Through the first half of the 1970s I held elected positions on the UNSW Students Union and the UNSW Union. I was Treasurer of the former for a year and President of the latter for three years as well as being on its Finance Committee and Board of Management for six years. The University Union provided meals across the UNSW campus. It provided extensive craft and general activities on the campus. The loss of funding in particular for this latter organisation was very sad - it contributed greatly to the general amenitiesof campus life and in particular to the needs of part time students of which there are many at UNSW.

The Students Union at UNSW was a different proposition - there were real problems with the student newspaper amid the conduct of a campaign frequently called porno-politics. The challenge remained getting people of good will to become involved to remove interlopers from positions of power. It could be done and indeed was done at UNSW in the first half of the 1970s.

Hey Martin,

If you want to donate hundreds of hard-earned dollars to a bunch of socialist idiots, don't let me stop you. But personally I need MY money for food and petrol. So get your filthy hands out of my pockets.

Rest assured that the "loss of funding" to "craft and general activities" suffering by your precious union was well spent by the people who worked hard to earn that money in the first place. If you love the idea of compulsory unionism, go live in a Cuba or China, where you will find many like-minded people. Thieves like you are not welcome at MY university.

Paul

University Student

Dear Paul,

I am not sure why you believe that this money is donated to socialist idiots. There is just no evidence for that claim.

The mark of a cultured society is one that is open to and supportive of the arts.

You seem very angry, Paul. I do not believe that the University of New South Wales Union was ever "precious" - a strange word.

Compulsory membership is precisely that way to remove extremist elements of whatever ilk - this step ensures that all can vote. Then move to get them out to vote.

I do hope that you do not believe that because Australia has compulsory voting that Australia is like Cuba or China. I do find your comments very saddening.

Best wishes,

Martin

And I find the numerous misuse of hundreds of dollars of my money by radical socialists very saddening. If you value student unions' activies so highly, I encourage you to fund them WITH YOUR OWN MONEY. Not mine!

In a free country I should not have to be a compulsory member of any organisation. Its called freedom of association - it probably isn't mentioned in your little red book.

You are correct on only one point above - that yes I am very angry about this because unlike the student union, I have to work hard for the money that I get paid. Unlike the student union I can't demand compulsory payments from people who really need the money for things like food, books and transport. I'll worry about being "open to and supportive of the arts" after I've had "a successful career in general management and marketing" like you (a quote from your own website).

Unlike voting in a democracy, a compulsory union membership that strips needy students of hundreds of dollar is hardly a right to be enjoyed.

As you completed HSC in 1969 (again, from your website - this makes you almost as old as my grandfather), I get the feeling that you are perhaps no longer a struggling university student. It is possible that you are out of touch with the everyday needs of people who don't have law degrees, and can't afford to be sluggeed $250 every year to be "supportive of the arts".

An elderly (and presumably very wealthy) lawyer telling a poor university students that he should be forced to pay money for something he doesn't want? The irony!

Senator Joyce,
As a senior member of the Australian Electorate, I am sick and tired of hearing "doomsday scenarios" of climate changes, and so called solutions of spinning windmills all over the land. We have a wealth of coal, but we won't use it, too polluting. We have oodles of uranium and we are scared of our witls and have no guts to utiliise it because of ill founded Phobias created by the green lobbies.
I am all in suppot of your Envioremental Policies. Please push The National Policies as best you can
Emmanuel

How's the heat wave in Brisbrane? Are you enjoying it!? We could expect more like this if we just sit and do nothing about Climate Change. It's our children who suffer the most.

For god sake, listen to our nation's top climate change scientists.

"David Jones, the bureau's head of climate analysis, said temperature benchmarks for August had been broken in every state and territory. ''In duration, extent and the magnitude of anomalies it is beyond historical experience and it hasn't finished,'' he said.

No weather event can be attributed to climate change alone, but Dr Jones said he believed it was impossible to divorce the current variability from a long-term warming."

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/records-fall-as-temperatures-rise-nationwide-20090824-ewix.html

Dear Thomas

You are a total fool. I suppose you also believe that an ETS in Australia can actually change global mean temperatures? All it will do is transfer jobs (and billions of dollars in industry) from Australia to China - where such industries will continue to produce carbon dioxide there instead. Hence and ETS in Australia will do NOTHING.

There has been "long-term warming" in history many times before. Notice how we are no longer in an ice age? Do you also attribute this to man-made emissions from prehistoric capitalists? There remains no evidence that ANY warming has EVER been caused by atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Carbon dioxide doesn't produce heat in our atmosphere - THE SUN DOES.

Liars like Al Gore and Penny Wong have built their careers around fooling gullible people like you - and have made millions from it.

Humans are not heating the earth. The world is not ending. With an ETS our children will suffer from unemployment and high taxes - yet global emissions will not change. Wake up to the lies.

Senator Joyce

You were correct in saying the NUS was greedy; without a real mandate they seek as much of the proposed $250 service fee as possible. This is a matter of concern for tens of thousands of Australian students who do not recognise the NUS as being 'the voice' of students. It is especially so for international students on Australian who contribute so much and gain so little in return and are not represented by the NUS or any other student union or variation thereof post VSU, in spite of claims to the contrary.

So, what will the proposed legislation offer international students and how will they be consulted on the use of the services fee if it should pass?

Congratulations, Barnaby,
I am very pleased to see that you have stated that the ETS will only hurt Australia dramatically and will make no difference to the world climate. I am sure that most Australians are feel the same way, well at least those who have some common sense. Please stand your ground and don,t change direction. keep up the good work

Good fro you Barnaby.

I vehemently disagree with your position on the ETS and the Nationals position on climate change in general. But I do respect the fact that you approach the issue as a matter of principle. Whereas the Hon. Sen. Fielding has simply thrown his lot in with a bunch of wingnuts out of pure opportunism and a tendency towards attention seeking. It is good to see some sound principles being expressed by the opposition (and this is coming from a died-in-the-wool greenie) and your position on VSU only firms in my mind the fact that you are one of the better pollies in parliament.

Keep up the good work, you'd never get my vote even if I lived in QLD but I respect what you do.

Keep up the good work Barnaby. You would get my vote if I live in your state.

The climate change industry is doing well very out of those who are willing to pay for their product. We have had climate change (variation) forever, scientists have made us well aware of the ice age. So why are they so obsessed with climate change now? To make the thing that makes to world go around today, money. Unthinking Governments, like ours, are willing to give our money away to anyone who hints at climate change studies and waste countless hours and even more of our money on policy making and passing legislation for something there is no proof of. Science also tells us we descended from a single celled organism that started developing us billions of years ago. Anyone who has ever constructed something knows that even the simplest object must have some sort of plan to be successful. So scientists are telling us that a single celled organism hatched a plan, all those years ago, (without technology) to construct a being as complicated as the human and others as diverse as the plant and animal world we see on the planet today, and also those, that nature has decided no longer have a place in this world. I could go on to fill this page about this, but, science has made some fantastic discoveries and made life alot easier, but I think scientists should stick to the more simpler tasks that they can prove.
The Yanks are the best marketers on earth, they could sell ice to Eskimos. Old Al Gore has definitely sold this one well.

Frank

I read this and I was shocked: http://www.smh.com.au/national/nationals-ease-opposition-to-student-levy-20090907-fege.html

I fear that the Nationals, of all people, who argue against the high taxing CPRS/ETS are advocating a hefty tax on University students, I know the circumstances are slightly different but as a student I see it as the Nationals facilitating a return to the high taxing, highly burdensome, highly political CSU.

I truly hope the Nats rethink this disastrous high taxing position.

OK the earth is getting hotter AGAIN, as it has so many times before. When are the people who are supposed to suffer from this going to wake up and realise that this is a natural phenomonem (hope it is spelt correct) and the earth has heated up before and will again after it has cooled down again. Sorry I am no "Rocket Scientist", but the CTS thingo (new word) is not going to do anythig more than take a great heap of money from the every day dude that she/he (not sexist) cannot afford now, let alone in the future.
I do believe that we need to address the amount of Co2 that we are pumping into the atmosphere and need to implement the introduction of more and more trees (Sorry I am NOT A GREENIE).
The horrors of Radioactive Waste is a thing of the past, we have the ability to use and defuse the waste and use it safely. We have the dryest Continet (sorry) and down south around Canberra, the windiest ares that could be used for Wind Farms. Lets go Solar and give the CARTELS a kick up the Kiber Pass and show the world that We, WE AUSTRALIANS are the Leaders in the future of Power Generation. Above all that I have written previously, I believe that if you DO NOT LIKE WHAT E DO DOWN HERE, THEN GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM AND PREACH WHATEVER YOU LIKE THERE.

Keep fighting the good fight Barnaby.

One has to remember Barnaby the Fielding and the FF had a pro ETS policy in 2007.

I personally believe the RET Bill was passed too quickly.
The CPRS cannot be allowed to pass. If Malcolm wants to throw his hand up and throw in the towell. Good luck to him.

Everyone needs to keep working on the senators that will make a stand. Its been lost in the lower house lets stay in communications with the upper and not let off the pressure.

This is the one bill that Kevin wont go to a DD on.
Not unless he wants Queenslanders to come after him with cricket bats.

Where is the petition to stop the boat people

PLEASE PLEASE we have to stop them OMG

Processing these people what are they talking about they have no papers
the authorities have no idea who they are and YES they could be terrorists
My daughter is a single mum starting her own business employing 4 people and only recieved 1 stimulus package she tried to get a small business loan and was turned down and we have to put up with giving these people every thing and the government won't help our own people.
What can we do as an individual to let this gov know how we feel

i'm terrified for my family and my country that I love.

Deborah

Senator Joyce
Could you please ask this question in the Senate.
If the Government is deeply concerned about the increasing Carbon Di-Oxide in Earth's atmosphere WHY is it spending Millions of dollars on Herbicides?
Why are gallons of herbicide used on 'Carbon Sink Forests?'
Nature has evolved many fast growing plants which take up Carbon Di Oxide,
We spray them with herbicide PROVIDED BY BY STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS. why is millions of dollars of public money being spent to degrade the environment and destroy river systems. Why are river banks and creek banks on the Queensland tropical coast sprayed with Government funded herbicide?

Dear Barnaby Joyce ,

You have many people in this Country that are all the way with you on opposing the ETS .
Please don't let any politician push you into quitting !
The Coalition would be in a far better position in the Polls if you were their Leader .The general Public admire you for your stance against this ETS tax rip off .
Kevin Rudd is going to ruin this Country all for the sake of his own ego !

We need your voice in the Coalition ! I only wish you were in the House of Reps . Please don't let us down ! Please do not quit !

Sincerely yours
Marie H

Barnaby
We need a national petition to can this whole stupid ETS.
Have we all heard Lord Monckton's Detroit Free press speech?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMe5dOgbu40
Also see Global Climate Scam.com
You seem to be one of very few in Canberra with a spine.
Keep it up!

Hans

Dear Barnaby,

I firmly believeNationals would win more votes if they are dropped from the Coalition's Joint Senate ticket. There are many people now opposed to this wretched ETS (tax) and those Voters are out there and can be won for the Nationals, Barnaby.

I only wish the Nationals could run a Candidate in my Electorate because, if you were to have a separate ticket, I believe millions would flock there.

You might often feel discouraged Barnaby, but try not to act on those feelings. Reality is, you are a champion of the people and all that is good. Our Country is starved of good honest Leaders of your ilk. I watch the Senate as often as I can and I hold you in great esteem and I'm proud to have you there representing the people of this Great Land, Australia.

God bless you Barnaby and thank you!

Denise V.

COMMONSENSE MUST PREVAIL.
Keep up the good work

my wife & i are small citrus growers. too big to go broke & too small to make a quid. we are as efficient as we can get. off farm interests prop our farm up . untill returns reflect effort farming has no future. you are by far the best politician & the best opposition leader in the country. stick it into them.

Paul, you are dead right, many years ago, my husband had to pay union fees which he hated doing as at that time so much went to the labor government for their campaigning etc, and then a portion went to feminist and other left winged groups,, Because he is right wing, he eventually stopped paying then a few years later he left teaching for two years, however when he went to return and had the highest assessment that you could get and Beattie was yelling out for men teachers, plus my husband had a masters, specialised in bright children and children with neurological problems, and has been a principal of private and state schools, he still, after 12 years has not got a back into teaching even after many calls to different labor members (including Ms Bligh).. it couldn’t possibly be because he was vocal about what unions had become could it??? or that they knew he did work for liberal eh???, no of course not...
And as far as compulsory membership in a democratic country, the two are simply not compatible. Unions are a labor/socialist things, and are a part of communism. Once all the worlds socialist governments sign the Linton and Copenhagen treaty, that will be the nail in the coffin for democracy, the lefts deception has won...

Senator,

Thank you for the stance taken against the ETS by yourself and your colleagues. Records show that the 1890's were the hottest years on record in Australia and this was BEFORE automobiles, coal fired power stations, et al. Aussies are tired of being bashed by the GW advocates who have one agenda and one alone. Listen to this link below.

http://2gb.com.au/index2.php?option=com_newsmanager&task=view&id=4998

Mr. Joyce

You, and the National Party are to be commended for showing some spine and common sense during recent events, with regards to "climate change." (Always thought it was interesting that it changed from Global Warming. Perhaps because global temperatures seem to be dropping...).

The ETS, and the theory of man-made global warming is a dastardly con, and the Liberal Party under Mr. Turnball have really put themselves into a hole over the issue.

My one regret is that the Labor Party seem to have a stranglehold over the Bendigo electorates in the Victorian assembly, and the National's don't contest the Federal election, here.

Thank you again for your work, (even if you're not technically my representative).

Regards, MJ.