By Andy Gianniotis and Chris Latham
WOLLONGONG — Students have halted an attempt by the University of Wollongong administration to increase the number of students who refuse to join the Student Representative Council (SRC). The administration was attempting to introduce by stealth "voluntary student unionism" — legislation for which the federal government was forced to withdraw in 1999.
When they enrol, students must pay a fee at most Australian universities, some of which is passed on to student organisations in the form of membership fees. Most campuses allow students to "conscientiously object" to joining a student association and while these students are still required to pay the full enrolment fee, the SRC gets none of it.
Wollongong university administration decided that not enough students were aware of their right to not join the SRC and planned to changed its enrolment process, which is conducted online. Students would be provided with a simple on-screen check-box option to apply for "conscientious objection". The text underneath the box would have stated: "Students who register a conscientious objection to membership of the SRC are still required to pay the relevant fee to the university. These funds will be used by the university for students' benefits."
The only information to be provided was about the possibility of not joining the SRC; no mention was to be made of the SRC's functions or what student benefits the university would use the funds for.
The university's intention was to restrict the SRC's funding, undermining its ability to oppose anti-student measures coming from the government or the university.
The incoming SRC was not told about the proposed change to enrolment procedure until January 14, just one week before the changes were to be implemented. It launched a campaign to stop the change.
After just two days of organising support from student activists and other student unions around the country, the campaign forced the administration to shelve the proposal. SRC president Nadine Torney said that, while the SRC would have preferred to defeat the proposal outright, rather than have it indefinitely postponed, it was encouraging to have a victory so early in the new year.