NUS Annual Report 2013

Authorised by Jade Tyrrell, National President 2013
National Union of Students
ANNUaL report
2013
This National Union of Students (NUS) publication was created, printed and distributed on Aboriginal lands. These lands were never ceded. NUS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of these lands, and pays our respect to Elders past and present.
National Union of Students Inc.

Suite 64, Trades Hall 54 Victoria Street Carlton South Victoria 3053
www.unistudent.com.au
Contents
National President Report National General Secretary Report National Education Department Report National Welfare Department Report National Womens Department Report National Queer Department Report National Disabilities Department Report National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Department National International Students Department Report National Environment Department Report National Ethno-Cultural Department Report National Small and Regional Department Report ACT Branch President Report NSW Branch President Report SA Branch President Report TAS Branch President Report VIC Branch President Report WA Branch President Report National Research Department Jade Tyrrell Todd Pinkerton Clare Keyes-Liley Hovig Melkonian Mikaela Wangmann Catherine Rose Hiba Casablanca Liam McDonald Blake Mooney Jay Ng Stephen Macallum Kerrie Kahlon Michael Pettersson Greg Stewart Josh Rebolledo Daniel Nikoloski Claire Chandler Isabelle Kingshott Anita Creasey Graham Hastings 2 6 8 10 12 14 18 20 22 26 28 30 31 32 33 34 35 37 38
NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013
NUS National President

JADE TYRRELL
2013: A turbulent year for higher education
The announcement of the $2.3 billion higher education cuts in first semester tested the strength of NUS and its capacity to fight for students rights. NUS responded with a coordinated approach that incorporated national media, a string of effective actions on the ground and lobbying efforts to resist the cuts. Every person who became involved made a difference, raised the profile of higher education and reminded the general public and the government that student activism is far from dead. The cuts also resulted in an unprecedented amount of co-operation between NUS, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), sector peak bodies and universities. I hope NUS can continue to strengthen its ties with fellow national student bodies as we have done this year, while continuing to work within the higher education sector to maintain access to a fairer and high quality education for all, that does not disadvantage any particular grouping of students (as the conversion of Start-Up Scholarships from grants to loans does). As we approach the end of 2013, I believe NUS and many student organisations are well-placed to resist future threats, including fee deregulation, the privatisation of HECS or increases to student fees. While
The Higher Education Cuts
This has been an incredible year for the National Union of Students and 2013 certainly turned out to be very different to the year I had been expecting. Our plans were thrown completely off-track in April with the then Federal Governments announcement that it would cut $2.3 billion from higher education. This change was one of the many reasons NUS has experienced one of the most challenging and turbulent years, with six responsible federal ministers for higher education in total (and the years not over yet!), a Federal Election, the anti-cuts campaign, the SSAF guidelines Review and the NUS Implementation Report, four National Days of Action (NDAs) and a Week of Action. In addition to this, we maintained our regular engagement with the sector and university campuses, improved engagement with our state branches and increased our media presence. Ultimately, we have achieved some great wins for students this year, and have positioned NUS as a formidable force in the realm of higher education. I look forward to seeing its strength continue to grow and fight for student rights in an era of rapid changes and threats to the quality of our education.
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the cuts have been delayed without Opposition support, a new Senate make-up next year will require a strategic approach, to ensure the students we represent do not get a raw deal under this current government. We waged a war against threats to our education and together we increased student engagement in education activism across the country, utilised our allies in the sector and Parliament effectively (and even got a mention in Hansard for our efforts) and helped to train a new generation of activists in the higher education space, which will be extremely valuable under a Coalition Government.
I have worked with various campuses throughout the year to assist them with their SSAF consultations. I have ensured NUS is a strong voice of opposition to any unfair application of the SSAF guidelines and legislation or any approach that neglects students interests, through direct lobbying of universities and the provision of information and general assistance to campus presidents. The Student Services and Amenities Fee received a high degree of scrutiny this year. The federal ministerial review into the SSAF guidelines resulted in revised guidelines being introduced into Parliament for greater transparency and clarity, to ensure its implementation could be improved. The review was certainly a great step towards improving the use of the SSAF in its second year of implementation, to bolster campus life and student services. I was very honoured to sit on the panel to represent the student voice and I believe NUS legitimacy in the sector is evident from the level of involvement, additional to this, that we continue to have with the Department and government committees. I also worked with our Research Officer, Graham Hastings, and campus organisation presidents across the country, to produce the second NUS SSAF Implementation Report. This year the report includes responses from every state and territory and provides a significant resource for students and universities on the SSAF and how it has been implemented across the country. The top ten universities are operating in stark contrast to those with the lowest scores so I hope the report is put to good use to improve SSAF for students and to help those less supported organisations push for change to enable them to flourish in the future. It is important that NUS continues to work with campuses to secure the best possible deal for student organisations from the SSAF, to ensure long-term sustainability and to avoid financial uncertainty. While we acknowledge that the SSAF is not perfect and threatens the independence of student organisations, it has bolstered basic services on campus and funding for student organisations.
SSAF Review and Overall Implementation in 2013
I decided, at the outset of my term, that it was important to continue to strengthen NUS position as a relevant, well-respected and prominent body in the higher education sector, particularly in a federal election year. We have significantly increased our presence in the media throughout 2013, with TV spots on The Project, ABC News 24, Lateline as well as regular print and radio coverage. In conjunction with our actions on the ground and lobbying efforts, the student voice has certainly been strengthened. One of the great achievements of NUS this year was the contributions we made to ensuring that higher education remained on the agenda in the lead-up to the Federal Election and throughout the year. Our campaign for the Federal Election, My Future, Our Voice: Unlock Your Vote, was extremely successful and we had almost 2000 participants in our survey for the Top 5 issues that young people and students care about. Not only did we increase NUS engagement on campuses across the country and built an activist database for future actions, we managed to increase our presence in the media and online by utilising social media and a new campaign website in an unprecedented way for NUS. I believe NUS has set a solid foundation for future years through the success of the election campaign, and it certainly allowed NUS to understand what priority issues they would like to be the unions focus in future years. The results from our survey showed the top 5 issues for those that voted included (in order):
NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013 | 3
NUS in the media
Federal election campaign
Funding for high quality education Secure jobs, fair workplaces Humane treatment of asylum seekers Housing affordability Marriage equality We also successfully ran a tweet up with federal Greens leader, Senator Christine Milne,and managed to have our conversation trend nationally during that hour. Our ability to respond to anti-student announcements without warning has now increased significantly, which was clear from our reaction to Education Minister Christopher Pynes announcements in September, regarding his desire to remove the SSAF, when we called upon those involved in Unlock Your Vote to take action and his inbox was flooded in protest within 24 hours. Campus engagement and activism The return of education NDAs was one of the greatest achievements for student activism this year. Our most successful NDA was by far the May 14th rally, and it was so exciting to see the biggest turnout nationally since the Nelson reforms. My hat goes off to Clare and everyone involved in each action throughout the year for making NUS such a great activist body. Across the country, NUS has had many people turning up to actions and events. We also had quite widespread media coverage throughout the year in connection to these actions and it was good to put education on the radar in the lead-up to the election and beyond.
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Along with my fellow National Office Bearers, I made a big effort to engage with as many affiliates and nonmember student organisations as possible through campaigns and O Weeks. It is a testament to our increased reach this year through our campaigns, increased communication and campus visits that new student organisations, such as Edith Cowan University and Southern Cross Gold Coast, have affiliated to the union. I hope they continue to engage with NUS in future years. It was also very exciting to work with student representatives at the University of New England this year, to grow our presence significantly and I hope they will be able to affiliate their newly-formed student association next year. I organised the NUS Presidents Summit in January 2013, to equip campus presidents for the year ahead and to provide them with media training. The summit also provided important networking opportunities with other student organisations nationally as well as other unions, and provided all attendees with important information about the higher education sector. I also compiled the NUS Strategic Plan 2013 booklet to provide a comprehensive vision for the union and to improve the accessibility of NUS campaigns, hold office bearers accountable and increase NUS communication to campuses on its plans for the year. Christopher Pyne has commissioned Andrew Norton and David Kemp (two proponents of fee deregulation) to conduct a review into the demand-driven funding
Projects for the end of the year
system and NUS has been invited to make a submission to the review. They will report to the Government in mid-February 2014, so the process has been fasttracked. This has been a new focus for myself and our Research Officer, until the due date in mid-December. I also aim to compile the student representation best practice guide, with the assistance of the incoming NUS president for 2014. Various NUS projects, including work protesting each stage of the higher education cuts and also NUS commitments have caused it to be delayed, but I am hopeful it will be released early next year. The biggest thank you must go to Clare what a year it has been for us. You have been like a sister to me and I look forward to fighting the good fight with you for many years to come. Todd it has been wonderful to have a fellow New South Wales local move to Victoria as part of the job and I believe NUS has been all the better for our wonderful cooperation this year. Thanks to all the National Office Bearers for sharing what has been such an exciting year in office. Thank you all for your significant contribution to the student movement. Thank you must also go to all the other NUS office bearers for 2013, particularly the State Branch Presidents with whom I have collaborated regularly this year: Josh, you have blossomed as a student activist and I cannot wait to see what you manage to achieve in the future; Isabelle, your hard work and determination for a better union has not gone unnoticed; Dan, thank
Acknowledgements
you for your continued and genuine support this year; Anita, your passion and involvement in activism and your ability to balance everything continues to inspire me; Claire, despite our political differences, your enthusiasm for NUS and vision of its capabilities is greatly appreciated. It has been incredible to be involved in the national union and I sincerely thank every one of those people who contributed to a strong year for NUS. Every banner you held, every campaign message you conveyed on campus, every policy-maker you pressured made a difference and I look forward to seeing the union thrive into the future and continue to play a crucial role for student rights, access, quality and equity in education and student activism in 2014 and beyond.
NUS National General Secretary

TODD PINKERtON
013 has been a great year for NUS. This years National Office Bearer team has shown that NUS is capable of being both fiscally responsible whilst maintaining a strong on-the-ground campus presence. In the lead up to the federal election NUS was able to raise the prominence of higher education as an election issue through a strong campaign that utilised its resources in a very effective manner. For NUS to continue to run strong campaigns it needs to continually consolidate its financial and administrative strategies. This year NUS was able to deliver a surplus whilst expanding its professional contacts, restructure its internal financial department, and begin a process of strategic planning and redevelopment for the future.
The National President and myself have also discussed a number of initiatives to ensure a more organised National Conference. This year when we hold conference we will have a proposed agenda which outlines the policy areas to be debated and delegates will receive a delegates pack outlining some of the machinery that goes into how the National Conference works and a clearer guide to the parameters of the policy debates.
Early in my term I determined that a structural weakness of NUS relating to my role as National General Secretary was a lack of a developed roster of professional contacts to provide advice and services to the office when needed. As such, over the course of the year I sought out a number of well-qualified consultants to help advise the National Union of Students in future years. These consultants include Essential Media Communications (EMC) to provide organisational assistance with the media, lobbying and campaign aims of the union and a human resources consultant to ensure that NUS was complying with its industrial relations responsibilities as an employer. These relationships proved very fruitful for the year 2013 and should be ongoing for the following term.
Development of NUSs professional contacts
Mid-way through the year 2013 NUS had a resignation from a member of its financial department. Rather than merely replacing the resignation the National Union chose to take this opportunity to engage in a restructure of the department, bringing in a on-site book keeper while maintaining a contract with a oncea-month accountant for compliance. This has lead to an increased degree of oversight over NUSs financial compliance. Working more closely with the NUS auditors has increased the degree by which this new structure for the finance department has been able to prepare NUS for its annual audit. As part of this structure I have worked to establish a series of meetings for the incoming National General Secretary with the team to develop regular and effective strategies to improve financial management and oversight.
Restructuring of NUS Finance Department
This year a number of steps were taken to increase the effectiveness of the NUS National Executive. At the first meeting of the executive a proposed schedule for executive meetings, holding a meeting roughly each month. In addition very key deadlines were set out to National Office Bearers for the due dates of their reports. I think in comparison to previous years these initiatives have proved to be quite fruitful and I urge next years National Executive to set at its first meeting next year clear guidelines for the conduct and deadlines for National Executive Meetings.
A more organised National Executive and National Conference
The most critical period for an NUS office bearer is the hand-over period and for the General Secretary this is no different. I have begun to organise in conjunction with the National President a structured handover period which will include meetings with a variety of organisations and training sessions and workshops for the incoming National President and National General Secretary that should best prepare them for their terms. The handover period will include meetings with both the Industrial and Campaign wings of the NTEU, representatives of the ACTU, a planning session with EMC, a human resources induction with NUSs HR consultant and NUS auditors to discuss best financial practice and a host of others.
Handover 2014
This year NUS set a target of 700K for affiliation income, which was met by a combination of regular and new campus affiliations. The fee review committee process had fewer meetings with more campuses to consider so NUS was in a better position to consider the money coming in. In addition to meeting our revue targets, NUS investing a larger portion of its reserves into a fixed term deposit at a reasonable competitive rate of interest will see a substantive return the following financial year. This in conjunction with the restructuring of the NUS finance department will strengthen NUSs financial position for the coming years. Next year I suggest that the National General Secretary invest some time into streamlining the affiliation process setting up a timeline for affiliation income as well as guidelines for the waiving of fees to encourage campuses to increase their affiliation payments. As always the delivery of a surplus continues to strengthen the position of NUS to be an effective voice for students.
Strengthening NUSs finance position
The NUS EBA has remained somewhat of a bugbear for national office bearers, having expired some time ago and little effort has been made to renew it. This year having sat down with the NTEU, we have commenced the process and have set a timeline to carry into next year. Two negotiations meetings have already been organised for the handover period next year.
Beginning the process of modernising the NUS EBA
In changing political and economic times it is imperative that NUS begins a process of self-reflection and due consideration as to how it can best adapt to the future. NUS should commit itself in 2014 to a structural audit of the organisation, one that would seek to outline the strengths and weaknesses of its organising model, of where its money is being spent the most effectively and how, most importantly, NUS can improve itself. This year we have seen NUS very effectively take to the streets with displays of outrage at government cuts to higher education, and in the background to these protests was a great deal of lobbying meetings with ministers and decision makers in the higher education sector. NUS needs to further develop and refine this two-pronged attack. Few national unions operate like NUS, practically none effectively organise on a solely national level with little to no investment made into organising at a state level. In the period of 2014 the National Office Bearer team must begin a process of self-critique as early as possible, with consultation of campus presidents and other stakeholders to occur during Presidents Summit, a model to be put to debate and a vote at the 2014 Education Conference and to be passed at the following National Conference.
For due consideration
NUS National Education Officer

CLARE KEYES-LILEY
013 will not be a year that those involved in the higher education sector will easily forget. Last year saw attacks by universities and State Governments on quality and access to higher education; in 2013 it was the Federal Governments turn. The April announcement of deep cuts to university spending and the conversion of student scholarships to loans significantly changed the direction of the Education Department, but this also saw more students participate in NUS central actions than at any time over the past decade. Education Conference in July provided a vital pit stop for representatives and activists to come together to reflect on the future of student activism and NUS place in it. Accessibility and quality of education have been central for each of the campaigns and actions this year. This is reflected in the collaborated campaigns with the Welfare and Womens departments from semester one. In chronological order, I give you a summary of the Education Departments campaigns and initiatives for the past year.
(In partnership with the Welfare Dept and supported by the Australian Council of Trade Unions) Also rolled out during O-Weeks. A study released by the ACTU and the Victorian Trades Hall Council at the end of 2012, which showed that 1 in 4 young people have worked cash in hand, was the catalyst for the development of this campaign. More students are working part-time to support themselves through their degrees than at any other time in history. Students often rely on penalty rates and are frequently discriminated against in the workplace. This campaign aimed to provide information to students about support that is available and their rights as workers.
Fair Wages for Fair Work
Rolled out during O-Weeks, this campaign was designed to highlight the inequity of HECS debt compared to twenty years ago. Targeted at members of parliament who had received free education, as well as current university students who may not necessarily consider the price tag of their degree and what it means postgraduation. Further to this, the campaign called on the Tertiary Education Minister(s) to consider the overall cost of education and the benefits of an educated society.
Hey Baby Boomers
The first National Day of Action of the year had three demands: no fee increases, stop deregulation and no cuts. These demands were based on the trend of the previous 12 months in the sector. With support from the National Tertiary Education Union and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations there were central actions in each state and the success of these rallies, and the way that they were built, set the tone for the rest of the year.
Our Education Is Not For Profit (27/3/2013)
(In partnership with the Womens Department and supported by the National Tertiary Education Union) Blue Stockings seeks to celebrate and empower women in education. Women make up over 50% of undergraduate students at a tertiary level, but this number significantly diminishes when you get to post-graduate, academic and senior management levels. The BSW campaign is broad enough that campuses are able to adapt to issues that a pertinent to them. BSW 2013 theme was Our Blue Stockings Are On the Line to highlight what was at stake in the upcoming election for women and their participation in education.
Blue Stockings Week
In April of this year the Federal Government took unprecedented steps to take money from the higher education budget, ostensibly to fund the Gonski reforms. Not only was there the forecast savings which had to be
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Government Savin, Misbehavin
made, the moving of Start-Up Scholarships to loans was out of step with the agenda of ensuring as many students as possible were enrolling in tertiary education post secondary school. In opposition to these changes a snap NDA was held on April 17 and on May 14 to coincide with the Federal Budget students, staff and their supporters met in the largest central actions over university funding since the Nelson Reform Package in 2003.
Hands Off Our Education (October 28-November 1)
From July 10-12 University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia hosted Education Conference, with a delegation of around 300 students from almost every uni in Australia. The 2013 conference was designed to skill up activists and representatives with workshops run by community organisers and activists and students bringing own experiences and skills to the conference. Guest speakers included Jane Lomax-Smith, Ged Kearney (President of the ACTU), Jeannie Rea (President of the NTEU) and Clementine Ford. Workshops included campaigning online, community organising, lessons from the Chilean student movement and organising in hostile spaces. Special thanks goes to Deanna Taylor, Catherine Story, Adam Slobodian, Idris Martin, Casey Briggs and the delegates who ran workshops, without you the 2013 conference would have been a very different (or probably would not have happened at all).
Education Conference 2013: Educate. Activate. Organise.
Less than two weeks into the job education minister Chris Pyne announced the new Governments intentions in the higher education sector. The repealing of SSAF was the one many were unprepared for, but we have always known the Liberal Partys agenda on this fee (great to see that after six years they werent able to move on). With fierce opposition from the sector the Government quickly withdrew their intentions. It was clear that students needed to come out strongly against the new Government. The final national action was designed for students and student organisations to firmly establish themselves as strong voices in the sector with central actions and lobbying meetings with sitting members and senators nationally.
This was designed to assist students with the basics of getting ready for the year ahead. Through online resources, this campaign is designed to assist students in the lead up to the new academic year with basics like financial tips, Centrelink FAQs and a renters checklist. Rolled out entirely online via social media and the NUS website, the resources for this campaign are designed to be used as a permanent tool for NUS and student organisations. Thank you to everyone who played a part in these campaigns and initiatives, your contribution and efforts did not go unnoticed. The successes of 2013 are yours just as much as they are NUS.
Be Uni Ready
It became evident during the organising of the May 14 rallies; students wanted to engage meaningfully in Federal policy decisions and were consistently being locked out. The campaign was also designed to see students engage in more than the personality politics that dictated the 2013 Federal Election. There were four parts to the campaign; the first being an enroll to vote campaign; second a national survey on policy important to students; the third was the release of the results and fourth the 2013 Election Report Card, which used the national survey results as its criteria. This campaign also saw the first NUS Tweet-Up with leader of the Greens, Senator Christine Milne addressing students via Twitter about their concerns in the lead up to the Federal Election.
My Future, Our Voice: Unlock Your Vote
Designed by a series of workshops at Education Conference as the second semester NDA. The demands for Fight For Our Education were based on the proposed funding changes and reflected the climate on campuses. There was a push to pressure the Opposition to announce their intentions with higher education prior to Election Day and changes to funding, as well as maintaining pressure on the Federal Government to source funding for the Gonski package from elsewhere.
Fight For Our Education (20/8/2013)
NUS National Welfare Officer

HOVIG MELKONIAN
he National Union of Students Welfare Department has run a number of campaigns throughout the year with a focus on assisting campuses in reaching out to their membership, strengthening their student organisations and building their presence on campus. We have built ties with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and various other trade unions and we have worked together on issues relevant to both parties. We have lobbied the Federal Government on issues of youth allowance and the age of independence and lobbied for a standardised national transport concession system. The Welfare Department has also contributed to the general campaigns including the National Days of Action after the higher education cuts were announced, the Unlock Your Vote campaign for the federal election and the ongoing fight to prove the relevance and importance of the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). Further to this, time was spent lobbying both State and Federal MPs regarding the NUS positions on the issues mentioned above.
One of the strategic objectives for the year was to engage more closely with the ACTU and other relevant trade unions. This was done under the umbrella of the Fair Wages for Fair Work campaign, the aim of which was to involve more students with their relevant trade unions and to make them aware of their rights at work. The ACTU National President Ged Kearney launched the ACTU penalty rates campaign on campus with and it was promoted by various student unions across the country. The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) promoted their 100% Pay at 18 on multiple campuses around Australia and information was distributed by student organisations, NUS provided witnesses to appear before a full bench of the Fair Work Commission and participated in various actions organised by the union. We are currently waiting for a verdict for adult wages for 20 year olds, a decision which will be handed down within the month. We also distributed material from the United Voice and the National Union of Workers around weekend penalty rates and insecure work. When the wall fell on the GROCON site this year we organised for a contingent of students to attend the CFMEU/Building Industry Group STOP GROCON STOP WORK rally where we got both Radio and TV coverage. The relationship between the NUS and the trade union movement was strengthened this year and it is hoped that it will continue to grow into the future.
Fair Wages Fair Work
2013 was the first year where there was no incremental decrease in the age of independence for income support. A petition campaign was run to again make the issue topical again. The following five points were included in the petition: 1. Raise the level of student income support payments to the Henderson poverty line; 2. Lower the age of independence from 22 to 18; 3. Retain Start-Up Scholarships; 4. Increase the parental means test threshold to the level of Average Weekly Earnings; 5. Reintroduce Centrelink counters on university campuses. The campaign was rolled out on almost every campus and was tabled in the House of Representatives. The petition was tabled at a time of political instability and not as much interest was generated as was hoped. In the current political climate continuous pressure needs to be applied so that the gains that were made in the past are not scaled back.
Support A Student Support Our Future
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Independent advocacy is one of the key roles of student organisations. The performance of the advocacy services not only has a significant impact on the lives of students, it is also one of the only functions of a student organisation that cannot be run by university administrations. A survey of student organisations was circulated in order:
NUS National Student Advocacy Survey
1. To identify how different student organisations approach the delivery of advocacy services; 2. To identify best practices for advocacy delivery; 3. To assist less established organisations in establishing or strengthening their advocacy services; and 4. To assist student representatives to lobby for greater independence for advocacy services. The survey is currently active. The information gathered will be used to compile a best practice guide which will be made available to affiliates.
In the coming years we will be facing daily threats to the SSAF and the existence of student organisations. It is paramount that the NUS engages with campaigns that are relevant to the majority of students on university campuses to ensure the existence of the Union into the future. A greater focus must be put on assisting affiliates to grow their organisations and assisting them to become increasingly self-reliant, and ensuring the work that NUS does is representative of what affiliates expect of NUS. Furthermore, work must be done to mainstream the issues that we lobby for to keep the general public supportive of our goals. I hope that the NUS Welfare Department will continue to focus on issues that affect all students such as Centrelink and standardised National Transport Concessions and I also hope there will be ongoing collaboration between NUS and the trade union movement. I hope that the next years Welfare Officer will publish the Student Advocacy Best Practice Guide and that future Welfare Officers continue to compile best practice guides for various welfare services. I would like to thank all activists who have supported me in many years of student activism, my fellow National Office Bearers, and the good people of RMIT and Victoria University.
Moving Into The Future
A long running NUS campaign has been for a standardised national transport concession system. This year the welfare department has worked with the Victorian State Branch to lobby for transport concession for international students. As a result of pressure being applied from a number of different groups including NUS, annual concessions for international students have been promised on a trial basis by the current state government. The campaign will continue until there is a National Transport Concession System. A cost-benefit analysis is being prepared to submit to both political parties and the campaign will intensify in the lead up to next years state election.
Fair Fares
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NUS National Womens Officer

MIKAELA WANGmANN
013 has been a turbulent year for women around the country but also around the world. We have seen not only the election of a Prime Minister who doesnt hide his archaic sexist views, but we have seen him appoint himself the Prime Minister for Women. We saw Australias first woman Prime Minister restart the gender debate and have her cleavage discussed. The Steubenville Rape Case saw thousands stand with the victim to push the message that is without active consent its rape. We saw Malala Yousafzai continue her fight for women and girls to receive education in Pakistan after being shot in the head by the Taliban. We saw the New South Wales lower house pass legislation to erode a womans right to bodily autonomy. We also saw one of the most impassioned speeches about sexism and misogyny in Australia delivered in parliament by Julia Gillard. It has been a year of dizzying highs and lows. The Departments big focus this year has been the Talk About It Survey and Report. The survey had over 1400 responses and was a huge success. The report has been split into two parts: the data in the Talk About It Report and the recommendations into the Safety Blueprint.
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These reports paired together or separately can be used by next years NUS Womens Officer and campus Womens Officers to lobby for better safety on campus as well as better procedures for dealing with reports of sexual assault. We ran a campaign around sexism for O Weeks called Where do you stand? which was quite successful and got the departments name and logo out amongst students during the week that has the highest numbers of students on campus throughout the year. It aimed to have people reconsider what they thought was sexism because too often sexism slips through without being called out. Blue Stockings Week was run in conjunction with the Education Department, which was a huge success. This year we ran it separately from the NTEU, however this worked quite well in the end with both first and second semester having a week to celebrate women in higher education. The theme we chose was our stockings are on the line. The aim was to show that while women have come so far in areas of Higher Education there are still huge discrepancies between men and women on campus.
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I worked this year to strengthen the relationship between the Womens Department and other womens organisations in particular the Equality Rights Alliance and Australian Women Against Violence Alliance. I attended the May face to face planning meeting of the ERA at which we worked through not only goals and plans for the conglomerate organisation for the next 12 months but also put forward their application for funding for the next four years. Ideas that were raised in this advisory group meeting have blossomed, in particular the Housing Survey. I have also been involved in the Australian Women Against Violence Alliance Advisory Group and have provided input into the many papers that AWAVA has written for and to the Government. This year the blog, Facebook and Twitter were keys for the department to get its message out. Continuing the blog from last year was a real priority as it provides women students around the country with an outlet to talk about issues that are close to them and feminism as a whole. I feel this was quite successful with one post having more then one thousand views in less than twenty-four hours. I also used Twitter and Facebook for cross promotion of the department and what was going on and managed to grow both the likes and followers across these platforms significantly. I have had the pleasure this year of making some big media outlets including and interview with Cleo Magazine after reports of what occurred at colleges during O Week. I was interviewed by Cosmo Magazine about sexual assault and provided them with some preliminary Talk About It statistics. I was also interviewed for ABC TV about sexual assault and harassment at the Australian Defence Force Academy and the continuing viewpoints to close ADFA and move the students to civilian universities and the rates of sexual assault at universities around the country. This year has been very eye opening for me and I feel I have seen the best and the worst of the student movement. Having been involved in the student movement for the last four years I feel that its important to remind activists around the country that its ok to disagree on some issues and to fight it out during elections, but after the election its important to learn how to work together again. This is vital to having a strong movement no matter what your goal. I have seen some phenomenal examples of women working
if she doesn t she is a prude,

if she does , that s why i
she is easy.
WHERE DO YOU
TOOK A STAND.
STAND?
Authorised by Mikaela Wangmann 2013 National Womens Department, National Union of Students.
together this year but I have also seen groups vilify women who were trying to help because of one thing or another. This does no good all it does is damage relationships and potentially cause the movement to lose activists. To the women who have faced this sort of thing this year, I have been hugely impressed with the strength you have shown and I am sorry that I couldnt do more to help you. There are many people that I owe thanks to for keeping me sane and helping me out when I needed it - to you all I say thank you. To Womens Officers around the country who were supportive and keen to get involved - thank you.
NUS National Queer Officers

When a video went viral in the wake of Mardi Gras this year showing a young man being brutally assaulted by police, the knowledge that Mardi Gras was forged as a central tradition of queer pride in response to sickening police brutality being inflicted on Australias first gay liberationists in 1978 combined with peoples lived experience of police brutality and ongoing queerphobia demanded an urgent response. Two days after the video surfaced, 2000 people turned out on a Friday night to march down Sydneys Oxford St, in an unauthorised march to the local police station in charge of the Mardi Gras police operation. Protesters yelled Out of the bars and onto the streets! and people did just that, ditching their drinks as they realised that the fight was on to defend Mardi Gras. The protest demonstrated that a fighting queer youth and student wing exists today, prepared to take on the mantle of yesterdays fighters. The major parts of the student movement in Sydney, including the USyd and UTS SRCs, USyd, UTS and UNSW Queer Collectives and UTS Indigenous Collective attended and organised around the protest in various ways. It was also chaired by Cat as Convener of Community Action Against Homophobia, an important point in the positioning of the NUS Queer Department as entrenched in the queer movement. We circulated the petitions and videos that went around online to queer collectives across the country, contributing to making it a national talking point that really put the spotlight on what happened.
HIbA CASAbLANcA & CAthERINE ROSE

Police brutality at Mardi Gras
We were joined by a number of the original 1978 Mardi Gras protesters. They made sure to express their joy at seeing students and young people taking a stand today and commented that there was something of the spirit of 1978 captured in this protest, a fact we can be immensely proud of.
In May the NUS Queer Department coordinated an inaugural national week of action during the week of IDAHOT (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia). This was promoted both online and through print materials distributed nationally and support was given to campuses that wished to run local events. The week was a success with 14 universities in 7 states and territories participating. This included a wide variety of events being held such as DIY rainbow crossing chalking, guests speakers, workshops, BBQs, petitions, and social events. The week was also used as an opportunity to promote the NUS Queer Departments Pride Not Prejudice campaign which aimed to be an easy, accessible awareness campaign encouraging positive attitudes towards queer students and encouraging both queer students and allies to challenge queerphobia on campuses. We hope that IDAHOT will continue to grow in the future as an annual NUS event.
IDAHOT
With the revival of the education campaign this year, the NUS Queer Department took on its share to establish the campaign and draw in students
Queers in Education
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of different experience, including highlighting the disproportionate effect that cuts to higher education funding and welfare payments have on marginalised groups such as queer students. We promoted the education campaign to queer collectives nationally, getting them and those around them to involve themselves and attend their local actions. We made a point of organising a queer student who lives on Youth Allowance under the unreasonable to live at home provision to write an article for publication about why she needs student welfare because of queerphobia, and how the changes will discriminate against her further. Many of the education activists around are queer themselves, so there was an excellent overlap between queer student organising and the education campaign that we can revel in as an achievement.
We all need to pee
This year the NUS Queer Department kicked off an innovative, original and meaningful campaign raising trans* awareness and inclusion by educating and challenging students on assumptions about who should be in what bathroom. We produced stickers about trans* discrimination in bathroom spaces in consultation with trans* students and attendees of Queer Collaborations Conference and NUS Education Conference. The stickers have been put up by students at over 20 campuses across the country. This became a rewarding area of activism for queer collectives and student activists who roamed the campuses plastering them with the stickers. The campaign succeeded in becoming a talking point on campuses, with social media and student newspaper debates seeing queers and their allies dominate against transphobes who wanted to force people into their backward and impossible ideas about sex and gender. One student at USyd noticed the stickers in their bathrooms and posted a photo of them on Tumblr saying Thank you National Union of Students for doing it right, and it has received over 55,000 shares. We have even been contacted internationally by groups wanting to run the campaign themselves, including NUS UK and the Queer and Ally Student Assembly at the University of Southern California. Queer collectives, student activists and supporters of queer rights on campus have continued to make attendance at and organising around the marriage equality rallies an important part of their activism. Other achievements this year, including organising against police brutality at Mardi Gras, raising the rights of queer refugees and promoting trans* inclusivity have been made stronger by the ongoing existence of a grassroots campaign around marriage equality. It is no surprise that the networks and fighting spirit produced in this campaign have given us strength in pursuing a diversity of queer rights. This year the campaign won its first tangible victory, with the ACT government passing same-sex marriage laws and Labor and Greens MPs voting unanimously for the first time to make this happen. We now need to defend these laws from attack from the Abbott government, which we gained during the year as a odious adversary, and to push this forward into achieving full marriage equality for everyone across
Students and young people continue to come out in regular and large demonstrations in support of queer rights through the campaign for marriage equality. The NUS Queer Department has played a significant role in this campaign over the last few years and this year was no exception.
Marriage Equality
15
the country, without a sex or gender binary enforcing itself on peoples relationships. Having a youthful and inclusive voice in the marriage equality campaign has helped to make sure that the demand for marriage equality remains rooted in opposition to all forms of queerphobia, while challenging existing stereotypes about sexuality, sex and gender.
In response to concerns that students have expressed about safety in queer student spaces and collectives, Hiba developed a series of workshops that aim to challenge sexism, racism, ableism and other forms of oppression that can occur in queer student activism. These workshops were presented at several campuses as well as at national student conferences including NUS Education Conference, Queer Collaborations Conference and Network of Women Students Australia (NOWSA Conference). After receiving feedback from attendees at these presentations the workshops have been developed into a pack that queer student activists can utilise to facilitate training on their campuses in 2014.
Inclusive Queer Spaces
students around the country. The parameters of the audit were developed in consultation with queer students at NUS Education Conference and Queer Collaborations Conference. The audit is a challenging undertaking being completed for the first time in Australia, and with a large number of parameters this has required a considerably large amount of research to be conducted. The results of the audit will be released in late 2013 or early 2014 as an educative tool for new queer student representatives and as a lobbying tool for queer student activists seeking to improve access to support services for queer students on their campuses in 2014.
The PNG solution announced in the anti-refugee hysteria of the pre-election period involved sending refugees to a country where homosexuality is illegal. A flare-up in pro-refugee activism, featuring several large protests of outrage in capital cities, saw the NUS Queer Department quickly make this campaign a point of priority. We took a stand against the policies of both parties, and succeeded in involving queer students in the campaign, educating people about why the right to seek refuge is essential for queer people and establishing international queer solidarity. The NUS Queer Department organised Queer Blocs and working bees in Sydney and Melbourne, and saw queer students organise similarly in WA. We made contact with refugee action groups across the country to collate an ongoing national list of refugee-rights protests happening in the lead up to the election and successfully promoted it through our considerable queer and activist networks.
Queer refugees
Cat is holding a symposium on Sexuality, Social Justice and Education as an outgoing event from the office. The event will feature different aspects of the struggle for queer rights, hosting figures important to our movement in Australia. Ali Hogg, Convener of Equal Love Melbourne and Liz Ross, participant and historian of the gay liberation movement in Australia, will speak together on Sexuality and Social Justice in Australia, from Gay Liberation to Now. Cat as NUS Queer Officer and Roz Ward from the Safer Schools Coalition VIC will talk about Education and the contemporary struggle for sexual freedom. The symposium will also feature Prof Graham Willett taking people on a tour of the queer history of Melbourne University, a bookstall, artefacts from the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives and a chance for open discussion. The symposium will educate and welcome people interested in the diversity of topics up for discussion.
Symposium
This year the NUS Queer Department has worked on collecting data from universities and student unions on the services and support that they provide to queer
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Australian Universities Queer Services Audit
A major goal of the NUS Queer Department in 2013 was to increase direct engagement with queer students around the country. The strategy to achieve this included online tactics such as developing a new NUS Queer Department blog (with regular updates on campaigns, a national queer student event calendar, and resources such as contact details for campus and state queer officers around the country) and increasing our presence on Facebook and Twitter with regular updates and news. We reached queer student representatives through similar mediums as well as a queer student representatives email list over which we sent campaign
Engagement
Photo by Michael Barnett
updates and promotion of relevant queer student events such as Queer Collaborations Conference and Querelle Magazine publication. We provided one-on-one support, advice and training to queer student representatives and collectives and visited campuses in VIC, NSW, ACT, QLD, WA, and SA. This support extended to creating a Victorian Cross-Campus Queer Network similar to existing ones in other states to facilitate peer support amongst queer student representatives and collectives. We additionally attended several student and youth conferences and ran workshops at or presented at NUS Presidents Summit, NUS Education Conference, Queer Collaborations Conference, Network of Women Students Australia (NOWSA) Conference, Young Queer Leaders Summit, and YACVICs YOUth Untitled Conference. We also increased NUS visibility by regularly attending queer student and general queer community events such as campus Pride or Queer Weeks, queer policy public forums, and organized a NUS contingent to the Victorian Pride March.
Overall, 2013 has been an action-packed and dynamic year for queer students around the country and the NUS Queer Department. Its been encouraging and inspiring to see queer students mobilizing on a wide range of issues and taking action in many different forms. As well as running our own campaigns, the NUS Queer Department played a role in working with other NUS departments and taking part in broader NUS education campaigns and were proud to have supported NUS union-wide achievements this year. Wed like to thank the NUS National Office Bearer team, queer student representatives and activists around Australia, and our friends and comrades for supporting us to reach our goals. Wed like to wish the best of luck for the 2014 NUS Queer Department and hope that they will continue to build on 2013s achievements to keep the department united, strengthen its connection with queer students, expand the reach of its campaigns further, and keep its voice relevant.
Conclusion
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NUS National Disabilities Officer

LIAm McDONALD
013 was the first year that the Disabilities Department has existed; therefore the main focus of the department was to raise awareness around the issues of students with disabilities and of the newly created National Union of Students department.
Smash the Stigma Mental Health Matters
39% of students having trouble sleeping with 46% of students feeling run down Of the students who took the survey 49% say they have mental health diagnosis 48% of students answered that theyre university was not supportive 43% of students put on a happy face often while 36% do sometimes The results of the survey speak strongly as for the need for more active support for students, and are available in soft copy.
The purpose of the smash the stigma was to primarily raise the renown of the Disabilities Department while helping to activate discussion around mental health in students. This ran all year and was a focus when I visited many campuses.
Throughout the year I worked at establishing a network of activists, disabilities officers, clubs and collectives to promote a free exchange of ideas and support. Over the period of o-weeks I was able to attend the following o-weeks, talking to those existing officer bearers and collectives and exchanging ideas and campaigns materials: Melbourne University, Monash University, University of Technology Sydney, University of Wollongong, University of Sydney, University of New South Wales. I also was able to visit South Australia and Tasmania this year, working with students at both campuses to raise awareness of students with disabilities, support ongoing campaigns and promote the Mental Health Survey
Campus visits, o-weeks and Disabilities Network
The first year of the department had many positives but it also had some setbacks. Some great positives were: Seeing new office bearers and collectives created across the country Establishing a working relationship with the Disability Discrimination Commission. Working with students who had contacted me and were so happy for any support. The willingness of many activists to fight for students with disabilities Some negative aspects of the year were: The disabilities audit proved too large to be able to work so I am seeking funding for it to be run independently so it can be a resource for students. The attitudes of many universities to students with disabilities. The movement for people with disabilities is small in Australia even with the student movement, many of the activists involved in this area are over worked and underappreciated; but continue to persevere. I commend many of those I have met this year and hope they continue to work, receive more support and succeed in making universities more accepting, accessible and accommodating to students with disabilities.
Pushing forward with disabilities
The Health Survey was aimed to gather data from students across the country to get proof of the rate of students affected by mental health issues, the survey got over 450 responses from a wide range of students and a large source of data and personal stories from students across the country. Some of the results include 41% of students being stressed multiple times a day 74% of students staying up late 67% of students having theyre studies affected by staying up
Mental Health Survey
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NUS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer

BLAKE MOONEY
am pleased to present the following report detailing the many successes of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Department in 2013. On reflection, I am very proud of the things NUS has achieved for Indigenous students throughout the year; and I congratulate and thank all those who continue to show an interest in improving participation and representation of our First Peoples in higher education across the country.
advice. This is an important role for the National Officer and I believe my insistence for this position to be reclaimed will serve NUS well in its commitment to Indigenous education into the future. Through the Council, I have advocated a policy to reform the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) to make it more effective in delivering outcomes for all low-SES students. Instead of the insular and self- defeating funding mechanism that characterises the Program now, I have proposed that base funding for all universities be tied to their particular HEPPP targets and achievements. For too long the disincentives of not reaching Indigenous targets have only ever negatively affected Indigenous funding buckets. This is an absurd situation that entrenches access issues, particularly in regional areas. Incentives for reaching Indigenous commencement and completion targets should be tied to base funding; likewise the consequences of continued indifference. NUS must focus on these issues into the future and fight for participation policies that get the job done our universities are far lesser places while low-SES and disadvantaged students are locked out.
The trademark accomplishment of the Department this year would most certainly be the successful lobbying of the Council of Australian Governments to include Indigenous tertiary education statistics in the national Close the Gap Campaign. This reform will ensure all governments are accountable to their respective parliaments each year for the progress or otherwise around Indigenous participation in higher learning. Parity participation in our universities not only improves every social justice indicator for our First Peoples, it also infuses institutions with important cultural covenants and promotes the intrinsic value of Indigenous cultures to the broader Australian community.
Close the Gap
My work with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Advisory Council should also be noted. As a ministerial-appointed member of the Council, my Department was privy to all Government modelling around Indigenous higher ed. outcomes, and participated at the highest level of policy discussion and departmental
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ATSIHEAC
Throughout the year, I have made campus visits to thirteen universities. Unfortunately I regretfully accept my poor form in not getting to Western Australia. However, I am comforted by the amazing work being done by the Western Australian Students Aboriginal Corporation (WASAC) and sincerely encourage the next Office Bearer to make up for my failure this year.
Campus Visits
During the year I have focused on building sustainable relationships with Indigenous organisations around the country. The Department has worked hard to involve itself with the National Congress of Australias First Peoples, Reconciliation Australia, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Advisory Council, the National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee, the Torres Strait Islanders Regional Education Centre, the National Sorry Day Committee, the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association and the Aboriginal Employment Strategy Council. These relationships increase the effectiveness of NUS in engaging with Indigenous students and their issues. I strongly encourage our continued involvement with all these organisations.
Relationship Building
carries significant authority in situations where conflict is inhibiting the right of Indigenous students to higher learning be they individuals deserving of a second chance or cohorts clashing with university administration. In these situations I have always opted for a firm but conciliatory approach where outcomes are placed above ideological grandstanding and flippant protest. I believe this approach has worked well and look forward to continued pragmatism from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Department moving forward.
Another regretful aspect of my time as National Officer has to be the National Indigenous Conference, which fell over due to poor registration. I accept full responsibility and apologise to those who were disappointed by this, many of whom expressed their disappointment to me personally. I would suggest that a future organising committee for this event include representatives from each state so they can better manage the promotion of the Conference.
National Indigenous Conference
Once again I would like to thank all those who have shown an interest in Indigenous education policy during the year. I am very happy with the year we have had, and feel confident in the position of the Department to continue to grow in influence and impact in this important space. Congratulations and cheers, also, to my fellow NOBs who have consistently shown a deep commitment to their portfolios and the advancement of robust debate in our Union. Finally, from a proud Wiradjuri man, thank you for the opportunity to make a small difference to my very deserving brothers and sisters. Always in Unity, Blake Mooney.
On Indulgence
The National Congress of Australias First Peoples continues to build on its engagement with Indigenous communities around the country. Throughout the year, I have paid particular attention to the great work Congress is doing around Constitutional Recognition and Community Building. I was lucky enough to attend their National Conference in Cairns, and have proposed a particularly significant relationship between its Youth Lobbying Committee (YLC) and this Department. I have put to the YLC an interest in better representative frameworks within their organisation as a precursor to NUS becoming a Member Organisation, and have been very pleased with their response and commitment to these reforms. I encourage all Indigenous students to get involved in Congress and invite all universities to engage with this important organisation into the future.
National Congress
Unfortunately, but rewardingly, a large part of my role has been to engage with Indigenous students experiencing difficulty at those universities which do not have Indigenous-specific representation. NUS
Student Advocacy
NUS International Students Officer

JAY NG
really appreciated the opportunity to serve NUS and international students this year. Regardless of positive or negative experiences, there are always many problems and issues international students have to face everyday in Australia, as we live away from home in a foreign country. This year was a big year, given the federal election. Hopefully all international students experiences in Australia will keep improving in the future. Here is a list of progresses and works that I have been part of this year, with the help of different departments of NUS.
strategic relationship between CISA and NUS will remain and strengthen in the future, as we only stand to benefit in this wonderful partnership. This will be continued through a proper handover to the next IO. I would also like to acknowledge former CISA President Aleem and current CISA President Thomson for all their hard work and assistance.
The National Union of Students appreciates and cherishes our relationship with the Council of International Students Australia (CISA). It is the peak body of national student representative organisation for international students studying at the postgraduate, undergraduate, private college, TAFE, ELICOS and foundation level. NUS has worked with the organisation on various projects and the travel concession campaign on change.org launched in 2012, which I was honored to be part of, has garnered over 7000 signatures. All the activism work for international students achieved and planned for the future cannot be done without CISA. This year, as NUS international officer, I was provided with the title of CISAs external officer. Through the email account they provided me, it was convenient for me to exchange and discuss issues with the CISA executive team. Various formal and informal student leaders meet ups, as well as email exchanges were also conducted to discuss about campaigns. More importantly, we have promoted CISAs annual national conference that was held in July through our network. The conference was a successful 3-day event and included CISAs AGM, various training workshops, discussion panels and formal dinner. We have also encouraged international students to join Harmony Walk, organised by CISA along with other stakeholders through our network. The NUS-CISA external officer email will pass down to the next elected NUS international officer. The
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Collaboration with CISA
We have done campus visits during O-weeks this year in order to meet international students officers, to let them know how NUS can help them and to provide students with an understanding of NUS campaigns. Based in Sydney, I have visited the University of Sydney, University of NSW and University of Technology, Sydney. I have also reached Reps of Home Country Societies as well as specialised activism groups through the internet. This will build a network that is easy to share information in relation to international students in the future. I have also received calls and emails for assistance from international students and the media, including ABC news. Being able to be in touch with students and media works perfectly as a way to present NUS to a wider audience, and it provides information for international students at the same time. These media interviews included, but not limited to: Housing Problems (notably an interview with a French TV channel) National Day of Action and strikes Travel Concession Workplace Rights Safety issues Notably, I have conducted an interview with CCTV, Chinas major news outlet about the cost of living in Australia. This interview is well received amongst international students and has fostered conversations between many. Media releases were also drafted in conjunction with CISA and NUS to address opinions to protect international students rights and for advocacy. For instance, in the tragic of Boston Bombing, we condemned a radio show host for his racist remarks on international students in the United States and in relation to foreign students in Australia.
Representation of NUS
I have also attended a discussion panel at USyd in regards to engaging international students with industry strike. NETU speaker has provided us with useful information in regards to helping IS to understand the issue, as well as to listen to their views.
While it was a welcome achievement that the NSW and Victorian State Governments announced international students travel concession trials, we are aware of some questions in regards to the program in NSW, such as: How useful this program was to IS? Was it popular? How was it received by IS in relation to the way it functions and the process to order a ticket? According to the recent report, 8427 concession tickets were sold to IS in NSW as of September 2013. As there are approximately 152,388 international students enrolled in NSW as of 2011, the number of sales does not seem reflective of the international student population using public transport. Would this be driven by the usefulness of the concession program? Does that mean an actual half-priced concession program that IS activists have been requesting for years is needed? The VIC government has also announced a trial travel concession scheme in Victoria. I would like to congratulate all the activists input into campaigns over the past couple of decades.
Travel Concessions
In order to reach an extended IS audience, I have set up a Twitter account (@nus_intl) that provides updates with information for international students and related news. As part of the Unlock Your Vote campaign run by NUS, we have also raised questions for candidates in the Federal Election in relation to international students in the Twitter Q&A tweet up session.
Twitter for Advocacy
Further advocacy and promotions that the department has been involved in this year included the Future Unlimited postcard competition, which supports students to illustrate their inspiring future. I have also contributed to various National Days of Action throughout the year and have been involved in the Get Respect Forum.
Advocacy in general
Thus, a flyer for IS has printed recently that aims to tell them what their rights are with their student visa class, and their entitlement. We have collaborated with CISA and United Voice on this and I am grateful for the flyer we have put together, with the help of Research Officer Graham Hastings. This flyer will be published and sent to different campuses and will be available to IOs electronically.
NUS President Jade Tyrell has represented NUS to attend AIEC 2013, hosted by International Education Association of Australia. Issues covered in the Conference included: SSAF Graduate Employment Integration of IS with local community Cost of Exchange for IS Future Open job markets for IS
AIEC2013
I was honored to be the head ambassador at ISF 2013. The ISF was a successful event supported by the City of Sydney in conjunction with the Living in Harmony Festival 2013, presented by the Council of International Students Australia (CISA), Ethnic Communities Council NSW and iStudent Magazine. It included an employment panel, meet and greet with prospectus employers from different organisations, performances and speeches by notable speakers. This year, the theme was My Study My Career, which aims to: Inspire international students to get involved in various volunteering opportunities in the community to develop career skills Facilitate interaction between the international student community and the local community Provide the overview of the current trend and workplace related issues within the workforce to the students Inform international students and graduates about the quality, skill-sets and attributes to address the issue of What Employers are looking for My role as head ambassador at ISF included assistance in marketing and promotion of the event and the provision of all sorts of assistance to international students ambassador team during the day of event.
International Students Forum
NUS has worked with CISA again this year to address the issue of NLC through media releases, engagement with university administrations and with discussions amongst student leaders. Once again, we would like to stress that CISA is the international students peak body that NUS approves.
National Liaison Committee
I am have been in planning sessions with the woman of colour officer at my university regarding intersectionality, and I hope this issue will be better addressed in the future. Mental and sexual health should also be a focus of this department. A stronger, and better communication network between all international students officers throughout the country should also be set up in order to achieve more successful international student activism.
Future
CISA executive has informed to me about some achievements they did for international students who got scammed by employers. This has inspired me to the importance of IS to protect themselves at workplace.
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Workplace Rights
I would like to remind everyone to continue to work on issues that international students have to face. Being a multicultural country, it is important for everyone to welcome and help international students to integrate into the Australian community. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me over the year, particularly Thomson Chng and Jade Tyrell, as they are my great mentors. I hope NUS will grow stronger and engage and help more students across the nation.
Closing Remarks
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NUS National Environment Officer

StEphEN McCALLUm
Reflecting on the year
This year, I set out to build capacity within the student environment movement, crush coals seam gas, get sustainability in the curriculum, make university operation sustainable, support sustainable food options for students and increase student representation on sustainability committees. I planned to do these things in consultation with student environment collectives and environment organisations, building the capacity rather than just adding new campaigns to an overstretched movement. The most productive way to network with new people and organisations is by meeting them face-to-face. I decided that as an unemployed student, in an unpaid role, the best way to maximise my personal resources and NUS travel budget, would be to go on extended journeys to save the cost of the return trip. This resulted in two major legs of travel, one for the East coast, the other for the South coast. The East coast journey took six weeks and began in Melbourne, heading North to Sydney via Albury Wodonga and Canberra by bus and train. I was keen to visit Newcastle, Woollongong and Armidale, but I became quite ill about three and a half weeks into the trip and had to cancel that leg of the journey. Thankfully, I was feeling better the evening before I had to leave for Queensland, where I visited the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns. By the time I had started the three-week South Coast trip, I was already nearing burn-out. I went up through Melbourne and Bendigo to Adelaide, before progressing further West to Perth. I had originally planned to go North to James Price Point, but Woodside Petroleum had decided not to go ahead with the development and I didnt think the expense would be justified. On reflection, long trips proved to be a great way to maximise the benefit of financial resources, however, I would have been more effective in a number of situations if I had the opportunity to have a break during my travels. Its important to maximise your ability as an organiser as well as your financial resources. I would recommend two to four week blocks as the optimum travel period between being at home, depending on how susceptible you are to travel weariness.
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Building relationships with environment organisations

Over the year, our relationship with the Australian Student Environment Network has improved greatly. We are now working closely to achieve common goals. Things as simple as sharing contact lists have increased the capacity of both our organisations to organise more effectively. Ive also been in contact with numerous environment organisations in Australia and internationally, including the NUS UK Environment Department. Ive met, spoken or written to most environment collectives in Australia and assisted them to achieve the goals they aspire to achieve. Building the capacity of the movement has always been my first priority. There are a number of ways to do this, but I focused on organisational networking, skill sharing and assisting collectives to be more effective in their operations.
The National Union of Students is now an affiliate of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network, an organisation that campaigns to make free trade deals into fair trade deals, flagging concerns about corporate and investor rights and the impacts different deals will have on the environment, workers and students in Australia and abroad. This year I also attended the Fairly Educated Conference in Hobart to discuss how we can pressure universities to purchase products from ethical sources. I dont want our education to contribute to environmental destruction or slave style employment in developing countries. NUS has supported work toward accreditation of campuses, with the most recent achievement being the accreditation of the University of South Australia Student Association as a Fairtrade organisation.
Fair Trade
The Australian Student Environment Network has been running a divestment campaign since 2011 and I was keen to help out. At the start of this year, I got in contact with 350.org, who had been running a major fossil fuel divestment campaign in the United State of America,
Fossil Fuel Divestment
and asked them to broaden their online campaign tools to make them available for use to students in Australia. It took more time, but they ended up organising the Do the Math tour in Australia, which became the start of the launch of the 350.org divestment campaign Fossil Free. ASEN and 350.org merged their divestment campaigns and now work closely on the Fossil Free Universities campaign. This campaign has grown significantly over the past six months and now seems to be the main focus of the student environment movement.
The sustainability in the curriculum postcards have been highly sought after by new collectives that need a simple campaign to build up the skills and profile of the collective. Sustainability on the curriculum will be the next frontier of university sustainability campaigns as many universities implement operational sustainability measures, but fail to contribute to correcting the broader social issues around sustainability. Australasian Campuses Toward Sustainability is the peak group for university sustainability departments and they have been very supportive of this campaign in particular.
Sustainability in the curriculum
I have received tremendous and essential support from environment activists around Australia. Neha Madhok, the 2012 Environment Officer, set the foundations from which I was able to build the NUS Environment Department. Sally Stuart and Jason Ray, Co-convenors of the Australian Student Environment Network, have been supportive and encouraging of my activities throughout the year. The contacts and resources passed on to me were invaluable, as was the thoughtful advice. The people listed below were kind enough to invite me into their homes and without them, I would not have been able to do a fraction of my huge semester 1 journey. Without the many hard working unlisted activists I met along the way, my journey wouldnt have been anywhere near as amazing. Thank you. Scarlett Squire Neha Madhok Nathan Watts Lyndal Butler Kia Smith
Acknowledgements
Kara Hadgraft Jesse Marshall Dixie Sachse Clare Keys-Liley Cameron Barnes
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NUS National Ethno-Cultural Officer

KERRIE KAHLON
013 has been a year to reinvigorate the ethnocultural department. By organizing and engaging in campaigns the department was able to build a greater presence.
posters were sent to our affiliates across the country and I was able to visit a number of campuses in Victoria and QLD promoting the campaign. Further following this campaign, the ethno-cultural department joined forces with the Australian Human Rights Commission anti-racism campaign, Racism. It Stops with Me. Through the ethno-cultural department, NUS is now a formal supporter of this campaign, which encourages organizations to undertake campaigns over the next three years to prevent and respond to racism. I hope through the work off successive ethno-cultural office-bearers, that the department continues to work with the Australian Human Rights Commission on their anti-racism campaign and other important initiatives.
The number of ethno-cultural students attending university has increased over the years and many of these students are the first in their immediate family to attend university. This is a proud achievement. In many cases ethno-cultural students enjoy their university years, apart from the usual last minute cramming during exam periods. However unfortunately there are ethno-cultural and international students who have in the past and still continue to face racism on campus. Therefore a key goal for 2013 was to undertake a campaign to tackle racism at university. This campaign was titled Standing Up Against Racism: Speak Out Against Racial Bullying and Harassment. The key goal of the campaign was for students to understand that they have important role in stopping racism, by choosing to have a voice and stand up to incidents of racism when they witness them occurring. Campaign
Campaign: Standing Up Against Racism
At Education Conference I was able to host a workshop titled Sick of Being Asked Where Youre From? I would like to thank the QLD State Branch President Sam CatanzaritiSmith for his assistance with planning and facilitating this workshop. The workshop was about recognizing racism in all its forms, including subtle or casual racism and how to deal with racism, including implementing university policies and procedures. I was able to use tools from the Racism. It Stops with Me Campaign, particularly there tips for bystanders material.
Education Conference
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At the start off this year I was contacted by Joshua Tang (Victorian State Branch Ethno-Cultural Officer) regarding the Fairs Fare Campaign. Victoria is the only state in Australia that denies international students travel concessions, which places an economic burden on these students, many of whom struggle financially. International students provide not only billions of dollars to Australias economy, but enhance our cultural diversity and strengthen Australias relationship with nations around the world, particularly our Asian neighbours. I was able to assist in this campaign by providing a media release, which was also used as part of a petition to the Victorian Government. Recently the Victorian Government has made a positive step in rectifying this issue and has announced that international students will be able to receive a transport concession on annual passes. However lobbying will need to continue to ensure Victorian international students receive a full-range off concessions available in other states. I congratulate the Victorian international and domestic students who organised and supported this campaign.
Fairs Fare Campaign
At the latter end of the year I worked with the NUS Welfare Officer on an Advocacy Best Practices Guide. I was able to incorporate a number of question regarding special consideration, university policies and racism in a survey that was distributed to campus Presidents and Welfare Officers. Once the responses are collected, I hope that this provides the 2014 ethno-cultural office-bearer important data, which can be used to formulate campaigns and the best practices guide.
Advocacy Best Practices Guide
After taking office, I found most student organisations across the country do not have an ethno-cultural department, officer or collective. This created some challenges in distributing materials to affiliates; in many cases I contacted the president or equity officer instead. In this contact I expressed my willingness to help in establishing on campus ethno-cultural departments. However campuses did have a variety of cultural clubs and anti-racism groups. I was pleased with the amount off multicultural celebrations on campus that student organisation in collaboration with cultural clubs undertake.
Ethno-Cultural Departments
I found my time in office exciting and rewarding. I am pleased with the work the department has undertaken in 2013, particularly the Stand Up Against Racism campaign. During the first few years of my degree at Griffith University we had no student organisation. After establishing an active student representative council over the last couple of years and affiliating to NUS, I have seen the benefits student organisations bring to campus culture and the important work they undertake to advocate for the needs of students.
Closing Remarks
NUS National Small & Regional Officer

MIchAEL PEttERSSON
his year has seen a remarkable change, for the worse, in the future of higher education funding and student support in this country with far reaching ramifications for small and regional campuses. In the lead up to the federal election we witnessed drastic cuts from the Labor government to the sector and in the wake of the election we have seen the Coalition implement draconian conservative policy that is inherently anti-student. The Small and Regional Department is very concerned about the recent comments from the Coalition about the future of SSAF funding. Whilst the recent furor caused a rapid back down on any proposed repeal legislation in the near future, the Coalition reserved the right to pursue their agenda on the issue at a later time. This legislation is vital to the campus life and student services across every small and regional campus in Australia. Whilst many small and regional campuses are not affiliated to NUS, due to the budgetary constraints they face in their campus associations, the representation of these students is still an important function of our union. The security of SSAF funding for all campuses is of utmost importance to the student movement in Australia and the Small and Regional Department. It was wonderful to experience Presidents Summit as well as Education Conference this year as they both provided wonderful exchanges for the betterment of our movement. These conferences are important as they allow activists from small and regional campuses the opportunity to discuss their campus specific issues with a broad cross section of the student union movement. I was fortunate enough to meet many activists who were engaging with NUS for the first time having travelled from regional Australia. I have been fortunate enough to continue to foster NUS strong relationships with small and regional campuses across Australia as well as aid in the development of new relationships with non-affiliated campuses. This work is vital to the financial viability of the union and to the success of future campaigns. The support of State Branches has been vital in this work and I commend the State Branch Presidents in their work this year. Their commitment to these campuses has been inspiring and is to be given much credit in the strengthening of these relationships.
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I have also been lucky enough to secure meetings with several members of Parliament to discuss student issues. This lobbying effort is but one part of the very successful lobbying effort that NUS engages in year after year. I had the pleasure of assisting the annual NUS lobbying and media engagement in respect to the federal budget. The coordinated NUS presence on the ground and in the media was vital to the success of our message resonating in the wider public in a year that higher education was a prominent issue. This year the union has been focused on ensuring a progressive and pro-higher education funding government was elected through various campaigns. It was a pleasure to assist in the roll out of these campaigns and their implementation across several small and regional campuses across Australia. I would like to conclude by thanking all office holders and activists who I was fortunate enough to work with this year. It was a remarkable year in a very demanding period.
NUS ACT State Branch Presidents Report

GREG StEwARt
n the Australian Capital Territory we are fortunate enough to have some of the nations best education and training at our doorstep. Both the Australian National University and the University of Canberra have endured many challenges over many years and this year was no different. However, both have succeeded in their own right to deliver world-class tertiary education. 2013 is Canberras centenary year, treating students in the territory to some truly unique experiences; this has been especially beneficial to international students. UC and ANU have held events in honour of the centenary year in collaboration with the ACT government, which has invested an unprecedented amount of funding into both campuses in the past year. ANU received funding for enhanced equipment and infrastructure at the Mt. Stromlo Space Observatory which will enhance their research credentials, while UC ventures down a new track receiving funding to build a teaching hospital which will treat students and teach students with a particular focus of collaborative health curriculum in the near future. Unfortunately the Federal Government has not been so generous to the ACT; an efficiency dividend on higher education funding was imposed earlier this year with great impact universally. The University of Canberra reacted immediately and made some difficult choices, which saw some student miss out. Languages other than English were cancelled altogether changes to these courses were on the cards for years after recording financial losses. Students who are currently studying the courses are to be moved to the ANU languages centre to complete, but this is of significant inconvenience to students. While a collaborative relationship with ANU is beneficial and may increase the quality of the courses, students still have to leave campus and pay for parking several kilometres away. UC will also introduce pay parking on campus, with infrastructure being installed in early 2014 again, this decision has been talked about for years. UC was one of the only campuses in Australia to have free parking for students, but as of 2014 it will be no more. Students can expect to pay over $300 for a yearly permit with staff paying just over double. ANU responded to the efficiency dividend by announcing job cuts for academic and teaching staff, essentially
increasing class sizes and reducing quality of education for students. The ANU Students Association (ANUSA) has advocated strongly against the Vice-Chancellors proposed cuts and organised a protest of the efficiency dividend as part of the National Day of Action. Both ANUSA and the UCSA continue to fight the good fight for students in the ACT, but there 2014 will bring new challenges. The Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) has a dark cloud hanging over it under the newly elected Coalition government. The existence of SSAF has infinitely benefitted students and student organisations around the country, dragging student unions and associations out of the dark VSU days and into a new future. However, Christopher Pyne could send students backwards into a VSU slumber yet again his anti-SSAF stance could see profound and longterm damage to student services and advocacy through student organisations. However, I completely believe that both student associations in the ACT are ready to take on the fight and outlast the VSU stranglehold to emerge champions for students yet again. It has been a pleasure working with the executive and office bearers of NUS, ANUSA and the UCSA over the past year and I wish them all the best as well as the incoming President of the ACT state branch of NUS. In Unity, Greg Stewart
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NSW Annual President Report

JOShUA REbOLLEDO
ntering the position of State Branch President, I was disappointed to see the lack of expectation and responsibility in the position. Since Voluntary Student Unionism, the role has been fairly inactive with its primary role being on National Executive. I hope that in this year as President that I have begun to build this position as an organisational and activist role in the union, and I hope to see a fully invigorated State Branch in the years to come. 2013 has been a very busy one for the National Union of Students in New South Wales. With a number of successful campaigns including a number of National Days of Actions, a National Week of Action and the National Unlock Your Vote Campaign we have seen many students engaging with the Union and a number of campuses involved which hadnt been in the past. The year began with the first State Branch meeting in a number of years, which allowed a number of the State Office Bearers to meet and network. Our First NDA saw a rally down Broadway in the city, which met with the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) strikes at the University of Sydney. Later that year we had a number of snap actions at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Newcastle. For the Unlock Your Vote campaign, we saw the inclusion of Macquarie University, despite their lack of a student run organisation. Having met a number of students passionate about education and student activism, we will hopefully see more active participation in the movement on this campus. This year I have focused on engaging more small and regional campuses in the National Union to break the trend of the State Branch only including the city campuses of UTS, UNSW and USyd. Within the best of my ability as an unpaid office bearer, I have included campuses such as Newcastle University and the University of New England (UNE) in the national campaigns run this year. I have made regular visits to Newcastle University, aiding the campus president as much as possible and making sure that the campus had all the materials it needed to run NUS campaigns throughout the year. I helped build for a number of NUS campaigns on the campus and built a strong relationship between the National Union and the Newcastle University Students Association.
The state branch has made a number of visits to the University of New England at the beginning and in the middle of this year. I have ensured the inclusion of UNE in the NDAs this year and have supplied them with materials when needed, despite being an unaffiliated campus. This inclusion has seen the UNE Student Association have their affiliation to NUS accepted late this year, and we will hopefully see the first attendees representing UNE at the 2013 National Conference. I hope that having left office with these relationships outside the inner city of Sydney, that incoming presidents will be able to build a stronger network with these campuses and those that are yet to be fully engaged.
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NUS South Australian State Branch President

DANIEL NIKOLOSKI
his year has seen a return to proper procedure and has resulted in unprecedented communication between the South Australian State Branch and the NUS National Office. This move towards the use of appropriate channels has once again allowed the State Branch to become relevant and has meant that campaign material has been appropriately shared between the universities and not hoarded by the privileged few. This has predominantly been achieved by the passion and determination that the NUS President, Jade Tyrrell, has placed into ensuring that the South Australian State Branch relationship with the National Office has been as strong as ever. Important to any type of campaigning is ensuring that there is diversity; and that is exactly what we have seen this year in the State Branch. Through the use of photographs, postcards, rallies and many other forms of campaigning, the State Branch has seen its most active and effective year in quite a long time. For this, a big thank you has got to go to the individual campus representative bodies in the State Branch for the great work that they have done over the course of the year. The Flinders University Student Association, though only in its first year of existence in a post-USU environment, was able to organise the best interactive day of action that I have seen during my entire time of involvement in NUS. Though there were often disagreements between the State Branch and the Adelaide University Union and the Adelaide University Student Representatives Council, I must thank them for the tireless effort that they have placed into organising campaigns in conjunction with NUS.
It would also be remiss of me not to thank the individual campus representatives who have met with and worked together with me throughout this year and have assisted me in making sure that this year has turned out the way that it has. More specifically, I would like to thank Mikaela Wangmann, Ben Rillo and Hannah MacLeod for their assistance, advice, support and most of all, friendship over the last year. Without you three this year would have looked a lot different than what it did in the State Branch. Important to note is the great asset the Education Conference was this year in Adelaide. It was a privilege to see so many student activists in South Australia during the conference and I thank everyone for making the trek to Adelaide and sharing their experience and intellect with new student activists. Finally, the State Branchs relationship with South Australian Federal Members of Parliament this year has been as strong as it has ever been. It has been a privilege to have the ear of so many Federal Members of Parliament and my advice to my successor is that they continue this relationship, as it is only when we can directly influence Federal Members of Parliament that we can make a difference for students. I can only hope that what has begun this year for the State Branch will continue with the incoming generation of activists and that the tiers of NUS and all of the campus representative bodies will continue to work together. It has been a pleasure to preside over this great period of the State Branch and to be able to represent all South Australian students on a national level.
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NUS Tasmanian State Branch

CLAIRE ChANDLER
irst and foremost, it has been an honour to represent the great island state of Tasmania this year on the executive of the National Union of Students not only as a Liberal Student on the executive, but also as a female Liberal Student. Despite the differences in creed amongst us, it has been exciting this year to watch the National Executive come together on various initiatives, in a way that has celebrated our similarities and embraced our differences. Congratulations to all those on the executive on a great 2013. Tasmania is in a unique position in that we have only one university, the University of Tasmania. Within that, however, we have three regions of campuses, in the South, North, and North West of the state. This year, for the first time in recent memory, NUS has had a presence across the state, with events being held on multiple campuses. Having been elected State Branch President, I made my pledge for the year: to promote the activities of NUS to the student body at UTas, so that come campus election time at the end of Semester Two, students would have a more comprehensive idea about what NUS can do for them (a goal I will revisit at the end of this report). To some this may seem a rather unambitious resolution; however, on a relatively politically apathetic campus such as UTas, the task was a large and, sometimes, frustrating one. In order to do this, I engaged the help and assistance of the Tasmania University Union (TUU), the only student organization in the island state, and for that help and assistance I am truly grateful. With the TUUs support, NUS has operated information tables at market days, held BBQs to promote awareness of student issues, discussed with students exactly how they value their education, and of course taken part in the various National Days of Action which have been conducted this year. We also held a cocktail party in Bluestockings Week to celebrate local UTas women and their roles at the university, be it as a staff member or student, which was a wonderful opportunity to promote the Womens Department on campus. One of the most important elements of these operations, an element that Im extremely passionate about, was tailoring these national campaigns to our Tasmanian audience. Together with the TUU, we were able to break
down the messages of NUS in a way which UTas students could understand just how such issues affect their university. Tasmanians are nothing if not parochial! Presence of NUS executive members also played a large part in promoting NUS on campus in Tasmania in 2013. In particular, I would like to thank Jade, our National President; Clare, our Education Officer, and Stephen, our Environmental Officer for their attendance at NUS events in Tasmania this year. It means a lot that Tasmania has been supported in this unprecedented manner! So have we achieved a heightened awareness of NUS in Tasmania this year? In twelve months, weve increased the number of students running for election to delegate positions, as well as having a higher voter turnout for delegate elections and (perhaps more importantly!) a higher formal vote rate for delegate elections. Weve run countless activities in conjunction with the TUU, and had a greater presence on campus. There is no doubt in my mind that all of these indicators suggest that Tasmanian students now have a far greater understanding of what NUS does and how it operates, which will ensure an exciting and eventful 2014!
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NUS Victorian State Branch Report

ISAbELLE KINGShOtt
013 has been a busy year for the Victorian State Branch of the National Union of Students. At our first meeting in January all the office bearers made a commitment to revive the branch and run at least one campaign to show the continuing relevance of State Branches in the National Union of Students. We have run an extremely successful Concession Card Campaign, engaged with the student activism surrounding the education cuts, increased our campus affiliations and set up cross-campus networks.
The central campaign that the Victorian State Branch endorsed was the Proud to be International Students (PTBIS) campaign. Run by the Victorian International Student Officer, the Victorian Ethno-Cultural Officer and the Victorian Welfare Officer the campaign focused on the fact that International Students in Victoria still did not have access to a concession card for public transport. Due to the lack of funding for State Branch campaigns, we gratefully received endorsement from the RMIT University Student Union and were able to promote the campaign using materials at O-Weeks around the State. The campaign was very successful! We had over 1500 students across Victorian Campuses sign our petition throughout O-Weeks and were able to set up a cross campus network of over 200 activists. We were lucky enough for PTBIS to have meetings with key members of the Victorian Opposition and corresponded with members of the Victorian Government. In October the Victorian Government announced that it would trial concession cards for International Students on annual tickets. This decision by the Victorian Government was a massive win for Victorian International Students.
Proud to be International Students
As President of the Victorian Branch I made an effort to attend O-Weeks at Victorian campuses to help run national campaigns and spread the word to new students about the importance of NUS. I was lucky to have the Presidents of RMIT University Student Union, La Trobe Student Union, Swinburne Student Union, Deakin University Student Association, and Victoria University Student Union invite me to spend time at their campuses and engage with their student organisations during O-Week. Around the time of O-Weeks I also had meetings with the President of Monash Gippsland Student Union and attended events at Monash Union of Berwick Students, the University of Melbourne Student Union and Monash Peninsula Student Union to show support for these organisations.
O-Weeks
The Victorian State Branch engaged with the rallies around the education cuts. We have an incredibly active Victorian Education Action Network that has been key in organising many of the actions across Victoria including the one held on Budget Day in May. With the announcements around the SSAF in late September the Victorian Branch put out a press release condemning any cuts to SSAF. We then lobbied Victorian Federal Members of Parliament about the Federal Coalition Governments plans to get rid of University Equity Targets, to scrap the Student Services and Amenities Fee, to stop Start Up Scholarships and to privatise HECS.
Education Cuts
The Victorian State Branch Womens officer has been working hard with Womens Officers from across the state to set up a Cross-Campus Womens Network. The Network hosted a wonderful International Womens Day Picnic as well as many events throughout the year including during Blue Stockings Week.
Cross-Campus Womens Network
I have made an effort to encourage all campuses in Victoria to pay and increase their affiliation fees if they were able to. We have had an increase this year in the number of Victorian campuses affiliating to NUS. This is great for the organisation as it not only brings more money to the organisation but also increases the number of students that NUS represents and widens our reach to tertiary students across a diverse network of campuses.
Campus Affiliations
The Victorian State Branch Queer Officer has worked with the National Queer Officer to develop the crosscampus queer network. The network has been a collaboration between State, National and Campus office bearers in order to engage Victorian Campus Queer Officers with the State Branch and the National Union. The Cross-Campus Queer Network has run an IDAHOT cross-campus ball and attended Equal Marriage rallies. It has been a wonderful year to be President of the Victorian Branch with so many engaged and innovative activists on the State Branch Team. I would like to thank them for their support and their willingness to revive the Branch and engage with campaigns run by the National Union.
Cross-Campus Queer Network
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NUS WA State Branch President

ANItA CREASY
t has been a great privilege to serve as the 2013 President for the WA State Branch. I believe this year has seen the revitalisation of our state branch and the bolstering of the student movement more generally. I want to thank the campus presidents from each affiliated university - Bec Thompson (Murdoch), Cameron Barnes (UWA), and Jess McLeod (Curtin) - for their support and action around the campaign against the education cuts. I also want to thank our state Education Officer, Lizzy OShea, for her commitment and her endless enthusiasm. The year kicked off with NUS stalls and materials at O Weeks across the state. I attended O Day festivals at UWA and ECU gathered signatures for the postcard petition. It is my opinion that, going forth, NUS should use O Weeks to build for upcoming NDAs and rallies for other social justice issues included within our policy platforms. Our first National Day of Action was marked by very successful campus actions but a disappointing turn out for WAs central action. The snap-actions in response to the Emerson cuts were far more successful with rallies during peak hour on the major roads outside of UWA, Curtin and Murdoch and a stall at ECU a day earlier. Our actions were covered by print, radio and television media and were the beginning of a very successful collaboration with the NTEU. The May 14 and August 20 actions were even more successful with hundreds of students gathering on campuses and in the Perth CBD to protest the cuts to higher education. In June then Prime Minister Julia Gillard came to Perth for an ALP fundraiser and we called a protest outside the Fremantle town hall where we were joined by groups advocating for refugee rights, Aboriginal sovereignty and equal marriage rights. We issued a media release with the NTEU that explicitly linked the governments cuts to higher education with the billions being spent on incarcerating refugees on and off shore. The demonization of refugees whips up racism and divides the student movement while the billions spent unnecessarily incarcerating asylum seekers can and should be invested in education. This year student representatives from every WA university attended rallies supporting refugee rights and this is a key political issue I believe NUS should support in 2014. And as the results of the My Future, Our Voice survey indicate, it is an issue that students care about.
I want to mention the successful International Womens Day events. Our state branch coordinated a week long campus hop with events on every metropolitan campus leading up to a rally in the city on March 8th. Our Bluestockings Week event was just as successful with students from all universities attending a Fringe Womens Studies Class to mark the day. At this point I want to acknowledge the work of the 2012 State Branch president, Bec Leighton. Thanks in no small part to her contribution, we have an active cross-campus womens collective that is already preparing to host NOWSA 2014. Finally, after the ascension of the Abbott government, WA student reps met with Senators from the Greens & the ALP and both parties concurred with our concerns about Pynes agenda for higher education. This support is important and should be cultivated. However, the battle can only be won by building a fighting student movement that works in collaboration with the NTEU and active education action groups that engage with students on campus. I think weve seen the beginnings of this in 2013 and I want to congratulate every student activist across the country that is building this movement from the ground up.
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NUS Research Department

GRAhAm HAStINGS
In higher education policy terms 2013 has been a year of transition where NUS has shifted from winning reforms for our student members to defending what has been won. In the early years of the Rudd-Gillard government NUS was able to win significant reforms to student income support and arrangements to open up access to universities, most notably through the Bradley Review reforms that started to come into operation from 2010. Bruce Chapman, the architect of HECS, commented at a recent Centre for the Study of Higher Education seminar that the NUS research submissions had been extremely influential on the Bradley Review panel. However, it has become clear that the costs associated with the post-Bradley expansion of student numbers have grown faster than expected. This year the ALP Government looked to make budget savings from students. In January the government rejected the recommendation from the Base Funding Review to increase funding per student by 10% to make up for the funding lost under the previous Howard Government (as recommended in our submission late last year). The ALP Government did support our opposition to the Base Funding Reviews recommendation that universities be allowed to charge extra HECS for flagship courses. Then in April the government announced that it would be saving $2.3 billion by converting the start up scholarship grants created from the Bradley reforms into HECS-style loans, removing the discount for up front or voluntary HECS payments and making efficiency cuts to university funding in 2014 and 2015. The middle of the year was dominated by the ALP leadership change and the federal election and Parliament did not sit from June 27 until November 12. Prior to the election of the Abbott Government NUS made a submission to the Coalitions On-Line Education Working Group, including the impact of Massive Open On-Line Courses (MOOCs). We are currently working on a submission to the new governments Review of the Demand Driven System. The operation of the Student Services and Amenities Fee was the other main priority for the research department this year. This year, for the first time in the unions history, the NUS President was a member of a ministerial review panel. This meant I had a higher degree of autonomy than usual in preparing NUSs submission to the review into the
38
SSAF guidelines related to student representation. I also appeared before the panel in Canberra. The panel developed several positive amendments that strengthened student access to information about how their SSAF was being used. Due to the scarcity of sitting days the ministerial guidelines had not completed the parliamentary disallowance processes at the time of writing this. The centrepiece of our research into the operation of SSAF was the SSAF survey filled in by campus presidents and an audit of student control of student services across all public universities. Thanks to the 31 campus presidents who filled out the survey. The survey and report was a collaboration between myself and the NUS President and builds on a similar survey done in 2012. The election of the new government opens up several potential new challenges for NUS in defending a quality, diverse and accessible public university system: Possible further cuts to university funding arising from the Commission of Audit, the first report to the government is due at the end of January and will feed into the May federal budget; we are particularly concerned about the future of equity program funding arising from the Bradley reforms such as the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program; The impact on science and public policy enrolments and graduate employment outcomes arising from job cutbacks and the employment freeze on the public service and publicly funded research bodies such as the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology; Possible increases in HECS student contribution rates or a removal of the maximum HECS fee caps arising from the Review Into A Demand Driven System. The terms of reference include developing recommendations to make higher education fiscally sustainable. The review is being conducted by former Howard-era Education Minister, Dr. David Kemp and Andrew Norton (Kemps former advisor and a former Research Fellow at the free market think tank Centre for Independent Studies). The final report will go to the Minister in mid-Feb 2014;
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Changes to repayment mechanisms and the introduction of commercial interest rates for HECS and other HELP loans programs that could arise from a possible sale of HECS and other HELP debts to the private sector; After the new Senate takes over in July next year there may be an attempt to abolish the SSAF although this will depend on support from the Nationals and the Palmer United Party (notwithstanding any surprises in the likely WA Senate election); Possible future conversions of student grants into loans such as already happened with the Start Up Scholarships; The universities have been lobbying to reduce compliance costs associated with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). In early 2013 the ALP Government conducted a review that did come up with some sensible streamlining and cutting of duplication recommendations. NUS is concerned that further cuts to compliance demands on self accrediting universities may further weaken quality assurance in the sector at a time when resources are clearly being stretched. NUS intends to conduct its third bi-ennial Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Education Quality Survey in the first half of 2014.
While not all of scenarios may happen, NUS and student movement need to be ready to intervene effectively in 2014. Finally it is worth commenting that due to NUSs tight budgetary situation that we have not filled the second research/portfolio support position that NUS has had in various forms until 2012. I think this is a gap that needs to be re-considered if and when affiliation income allows. Graham Hastings Research Co-ordinator
NDA 2013: FIGHT FOR

OUR EDUCATION
TUESDAY 20 August 2013

THIS FEDERAL ELECTION WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED BY CANBERRA. COME TOGETHER TO FIGHT FOR OUR EDUCATION & THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THIS COUNTRY.
Authorised by Jade Tyrrell, National President 2013, NUS. Printed by Wombat Grafx. 6 Stokes Ave. Alexandria NSW 2015
www.unistudent.com.au

NUS Annual Report 2013

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Authorised by Jade Tyrrell, National President 2013

National Union of Students

National Union of Students Inc.

NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013

NUS National President

The Higher Education Cuts

SSAF Review and Overall Implementation in 2013

NUS in the media

Federal election campaign

Projects for the end of the year

NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013

NUS National General Secretary

Development of NUSs professional contacts

Restructuring of NUS Finance Department

A more organised National Executive and National Conference

Strengthening NUSs finance position

Beginning the process of modernising the NUS EBA

For due consideration

NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013

NUS National Education Officer

Fair Wages for Fair Work

Hey Baby Boomers

Our Education Is Not For Profit (27/3/2013)

Blue Stockings Week

Government Savin, Misbehavin

Hands Off Our Education (October 28-November 1)

Education Conference 2013: Educate. Activate. Organise.

My Future, Our Voice: Unlock Your Vote

Fight For Our Education (20/8/2013)

NUS National Welfare Officer

Fair Wages Fair Work

Support A Student Support Our Future

NUS National Student Advocacy Survey

Moving Into The Future

NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013

NUS National Womens Officer

if she doesn t she is a prude,

NUS National Queer Officers

HIbA CASAbLANcA & CAthERINE ROSE

We all need to pee

NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013

Inclusive Queer Spaces

Australian Universities Queer Services Audit

Photo by Michael Barnett

NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013

NUS National Disabilities Officer

Smash the Stigma Mental Health Matters

Campus visits, o-weeks and Disabilities Network

Pushing forward with disabilities

Mental Health Survey

NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013

NUS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer

Close the Gap

National Indigenous Conference

NUS International Students Officer

Collaboration with CISA

Twitter for Advocacy

International Students Forum

National Liaison Committee

NUS ANNUAL REPORT 2013

NUS National Environment Officer

Building relationships with environment organisations

Fossil Fuel Divestment

Sustainability in the curriculum