Roy Heather: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Roy Heather: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:675;Page:21081] 
Hon HEATHER ROY (ACT) 
: 
 I will take a moment to respond to some of the concerns that have been raised this afternoon and I hope that the member who has just sat down Jacinda Ardern is happy with the Roy who is on her feet. 
I will start with the comments that have been made about democracy. The Green member Sue Kedgley said that the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill is an attack on democracy and in fact some Labour members also made that accusation. This could be an attack on democracy only if students were prevented from joining a students association. If members choose to read the bill carefully they will see that it is about voluntary membership which is a right that all students should have in a free and fair society. Nobody should be forced or compelled to pay a fee to join an association. Students should not be forced to join an association in order to be able to study which is the situation we have at the moment. In fact this bill just goes back to the original intent of students associations when they were first formed to be voluntary organisations— 
Grant Robertson 
: What? 
Hon HEATHER ROY 
: I can tell Mr Robertson that they were not compulsory when they started and this bill takes them back to the original intent. 
There was some commentary from the member Jacinda Ardern about communication with members. In fact of late we have seen appalling communication from students associations with their membership. Incorporated societies decide for themselves what information is given. So the clauses that Jacinda Ardern was promoting in the name of the member Grant Robertson are not necessary because incorporated societies will decide for themselves what information is communicated with members and how democratic elections will be run. 
Some comments have also been made about the transitional provisions in clause 9. If a concern is that the transition time is now too short Labour members need only look at their own behaviour over the past 8 months. 
Grant Robertson 
: That’s a silly thing to say. 
Hon HEATHER ROY 
: They can say all they like that it is a silly thing to say but in fact everybody in this House and the public know that that is exactly the case. They have lobbied long and hard for referenda to be put in place and for students to be able to decide for themselves through referenda. As to when that happens we need only to look at the Auckland University example. When a referendum happened there the organisation became voluntary in 1 month. There are several months yet before these provisions will come into being. In fact by the time students return for the beginning of the academic year there will be an additional 2 to 3 months before the invoices need to be paid for their student organisation fees. 
The last point I would like to make while I am on my feet is about the discussions with the New Zealand University Students’ Association. I think it was Mr Shearer who noted that the students associations were keen to talk. We have talked on a number of occasions—on quite a handful in fact. At the last discussion I had with the co-presidents of the New Zealand University Students’ Association I left things in their hands. They were adamant that there was too short a time frame to put this legislation in place both for the organisations and the student councils. I left it with them to get back to me with written information about the detrimental effects that this would have on students associations collectively and individually and with the councils. This meeting happened about 3 weeks ago and so far I have heard nothing—not a word from them. 
Grant Robertson 
: Go talk to your colleagues. They have a letter. 
Hon HEATHER ROY 
: That letter went to National members but not to me or the ACT Party members. If the New Zealand University Students’ Association was absolutely serious about amending that date I would have thought it would make some effort to get back to me and to some National members that they had the same discussion with with the details necessary to allow me to make an informed decision. 
I look forward to the passing of this Committee stage today despite the best efforts of Labour members to delay this bill inordinately and actually put students associations in a very awkward position as they describe it. They need to take some responsibility for their behaviour over the past 8 months. Many students in New Zealand are looking forward to voluntary student membership. They are very keen to have the democratic choice to decide for themselves whether they want to belong to a students association not for the Labour Party to compel them to do so.