Fred Fuentes
In some of the biggest university student demonstrations seen during the last decade, thousands of students downed pens and poured into the streets on April 28 to protest the federal government's attacks on student unions. Called by the National Union of Students (NUS), rallies were held across the country to opposed Coalition plans to introduce so-called voluntary student unionism (VSU).
Aimed at silencing some of the most vocal critics of the Coalition government, the proposed VSU bill will weaken student unions ability to defend students' rights; and to provide the many services they currently do, such as childcare and subsidised accommodation. When the VSU legislation was introduced into parliament on March 16, it was met with demonstrations of hundreds across the country.
Jenna McConnochie, an organiser of the April 27 Wollongong protest, told GLW that "in a social and political climate of selfish individualism and greed, the government wants to smash the experience of collectivism, of community, of having a strong collective voice. They want to nip in the bud the experience, ideology and training ground for unionism and activism that student associations provide.
"The loss of student unions is just one more attack on higher education, with the overall aim of dehumanising, privatising and deregulating universities. Removing student associations, the primary vocal opponents to these attacks, paves the way for the unchallenged and systematic McDonaldisation of universities."
The April 28 protests signalled a step forward in the campaign. An estimated 13,000 students mobilised across the country. University of Technology, Sydney Student Representative Council president Michelle Sparks told Green Left Weekly: "[This fight] is not just about sausage rolls and sports, it's about the democratic rights of students to collectively organise against government policy."
She added, "The rally marks a really positive start to the campaign in which we will defeat VSU."
McConnochie agreed: "The change in campus life in just the last two weeks, from apathy to action, gives me hope that students are prepared to fight this legislation and that we can and will win."
Zoe Kenny reports that around 3000 students gathered at Sydney University on the day, the biggest single-campus mobilisation in the country. SRC president Rose Jackson pointed out that: "if the government was serious about choice, it will give us an on-campus referendum."
The protesters marched into the city offices of the Department of Education, Science and Training, where they met up with another 1500 students from the four other Sydney campuses, and Wollongong university. Outside DEST, Lee Rhiannon from the Greens spoke about how the VSU legislation was part of a broader attack on unions by the Coalition government.
Speaking at the festival at the end of the day, deputy Labor leader Jenny Macklin argued that the Coalition members who are pushing for VSU and a user-pays university system, and who received a free education should pay back what they owe for their degrees.
In Melbourne, Edward Ashcroft reports that 5000 students converged in the city, including 250 students who traveled by bus in from each of Latrobe University and Monash University.
Students from a wide range of organisations including art, music and theatre clubs participated, highlighting the effect the legislation would have on campus life.
Jon Piccini reports that 1500 angry students marched through the streets of Brisbane. Speakers ranged from the president of International Students Association to a speaker from the University of Queensland Lego Club — targeted by education minister Brendan Nelson in parliament. The message was a united acknowledgment that VSU threatens all clubs, university life and campus culture.
At an open speakout outside the offices of Liberal senators, Stella Riethmuller from the socialist youth organisation Resistance and an activist on Queensland College of Arts, called for students "to join May Day to show solidarity with unions under attack from the Coalition government's industrial relations reform plan".
At a speakout earlier that day on University of Queensland, Jonathan Hames, the Queensland president of the National Union of Students argued "VSU is nothing but revenge on student organisations for our opposition to the Howard government's policies regarding increasing university fees".
A large crowd of University of Western Australia students gathered to hear representatives from clubs on campus such as Resistance, Queer Collective, UWA Labour and UWA Greens before joining the main rally in Perth, reports Thad Bochat.
UWA Vice-Chancellor Alan Robson stressed that despite other differences, it was important for students and the administration to unite against this regressive legislation. UWA students joined others in the city, with 200 students marching to the doors of Liberal Party headquarters at Menzies House, chanting "come out, come out, tell us what you're about".
In Adelaide, Sam King reported that more than 250 students marched from the University of Adelaide to Parliament House. The march — called only a few days before it took place — heard from Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja, and ALP parliamentarian Kate Ellis.
President of the Students Association of the University of Adelaide (SAUA) Dave Pearson questioned the federal government's right to abolish compulsory student unionism when it was wasting its own compulsory tax revenues to wage war in Iraq.
The march and rally was organised as one component of a day-long "Make Some Noise" event designed to demonstrate popular support for universal student unionism. "Make Some Noise" involved speakers, bands, comedians, campus clubs and circulation of pro-student unionism materials.
Chanting "hell no, we won't go, hell yes, democracy's best", 250 Southern Cross University students, staff and supporters marched through Lismore, reports Nick Fredman. Speakers included representative from the SCU Student Representative Council, University Union and Law Society, and the unions on campus who pointing out that more than 150 local jobs were at stake.
Afterwards, participants rallied at federal National Party MP Ian Causley's office, where Causley told the crowd that he would "take your concerns to Canberra" and that "maybe the legislation can be tinkered with around the edges".
In Canberra, Amy McDonell reported that more than 200 students from the Australian National University took part in National Day of Action. Students wearing black armbands to mark the death of student services under VSU gathered around a makeshift cemetery to hear speakers at an on-campus rally before marching into the city.
More than 300 students chanted "VSU is not a choice, give students back their voice" when they joined the rally and march at Wollongong University the day before the national protests, reports Grant Coleman. In the lead-up the protest the Education Action Collective had distributed 100 "Stop VSU" t-shirts (in only one hour), covered the campus in posters and stickers and had spoken to students about VSU at most lectures that week.
Rallies were held in other cities with 350 protesting in Armidale, 300 in Gippsland, and 150 in Wodonga.
The increased attendance by trade unionists (in comparison to previous rallies), combined with plans by many student groups to participate in May Day protests, indicated that there have been steps forward in building a united front against PM John Howard's attacks on everybody's right to organise.
This was highlighted by the Victorian secretary for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, Martin Kingham, at the rally in Melbourne. Emphasising the need for students and workers to "fight around a common cause", Kingham added: "This federal Government is hell-bent on destroying any form of collective community power."
Across the country contingents from the NTEU, the Community and Public Sector Union, and the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union, the three main unions that cover staff on campus, joined the rallies. In Melbourne the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the CFMEU and the Rail, Tram and Bus Drivers Union attended, whilst the CFMEU had a contingent in Sydney.
In many places further actions are already planned or underway. In Brisbane, students voted to rally again on May 19, to continue momentum to stop the VSU legislation. The day coincides with a rally already called by the Sydney University Education Action Group and endorsed by the NSW branch of NUS. Melbourne students are planning to protest again on May 11, whilst at UWA a shutdown of student services is being organised by the Student Guild to dramatise what it will mean for students to lose their guild.
From Green Left Weekly, May 4, 2005.
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