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24 March 2005
Vice-chancellor Professor Richard Larkins and student union leaders from across Monash University have presented a united front against voluntary student unionism.
Professor Larkins has joined Gippsland Student Union president Mr Sean McLoughlin, Clayton Monash Student Association president Mr Nick Richardson, Pensinsula Student Union president Mr Arthur Wasiak, and Monash Union of Berwick Students president Mr Tim Szalek in opposing the Federal Government's proposed legislation enabling voluntary payments of student union fees.
Union fees subsidise student support services such as childcare, welfare and community services, student-run restaurants, clubs and societies, student rights advocacy services and student papers and radio stations.
Mr Szalek said the proposed legislation would cut services and facilities across the university's campuses and could severely impact people's ability to attend university.
"This legislation will mean things like counselling services will no longer be provided to students by the university," he said.
"The age at which students start university is a critical time in their lives - it is a stage between high school and work where many people are finding themselves, they rely on the networks provided by the social clubs and societies established through student unions."
The united front presented by the student unions and the university administration is unprecedented in the university's recent history.
Professor Larkins said the unity stemmed from his belief in the importance of student unions and the services they provided.
He said the proposed legislation jeopardised the viability of many extracurricular activities at the university and would cost thousands of jobs Australia-wide.
"We believe the educational experience for students is much more than lectures, books and the internet.
"Portraying the activities of student associations as predominantly political and akin to a union is trivialising their substantial contributions to student life and the student experience," Professor Larkins said.
Mr McLoughlin said introducing the legislation would kill the university community.
"Services and facilities across campuses will cease to exist which will equate to a pretty sad university experience in 2006, unless we do something to stop it.
"If student associations don't have the capacity to guarantee a source of funding then we can't survive. This would be a terrible outcome for the students and the community," he said.
For further information contact Mr Sean McLoughlin on 0412 556 857 or Ms Ingrid Sanders in Media Communications on +61 3 9905 9201 or 0437 458 457.
For more information, see:
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Statement from the Student Unions of Monash University and the Administration of Monash University (MS word, 28kb)
(Text version - 2.6kb)
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Monash Union of Berwick Students, Media Release (MS word, 62kb)
(Text version - 1.9kb)
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Monash Student Union, Peninsula campus, Media Release (MS word, 202kb),
(Text version - 5.25kb)
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Monash University Gippsland Student Union, Media Release (MS word, 55kb)
(Text version - 2.4kb)
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Monash Student Association (MS word, 128kb)
(Text version - 7.4kb)
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