Garrett David: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Garrett David: Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:657;Page:6827] 
DAVID GARRETT (ACT) 
: 
 My colleague Sir Roger Douglas has already made the very clear case for the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill on the grounds of freedom of association but I want to talk about the behaviour of student politicians when people do not join their organisations voluntarily and what happens as a result. 
When we look at elections of students associations we see that most suffer from apathy and most elections do well to achieve a 10 percent turn-out. This lack of turn-out directly leads to a lack of accountability and it is this lack of accountability that allows students associations to get away with so much waste so much politicking and so much fraud. 
I heard Mr Lees-Galloway explain that Mr Cosgrove’s quote—and I see Mr Cosgrove has joined us in the House so I imagine he will speak—was aimed at “rip-off merchants”. Well let us hear about these rip-off merchants. In 2007 the Victoria University of Wellington Students Association spent $22000 of its members’ money doing up a van. That spending was not authorised by the executive initially. It was undertaken by one Geoff Hayward and another fellow. In other words those two people stole student money. I note that Geoff Hayward used to work for the Labour Party. Maybe he gave advice on the pledge card rort of taxpayers back in 2005. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: What about the Pipitea Street electorate office? 
DAVID GARRETT 
: Oh it gets worse; it gets much worse. In 2008 Clelia Opie spent $6000 of students’ money making calls to psychic hotlines. That is right—she misused student money to call psychics. In 2009 the Victoria University of Wellington Students Association will spend 70 percent of its budget on administration. It claims to provide services but most of the money will be wasted along the way. 
But let us go back to the rip-offs. Mr Lees-Galloway a former student politician and Labour Party learner back in his student days said that Mr Cosgrove was talking only about rip-off merchants so let us hear about a few more of them. In 2003 Florence Bailey the office manager of the Massey University Students Association was jailed for 2 years and 3 months after stealing $203000 of student money. That is an awful lot of money. In 2005 the Victoria University of Wellington Maori Students Association treasurer Wi Nepia was jailed for stealing $161000 of student money. Last but sadly not least Otago University’s Te Roopu Maori the Maori students association at that university collapsed amid allegations of financial impropriety and estimated fraud of $21000. With one exception I have mentioned only the ones who actually got convicted because even though what I say in this House is protected I do not believe in casting aspersions without some justification and proof. 
Lastly we realise that the Labour Party and the Greens will support this abuse of student money and the real reason is over there on the Opposition benches. Mr Lees-Galloway Mr Hipkins and others are all former officers of student unions. Mr Hipkins was the president of the students association at Victoria University in 2000-01 Mr Iain Lees-Galloway was the president of the Massey University Students Association and Grant Robertson was the president of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations. On his own website he describes his role back then as “full-time lobbyist”. Well I ask what happened to the interests of students. 
This bill is aimed squarely at giving people freedom of choice. The obvious argument that can be made is that if the deal is so wonderful students will be flocking to join voluntary organisations.