As members are aware, many student amenities and events at the Northern Territory University are funded through the Student Union membership fees. I recall the debate that we had at the Council of the University College of the NT, and later the Northern Territory University Council, to bring in the compulsory Student Union fees. Can the minister inform the House if the Federal Government’s proposed amendment to the Higher Education Funding Act will jeopardise student amenities and events at the NTU.

ANSWER

Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question and the short answer is the fact that, yes indeed, if this legislation was to pass, there are some potentially significant funding implications for the Northern Territory University. One thing that should be pointed out is, what we’re talking about in this particular case with the Northern Territory Student’s Union, is that it is really a union in name only. It is not a union in the traditional sense of the word, and while I’m sure most members of this particular House would be agin the concept of compulsory unionism, we are talking about students paying an amenities fee - a fee for amenities that are enjoyed by all students who attend the Northern Territory University.

That’s the issue at hand at the moment. There is no doubt there needs to be an option for students to be able to opt out of any political type of activity or funding from that side of things, and certainly we’ll be looking very closely ..

Ms Martin interjecting.

Mr ADAMSON: Obviously the Leader of the Opposition doesn’t like this answer, and yet I would have thought that many of the things we are talking about the opposition would be agreeing with, but I think the Leader of the Opposition is, quite frankly, half asleep as usual.

If we are talking about the funding of student amenities, it must come from somewhere. You can put up an excellent case to say that the students themselves should be asked to make a contribution - and it is only a part contribution ultimately - for the amenities which they enjoy, and it’s in that context that the current legislation before the federal parliament is of concern, if it was passed.