BY SARAH CLEARY
HOBART — Despite much interest in the planned M1 action from students, the University of Tasmania's clubs and societies council voted on March 12 to deny an application to affiliate from the campus' M1 Alliance group.
While the council gave no reasons for its decision, council members expressed opposition to the affiliation on the grounds that an M1 club may threaten the corporate sponsorship of other clubs on campus.
The motion to affiliate was lost five votes to 12, with a large number of abstentions.
M1 activist Bea Brear told Green Left Weekly that the vote sets a dangerous precedent. "The M1 club has been one of the most active clubs on campus so far this year", she said. "There is grassroots support for this campaign."
"While delegates at Monday's meeting expressed some concerns about the M1 club", Brear added, "they were all based on disagreement with the club's politics, not our infringement of the rules applying to affiliated clubs. This kind of political silencing is censorship and we plan to fight it."
In related news, M1 Alliance activists have appealed for support from Tasmania's union movement at a March 13 meeting with Unions Tasmania secretary Lynne Fitzgerald.
M1 spokespeople said that while union representatives weren't prepared to commit to support immediately, they would assist in publicising the action to affiliated unions and would discuss endorsement at a March 22 meeting of the Unions Tasmania council.