Education Minister Forces Fabricated Political Alliances

Ethan Switch - Friday, 2 April 2004 - 09:31:06 - print it raw

The recent National Day of Action orchestrated by the National Union of Students, in opposition to the escalating rise in HECS fees, presented a few student protestors with their first eyeball taste of pepper spray. Falling out of that is the Federal Education Minister's inability to comprehend non-exisitent political alliances of NUS.

Coupled with anxiety over the unexpectedly expected call date for the federal election of this year and figuring that any union is a union in support of the Labor Party, Brendon Nelson attempted to attack NUS and the ALP in one fell swoop.

With what is considered a rather uneducated accusation, Nelson said, "The National Union of Students, which organised today's protests, supports the Labor Party. The federal Labor Party must therefore take some responsibility for not doing more to prevent today's violence. Mark Latham should immediately condemn those who engaged in these activities and counsel his education spokesperson."

NUS President Jodie Jansen responded with, "NUS will not be calling for a vote in favour of the ALP or any other political party. However, we will be trying to make the defence of a properly funded, public and accessible education system a key election issue. We will also be releasing detailed evaluations of what the different political parties are offering. Unless the Government makes significant improvements to its higher education polices in the coming months we will also be recommending that Coalition be voted last."