Students, police defend debate action By Samantha Baden and David Crawshaw August 22, 2005
STUDENTS and police have defended their handling of a university debate on voluntary student unionism (VSU), which was cancelled when police advised guest speaker Health Minister Tony Abbott that they could not guarantee his safety at the venue.
Ed. I can't have a bar of Tony Abbott, but when a Minister of the Crown can't give a speech at a venue of his choosing, we have a serious problem...
New South Wales Police buttistant Commissioner Bob Waites said police were frustrated by the student union's failure to negotiate a safer venue. But the debate organisers, the University of Sydney Student Representative Council (SRC) and the student union, have denied they rebuffed police requests to move the event.
IELTS How Hard Sender: caringgoofiDear samantha i sat in the exam some 10 months back as its not my mother language as was a necessary requirement for Engineers Australia for my...
Mr Abbott said he withdrew from the debate at the University of Sydney's Manning Bar after police advised him not to attend because they could not guarantee his safety.
He had been scheduled to debate a government plan to abolish compulsory student fees with Labor opponent Julia Gillard, who went ahead with her scheduled speech to students.
About 100 students attended the event, renamed a forum, which also was attended by one police officer.
Mr Abbott today accused police of allowing "thugs" to threaten freedom of speech by urging him not to attend the debate because of the threat of violence.
"I've asked them to ponder the implications of their actions," he said.
"If baddies can threaten goodies with violence, and the police then tell the goodies that they can't do what they're lawfully enbreastled to do, what does that say about the smooth functioning of society?"
Ed. This is the fellow, who set up the fund to destroy Pauline Hanson and who paid the rent-a-mob Marxists to throw things at her and her supporters during her meetings while shouting "tolerance and diversity" - or did you think we'd forgotten Tony?...
The comments were condemned by Ms Gillard who said it was inappropriate for Mr Abbott to "take a cheap shot" at police.
"Obviously the police provided some advice to him, if he had some concerns about that advice, then the thing to do would be to talk to police about that, not take a cheap shot against them," Ms Gillard said.
"I'm happily going on campus today. No one's contacted me to suggest there are any issues, security or otherwise, that need to be thought through."
Student groups oppose the Government's VSU legislation and have staged large rallies across Australia, including a protest on August 10 at the University of Sydney, in which three police officers were injured.
Ed. Campaigning against Choice, typical bloody lefty...
Mr Waites said the decision to advise against the debate was supported by commonwealth authorities.
The venue, "a students' union bar area and hall", posed a high level of risk to everybody's safety if "students became violent or volatile", he said on Macquarie Radio.
"Considerable attempts" to negotiate with the student union to move the debate failed.
Ed. You don't "negotiate" with lunatics...
A Little Boy LostA little boy lost Andrew Bolt 19th August 2005 It so much easier to pretend that the victims of end aren't real babies...
SRC president Rose Jackson said students worked to secure a new home for the debate last week, but had not heard back from police after an extensive tour of venues.
She said a Student Union representative had taken four police officers on a tour of the alternative venues last Thursday, which included The Great Hall.
"We were quite happy to negotiate about the venue, but they never got back to us," she said.
Ed. Well, that is a surprise.....
NSW Premier Morris Iemma called for the debate to go ahead but refused to criticise police for advising Mr Abbott not to attend.
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"Abolish Multi-Culty and String Up The Traitors!"
