Greens put union coffers before students

"The Greens believe in student power right up until a student says no. By promising to undo voluntary student membership, they want to drag students back to the Helen Clark days, when compulsory unionism was treated as normal," says ACT Tertiary Education spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.

"ACT ended compulsory student union membership in 2011 because freedom of association is protected by section 17 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. Universities then shifted the old association fee into a compulsory Student Services Fee, so students can still be made to fund union activity without even realising it. For a party that lectures everyone else about hardship and rights, putting union coffers ahead of students struggling with the cost of living is embarrassing.

"ACT will finish the job we started by making Student Services Fees voluntary. That could keep up to around $4,000 off a student’s loan over a degree. The Greens’ idea of student power is union bosses deciding where students’ money goes. ACT’s is students deciding for themselves."