Concession Cards for Victoria - FULL FARE IS NOT FAIR
The RMIT Student Union believes that all students should have access to concession cards. Concession cards allow discounts for travel and other vital services, but currently are not available to international, part-time and postgraduate students. While it’s common to see Universities treat students as cash cows by charging huge up-front fees, the denial of public transport concession cards is an example of the State Government cashing-in on hard working students and displays the inequity that exists in our society.
We believe that this is discrimination, which must be stopped!
Weekly Concession Card campaign meetings are currently held on Thursdays at 11.30 in the RMIT Association for International Students (RAIS) office Bldg 8 L3. Ask for directions at the Student Union desk. There is also a facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23850395589I and an online petition for everyone to sign at http://www.petitiononline.com/ccforvic/petition.html
Student Poverty
RMIT Student Union is concerned with the amount of university and TAFE students living in extreme poverty. Many students live on low incomes, often well below the poverty line, and some resort to charity for food and accommodation. Current levels of income support for students, as set by the federal government do not address the financial demands that students face, whilst there exists in Melbourne a grave shortage of affordable housing opportunities for students from less-advantaged economic backgrounds
RMIT Student Union will soon start running regular campaign strategy meetings at the City Campus.
To register your interest or get involved, email Brad Buller. brad.buller@rmit.edu.au
Student Housing/Homelessness
As we all know there is a big housing crisis in Melbourne. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find an affordable place to live anywhere near the
inner-city. Students in particular are doing it tough, the pressures of having to study and work more and more because of rising rent (and food) prices is too much for many. Studies done at Melbourne Uni. show that as many as 1000 students there could be classified as homeless. Many more are eligible for public housing. In this climate it's clear that we need to do something to claim our right to affordable housing.
Drawing inspiration from STUCCO- the affordable student housing co-op in Sydney which started as a squat and has been running for over 15 years-and from the Keppel st project of early 2006 where students occupied a state government building in the hope of creating a student housing co-op; we think the time is ripe to get active and build solutions. We've already scoped out a few empties (possible sites), have been doing a lot of research and it looks like there's definitely a few ways forward. What needs to happen now is the formation of strong collective ready to take up this project.
To get involved in the Student Housing Action Collective, visit the blog at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shaccers/