Written by Cooper Bates.
The great Winston Churchill once said that “there is no such thing as a good tax.”
All these years later that old adage still stands. The proof being the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Since it was first introduced by the Gillard Government, the SSAF has slugged university students with what is, in reality, nothing more than a big fat student tax.
Every year, millions are ripped out of the pockets of university students – nearly $160 million in 2023 alone, and almost $1.5 billion since the fee was introduced.
The injustice of the SSAF lies not only in its size, but its compulsory nature.
Students don’t get a choice.
If you’d don’t pay, you face academic penalties. In some cases, that means being blocked from graduating.
It’s a system that demands students pay for services they may never use.
And what do students get in return for their investment? For most, nothing at all.
The reality of student life is that Australian universities are shifting towards remote learning, and many students simply aren’t spending their time on campus like they used to.
Yet, they’re forced to bankroll services they don’t use, while much of the money is funnelled into student unions and the National Union of Students – bodies that too often pursue radical political agendas instead of addressing the needs of everyday students.
The principle at stake is simple.
Just as workers should not be compelled to join or fund a union, students should not be made to bankroll one.
The Australian Liberal Students’ Federation has always championed voluntary student unionism.
And history proves it works – under John Howard, when voluntary student unionism was introduced, services that genuinely mattered thrived on their own merit.
At a time when young Australians are struggling more pressures than ever before, the Federal Government shouldn’t be slugging them with yet another mandatory fee.
Abolishing the SSAF would ease financial pressure and restore fairness and choice for every university student.
The SSAF isn’t necessary.
It is, in Churchill’s words, simply not a good tax.
Cooper Bates is the President of the Australian Liberal Students’ Federation.