ACT’s newest policy is giving students false hope for cheaper study costs.
Under its proposed tertiary policy, students would be able to opt out of paying Student Services Fees, which currently help everything from our health services to UniRec to this very magazine. ACT argues this would give students more choice and could save them up to $4,000 over the course of a degree. But calling this “choice” misses the point: students are not subscribing to a university.
Student media, advocacy, counselling, clubs, events and representation like our WSU board exist because students collectively fund them. They provide infrastructure that individuals benefit from even when they never directly use it.
After passing the Voluntary Student Membership bill in 2011, ACT is on a roll at making student life an expensive living hell.
ACT’s proposal takes something collective and turns it into an individual transaction. There is something deeply ironic about selling this as a policy for students while undermining the institutions that allow students to organise collectively. University doesn’t have to be a place where you only get a degree; it creates opportunities to meet people, form communities, broaden your interests and circles, and puts you ahead when your time to leave uni comes.
If ACT genuinely wants to reduce the cost of university, it should address the cost of university – not dismantle the community around it. Students deserve cheaper education, not cheaper experiences. Fees Free meant students were eligible for up to $12,000 off their tuition fees, really puts this measly and irrelevant $4,000 to shame.
