By Zanny Begg
On March 31, thousands of students took to the streets in rallies across Australia against the voluntary student unionism (VSU) legislation. The rallies were a vibrant rebuttal of the Liberals' claim of majority support for VSU.
Bronwyn Jennings reports that 3000 people attended a rally in Melbourne. The rally was bolstered by large contingents from TAFE, RMIT and the Victorian College of the Arts. Speakers included RMIT president Mandi Scott, NTEU member Jackie Lynch, Melbourne University women's officer Kate Davidson and chair of VTSAN (Victorian TAFE Students and Apprentices Network) Anthony McMullen.
Jennings reports that the large numbers of students attending the rally reflected the high priority of the anti-VSU campaign at TAFE and RMIT and the high level of consciousness amongst students on the impact that state VSU legislation has had on student unions.
In Hobart, Rohan Pearce reports that 300 students and staff joined the rally at University of Tasmania. The rally was chaired by Nikki Ulasowski, the Hobart Resistance organiser, and Ella Haddad. Speakers included SRC president Bruce Paterson, former SRC president Catherine Miller, Vice-chancellor Don McNichol, history lecturer Margaret Linley, NTEU industrial organiser David Taylor and anti-VSU committee activist Joshua Kelcey. Effigies of John Howard and David Kemp were hanged during the rally.
Andrea Marklew reports that 500 people gathered in King George Square for the rally in Brisbane. The rally was chaired by Griffith University SRC education officer Kate Carr. Speakers included NUSQ education officer Damien Oliver, state education minister Dean Wells, high school activist Peter Norton, NTEU organiser Barbara Williams and NUS education committee member Peter Robson.
Bea Brear reports that 750 students gathered at Town Hall for a very spirited rally in Sydney. Students came from all Sydney campuses and from Newcastle. The rally was chaired by Resistance activist Erin Killion, who read a statement of solidarity from student activists in Indonesia. The rally was addressed by speakers including comedian Julie McCrossin, NUS president Jacob Varghese and representatives from the MUA and NTEU.
Smaller actions were also held in Canberra, Launceston and Adelaide. The mobilisations were a major success despite national NUS refusing to call a "national day of action". The larger rallies were in states where significant resources were put into the day by local student organisations. In Sydney, however, the state branch of NUS and some SRCs were slow off the mark in starting to build the rally.
The next rally against VSU has been called for May 6. Many students expressed disappointment at the national NUS poster for the day, which features a naked woman with the slogan "I'd be naked without my student union".
According to Killion, the poster "failed to put VSU in any political context" and "bordered on the offensive by using a naked woman to promote the ant-VSU campaign". Killion has called for student activists to produce an alternative which clearly articulates that VSU is an attack on students' ability to organise.