Cry of bias as Liberal students told to take a hike

A student union has been accused of ‘silencing Liberal voices on campus, after members were prevented from handing out leaflets.

Victorian Liberal Students ­Association president Charlotte Choi says several University of Melbourne students from her union were kicked off campus by security and barred from returning. Picture: David Geraghty

A student union has been accused of “silencing Liberal voices on campus” after members were prevented by security guards from handing out leaflets.

Victorian Liberal Students ­Association president Charlotte Choi said the episode highlighted a double standard, given left-wing activists such as Socialist Alternative and Safe Schools co-founder Roz Ward had not been prevented from campaigning on campus, ­despite not being University of Melbourne students.

Ms Choi said several VLSA members, who were also Univers­ity of Melbourne students, had been handing out flyers promoting their organisation on Wednesday.

“Security kicked them off campus and barred them from coming back because VLSA is not an ‘affiliated club’ of the university,” the politics and economics student said.

Ms Choi said the VLSA members had then removed all organisational branding, including T-shirts and banners, and tried to hand out leaflets in their ­capacity as University of Melbourne ­students.

“Union security did not allow them to hand out even as private individuals … and successfully drove the students from campus grounds,” she said.

Ms Choi said the university had a track record of allowing non-­affiliated left-wing activist organisations to campaign, citing the example of Ms Ward, who was photographed handing out Safe Schools leaflets during O-Week in 2018, and Socialist Alternative, members of which are present at the Parkville site almost every day during term.

She said there were “clear parallels” between the treatment of VLSA members and that of libertarian group Generation Liberty, which had its application for a stall at Queensland University of Technology’s O-Week knocked back because the youth group’s “brand” did not align with the student union’s values.

“Left-wing hypocrisy is rampant on university campuses and bankrolled by student money,” Ms Choi said. “This is yet another ­example of the student services and amenities fee-funded union silencing Liberal voices on campuses while the extremist Socialist Alternative have been enabled year after year. As SSAF payers, we should be allowed to express our views on campus.”

All university students in Australia must pay an annual $308 compulsory student services and amenities fee, which goes to the student union.

Union president Hannah ­Buchan said the VLSA members had been asked to leave an event called Summerfest. “UMSU-affiliated clubs were all allocated a stall, and were not allowed to promote their club outside of their space,” said Ms Buchan, who was elected as a member of the Labor Socialist Left-aligned group known on campus as Stand Up!.

“Any stallholders, including club stallholders, found approaching students outside of their stall were given several warnings before being asked to leave. All clubs have to adhere to the same rules and regulations to ensure the ­safety and enjoyment of students attending the event.”