University of Wollongong Liberal Club

MEDIA RELEASE

University of Wollongong LIBERAL CLUB

Sunday, 30 April 2006:

STUDENT WALK-OUT

UNIVERSITY of Wollongong Liberal Club Student Councillors walked out of a Student Association meeting last week following moves by the Student Council extreme left to donate student funds to a radical left wing political group known as the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network.

Pulling quorum as they left, Liberal Students also cited more breaches of the Constitution with notice of agenda items being sent to Student Councillors only hours before the meeting began.

"We moved to defer the meeting to the forthcoming week because we hadn't had time to consider many of the motions on notice. Despite our move for deferral of the agenda, the motion was defeated 9 to 8," Liberal Student Leader Nathan Barton said.

"The WUSA (Wollongong University Student Association) regulations specifically prohibit the association from giving money for 'the promotion of any organised party political organisation, grouping, alliance or party' and this organisation, is not a student group, nor a charity, nor anything recognised by ASIC, NSW Fair Trade nor the ATO" representative", Mr Barton stated.

"One of the key reasons for receiving agendas on time is to allow student representatives to check the items up for debate, and consider whether the many proposals are in the best interests of the majority of students", Mr Barton commented.

"I think students would be disgusted to know that President Jess More is putting left wing extremist groups before passing funding for University Clubs and Societies. Campus culture such as Clubs and Societies rely on student money being used for student affairs, not some radical left wing agenda of the student socialist left," Mr Barton stated.

"The extreme left has used every dirty trick in the book to push their dubious agenda, from stacking the WUSA AGM and preventing discussion and free speech, to holding meetings without quorum. Those that suffer are the students who are often ambivalent to student politics and with behaviour like this is it any wonder that most just don't care," Mr Barton noted.

"Other motions proposed were to pay an invoice of 150% of its value 3 months after the invoice had been paid and the usual motions attacking the Federal Liberal Government. Students are interested in their money being spent on them and this is why we walked out and stopped the meeting from continuing," Mr Barton concluded. \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it \" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it \n\n

(Web):??? www.uowliberals.org\n

(Postal): PO Box U100

??????????????? Wollongong NSW 2500

Phone: ? 0432 770701 (Nathan\nBarton)

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Ends.