Students are slamming today's Select Committee recommendation that the Act Party's Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill go forward. The recommendation ignores the 98% of submissions against it and is putting students' services, representation, and the quality of their education at major risk.

"This irresponsible recommendation is very disappointing. The government members of the Committee have failed to listen to students and the public. National has chosen to ignore the overwhelming opposition to the Bill, as well as the many compelling policy and practical arguments to maintain or enhance the current law," says NZUSA Co-President David Do.

The Committee received 4837 submissions on the Bill, with an overwhelming 98% opposed. Submitters against included thousands of students, the Human Rights Commission, Ako Aotearoa (National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence), Rural Women New Zealand, and many universities and polytechnics around the country. Only a mere 89 submissions supported the Bill.*

"The mainstream clearly supports the status quo. The Committee received and heard overwhelming evidence that students are served well by students' associations under the current law," says Do.

"National has previously sought to govern in a practical, pragmatic way, and look at what works best. It is therefore hard to understand why National has now chosen to ignore the evidence and the will of students and the public on this issue. Instead, National is choosing to reward a discredited fringe party by supporting this unwanted, unwarranted, destructive Act Party Bill," says Do.

Strong evidence in both Australia and New Zealand shows that this Bill will destroy student representation and welfare provision, and put student-owned services like Student Job Search at risk. Student life, events like Orientation, clubs, and sports will be at risk, and institutions and Government will face extra new costs.

"Generations of New Zealanders have gone through higher education and benefited from the good work and significant gains students' associations have made for students. Successive generations benefited from the many clubs, activities, services, facilities and representation of their students' associations. The Act Party Bill will kill off these opportunities for future generations of students," says NZUSA co-President Pene Delaney.

"The Act Party Bill is an ideological solution in search of a problem. It is bad policy to impose such upheaval and chaos when there are many bigger issues facing the tertiary sector and New Zealand right now. When the quality of education and the student experience is at stake, this Bill is simply not worth the risk," says Delaney.

"We call on National to see sense and reject the Act Party Bill. Students and the public will continue to campaign and rally for this Bill to be defeated in Parliament," concludes Delaney.

NZUSA is the national representative body for tertiary students and has been advocating on student issues since 1929.

* Note: This is based on an analysis of the substantive submissions supporting the Bill posted on the Parliament website.