Spiderbait, student unionism, long denim skirts - it's the 2000s all over again

There's baggy denim, grey pinstriped pants and even one of those mid-length skirts that are hard to walk in in the Mercury's old photos of protests over voluntary student unionism.

Taken in 2005, the pictures give a glimpse of what student life at the University of Wollongong was like about 20 years ago.

My uni days are hazy, but I know I was mid-way through a double degree at UOW back then, working three part-time jobs and living at home.

I remember really cheap food and drinks, like shots for $2, a co-op that sold bulk pantry foods, and a sandwich bar where you could pile whatever on your bread it was all sold by weight.

There was also next-to-nothing membership at the uni gym and lots of dirt-cheap movies and concerts (I recently uncovered ticket stubs from bands I saw at the Unibar for the price of two cups of coffee these days).

In 2004, I went to a Spiderbait gig at the Unibar for $12, most likely wearing something similar to the "jeans and a nice top" uniform of the table of 20-somethings I sat next to last Friday night at a Wollongong bar.

When John Howard's government took control of the Senate that same year, the Coalition got the power to bring its long-wished-for change to the way student unions were funded.

On campus in those years, there was more or less open warfare between the various political groups on Clubs and Societies or Market Days.

The government was eventually successful in 2005, and student unionism - and the union fees that funded lots of the free and cheap initiatives on campus during my uni days - became voluntary.

I recently celebrated a milestone birthday that has had me reflecting back over the decades and marvelling at how much time has passed, but it's strange how similar 2024 is to 20 years ago.

Today, student unionism is in the news after Labor announced in the federal budget that it would be bringing back compulsory funding for student unions.

In the budget, at the urging of the Australian Universities Accord, the government said it will make universities pass on 40 per cent of their non-academic, services and amenities fees to student associations from next year, unwinding part of Howard's reforms.

Then on Wednesday, I got an email touting an upcoming Spiderbait tour (which joins upcoming tours from the band's compatriots Jebediah and Regurgitator) to celebrate 20 years since their most successful album.

I'm now at the age where I have to ask my mum again if I want to go and see a band (this time for babysitting), so I don't think I'll make it. But I'm sure it won't be $12.

And, finally, those skirts are back.

I've perused them in the shops several times over recent weeks, considering a purchase, but have to keep reminding myself how bad they were the first time.

They make it hard to walk fast between lectures, are unsuitable for both hot and cold weather and make it tricky to sit cross-legged on the duck pond lawn.