New Legislation Affecting Uni Students From 2006 (1 Viewer)

[cool boy 371]

alright fuckers i have returned, for one day only coz this is important and i know that on bos i have the power of numbers behind me

the federal government today is passing legislation that will mean that compulsory contributions by students towards the student union will be made voluntary - ie no-one will pay.

this will save us about $400 a year (considering the average is $200/semester).

however - this $200 is coming at quite a price. for my university anyway. i am interested to know what the situation will be like with yours.

i am an employee of the uts union at kuringai, and enjoy my job. i will be losing it. so will all of my fellow employees. the bar will no longer be operating at such a cheap price and providing employment. the eatery will be jacking up its prices because it will no longer be subsidiesed by the not-for-profit union. clubs and societies that arent' huge will cease to have the resources to exist. sport and recreation days will cease to exist. the union gym will cease to function at such a cheap price. the daily entertainment (movie screenings, live bands, stand up comedians, etc) will not be able to come, as there won't be the resources to pay for them.

it's all well and good to say 'yes, but if you want them, then you can pay for it - it's voluntary'.......but how is one voluntary payment of $200 going to be able to cover all of these things? if they make live bands at lunchtime etc tickets only, how is it gonna b practical to kick people out of the eatery that were already in there to start off with, so people without tickets didnt get to view it without paying?

the fact of the matter is that the government believes that in this day and age, it shouldn't be compulsory to be part of a union. however, i believe that it is situations ike this that show's their value - however their power is overruled by that of the federal government, as they have the power in both houses and effectively can pass almost any legislation which they want to.

the majority of campus life will be gone this time next year, because of this.

$200 a semester is really not a big contribution in the scheme of things, and it provides good value when you think of all the social events, food, drinks, gyms, clubs, activities, parties, trips and services (doctors, legal advice, councelling) that they provide

i know that students struggle for money - i have $30 to my name at the moment........but i would rather have $400 a year out of pocket and enjoy my university experience than university being 'just class' --- these are supposed to be the best days of our lives, and they're being taken away by the federal government's shithouse new legislation that they're about to pass the bill on.

i am interested on your thoughts in the matter - and i truly believe that this is a case where the student community ------ bos has heaps of members ------ can come together, and this internet forum can actually be used to it's maximum potetntial by us all uniting as one for once (ironic as that may seem coming from me)

please let me know of your thoughts, and hopefully we can all rally together and make a difference.

a politician's weakness is their desire for votes........we are all students and young voters - they won't want to get us all offside

we need to make a difference, coz i really dont want my years of university to be boring, or yours

so let me know what you think........and let's all make a difference.

thanks and have a good day

matt coss

 

[cool boy 371]

Student union says fees abolition a joke
12:15 AEDT Wed Mar 16 2005


The federal government was about to implement a scorched earth policy on university campuses with its bill to abolish compulsory student union fees, the National Union of Students (NUS) has said.

The move would make Australia an international joke, NUS president Felix Eldridge said.

Education Minister Brendan Nelson has introduced a bill to parliament to abolish student unions' compulsory collection of fees at universities and make student union membership voluntary.

He told parliament that students at Australia's higher education institutions were denied the right of freedom of association but the proposed law would give them choices.

Mr Eldridge said that at universities around the world, for over 100 years, student organisations and student service fees had funded everything on campus other than purely academic activities.

"What the minister and the government is paying to do is absolutely ridiculous," he told reporters.



"It will make Australia's universities into an international joke and it will make them a lot less internationally competitive.

"(The government) has expressed concerns but the policy that they have now is a scorched earth policy," he said.

Mr Eldridge said he had been granted a meeting with Education Minister Brendan Nelson on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

"I hope he's going to explain to us how on earth he thinks universities are going to continue to provide all the services they've provided for over 100 years, after this legislation's been passed," he said.

"What they want to do is get rid of childcare, get rid of welfare services, get rid of food and beverage facilities on campuses, get rid of pretty much everything other than lectures and tutorials on university campuses, regardless of the things that are provided by student organisations.

"Everyone contributes because everyone benefits from something that's provided.




©AAP 2005

 

[Estel]

In case you haven't noticed, there's been a whole heap of USU and VSU discussion here with the numbers quite evenly divided.

 

[Xayma]

Oh no, you might lose your job.

Let me ask, how does the pay at what you do compare to the pay off campus?

 

[abey85]

Well, when you look at the big picture, considering students have to buy new books every semester, purchase equipment, transport costs etc, $400 is quite alot. Calling it a trivial amount for the sake of your job is selfish.

 

[Xayma]

Pfft it's too late now the VSU lacks balls.

It's stupid, see other thread.

 

[abey85]

Pfft it's too late now the VSU lacks balls.

It's stupid, see other thread.

I'm a little behind on the issue. Is it still likely to go through, or has it been rubbished?

 

[Xayma]

It's still going through, but the fines for a University charging compulsory fee's is only $100 per HECS allocation per year.

This is very little money, I think the Universities will keep the fee's purely so the attraction to overseas students remain in the campus life, and it won't cost them much more then the slack they would have to pick up in support services if the unions vanished.

 

[Minai]

If the universities ignore the legislation, they will be operating illegally, and I doubt they'd want to do that, since that'd open the door to litigation (students taking uni's to court at being forced to pay a fee which they have a legal right not to) etc

 

[Xayma]

Hmm it might have some uses after all. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[Plebeian]

If the universities ignore the legislation, they will be operating illegally, and I doubt they'd want to do that, since that'd open the door to litigation (students taking uni's to court at being forced to pay a fee which they have a legal right not to) etc

Is it actually illegal though? I thought that since the Federal Government doesn't have power over education, they couldn't make USU actually illegal, they could just penalise universities that had it by giving them less grant money.

 

[withoutaface]

Whatever the case, the bill needs more balls to stop the uni's charging us union fees + $100

 

[Minai]

Is it actually illegal though? I thought that since the Federal Government doesn't have power over education, they couldn't make USU actually illegal, they could just penalise universities that had it by giving them less grant money.

Either way, the Government will find a way to control it somehow, with their majority they can do whatever they like can't they?

 

[withoutaface]

Either way, the Government will find a way to control it somehow, with their majority they can do whatever they like can't they?

But given that education is essentially a state responsibility, and given that the NSW govt is a Labor one, methinks they would have diffculty pushing such laws through so as to make USU actually 'illegal' without majorly upsetting the states.

 

[Minai]

Hmm, well then won't uni's have an incentive to just pay the fines as the benefits of USU (to them) would outstrip the cost? (As Xayma, I think, pointed out)

 

[withoutaface]

Hmm, well then won't uni's have an incentive to just pay the fines as the benefits of USU (to them) would outstrip the cost? (As Xayma, I think, pointed out)

Yeah, which is why the fines need to be higher (as in like 10-20x).