Voluntary Student Unionism

Voluntary student unionism (VSU), as it is known in Australia, or voluntary student membership (VSM), as it is referred to in New Zealand, is a policy under which membership of – and payment of membership fees to – university student organisations is voluntary.

Australia passed legislation enacting VSU in 2005, which came into force on July 1, 2006. Forms of VSU in Australia had been law in the state of Western Australia from 1994 until 2002, and in Victoria from 1994 to 2000.

New Zealand passed legislation enacting VSM in 2011, rules which came into force on January 1, 2012.

Arguments for and against VSU typically fall into three broad categories: civil rights impacts, social impacts, and economic impacts.

Requiring membership of student organisations is seen by some as a form of forced unionisation, contrary to freedom of association. Alternatively it may be seen as being required to belong to a professional organisation, in which case it would merely be a means of ensuring standards.

Supporters of VSU compare the compulsory charging of membership levies to extortion. Those who argue that a student union is roughly equivalent to a workers' union note that compelling, or forbidding, union membership is illegal in Australian workplaces. Others note that student unions are not structured like trade unions, have different goals and methods and have become in modern time, providers of important services for students.

Supporters of VSU argue that leadership of student organisations tend to be particularly drawn from the Left, which they argue is reflective of an aggressive leftist culture in universities, but which is not representative of the whole student body. This is seen in New Zealand universities, also. Opponents of VSU state that electoral processes are open to students of any political persuasion and that students have the right to vote for whichever candidates they feel represent them. Additional to this any elected representative can be rolled from a position by means of a vote of no confidence from the membership.

In a similar vein, opponents of VSU argue that it silences students' voices by removing universal membership of a student organisation. The National Union of Students (NUS) is an umbrella organisation for most (though not all) representative and advocacy-providing student organisations; at present it organises national programs and days of action (for example) and undertakes activities such as parliamentary submissions and media relations. It is probable that the NUS's activities will be severely curtailed as VSU has left many student unions unable to pay full dues to the NUS. The fact that any given student union would also represent a significantly smaller part of their university's student body would make it much harder to gain media attention and funds to be an effective pressure group. VSU supporters counter that the NUS and member bodies used students' money for political ends, some of which were supported by only left wing students.

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