BY SHUA GARFIELD
HOBART — Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Jocelyn Scutt ruled on September 21 that the Tasmania University Union (TUU) will not be allowed to restrict the newly created men's officer position to men.
The men's officer position was created by a referendum held during the TUU elections on September 11-14. Scutt explained that legally a person can only be discriminated against to the benefit of a group which is disadvantaged. Scutt found that men did not constitute a disadvantaged or "special needs" group, and thus women could not be discriminated against by having the men's officer position open only to men.
In a victory for those opposed to the uncontested election of a man as women's officer at the Launceston Students Association last year, Scutt also ruled that the women's officer position could be restricted to women. Women, unlike men, were found by the Anti-Discrimination Commission to be a disadvantaged group.
The socialist youth group Resistance intends to campaign for the abolition of the men's officer. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Sarah on (03) 6234 6397.