The iron curtain falls on the age of left-wing students demanding free tertiary education, with even the Alliance’s
tertiary policy backing away from scrapping fees and loans.
ACTivist president Gavin Middleton said “last election the Alliance promised free education but were unable to deliver
anything that smelt like a victory. This year they spread reductions over a three-year period, hoping that three small
failures would hurt them less than one whopping one.”
“Student loan debt has doubled under Labour, as many students who don’t need loans have accepted all the interest-free
money they can. Removing interest altogether would see loan debt soar” Gavin predicted.
“Alliance promises to end all funding for private tertiary institutions, meaning that students from private training
providers like NZ Childcare Association, the Institute of Sport, South Seas Film and Television School and the Cut Above
Academy will be required to pay considerably more for their education than future lawyers trained at a public
university.”
“It’s cowardly compared to past Alliance tertiary policies, however. No wonder Alliance tertiary spokeswoman Liz Gordon
thought of resigning from politics before its release - faced with having to present this policy, I would have wanted to
resign as well.”
Gavin said “it’s also an expensive policy. Laila and Liz are New Zealand’s six billion dollar women. Luckily for young
Kiwis, the policy will soon be filed in the shredder and the Alliance condemned to political history.”
ENDS
For more information, contact:
Gavin Middleton, President
(+64) (021) 505495
president@activists.org.nz
Clint Heine, Campaign Manager
(+64) (021) 1228544
clintheine@yahoo.com
http://www.activists.org.nz