle University, dozens of students have declared their intention to fight the decision and set up a "Democratise NUSA" campaign, which will attempt to force new elections next year. For details, contact Erin Killion on 4926 5328.