What Would Fraser Make Of Pro-Conscription Law?

What Would Peter Fraser Make Of Labour's Pro-Conscription Law?

The publication of Peter Fraser's biography is a reminder that last year the Labour-Alliance government introduced another form of conscription with a law allows one group of New Zealanders to be forced to join political organisations, Student Choice spokesman Clint Heine said.

"85 years after Peter Fraser went to prison to protest military conscription, the Labour government introduced political conscription by effectively forcing tertiary students into student associations," Mr Heine said.

"Under military conscription people were forced to join the military. Under Labour's education amendment act people can be forced to join student associations; this is simply political conscription," Mr Heine said.

"The education amendment act allows a small number of people to force a much larger group into membership of pro-government student associations. This happened at Waikato University last year when 1000 people voted to force all 12,500 to join the student association," Heine said. "Nationally, this year almost 200,000 students will be forced to join and pay around $16m to political student associations," Mr Heine said.

"Some tried to justify military conscription on the basis of national emergency, however Maharey's education act has no such justification. It is a blatantly political law designed to take money from tertiary students and use it to advance the interests of the Labour and Alliance parties," Mr Heine said.

"The government makes a big deal about civil rights while it violates 200,000 New Zealanders' right to freedom of association," Mr Heine said.

"The government should be honest with students and admit that all the money they have to pay to student associations is effectively going to the youth wings of the Labour and Alliance parties," Mr Heine said.

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For more information contact

Clint Heine Spokesman Student Choice 021 1228544 clint@politician.com

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