Student Fees Back, But No Level Set Yet

Illawarra Mercury

Friday November 7, 2008

By KATELIN MCINERNEY

FREE sausage sizzles at the University of Wollongong may be back on the menu after the Federal Government announced it would reintroduce compulsory student service fees.

From July next year, universities will be allowed to charge students a fee, capped at $250 a year to help fund sporting facilities, child care, counselling and other student services.

But voluntary student unionism, introduced by the previous Howard government, will remain in place.

The move was welcomed by the Wollongong University Student Association and UOW vice-chancellor Gerard Sutton, although WUSA president Brendan Cook was worried about what say students would get in how the funds were distributed.

"In the past, student contributions were split between the student union and the university's services and we want the university to give us a firm commitment on what funding we will receive," he said.

"We will now be able to keep our secondhand textbook store open and provide more equity services to disabled, queer, indigenous and international students."

Professor Sutton said he felt "very positive" about the announcement and the university would be consulting with student bodies on how to best use the funding.

"The Federal Government did a lot of consulting with the sector and students and although our preference was for them to put some funding into it as well, it is understandable given the global financial crisis that they have gone with plan B," he said.

Prof Sutton said the university had not yet decided the fee level, but said the HECS-style loan deferral system would ease the burden for students. "A fee of this nature is essential to ensuring those facilitate and amenities ... are made available to current and future students," he said.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

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