MELBOURNE — Green Left Weekly's RAY FULCHER and ALISON DELLIT spoke to a participant in the RMIT occupation, MARCEL CAMERON.
Why did the university give way to the students' demands on the referendum?
The student union had already put a lot of pressure on the administration leading up to the council decision. The occupation then greatly increased that by mobilising the already existing opposition to fees in the staff and student body.
The central demand of the occupation was that the university listen to the concerns of the staff and student body, either through an open council meeting or through a referendum. This was a demand that most people saw as being more than reasonable. If the university hadn't conceded, they may have lost control of the university to a staff and student alliance.
Do you think the staff and students will win the referendum?
The amount of support the occupation gathered indicates the depth of support amongst students — I think that makes a victory in the referendum very likely.
And for the staff, many already see that the financial model that University Council is following will lead to more job cuts, lower pay and worse conditions — and support amongst staff is growing.
What do you think is the significance of this referendum?
The significant thing is that it acknowledges that those people affected by the decision have the right to vote on it. The government and the vice-chancellors have made fundamental changes to the nature of the education system without consulting the population. The students at RMIT have said "stop — we don't agree with this" and the university has been forced to listen. This will increase the pressure on all VC's around the country, as well as the government.
Already the NTEU [National Tertiary Education and Industry Union] are planning a nationwide campaign against fees and further budget cuts, demanding similar referendums around the country. This should provide a basis for a resurgence in the campaign against fees everywhere.
It also has implications for other struggles — imagine if the government took a survey of public housing tenants before cutting public housing, or if tram workers and passengers could vote on whether public transport should be privatised or not.
The referendum is not binding. What will the campaign do if the council ignores the vote?
We're campaigning for the repeal of the fee, and we will continue to fight until it is defeated. This referendum was won by a struggle inspired by the council acting without listening to the staff, the students or the wider community. Already the council has lost some legitimacy in the eyes of students and staff.
Any rejection of the views of the university's constituents will lead to an even more militant, united staff and student campaign against the administration, even against its right to govern the university.