Universities and students have broadly welcomed Federal Government legislation which will enable universities to charge students up to $250 a year to help fund services like child care and welfare support.
But the fee, which would come into effect from July 1 this year and which students would be able to defer in a HECS-style loan, would not be allowed to be used to support political parties.
While detailed guidelines of how the funds could be spent are still being finalised, Youth Minister Kate Ellis told Parliament yesterday, ''Let me be clear: the Bill is not a return to compulsory student unionism.''
Universities are expected to reap more than $100million a year from the new fee, but the money will be quarantined for use to improve student services, which were stripped of $170million when the Howard government passed its voluntary student unionism legislation in 2006.
Universities would also be required to meet new campus service provision standards for local students for the first time.
While the legislation was tabled yesterday, the Government has yet to finalise its fee guidelines which will specifically outline what the fee can be used to fund.
While Ms Ellis's office could not define a timeline, it said the guidelines would be ready ''in time for proper scrutiny before the legislation is voted upon''.
She said consultations with universities had revealed price increases for food and various services such as child care. Some universities had been forced to direct money away from research and teaching budgets to support services and amenities that otherwise would have been cut.
As it currently stands, the Bill prohibits universities from spending ''any funds raised from a compulsory student services and amenities fee to support political parties, or support the election of a person to the Commonwealth, state or territory legislatures or to a local government body''.
Ms Ellis said it also introduced for the first time national student representation and advocacy protocols ''to formally ensure that students have an opportunity to participate in university governance structures''.
Opposition Youth spokeswoman Sophie Mirabella said it was ''the height of arrogance for Labor to ask us to vote on the legislation without giving us the full details of how it will work''.
While students were keen to see more money flowing to campus services, they were concerned the laws would be interpreted more broadly to ban student organisations from receiving funds.
National Union of Students spokeswoman Stefie Hinchy said, ''We have no problem with that if it just means student organisations can't give money to political parties or external political organisations, but our concern is that will be used by a lot of universities as an excuse not to give money to student representation.''
At this stage, the Bill is likely to pass the Senate with the support of the Greens, Independent Nick Xenophon and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce.
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker welcomed the introduction of the Bill, saying it was ''in line with the University of Canberra submission to the inquiry chaired by Ms Ellis''.
Australian National University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb said he looked forward to reading the full details of the package.
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