The real truth of this post is summed up in the words

“Australian universities don't need a nanny state to tell them what to do, they need the freedom to make their own decisions as to how they provide quality student services.”

These two must be undergraduates, they have the argument back to face. Removing compulsory union fees, in fact, steps away form the regulatory embrace of the “nanny state”.

Re “..due to student apathy at Australian universities, they are rarely held to proper account through student elections.”

The authors ask to let Universities compete. Well, let them and let decide if they will charge for a range of student services and let the students decide if they should pay on a user pays basis. This is the opposite of the past practice of students having their arm twisted to force them to pay for unused, unjustifiable and unjust economic support of the political extremists who the authors admit are the only ones interested in promoting the cause and directing the funds of the union

i demands the right to be forced to join a union against my will and have my money used for blatant left wing political purposes.

fight the power.