Roger Douglas

By Paloma Migone of NZPA

Wellington, May 26 NZPA - Voluntary university student association membership would diversify student representation on campus, a parliamentary committee was told today.

Students presented their submissions on ACT Party MP Sir Roger Douglas' Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill at an education and science select committee hearing today.

The bill aimed at ending compulsory association membership was supported by the National Party on its first reading, but has been hotly contested by student association representatives.

However, former Victoria University student Gavin Middleton said the bill would encourage the expression of diverse political opinion.

"I believe advocacy on campus should be representing the view of all students not the views of a narrow majority, which is what most student associations, certainly the time I was at university, have done," he said.

"The associations claim to speak on behalf of all students, but the fact is, student bodies like any significant group of people have diverse opinions."

"For the student association to claim that they represent all students and interests of all students is straight out wrong."

Mr Middleton, currently an executive at Organics New Zealand, said compulsory membership also removed accountability and responsibility from student associations as they were guaranteed an annual income.

His views were supported by two third-year Victoria University students, Udayan Mukherjee and Tom Mathews.

"The current system really doesn't look at minority groups of the community. People should be able to choose what advocacy groups are going to represent their interests," Mr Mathews.

Mr Mukherjee said Victoria University Students Association had "monopolised student voices on a whole range of issues".

For UniQ Victoria, a group supporting the gay community at Victoria University, student associations have facilitated minority group representation.

"All of the executive works on a volunteer basis. We wouldn't work without having financial support from the student associations. Without having their staff and resources to work with ... UniQ would not be able to function," UniQ national representative Rachel Wright said.

"I fear that if this bill is brought in, the student associations would lose funding, a lot of that support would go, and UniQ would be left without the power we have at the moment.

"That would affect a lot of the welfare and political services we provide."

New Zealand Public Service Association national secretary Brenda Pilott said she feared student associations would not be able to offer services with the proposed changes, and the responsibility would fall to the institutions.

"[The associations] deliver services which are very much part of what students go to university for. They go there to learn, but they also go to grow in a number of ways," she said.

"They are a healthy part of overall democratic fabric. They have elections on a much more regular basis than we do.

"We think the current set up provides ample opportunities for people to opt in or opt out as they choose.

"The student associations don't need to be fixed."