Fees ban considered to curb radical Left

ALMOST 30 years before John Howard succeeded in making student unionism voluntary, the Fraser government considered banning the use of student union fees for political campaigns and creating a right for individuals to opt out of student body membership and fees.

ALMOST 30 years before John Howard succeeded in making student unionism voluntary, the Fraser government considered banning the use of student union fees for political campaigns and creating a right for individuals to opt out of student body membership and fees.

Cabinet members were deeply worried about the dominance of student politics by the radical Left, and were concerned student funds were being used for inappropriate causes, including violent or illegal activities. But the situation was complicated by the fact that state governments were in charge of tertiary institutions rather than the commonwealth.

Papers released by the National Archives of Australia reveal the Fraser government secretly canvassed options to deal with the issue, including creating a new criminal offence for student bodies that supported acts of violence.

The government also considered funding legal action by students against particular universities or student organisations, or the Australian Union of Students.

However, then education minister John Carrick acknowledged this would be a costly and not necessarily successful way of dealing with the problem. Instead, he recommended cabinet urge the states to legislate to ensure student funds were used only for "legitimate student purposes" and that students could opt out of student body membership and fees on the grounds of conscience.

University rules should also ensure democratic processes were properly followed in student affairs. Sir John said the government could consider using its financial powers to legislate nationally, but this would be a "heavy-handed approach to which all states would certainly object".