Monday 26 May 2014

It seems Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey was against university fees - while he was at Sydney University receiving a free law degree
























Photograph of Hockey from The Sydney Morning Herald

Honi Soit 19 September 2012:

Hockey’s policy statement in the 1986
election edition of Honi: “There is no
question in my mind that students will
never accept fees. I totally oppose any
compromise the government may offer.”
His year as SRC President was chiefly
spent fighting Labor’s re-introduction of
university fees, which had been abolished
under Gough Whitlam.

Hockey’s backers, a ticket called
“Varsity”, were decidedly centrist and
unaffiliated, declaring they would “fight
the burden of factionalism presently
hindering the SRC’s effective operation”.
In stark contrast to Abbott, Varsity was
emphatic: “There should be no further
government cuts to university funding.”

Of course after receiving his education on the back of Whitlam Labor Government reforms to higher education, millionaire politician Joe Hockey can comfortably afford to fund his own children's education regardless of the increased costs and fee deregulation his 2014-15 federal budget will introduce.

UPDATE

A 1987 Channel 9 video has been released by Fairfax Media. This video features Joe Hockey as president of the Sydney University Student Representative Council protesting the annual Higher Education Administration Charge (HEAC) introduced that year and the proposed introduction of course fees  - which finally came into effect under the Commonwealth HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING ACT 1988 commencing on 6 January 1989.

"We will continue to go out onto the streets and to protest and actively encourage the public to support us in our campaign for free education"


Brisbane Times 28 May 2014:

The measure Mr Hockey was protesting against was the introduction of a $250 "administration" fee, which he feared would threaten the universal free higher education that he and his contemporaries enjoyed.
In a 1987 article in the University of Sydney newspaper Honi Soit, Mr Hockey also criticised the same university deregulation measure his own government is now proposing.
"The Liberal Party, which released its education policy two weeks ago, promised to cut back funds to universities and, at the same time, leave the universities to charge whatever fee they wished," he wrote.
"Such a policy is suicidal for student welfare. We will have no effective voice in our own fortune."

6 comments:

Von said...

Well spotted and revealed!! How our views can change!
You might like the group "Ordinary Australians Like Us" on FB. Drop by....

Edwina said...

Obviously changed his mind.

Anonymous said...

Wanker

Anonymous said...

Porky Hockey is a LIAR just like Bat Ears Abbott and the rest of the coterie.
The LIBERAL LIARS are trying to foist on the public (who pay these vermin outrageous salaries) that there is a debt crisis. There is NO debt crisis. Just another series if LIES from mealy mouthed sycophantic LIARBERAL (sic) LIARS.
MAY YOU ALL ROT IN THE CESS PIT YOU ALL INHABIT.

Anonymous said...

Jovial Joe's about face would make his Armenian Grandfather, Joseph Hokeidonian, proud.

Unknown said...

As my grandfather was want to say "beware of what you say my boy, it will always come back to torment you." Once can only muse at his response to the current expose on this issue. Seems the Treasury Porker has a very short memory whilst creating an enormous falsehood in concert with the cardinal's minion, and various other malcontents.