A crossbench motion on ending the compulsory payment of student union fees has exposed divisions in the Coalition, with two Liberal backbenchers electing to cross the floor, while some National party senators voted with Labor and the Greens.
The motion would allow students a yearly vote on the payment of the student services and amenities fee (SSAF). The fee, which is currently compulsory and used for amenities and non-academic activities, would be levied only if a majority of students wanted it.
Former frontbencher Eric Abetz and his Liberal backbench colleague Cory Bernardi were the only two Liberals in the chamber for the vote, which went down 35 votes to six. Both crossed the floor to vote with crossbench senators in support of the motion.
Other Liberals left the chamber during the division to avoid having to vote on the issue, which has the in-principle support of many in the party.
But three of their Nationals colleagues, including the Indigenous affairs minister, Nigel Scullion, sided with Labor and the Greens in voting the motion down. Many Nationals members are worried that scrapping the fee will hit rural and regional universities hardest.
Abetz, a former frontbencher who lost his ministry in September’s leadership spill, attacked the SSAF as “merely compulsory student unionism by another name”.
“The SSAF is unfair, unpopular, undemocratic and used as a political plaything by political activists,” the former government leader in the Senate said. “What is worse is that students are denied their results or enrolment if they refuse to pay the fee to the union. The right to a tertiary education should never be predicated on joining a union.”
Abetz said compulsory student unionism was what first inspired him to enter politics, and that crossing the floor to vote on it was a “matter of principle”.
Four crossbench senators – Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm, Palmer United party member Dio Wang, Bob Day from Family First and independent John Madigan – also supported the motion.
The assistant cabinet secretary, Scott Ryan, said the “motivation behind this motion is commendable”, but confirmed that the Coalition would not support it.
“It does not reflect the key principle of freedom of association for all students at all times,” Ryan told the Senate chamber before the vote. “Compelling all students to join and fund an organisation through a ballot of their peers is just as illegitimate on campus as it would be in a workplace or any other community.”
Labor’s higher education spokesman, Kim Carr, ridiculed the Coalition’s disunity on the matter.
“When it came to the vote, the Senate was treated to the spectacle of Turnbull government senators splitting three ways,” Carr said. “Liberal party senators rushed out of the chamber to avoid voting at all, whilst the National party senators voted with Labor against the resolution. Meanwhile, senators Bernardi and Abetz defied the Liberal whip and voted for the motion.”
The Greens and Labor were against the motion.
Labor senator Claire Moore said the SSAF had “enabled student culture to thrive” on university campuses.
“The effect of the proposition advanced in this motion ... would see the defunding of activities across the country, especially at rural and regional universities,” Moore told the chamber.
In 2013, then education minister Christopher Pyne said compulsory union fees were on the chopping block.
“We don’t support compulsory student unionism and we don’t support the student amenities fee and at an appropriate time we’ll move to abolish it,” he said shortly after the Coalition took office.
Pyne was quickly rebuked by then prime minister Tony Abbott, who just two days later said the matter was not top of the new government’s agenda.
“We are going to be a very busy and active government over the next few years and this is not a priority for us and we have no plans for change in this area at this time,” Abbott said.
Universities can charge up to $286 a year for the SSAF.
