By Jo Brown
MELBOURNE — The Victorian Liberal government's anti-student union legislation tabled on April 28 could destroy student services and representation completely in universities across the state. The legislation, known as the Tertiary Education (Amendment) Act, was greeted with angry protests by students on that day and again on May 3. Academics and staff unions have also expressed their concern over the legislation.
The voluntary student union (VSU) legislation will mean that students who enrol and pay their amenities and services fee will no longer automatically become members of a student union. It will also become illegal for student organisations to collect a compulsory fee, making it extremely difficult or impossible to provide their current range of services and representation.
VSU aims to prevent student unions from opposing government policy, in particular higher education restructuring. The legislation will deprive student unions of funding for any political activity, including all representative and campaigning activities.
In addition, it will destroy student unions' ability to provide support for disadvantaged students such as women, overseas students and gay and lesbian students.
The legislation will allow compulsory fees to be collected by the university administration for a limited number of services: catering, sports facilities, child-care, counselling, legal, health, housing and employment services.
Those services paid for by compulsory fees will be contracted out to private companies. This will include student newspapers, theatre departments, women's departments and education advisory services.
On Melbourne University, the student union estimates that 1300 jobs will be lost, including 200 student casual positions. Other services under threat include the Rowden White Library, the Gallery, orientation week, the computer centre and union band nights.
The legislation includes a clause preventing the federal government from giving money to student unions to make up for the fees lost under VSU. It also states that any person who persuades another person to become a member of a student organisation using "threats, intimidation or deception" will be fined $1000. What this will mean for students trying to promote membership of a voluntary union remains unclear.
Students from a number of Victorian campuses have been campaigning against VSU since early January. The Student Unionism Network will now attempt to pressure the government not to pass the legislation and the vice-chancellors not to implement it if it is passed. Apart from informing students of the implications of VSU, the network is planning rallies and actions over the next few weeks.
Di Quin from Resistance and the Student Unionism Network told Green Left Weekly that "the legislation will silence students' voices". Students will lose their ability to campaign and defend their rights, she said.
"We will become totally vulnerable to attacks from both state and federal governments, the former in effect helping the latter to introduce full fees. VSU will also mean that university life will become limited to a narrow vocational education. We need a broad campaign against VSU and in defence of democratic and active student unions."
For more information contact Fleur for the Student Unionism Network on (03) 344 4808 or Jo from Resistance on (03) 329 1230.