NUS is not a dirty word
The National Union of Students (NUS) is the peak representative organisation for students in Australia, representing over 1,000,000 tertiary education students nationwide. The Union is made up of member organisations. As members of the Curtin Student Guild, you are also represented by the National Union of Students.
NUS provides political representation for University students and is committed to ensuring that students’ perspectives are taken into account when decisions are made. NUS facilitates national and state-based campaigns that are run across many campuses. NUS also acts on behalf of students by lobbying the government and other decision-making bodies. By linking up student guilds across the country, NUS provides a larger base for campaigns and has a greater ability to speak out on behalf of students and make a real difference.
Generally, NUS runs campaigns around issues that impact upon students such as Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU), HECS increases, the inadequate rate of Youth Allowance, the high cost of housing and living, and the under-funding of the higher education system. Along with these issues, NUS also supports campaigns around women’s issues, cultural and race issues, queer issues, international student issues and environmental issues. These campaigns are facilitated with the existence of specialist departments in the National Office in the areas of Education, Welfare, Women’s and Queer, International Students, the Environment, Ethno-cultural, Small and Regional and Indigenous Departments. The Union has a national office, located in Melbourne, and a branch in each state with office-bearers who are elected annually by student delegates.
NUS West: Your Branch of the National Union
The WA Branch of the National Union of Students, affectionately called NUS West, is made up of student representatives from all four WA campuses. NUS West coordinates the grassroots activism across the four WA campuses of Murdoch, UWA, Curtin and ECU, by organizing around national issues as well as local issues particular to WA students. Its day-to-day co-ordination is the responsibility of its office-bearers who run campaigns in the areas of education, welfare, women’s issues, the environment, Indigenous issues, international students, queer issues, issues facing students from small and regional campuses and anything else that comes up that is of importance to WA students. NUS West co-ordinates cross campus activities and campaigns through collectives such as the Cross Campus Education Network (CCEN) and the Cross Campus Queer Network (CCQN). The State Branch Office is now housed with the UWA Student Guild.
NUS: What have you done for me lately?
NUS has been campaigning heavily at a grass roots and governmental level throughout the semester. 2009 is a fundamental year for the Higher Education sector. The release of the Bradley Review of Higher Education in Australia earlier in 2009 proposed some radical reforms in Higher Education some of which have already come to fruition. Most notably, the Review proposed the move towards to a ‘demand driven’ funding model, which was adopted by the government in its proposed deregulation model. Moreover, the Bradley Review proposed some fundamental changes to the Youth Allowance system, many of which were acted upon in the recent Federal Budget. Notably, the recent Budget contained some positives with regards to the Income Support system, particularly with regards to improving the parental means tests, excluding scholarships from income testing, and the increase in the personal income test from $236 to $400, introduced incrementally over the next four years. The Budget did, however, deliver some fundamental blows to the student movement. Importantly, it not only failed to increase the amount paid to recipients of Income Support, but also greatly increased the workforce eligibility criteria; better known as $18,000 over 18 months. These proposed changes (or failure to change) are crucial concerns of NUS, and have been received critically by students. NUS has been applying extensive pressure to the Government to reform these changes, both through lobbying, campaigning, and through the media.
While these campaigns are ongoing, and the effect yet to be fully felt by students, NUS has also had some direct wins which many of you will have noticed. Most obviously, NUS was fundamental in ensuring that students received the one-off $900 stimulus package payment. In the first round of the stimulus package, students were the only lower-socio economic earning group which were excluded from receiving the payment. However, with the campaigning of NUS we were able to secure the inclusion of students in the stimulus package. We hope you enjoyed!
NUS: I think I’ve seen you around before?
NUS West has been working hard this year to increase its engagement with the Curtin Student Guild and Curtin student’s. NUS West was present at Curtin’s O’Day, signing petitions concerning VSU and Income Support. On the 18th of March, the Curtin Student Guild held a breakfast as part of a of the On-Campus action for the NUS National Day of Action. On the 25th of March, Curtin students united with students from all around Western Australia in the CBD to hold a speak-out and rally, protesting Voluntary Student Unionism and the hopelessly inadequate Income Support system. Curtin Guild also joined the other four guilds in WA for the inaugural NUS West ‘Student Poverty Supper’, an event which brought together students and the community to speak out against the ongoing issue of Student Poverty.
NUS: Let’s hang out some time
On the 8th – 10th July, NUS will be holding its annual Education Conference. This conference unites activists from all around the country. It is as this meeting that students run forums on activism and campaigning, are educated by members of government and the Higher Education sector, and set the campaign for second semester.
While I cannot predict what will take place, there are some serious issues to be challenged in semester 2. The government’s proposal of deregulation, the suggested increase in HECS, or the continuing poverty experienced by many students are likely to be issues of interests. If you are passionate about Higher Education in Australia, or want to know more about NUS and NUS West more information can be found at our website: www.unistudent.com.au or email me directly at wa.pres@nus.asn.au
I would like to conclude by saying that it is fundamental this year for students to unite in the face of increasing adversity. The decisions made this year by the federal government will fundamentally affect the future of Higher Education in Australia. To achieve the change we need, it is essential that students come together, on ground, to demand reform. It is time for less talk, and more action.
In Unity,
Luke Villiers
NUS West President 2009