Maryan Street

Wellington, Sept 11 NZPA - The benefits of compulsory student union membership will be revealed when a select committee examines a proposal to scrap compulsion, says Labour.

National confirmed today that it would support ACT's Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill to its first reading.

The member's bill, sponsored by ACT MP Roger Douglas, would require student unions to hold annual membership drives to receive their levies.

Under the current law, unions with compulsory membership can collect levies automatically as part of students' enrolment fees.

Associate Education minister Wayne Mapp confirmed National would support the bill at least as far as a select committee, where submissions on it would be heard.

National would listen to the views of submitters before deciding whether to support the bill further, he said.

"Students remain the only group in society forced to join a union," he said.

"Students should be able to make their own decision about joining a student association -- this ensures that their freedom of association is upheld."

In August last year National's then-tertiary education spokesperson Paul Hutchison told union representatives that the party would not support any changes to existing legislation.

Labour's tertiary education spokeswoman Maryan Street said today it was no surprise that National would back the proposal to the select committee.

Ms Street said the select committee would show that compulsory membership of student unions brought many benefits.

The problem with voluntary membership was that those benefits were not apparent to students attending university for the first time and they may not believe they provided value.

In 1998 National initiated binding referenda on campuses; while around half the polytechnic unions turned voluntary, Auckland and Waikato were the only university unions which opted to do so.

ACT has been the only party since to openly campaign for further law reform, and National distanced itself from the issue in the run-up to last year's election.