Last week, thousands of students joined rallies and marches organised by the National Union of Students (NUS) and cross-campus committees as part of a national week of action to protest against the federal government's proposed tertiary education funding cuts.
Emma Webb writes from Adelaide that 5000 students attended a rally on May 23. The students marched to the Department of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, where they voted unanimously for five demands — no cuts to education, no fees or increases in HECS, no restriction of Austudy or reduction in its payments, in support of the National Tertiary Education and Industry Union's (NTEU) pay claim, and to defend and extend the public sector.
The rally then marched via federal minister Amanda Vanstone's office to Parliament House to deliver the demands to state education minister Bob Such.
Representatives of the Public Service Association and the NTEU addressed the rally, which was also supported by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and the Public Transport Union.
Adelaide students will be participating in the NTEU's national day of action rally on May 30.
In the largest demonstration in Hobart for a decade, 2000 students participated in a rally there on May 22. Kylie Moon and Mathew Munro report that at the University of Tasmania, the union building was closed and classes cancelled for two hours as students and staff marched through the city chanting "Education — a right not a privilege" and "No fees, no way. Can't pay, won't pay".
A contingent from the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) and many year 11 and 12 college students joined the rally. Office workers in the city also gave vocal support.
Speakers included the national general secretary of the NTEU, and the president of NUS, Lori Faraone, who called for a broad alliance of students, vice-chancellors, academic and staff unions, and state governments against the cuts. Vice-chancellor Don McNichol received loud applause for his outspoken opposition to the cuts.
At Parliament House, Sue Napier, Liberal state education minister, spoke about the disproportionate effect the proposed funding cuts would have on Tasmania, with only one university, and called for Tasmania to be quarantined from the cuts. ALP leader Michael Field, Greens leader Christine Milne and Hobart Lord Mayor Doone Kennedy also addressed the crowd.
The rally proceeded to the office of Liberal Senator Eric Abetz, where it heard speakers from the CPSU, the Australian Education Union, the Parents and Friends Association, a representative of postgraduate students and NUS.
The students occupied Abetz's office for an hour and vowed to come back every lunchtime until he spoke to them. The next day the Mercury newspaper quoted Abetz describing students as "yuppies running around with mobile phones" whose behaviour "will convince the average Australian that these universities do not deserve funding".
Ben Reid reports that some 1000 students rallied in Melbourne on May 22. The students were protesting against the federal government's planned cuts and against the Victorian Liberal government's voluntary student unionism (VSU) legislation.
David Taylor from NUS told the crowd: "It is now clear what the intention of Kennett's anti-student union legislation has been — to prevent student organisations from speaking out against the types of changes that are being proposed by the federal Howard government".
Students responded enthusiastically to a message of solidarity from the NTEU which called on students to back the academics' campaign against the cuts and for a pay rise by supporting their 24-hour stoppage on May 30.
The students marched through the city to Parliament House, where a representative of TAFE students spoke about the continuing attempts by some college administrations to shut down student unions.
Michael Sloggett in Wollongong relates that more than 700 university students, academics and general staff rallied on May 22, halting both work and classes. Speakers from the Student Representative Council, CPSU, NTEU, Miscellaneous Workers' Union (MWU) and NUS expressed their opposition to education funding cuts, VSU legislation, increases in HECS, cuts to Austudy and up-front fees.
Perhaps the most important message of the rally, expressed in both words and attendance, was that students, academics and workers are all involved in the same struggle. In the words of the MWU's Noreen Haye, "Your education is our employment".
The crowd then marched to the administration building, where SRC president Laura Wilson put a list of demands to the vice-chancellor, Gerard Sutton. These included support for the May 30 academics' strike, opposition to VSU legislation, increased student representation on the university council and opposition to funding cuts.
Sutton expressed agreement with the last demand only, saying that one student on the university council is sufficient, he doesn't believe in strike action, and he would express no direct opposition to VSU.
John Minns, a Department of History and Politics lecturer, outlined the way from here: "We strike, we picket, we demonstrate and we win!"