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Australian Liberal Students' Federation
PresidentKisara Perera
Vice PresidentCr Callum Pull
SecretaryDaniel Swane
TreasurerHannah Reynolds[1]
Founded26 August 1948; 76 years ago (1948-08-26)[2]
Membership>2000[3]
IdeologyLiberal conservatism
PositionRight-wing
Mother partyLiberal Party of Australia
International affiliationInternational Young Democrat Union
MagazineProtégé
Websitewww.alsf.org.au

The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF) is an Australian students' political organisation. Founded in 1948, the ALSF carries similar ideology to the Liberal Party of Australia. The Federation works closely with the Liberal Party, however it is an independent organisation that pursues its own policy agenda.

The Federation works to promote Liberal beliefs on campus, facilitates communication amongst individual clubs and assists in co-ordinating national Liberal Student campaigns. The ALSF is organised as a Federation with events, policy and elections taking place at a club level, as well as a federal executive and delegate system to elect a national executive, platform and strategic direction. The ALSF is a member of the International Young Democrat Union.[3]

Organisation

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The Federation was formed on the 26th of August 1948 in Melbourne with delegates representing University Liberal clubs from each state, with the exception of Queensland, meeting in a three-day conference. Originally named the Australian Universities' Liberal Federation (AULF), the Federations' first council moved to encourage free enterprise as part of its policy platform and decided its first national campaign would target Socialism and Communism in Australian universities.[2][4]

The Federation is not formally affiliated with the Liberal Party, although is invited as an official observer to the parties annual Federal Council. Many of the individual Federations' affiliated Liberal Clubs pre-date the existence of the Liberal Party itself including the Melbourne University Liberal Club founded in 1925,[5] the Sydney University Liberal Club in 1933,[6] the University of Western Australia Liberal Club in 1944, and the University of Tasmania Liberal Club in 1945.[7]

Federal Council

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The Federation hosts an annual Federal Council during the July Universities Australia common vacation week. The council historically is hosted by an affiliated Club in a different Australian capital city each year. Clubs are required to submit affiliations to the Federations' accreditation committee in the lead up to the Council and elect delegates to represent and vote on the Clubs behalf.[8]

In addition to University Liberal clubs, state bodies also exist, including the Victorian Liberal Students' Association[9] and the Western Australian Union of Liberal Students.

The Council proceedings include guest speakers, debate over the policy platform, workshops and discussion on the campaigns of individual clubs and the Federation as well as social events including a gala dinner. The formal proceedings of the Council include the organisations AGM in which the election of officers takes place. The Federation has eight elected officers including the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Policy Director, the Communications Director, the Campaigns Director, and the Immediate Past President, who is supported by an Executive made up of State and Territory representatives.[8]

National Union of Students

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The Australian Liberal Students' Federation has had a long history of engagement and influence in national student bodies since its inception, and held numerous office bearer positions in the National Union of Australian University Students (NUAUS) in the 1950s and 1960s.[10] By the 1970s, however, Liberal students became increasingly disillusioned with student representatives' support for what they saw as radical fringe elements mostly operating in foreign countries, "many of them allegedly engaged either in terrorist activities or as front-line supporters of authoritarian regimes". It said that "Instead of properly performing its core role as an advocate for student interests and a provider of student services it became hostage to extremist views more interested in international affairs than domestic education policies".[11] "The AUS folded in 1984 after a lengthy campaign by the Australian Liberal Students’ Federation, the Fraser Government and state Liberal Governments to destroy it."[10]

The ALSF is one of the groups within the National Union of Students (NUS) organisation. Its central policy platform is the principle of Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) and it supports, and had input into, the reforms to Australian higher education introduced by Brendan Nelson (former minister for education, science and training, and former leader of the opposition). The ALSF supports increased deregulation of the tertiary sector, and, particularly with the implementation of VSU, presents itself as being an advocate for freedom of choice and freedom of association within universities. However, the Australian Universities Liberal Clubs (AULC), the precursor body to ALSF had for many years generally supported compulsory student unionism. After a fierce contest, this policy was changed in 1976 by a group led by Julian Glynn (then president of the Adelaide University Liberal Club), who became ALSF president in 1977 on a platform of opposing purported communist domination of student politics and support for VSU. His main supporters were Abetz, Abbott and Simon Withers (son of former senator Reg Withers), all of whom were Liberal Student Club presidents at the time.

The ALSF currently have one member on NUS national executive: Clark Cooley, Tasmanian State Branch President (University of Tasmania). At the 2012 National Conference Claire Chandler (University of Tasmania) was elected President of the Tasmanian branch of NUS. Both ALSF and the National Labor Students (NLS) had won 3 delegates each of the 6 that represent Tasmania, following a coin toss Chandler was elected. It was the second time in the history of NUS that a Liberal student has been elected as a State President. Joshua Young (University of Queensland) held the position of Queensland State Branch President in 2009.

Measured by positions elected, 2012 is to date, the most successful conference. ALSF delegates were elected across Five State Branches, in addition to those listed above. Christian Street (University of Tasmania), Charley Daniel (University of Melbourne) and Mark Briers (Swinburne University) are credited with this success.

ALSF in the media

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During the 2004 NUS conference, a number of Liberal NUS delegates were condemned after they interrupted the traditional indigenous Australian welcome-to-country ceremony by singing 'God Save the Queen' over the top of it.[12]

In July 2006, the Young Liberal Movement were the subject of controversy after the ABC's Lateline program aired footage[13][14] from the 2005 National Union of Students' conference in Ballarat. The video included Liberal students chanting "We're racist, we're sexist, we're homophobic". The president of the New South Wales Young Liberals released a statement condemning the outbursts,[15] while the Queensland division of the Young Liberals said that although one prominent Young Liberal member was involved, the students were delegates elected by their university's student body; as such, they were members of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation.

During a conference for Liberals in July 2008 in Canberra, about 40 university students from the ALSF — some of them Young Liberals, were thrown out and banned from a youth hostel after an all night drinking rampage and disruptive behaviour, including some of them being caught having sex in the hostel.[16][17]

Main article: Alan Jones shame controversy

In October 2012, during a Sydney University Liberal Club function, Alan Jones spoke concerning the death of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's father, John. Jones said that Mr Gillard had "died of shame to think that his daughter told lies every time she stood for parliament". Jones' speech was secretly recorded by a News Limited journalist.[18]

In April 2017, it was revealed that Australian Liberal Students Federation past president and President of the Melbourne University Liberal Club, Xavier Boffa, had told a female member of the club that she was excluded from a club event because "a couple of the guys were a bit uncomfortable about inviting a chick".[19]

In October 2017, Mr Boffa became the subject of a police complaint and an internal university enquiry after he was allegedly involved in an altercation with the same woman in the aftermath of a heated club meeting. It was also alleged that he assaulted another male club member from an opposing faction.[20]

In July 2019, Xavier Boffa was accused of assault by Melbourne University Liberal Club member Benedict Kusay over an alleged incident in a bar in Adelaide at the annual general meeting of the Australian Liberal Student Federation. Boffa was arrested the next day and released on bail. Despite some Liberal Party members calling for Boffa's membership to be terminated or suspended, no action was taken pending the court date. Boffa was later found not guilty by the Adelaide Magistrates' Court.[21][22][23]

Notable alumni

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The organisation and its club affiliates have produced many notable alumni, including journalists, business leaders, politicians, and legal professionals. For the past 50 years, there has been an ALSF alumni member in each Liberal Government Federal Cabinet while the four most recent Liberal Prime Ministers as well as a number of Federal and State Members of Parliament have been alumni of the organisation.[24][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our Executive". Australian Liberal Students Federation. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "University Clubs Federate". The West Australian. 27 August 1948. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Full and Observer Members". International Young Democrat Union. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Universities' Liberal Federation Formed". The Advertiser. 27 August 1948. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  5. ^ "About Us". MULC. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  6. ^ "History". Sydney University Liberal Club. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  7. ^ "History". University of Tasmania Liberal Club. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "About Us". Australian Liberal Students' Federation. Retrieved 20 July 2018.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "About". Victorian Liberal Students' Association. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ Parliament of Australia: Senate: Committee: Report on Higher Education Legislation Amendment Bill 1999 Archived 12 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ smh.com.au (1 April 2008). "Meet the new vanguard in culture wars". Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  13. ^ Stateline Queensland, ABC Television Australia 28 July 2006Accessed 23 July 2007
  14. ^ Stateline Queensland Transcript, ABC Television Australia 28 July 2006 Archived 24 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 23 July 2007
  15. ^ "Footage released of 'racist' Young Liberals. 19 July 2006. ABC News Online". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
  16. ^ News.com.au - Drunken Liberal students thrown out and banned from hostel
  17. ^ "Crikey - Two Ts Whittney a Young Lib with libations". Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  18. ^ "Journalist says no Jones privacy breach". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  19. ^ "'They felt uncomfortable about inviting a chick': Young Libs accused of misogyny". The Age. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  20. ^ "Young Liberals' fight causes young woman to seek intervention order from police". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Young Liberal charged with glassing factional opponent". 6 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Alleged glasser to remain Liberal Party member for now". 8 July 2019.
  23. ^ ""I'm going to destroy you" Young Liberals glassing case: Xavier Boffa not guilty of assaulting Benedict Kusay". 27 April 2022.
  24. ^ a b "List: which MPs were involved in student politics?". Crikey. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  25. ^ "About Eric". Eric Abetz. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
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