ARTICLE 2 STAND UP, SPEAK UP, PROTECT AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE!

larger more severe reforms HAVE NOT been imposed onto this countries tertiary education system
BECAUSE of student organisations.

for several years now the libs have been attempting to imposed "wedge  tactics" attacks on
universities. They have been playing at students prejudice, apathy, and short sightedness on
issues that affect them. The liberal's majority in senate has now allowed them to attack universities
and turn them into "ivy league" and "trade" universities respectively.

Unfortunately for many students, student organisations have been wrongly associated with the
defense of a minority. this is not true. Although the minorities in society need support, these are not
the only issues student bodies have defended. Many people are also prejudice towards certain
minorities, (gays, blacks, imigrants, mixed background people etc). Although not all of these
issues are socially accepted as being “OK” to openly hate, one issue that still is accepted as
“OK” to publicly support is the hatred shown towards gays.Subsequently many people have tagged
WRONGFULLY student unionism with GAY PRIDE, in an attempt to tap into people’s prejudice.
People holding prejudices against gays, then think they have to support VSU because they do not
like gays. although hating a person due to sexual orientation is wrong, This is an unfortunate
situation with some people. The closed mindedness of these hate actions has lead our university
societies to inevitably self implode on ourselves. We are destroying our voice due to our own
selfishness, and hatred!

Our own hates and apathetic views have blinded us to what a student organisation means.

Simply, student organisations mean this: WE ARE UNITED.
Simply, voluntary student organisations means this: WE AR DIVIDED

Or put in a simpler phrase, UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL!

Let’s get one thing correct, what we learn within our university society is then transposed to the
larger society we merge into. OUR COUNTRY.

If every facet of our lives is dictated by a "users pay system" you will find that the society you
grow up in will be divided into trillions of minority groups.  THIS IS NOT THE IDEA OF A COHESIVE
SOCIETY!!

As the Sherif, "robber's cave" psychology study showed, group formation, and INTEGRATION 
is essential to develop a cohesive group/society. VSU does not promote integration, it promotes
segregation.

the implementation of VSU not only plays on our inherent selfishness, bias, apathy, short
sightedness etc but also will inevitably play on the "bystander's effect" 

"DON'T WORRY, SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO IT"
"...NAH, I DON'T NEED TO SIGN UP TO BECOME A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE, SOMEONE
ELSE WILL DO IT"

It’s up to you as a student to realise that you can either involve yourself in your university, in your
student organisations and subsequently have control, and a voice over what happens with your
uni, or you can throw the issue to the wolves. As a student your responsibility is to protect your
interests, and the interest of others. Your decision to dismantle the student organisation will
inevitably lead to a UNATAINABLE, OVERLY EXPENSIVE AND MINORITY DRIVEN UNIVERSITY
SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE.

To destroy the student organisations through the euphemism of VSU is tantamount to throwing
away this countries development of future natural assets, the tertiary educated pool of talent. WHY?
SIMPLE! A university system with no voice, or should i say, a voluntary voice is one that is
extremely vulnerable to the whims of outside change.

DON'T BE MISTAKEN THERE IS A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN WORKPLACE REFORM
AND UNIVERSITY REFORM! Unions were destroyed within the workplace and now in 2005 the
Howard government WITH A MAJORITY IN SENATE WILL BRING IN THE FOLLOWING:

-remove redundancy pay, penalty rates, long service leave
-remove unfair dismissal protection for workers in SMB's (Australian business' are made up of
approx 70% small medium business)
-all people in health, education community service and essential service workers will be STRIPPED
OF THE RIGHT TO PROTEST!! Isn’t this a democracy?

SO HOW DOES WORK PLACE REFORM AFFECT ME AS A STUDENT? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU
TALKING ABOUT?

Simple. to destroy something, first you must weaken the base structure, the supports. In this case,
the student organisations. In all facets of society the structure to all elements is unity, correct? We
live under a united political system; we all elect a PM and then live under that party for 3 years or
so. IF YOU DISMANTLE THE BASE TO ALL UNIVERISTIES, THE STUDENT BODIES, IT WOULD BE
LIKE BUILDING A STRONG UNIVERSITY ON QUICKSAND. Nothing represents it, there is no voice,
and the few representations that it DOES have is reliant on an extremely dedicated minority with
little to no voice to make a change.

brace yourselves, because if VSU is installed not only will you see huge changes in UWS and all
other uni’s in 4 years, but in 4 years time some of you might not even be able to afford your course!!
If you show apathy to the present, it's going to bite you back 10 FOLD IN THE FUTURE!

HECS WAS INTRODUCED UNDER A LABOUR GOVERNMENT, BUT IT IS THE LIBERAL
GOVERNMENT THAT WILL EVENTUALLY PRIVATISE, DISENFRANCHISE AND MAKE UNIVERISTY
EDUCATION A COMMODITY THAT IS OUT OF REACH OF ALL OF US. 

Ask yourself this question: DO I WANT MY CHILDREN TO HAVE THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE TO GO
TO UNIVERSITY LIKE I HAVE DONE? IF YOU DO, THEN SAY NO TO VSU BECAUSE VSU, LIKE
WORPLACE REFORMS WILL LEAD TO INEQUALITIES AND AN UNDEMOCRATIC SYSTEM THAT
YOU COULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED.If you choose to avoid reality, wait until all the workplace
reforms occur for a taste of the future.


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