Calvert Hilary Jane: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Calvert Hilary Jane: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:668;Page:15205] 
HILARY CALVERT (ACT) 
: 
 I rise this evening pleased to have the opportunity to speak on the second reading of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill. ACT takes the freedom of the individual as one of the yardsticks in assessing Government actions. At some fundamental level relationships between individuals should be based on consent and on voluntary cooperation. Over time we have come to respect the importance of freedom of association. As Sir Roger Douglas reminded us in his speech on the first reading of this bill this House has ratified the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees freedom of association and explicitly includes the right not to associate. But one group of individuals in New Zealand is still forced to join an association. Currently tertiary students around the country are forced to join an organisation—in fact everyone other than those studying at Auckland University. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Who wrote this speech? 
HILARY CALVERT 
: If the member would like a copy I can give him one later. 
Students are the only group that are forced to join an organisation and pay the fees that are set. ACT has always believed that individuals should be free to pursue their own interests unless they violate the freedom of others. Compulsory membership of unions went in 1983 and students remain the only group compelled to join what is essentially a union whether or not they want to. Students are having their freedom violated. Kiwis prize their freedom especially freedom of speech and freedom of association—the right to join any group one wants to and the right not to join a group with which one disagrees. So important is our right to freedom of association that it is protected in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. This bill will finally see students have the same freedom that the rest of us currently enjoy. 
As the situation presently stands a student must pay the students association fees set by that body at the university or polytech that that student attends. The exception is Auckland University where membership is voluntary. The law provides an out—those who object to belonging to a students association can arrange for their fees to be paid by the association to a charity but this by no means allows students to choose not to pay for services they have not been persuaded are ones they would choose at a price they are forced to pay. 
Compulsory membership and payment of fees mean that the guaranteed incomes students associations receive regardless of their actions result in associations not actually representing students’ views and in many cases undertaking partisan political activities. There are a great many examples of student resources being wasted and of some associations indulging in resource mismanagement for the personal gain of association officials. Even if students association resources were all spent wisely students should be able to choose. Making students association membership voluntary will ensure that they are more accountable to their members. There is nothing like having to provide quality services to attract members to reduce the risk of money being spent on unwanted services and to prevent money going missing from time to time. Associations would have a greater incentive to provide services that students actually want—supply and demand in action. 
Opponents of voluntary student membership claim that if students are not forced to pay the union fees no one will join and services and the student voice will go. This attitude merely says that the associations have no belief in themselves. If they provide services that students want they will prosper. Auckland University is a case in point. Membership there is voluntary and students do join. The reason any customer service outlet provides quality services is that it knows that its customers have the opportunity to shop elsewhere. As soon as we have the option of withdrawing our money from any service the service becomes far more accountable. I commend this bill to the House. 
Amendments recommended by the Education and Science Committee by majority agreed to.