UNnivresity of Wollongong students and staff showed on Wednesday they aren't taking the threat of uni fee deregulation lightly.
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As part of a national day of action, universities across the country rallied against the federal government's looming higher education reform bill, which plans to reduce government spending on tertiary education.
National Tertiary Education Union Wollongong branch organiser Martin Cubby led Wednesday's rally at UOW.
"Today is engaging with the community here at the university to make sure that the fee deregulation campaign is brought home a little bit because it's been a bit quiet on campus," Mr Cubby said.
"We need to make sure our Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings is aware that staff and students here won't accept the legislation that the federal government wants to introduce."
Wollongong Undergraduate Students' Association education officer Mitchell Bresser said the proposed changes had already led to students financially re-evaluating their tertiary options.
"The idea that students will be paying two or three times the current amount, it means students are going to be choosing the cheapest degree, the quickest degree," Mr Bresser said.
"We're going to see less students from less privileged backgrounds attending university and it's a big barrier to education.
"Any barrier to higher education is a barrier to Australia's future."
Independent Wollongong candidate Arthur Rorris said education as a basic right would be under attack if the changes went ahead.
"If things continue the way they are going, we are on track for the next generation of Australians to be the first in our history that has less education opportunities than their parents," Mr Rorris said. "I don't want to be part of a generation that lets that happen."
Among those at Wednesday's rally was fifth year UOW student Kristie Mellor.
"As a student of this generation, I think it's our job to make sure that people after us don't have to pay higher fees than we do. We don't want to make education inaccessible for the next generation," Ms Mellor said.