Ms BURKE (4:39 PM) —Thank you, Mr Speaker.

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So wrote Peter Costello in 1978 in Lot’s Wife. The Treasurer wrote my speech for me!

Mr Michael Ferguson —Plagiarism!

Ms BURKE —It is not plagiarism when you admit to taking it. So Peter Costello wrote in 1978 at Monash University in the illustrious Lot’s Wife. He wrote that we should have compulsory student unionism. Not only that, but that we should have compulsory voting. Let people and the Hansard note that for future reference, if the member for Casey over there gets his way.

What will we lose if the ridiculous voluntary student unionism bill is introduced—this bill showing the ideological bent of many on the government’s side? If voluntary student unionism comes in, what do we lose from Monash University alone? We lose short courses provided for students that help them with their degrees but also give them skills to get jobs. We lose subsidised child care. SWICH childcare at Monash assists students with sessions for $20 or $35 a day. I pay $50 a day at my community child-care centre, and that is cheap. These students will be forced out of study because they can no longer get access to child care.

Monash Student Association has a welfare department that provides a range of services to struggling students who have problems meeting basic living costs, including providing free meals on Monday night. It has a women’s department that operates a room specifically for women, which deals with issues of sexual harassment at the campus and in workplaces. Monash has a Queer department that offers support for gay members on campus. The association also has an international students service, which is exemplary. It provides an enormous range of services to those international students who come to campus and feel very isolated. It is a wonderful association. There is also a great mature age association that assists mature age people on campus.

Monash Student Association has a transport department. If anyone has been out to Monash they will know that it is literally in the middle of nowhere. Getting to and from the Clayton campus at Monash is very difficult. Without providing transport assistance they would not get there. Monash Student Association has a host scheme. The host scheme offers students the ability to go away on an orientation program before they get onto campus. Studies over many years have demonstrated that the greatest drop-out rate in the first weeks of university life is due to loneliness—you have not connected with anybody and you have not made friends. Going into a lecture theatre nowadays with 1,000 people means you may never actually meet someone. It is very lonely wandering around campus all on your own. So without host schemes and without O-weeks you cannot meet those friends and you may drop out of university. You will have wasted your opportunities in life. Shame on the government for doing that. Monash University Student Association also runs Wholefoods restaurant—sometimes I may or may not recommend it, but never mind—the DIY Radio, the student theatre and it provides other wonderful activities. I have been to many a great union night at Monash and I have had a great time. Then there is the fantastic Lot’s Wife, where Peter Costello got his start in life.

This is just talking about what goes on at Monash. There are also clubs and societies. As a proud president of the Newman Society on Monash campus I can tell you that it was a great organisation that provided a number of benefits. That is just talking about Monash Clayton campus. I also wanted to talk about the Deakin University Student Association and the campus at Burwood. It is a wonderful institution. Again, DUSA—(Time expired)