No Quick Fix On VSU

In a statement today, Nigel Palmer, National President of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA), sought to address some mis-conceptions following from recent media reports regarding VSU.

"I think it's naive to suggest that it could be possible to come up with some kind of 'quick fix' for a problem like VSU. VSU is what happens when you ram through legislation on some obscure ideological agenda irrespective of the consequences“ and the consequences have been huge.

The worst stories are from those campuses where you can't even get someone on the phone any more. Places where there used to be a vibrant hub where students could come when they needed guidance or if they had a problem. Many of those places are now closed. There are many cases where the lights are out and nobody's home, where the staff who've for many years been committed to providing quality student services have all been made redundant. You can't tell me that the federal government's reckless legislation has not had a devastating effect. This has impacted on students, and it has also impacted on the international competitiveness of our universities.

Even on those campuses where Vice Chancellors have adopted a responsible approach to supporting student services, the quality of those services is severely diminished and remaining resources are stretched very thin. Basically, people are trying to cover the same bases they covered before, despite losing two-thirds, three quarters or even 100% of their funding. Many are doing this on a volunteer basis, not because of some political ideology, but because they're personally committed to quality student services, especially when it comes to welfare and advocacy.

Our view is that Labor has taken a responsible approach in regard to VSU. They have acknowledged the need for quality student services and amenities, and they have acknowledged the need for adequately supported independent representation and advocacy. They, along with everyone else in the sector, are forward looking about this, about fixing the damage done by the Federal Government's disastrous VSU legislation.

We look forward to continuing to work with Labor and the other political parties on coming up with strategies focused on fixing the problems. We're keen to work with the Coalition too, if they're interested in reversing some of the damage they've caused.