Although a last-minute deal can’t be ruled out, allreports say that the government’s voluntary student unionism (VSU) legislation will fail to pass the Senate today. The prime minister admitted as much on radio this morning.

After a roller-coaster ride of different VSU options this week – at one point, Jenny Macklin could
say “Brendan Nelson has now come up with four positions on VSU in four
days” – universities will spend next year, at least, with the status
quo. Genuine supporters of VSU should not be too upset about that,
since the various “compromises” on offer would have made things worse,
not better.

The argument in favour of VSU is that student services are best
provided by a voluntary, market-based or user-pays system. Even
assuming that it’s wise or practical to impose this model by
legislation from Canberra, the numbers in the Senate just aren’t there
for it. Given that, the next best thing is the system we’ve got: a
universal levy on students with democratic student control of the money.

The preferred option of Barnaby Joyce, the opposition and the
vice-chancellors – a compulsory fee for non-political services,
administered by the universities – just removes the democratic control
without putting any market control in its place. Score zero for
accountability.

But the compromise offered by the government – same funding of
services by the universities, but with the money coming from the
taxpayers – is even worse. Senator Mitch Fifield was absolutely right
when he said, back in August, “If it’s wrong to compel students to pay a fee, then I think it’s wrong to slug the taxpayer for that money.”

If we’re very lucky, this week’s impasse will result in people going
away and thinking about what they’re actually trying to achieve. More
likely, the same partisans will come back in February ready to fight
the same battle all over again.