Roy Heather: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Roy Heather: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:669;Page:15981] 
Hon HEATHER ROY (ACT) 
: 
 I rise to speak to this part of the proceedings with great pride. There is nothing glib—as the previous speaker Grant Robertson said—about freedom of association. In fact the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill is very aptly named. We frequently debate in this Committee the fact that bill titles do not sum up what a bill is about but this one certainly does. 
It is about a principle. It is about a principle that is very dear to the hearts of New Zealanders. That principle is freedom. Freedom of association is something that every sector of society enjoys except for the student population in New Zealand. There has been a removal of choice in years gone by from the student populations; this bill is not the remover of choice as the previous speaker said. The current situation is one of compulsion. 
If one listened carefully to Mr Robertson one would think that he was signalling that the sky would fall the moment that students were really allowed to choose whether they wanted to belong to a student association. That will not happen. The sky did not fall in 1993 when workplaces and workers in this country were given the choice of whether they wanted to belong to a union. We are removing compulsion from the only sector of society that is subject to it now. Students will be able to choose whether they want to belong to an association. Freedom of association is absolutely what this bill is about. 
I received an email today. It is relevant because the previous speaker also said or tried to indicate that every student association in the country was in favour of retaining the status quo. That is not the case. This email was from a president of a students association. It stated: “The reason I am sending this message is I am not the only student president that believes in voluntary student membership.” It stated: “I have spoken to student associations and unions that are part of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations and are against VSM. To me some of them are being loyal to NZUSA as far as their political careers are concerned.” That comes to the nub of this bill too. “Believe me”—this president said—“there are student bodies that are in full support of this bill. There are a number of them and they have been silent because they came under pressure from the NZUSA.” 
We cannot predict what might or might not happen when this bill comes into being—and it will because freedom is hard fought and students believe in it. When students protested last week they managed to number 20 and 15 of those were employees of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations. Five of them—five of them—were students. 
It was very disappointing to hear from the previous speaker someone who has been heavily involved in students associations that he thinks so little of students associations that he does not think that they will survive. The smart students associations the ones that are not opposed to voluntary student membership are already getting on and planning for a future where they know they will be accountable where they know that transparency is imperative and where they know that they will have to communicate with the student body and ensure that they are providing students with services that they want. That is true freedom and that is what this Government will deliver to students. 
Chris Hipkins 
: I raise a point of order Mr Chair. I ask for some advice from you. I noticed that through the speech of the member in charge of the bill she was quoting from documents. I am aware that Ministers have to table documents they quote from if asked. I wonder whether a member in charge of a bill is subject to the same requirement or could we at least ask that she table them. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Eric Roy) 
: Good question. The answer is negative.