By PAUL YANDALL
HAMILTON - Act leader Richard Prebble walked into the lions' den yesterday, singing the praises of the loans scheme to students at Waikato University.
His speech was received with jeers and heckling from 250 students. Many said he had ruined their lunch hour.
The student union invited Mr Prebble to speak at the Hamilton campus where he gave an account of Act policy on tertiary education, student loans, compulsory student union membership and university research.
He said the Government had no role in providing tertiary education and the university should be "reclaimed" by the local community.
"You should own it; you should run it."
Mr Prebble criticised the level of government funding for university research, which he believed was too high, and called for more commercial funding to be sought.
When asked why he did not support free education, Mr Prebble said: "Why should a truck driver have to dig into his wallet to help pay for your education?"
Students from the protest group Fightback! interrupted Mr Prebble, waving placards calling for free education.
Protest leader Joe Carolan said Mr Prebble was an example of someone who had enjoyed free tertiary education, courtesy of the Government, but was now working to deny it to following generations.
"We believe in free education and, at the moment, we believe it can happen."
Student union president Pita Cammock said he welcomed the expression of different views on campus and Mr Prebble had shown courage to turn up and speak.
"Unfortunately, Jim Anderton's been a problem. He won't come."
Mr Cammock said that Mr Prebble's views were well-known and his presence was not an endorsement of them by the student union.
"Our views are the complete opposite."
Mr Prebble told students that free education was a myth.
"I paid for my education many times over when I left [university]. I had to pay 60 per cent in taxes. Believe me, I paid for my education."
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