Victorian Liberal Students' Association
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The Victorian Liberal Students' Association (VLSA) is the state body responsible for coordinating all Liberal student activities in Victoria, Australia. The organisation is currently headed by Hamish Jones (Chairman), Nicholas Demiris (Executive Director) and Luke Tobin (Deputy Director).
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[edit] Leadership team
Hamish is currently an office bearer of the Deakin University Student Association (Communications Officer ) as well as the Melbourne University Student Union (Activities/Clubs & Societies Officer in 2003). Nick is a former Vice President and Welfare Officer of the Melbourne Uni Student Union (2004). Luke is a municipal councilor in an eastern metropolitan council.
[edit] History
VLSA was founded in the late 1980s by the now Federal Member for Casey, Tony Smith MP to succeed the Victorian Liberal Students Federation, which was established in the 1970s.
VLSA has been a staunch advocate of Voluntary Student Unionism, and in the 1990s VLSA controversially opposed the Victorian Parliamentary Liberal Party's "voluntary student representation" legislation, which VLSA argued was a soft approach to an important issue, failing to provide students with their true rights to freedom of association and the right to choose whether or not to pay for, and be a member of a student union.
The organisation has a close working relationship with both the Victorian Parliamentary Party and Federal Victorian Liberal MPs, and VLSA works closely with other Liberal Student Associations located in other states, including the NSW Liberal Students' Association. Within Victoria, VLSA operates as a state organisation of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation, and all Victorian ALSF Office Bearers are members of the VLSA Executive.
The largest and oldest club affiliated to the VLSA is the Melbourne University Liberal Club. Other clubs affiliated to VLSA include the Monash University Liberal Club, Monash University Caulfield Liberal Club, Deakin University Liberal Club, Deakin University Geelong Liberal Club, RMIT University Liberal Club, Latrobe University Liberal Club and the Victoria University Liberal Club.
[edit] Recent history
At the 2005 Annual Dinner of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF) held in Adelaide, VLSA Executive Director Nick Demiris received an award on behalf of the VLSA for "Most Improved Liberal Student Club or Organisation 2004-05."
At the 2006 Annual General Meeting of the ALSF, held in Sydney during Federal Council, Andrew Campbell, Luke Tobin and Courtney Dixon were all elected to the ALSF executive as Secretary, Treasurer and Victorian Representative respectiely, giving Victoria a near majority on executive when including the Immediate Past President, Julian Barendse.
[edit] Current activities
Currently, Tim Hickman is Vice President (Undergraduate) of the Deakin University Student Association. Liberals continue to serve as the dominant political force at Monash University's Caulfield Campus, and have done so since 2001.
In 2004 the student union at Melbourne University was controlled by Liberal Students, who held 9 of the 14 office bearer postiions. Alongside Melbourne, Liberals have also previously held the majority of office bearer positions at Latrobe University SRC (1995-1997).
