Student unionism in Australia
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Australia's universities are home to a variety of different student union groups, providing a range of political, commercial and other services to students. The sector has undergone substantial change in recent years, with a decline in participation, intervention by university administrations, and the end of compulsory membership arrangements.
Although names such as union, student association, representative council and guild are common, in practice they provide little insight into an organisation's role on campus. In addition, some organisations have chosen to rebrand using entirely new names, with the term "union" in particular considered to be the source of misunderstandings about their role. Students at Macquarie University and Arc at the University of New South Wales are examples of this trend. Where campus unions are being replaced with university-owned corporate entities, non-traditional names such as UWS Connect and UniCentre are becoming common.
History
The rise of Australian student unions
The National Union of Australian University Students was formed in 1937, and held its first council meeting in 1938.[1] The meetings were held annually and council members would initially discuss issues of textbook availability, scholarship awards, and daily student, though during World War II, the council would also discuss the extent to which universities and university students should be able to support the war efforts.[1]
In the 1950s, the composition of the student body changed radically. The Menzies Government founded new technically oriented universities, like the University of New South Wales, and expanded the role of the technical tertiary colleges. This was in response to a perceived lack of graduate labour in the Australian economy. Increasingly, working class students were able to access University through teacher-training schemes, veterinary preference schemes, and other avenues. Bonded in labour to a government authority, these students could exert some level of pressure against their future "employer" by joining a union and protecting the rights of newer graduates with little real life experience and new to the workforce. A similar wave of increased tertiary funding in the 1970s under the Whitlam Government saw the foundation of mostly regional tertiary campuses. The opening up of higher education to a broader social group coincided with a period of popular student unionism in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.
Voluntary student unionism
A new National Union of Students was established to replace AUS, this time with a structure designed to make it harder for constituent organisations to disaffiliate.
The collapse of AUS coincided with a hardening of attitudes on the right of politics towards student unionism. State and federal Liberal parties began to consider policies to stop student organisations from using funding from compulsory universal membership on left-wing political activities.
VSU began to gain legislative traction in the 1990s, with variations on the idea being briefly implemented in Western Australia and Victoria. VSU was also the policy of the Howard government, in power federally from 1996. Although Labor reversed the state VSU initiatives, the federal government brought in VSU legislation using its new Senate majority in 2005. VSU came into full effect at the beginning of 2007.
Union Structure
Campus unions have traditionally been responsible for the provision of commercial services, such as food and retail outlets, and activity programs, such as those associated with orientation week. The advent of voluntary student unionism and the impact of a number of financial scandals at student organisations have prompted many universities to significantly alter the structure of campus service delivery. At a number of universities, campus unions are assuming responsibility for student council activities.
Often student councils represent the interests of students to universities and to government. Many provide additional services including legal advice and student media outlets. At many universities, student council services are provided by a single-structure campus union (see below).
Dual-structure
Campus unions that operate as part of a dual structure are in which an organisationally separate student council is present. Even among dual-structure campuses, organisational structure differs markedly.
| University | Student Representative Council | Service Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Australian National University | Australian National University Students' Association | Australian National University Union (Note ANU Union is solely responsible for running businesses, all services provided by ANUSA. |
| Macquarie University | Macquarie University Students' Council | Students at Macquarie |
| RMIT University | RMIT Student Union | RMIT Union |
| Southern Cross University | Southern Cross University Students' Association | Southern Cross University Union |
| Swinburne University of Technology | Swinburne Student Union | Swinburne Student Amenities Association (University owned, operated and controlled) |
| University of Adelaide | Adelaide University Student Representative Council[2] | Adelaide University Union |
| University of Canberra | University of Canberra Students' Representative Council | University of Canberra Union |
| University of New England | University of New England Student Association (UNESA) | University of New England Student Association (UNESA) |
| University of Newcastle | Newcastle University Students' Association,| Newcastle University Postgraduate Students' Association[3] | UoN Services Limited, Campus Central & NUSport |
| University of Sydney | University of Sydney Students Representative Council | University of Sydney Union |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | University of the Sunshine Coast Student Representative Council | |
| University of Technology, Sydney | UTS Students' Association | UTS Union |
| University of New South Wales | UNSW SRC | Arc @ UNSW |
Single-structure
Campus unions that operate as part of a single structure, are in which student council services are provided by a division or department of the union.
Postgraduate organisations
At many universities, postgraduate students are represented by separate student organisations. Given the smaller numbers - and relative time-poverty - of postgrads, these organisations tend to be smaller and are significantly under-resourced when compared to general or undergraduate groups. At a national level, postgrads are represented by the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations.