Young ACT

Young ACT, formerly known as ACT on Campus, is the autonomous youth wing of the ACT Party, a classical liberal political party in New Zealand.

Description

Young ACT was first formed in 1996 at the Victoria University of Wellington and was originally called 'Prebble's Rebels' after former ACT Party leader Richard Prebble.

On 28 November 2000, the group's name was changed to 'ACTivists', became ACT on Campus in 2004 and then Young ACT in 2014. Young ACT membership is open to anyone under 30 or in full-time study. The organisation operates on all university campuses in New Zealand and regularly receives national media attention for their campaigns.

Campaigns

Keep It 18 – Liquor laws

Young ACT was part of the Keep It 18 campaign in 2006. The campaign, headed by Wellington student and later Member of Parliament Christopher Bishop, included the youth wings of ACT, the Greens, National and Labour. While polls showed the public largely in favour of raising the alcohol purchase age back from 18 to 20, the bill, sponsored by Labour MP Martin Gallagher, was convincingly defeated on its second reading. A notable part of the campaign was petition in the form of a large calico banner. Young ACT members had the banner signed by thousands of students on several campuses before presenting it to Members of Parliament in Wellington. The debate was restored from 2009 to 2012 during the debate of the Alcohol Bill, promoted by the National-led government, where upon the youth movements of National, Labour, the Greens and NZ First, joined forces to push for retention of the purchase age at 18.

Party pills – BZP ban

In 2007 were active in fighting the proposed BZP ban.

In 2008, the Auckland Branch of Young ACT protested the banning of BZP by selling BZP alongside AOC memberships, annoying Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton.^[1]

On April 1, 2008 (the day after the BZP ban), Young ACT announced a sale of BZP in defiance of the new law; at midday this was revealed to be a hoax, drawing attention to a press release attacking the BZP ban and challenging Jim Anderton's 'hypothetical' youth supporters to a debate on the viability of prohibition.

Voluntary student membership

Young ACT have been supporters of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill by Sir Roger Douglas and Hon Heather Roy. After leading a combined campaign with the Young Nationals to get National Party Members of Parliament to support the bill, the bill was passed into law on 27 September 2011.^[2] The bill was originally given a commencement date of 1 January 2012 and took effect following the Royal Assent being given.^[3] The act was opposed by the NZUSA.^[4][5]

References