By Iggy Kim
HOBART — The University of Tasmania is currently plastered with posters of candidates for the Student Representative Council elections. Faced with a range of election tickets appealing for votes with slogans such as "make a difference" and "forward-looking and approachable", it is not hard to understand why so few students make the link between student elections and the broader issues they're concerned about. This is just one of reasons why the Resistance Club at Tasmania University decided to run candidates.
Resistance was initially involved in a discussion about forming a broad left ticket of students involved in the education campaign. Resistance supported this initiative, but the idea was dropped after the formation of two tickets, both involving ALP students and some independent campaign activists.
Running under the slogan "For a Campaigning Student Union", the main plank of the Resistance ticket is to build the campaign against the Liberals' attacks on education. A few months ago, Resistance initiated the on-campus Education Action Coalition to maximise student involvement in this.
"The implications of the Liberals' budget for higher education are grave and a strong, sustained campaign waged by the sector is needed to turn that around", Sarah Stephen, Resistance candidate for SRC president told Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly. "Resistance is running in these elections because while students can organise a campaign without holding SRC positions, the resources of the SRC and its standing among students can be important in building the campaign."
As well as highlighting education issues, Resistance's platform includes supporting women's rights and for international solidarity with those fighting for freedom in East Timor and democracy in Indonesia. All the candidates have been active in these campaigns for many years.
Stephen is also standing as a delegate to the National Union of Students (NUS). She has been active in campaigns against student fees for a number of years on both Tasmania University and at the Australian National University in Canberra where she was elected general secretary of the ANU Students Association in 1995 on a anti-fees ticket.
Anitra Goriss-Hunter is running for women's officer. She has been active in campaigns for women's rights and involved in the Education Action Coalition (EAC). Matthew Munroe and Kylie Moon are running for positions as SRC general representatives and NUS delegates. Moon has been involved in Indonesian and East Timor solidarity, and both have been active in Resistance and the Education Action Coalition.
To find out more or get involved in the election campaign, contact Hobart Resistance on (002) 34 6397.