By Wendy Robertson
Sydney — On January 17-18, around 150 students, a number of academics and staff gathered at the University of Technology Sydney for an anti-VSU ("voluntary student unionism") planning conference.
The conference adopted four main slogans: "It is not about choice — it's about silence", "Student control of student affairs", "Defend your student union — because it defends you" and "Defend the right to organise".
The conference resolved that the campaign should be led and organised by students and seek to unite all those opposed to VSU (even inconsistent and partial opponents such as the vice-chancellors). It also resolved that there would be a state day of action around VSU before the end of the first term.
Sean Healy, the national coordinator of Resistance, explained that the Liberals' calls for VSU arose as a result of the increased political campaigning undertaken by student organisations through the '60s and '70s.
Dave Trudlinger, the president of the Sydney University Postgraduates Association, presented a rebuttal of the Liberals' arguments for VSU, highlighting the democratic right of students to have organisations that defend their collective interests.
The lessons of the anti-VSU campaigns in Western Australia and Victoria were drawn out. Speakers agreed that the campaign needs to focus on explaining and defending the real target of VSU (the campaigning aspects of student organisations).
The conference learned of the state and campus commitment of the National Tertiary Education Industry Union to support the student campaign against VSU.
There was considerable debate amongst activists about the best strategy. Rose Tracey, former National Organisation of Labor Students (NOLS) president of the National Union of Students (NUS), claimed that the arguments about the politically representative aspects of student organisations carry less weight amongst students. She said students perceived these as "just left-wing causes".
By focusing on the political role of student unions, the student movement would be seen as self-interested, Tracey argued. She felt that the student movement should therefore seek to show the benefit that students gained from the services and representation provided by student organisations.
The current NSW branch president of NUS, Amanda Tattersall, argued against Resistance's proposal that the campaign's theme be "VSU is an attack on democracy". Tattersall said that if we tried to take on the democratic argument, the Coalition would be able to "wipe the floor with us", citing the low voter turnout at election times as proof of this.
Evelyn Loh, current national education officer of NUS, said that student organisations should go on a "hyper" business as usual campaign: they should continue to do what they already do, but do it better.
Loh said that VSU would not be won on the streets, but would be won or lost through lobbying. Loh also suggested that VSU may be a distraction from other issues such as the GST and fighting the privatisation of Telstra.
In contrast, other conference participants, for example NUS delegate Alison Dellit from Newcastle University, argued that only a massive and public show of opposition to VSU would guarantee the campaigns success.
The question of democracy in the campaign was hotly debated. In the end, the conference resolved that the campaign should be run through open activist collectives, such as the Cross Campus Education Network, as the best way to build a strong and inclusive campaign that involved activists in the decision making.
Amanda Lawrence, a Resistance member and women's officer at the University of Canberra, commented: "We do not have to be defensive. If we make the right arguments, we will be able to defeat the Liberals' 'democratic' rhetoric, and we need to if we are going to beat the Liberals' main argument.
Who seriously believes that the Liberals are the champions of democracy and freedom? To win, the student movement needs to convince students that unions are the only thing that stands in the way of the Liberals' regressive education and general social agenda and that they need to mobilise to win."
At the following day's cross campus education meeting, it was resolved that the first NUS anti-VSU action would be held on March 31.