Labour MPs try to delay student union bill

Labour MPs who have been striving for months to delay a bill abolishing compulsory membership of student unions today used time-wasting tactics that tested parliamentary discipline.

The Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill was drafted by ACT MP Heather Roy and has government backing.

She has the numbers to pass it, but because it is a member's bill it can be debated only every second Wednesday Parliament sits, and Labour has succeeded in keeping it in its committee stage far beyond normal procedure.

They have done that mainly by holding up a bill ahead of it on the order paper, but that tactic was thwarted today when Ms Roy found a way to postpone debate on it and get her legislation on to the floor.

However, Labour MPs managed to waste about an hour by arguing points of procedure and Speaker Lockwood Smith, who doesn't control committee stage debates, was twice called into the House to sort out disputes.

Late tonight Labour MPs were still obstructing debate, with complaints about the way the House was being managed and preparing to put up amendments which would further delay progress.

Supporters of the bill say student unions are the only ones in the country which still have compulsory membership, and are often run by political activists who run partisan campaigns which don't represent the views of members.

Opponents argue that unions and associations will perish without compulsory membership because hard-up students won't pay fees, and valuable roles like advocacy will be lost.

The Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA) said tonight the bill would throw the tertiary sector into disarray if it became law.

"With only eight weeks to go before students go into exams, student associations will not be able to adequately consult with their students and make preparation for a possible 100 percent loss of income in 2012," NZUSA co-president David Do said.

"National did not campaign on a platform to fundamentally alter student associations...in fact they are breaking a promise they made at the 2008 election when they committed to current law."

When the bill has completed its committee stage, which is an open-ended debate, it has to pass its two-hour third reading debate before becoming law.