Compulsory student unionism through the back door

03-November-2008

Shadow Minister for Youth, Mrs Sophie Mirabella MP has today labelled the Rudd Government’s re-establishment of a compulsory fee of $250 per student at universities as “a major blow to young students in Australia.”

“Minister for Youth Kate Ellis’s announcement today of a compulsory $250 fee for university students is devastating news to young Australian students right across the country. It is an irony that at a time when seniors are being offered cash bonuses, young people who are studying for a degree are being slugged with an extra tax,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“The bottom line is that this is a tax on students. It’s a compulsory fee for services that students may never utilise. Young people will be the real losers with this visit to the past Labor has been dreaming of,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“Ms Ellis and Education Minister, Julia Gillard must give answers to devastated young Australians who will be asking - Exactly what ‘student services’ are these fees to be used for? Who will decide how these fees are spent? If it’s the student union, then this is clearly about restoring the union power base on campus, not about restoring important services.”

“Labor’s blind ideology means no Australian student can get a degree without forking out dollars to pay for non-educational services.”

“At a time of economic uncertainty with the global financial crises which is affecting Australia, the Rudd Government has disgracefully moved to tax slug young Australians at university, some of whom are already having trouble making ends met,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“The Coalition was very proud in 2006 to remove the burden of Compulsory Student Union fees from Australian Students. After Labor’s pre-election promise that this issue will not be revisited – this is clearly a betrayal,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.