By Kate Carr
BRISBANE — On February 9, the first Cross-Campus Education Network (CCEN) meeting took place in Queensland, attended by around 20 people.
During 1998, the CCEN was an open, activist-based collective which directed the National Union of Students (Qld) education officer's work. Unfortunately, as a result of the dominance of Labor students in NUSQ in 1999, the character of the CCEN has changed.
The CCEN structure now allows only students from NUS-affiliated campuses to vote, and students must attend two meetings to "earn" their voting rights. This prevents full participation by new activists, TAFE students, high school students and all students on campuses not affiliated to NUS.
At the February 9 meeting, a motion was moved to have these anti-democratic membership and voting restrictions lifted. The motion was carried by 16 votes to three. However, Damien Oliver, the NUSQ education officer, used the CCEN rules to discount all votes except those held by NUS education committee members and declared the motion lost by three votes to one.
The other contentious issue discussed was a statewide day of action against voluntary student unionism. A motion calling a day of action on March 31 was passed by 16 votes to three, but was again declared by NUSQ to have been lost.
The majority of activists, disgusted by NUSQ's dictatorial display, then walked out of the meeting. It was clear that the CCEN cannot be a tool to discuss and build a campaign against VSU in Queensland when it refuses to allow the majority of activists to participate in decision making.
Those activists who walked out have established a Cross-Campus Anti-VSU collective which, unlike the CCEN, will be committed to activism, inclusiveness and democracy. The collective will meet for the first time on February 23. The statewide day of action will go ahead on March 31 with a rally at King George Square at 12noon.
[Kate Carr is the joint education officer for the Griffith University Student Representative Council. For more information phone (07) 3875 7109.]