National Union of Students (Australia)

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National Union of Students
AbbreviationNUS
Predecessor Australian Union of Students
Formation1987;38 years ago (1987)
Headquarters1/740 Swanston Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Location
Membership21 affiliated university student unions representing over 1 million students
President
Ashlyn Horton
General Secretary
Aidan O'Rourke
Key people
Education Officer: James McVicar
Welfare Officer: Lucy Fawcett
Women's Officer: Ellie Venning
Queer Officer: Brandon Lee
Queer Officer: Brianna Symmonds-Manne
First Nations Officer: Jessica Wallace
Disabilities Officer: Olivia Stronach
International Students Officer: Sarah Rizwan
Ethnocultural Officer: Tapenaga Reupena
Small & Regional Officer: Jye Langley
TAFE Officer: Ella Marchionda
Main organ
National Executive
AffiliationsGlobal Student Forum
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
Website https://nus.asn.au/

The National Union of Students (NUS) is the peak representative body for Australian higher education students. [1] [2] A student union is eligible for membership by its classification as a legitimate student representative body at any Australian post-secondary training provider. [3] [4] The NUS typically organises NUS National Conference (NatCon), NUS Education Conference (EdCon), and the Presidents' Summit each year in addition to other smaller conferences. [1]

Contents

History

Formation

NUS in its current form came into being in 1987 after the collapse of its predecessor, the Australian Union of Students (AUS), in 1984. [2] [3] The AUS was first known from 1937 to 1971 as the National Union of Australian University Students (NUAUS), before allowing membership of colleges of higher education in 1971, which necessitated a name change. [5]

Membership fees

In 2003, NUS membership fees became indexed to consumer price index (CPI) removing some of the strain on the union's finances. In 2004, the NUS charged $5 per equivalent full time study loads (EFTSL) of students represented by each member organisation. [6] [3] This raised small fears that many small and regional campus organisations might disaffiliate due to increases in affiliation fees.

In 2023, affiliation fees were set at $2.00 per EFTSL and in 2024 the National Executive of the NUS set affiliation fees at $2.11 per EFTSL. [6]

Voluntary student unionism

The introduction of voluntary student unionism (VSU) by the Howard government led to student union membership plummeting by up to 95%. [7] Following associated reductions in funding for services provided by many student unions, the NUS called for alternative options to be explored to restore funding and ensure students would remain able to access student union services. [7] In a written submission responding to a discussion paper on the impact of VSU, the NUS raised concerns that reliance on direct funding from the federal government or universities would impact the ability of student representatives to effectively advocate for students. [8]

In 2024, the NUS's official policy, set by National Conference in December 2023, was to campaign for a 50% minimum share of Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF) for student unions. [9] In May of 2024, it was announced that government would be mandating that student unions receive 40% of SSAF, coming close to meeting the NUS's demands. [10]

Accreditation of universities

In 2016, Australian National University Students' Association voted against accrediting with NUS, citing problems with the conduct of factional delegates at the National Conference. [11] The Adelaide University Union (AUU) voted to cease their SRC from authorising payments of Accreditation to NUS in their March Meeting. [12] The AUU's SRC later condemned the move and restated its affiliation, and intention to pay accreditation fees autonomously. [13] The Wollongong Undergraduate Students' Association also held a referendum during 2016 to end their affiliation with the NUS; the affiliation was later restored.

In 2017, the Australian National University Students' Association voted to accredit with NUS once again. [14] Also in 2017, the Tasmanian University Union voted to end its affiliation with the NUS. The Tasmanian University Student Association re-accredited in 2023. The University of Queensland Union also re-accredited to the NUS in 2023.

Governance

Victorian Trades Hall, former headquarters of the NUS Melbourne Trades Hall entrance.jpg
Victorian Trades Hall, former headquarters of the NUS

NUS' national structure is formalised into both a National Executive and State Branches. [3] [4] [15] The National Executive is the primary decision-making body of the NUS, voted in by delegates from each member student union at the National Conference.

National Executive

The responsibilities of the National executive, as described within the NUS constitution, include; setting the budget for the NUS; regularly monitoring of the finances of NUS; employing staff on behalf of NUS; authorising the publication of material on behalf of NUS; and implementing and interpreting the policy of the NUS. [4] The National Executive may also delegate its powers as it considers appropriate. [4] The members of National Executive are:

National Officers of the NUS do not carry a vote at the National Conference of NUS and members of National Executive may not hold more than 1 voting position on National Executive at the same time. [4]

National Officers

The National Officers of NUS are elected annually at the National Conference, with their terms commencing in January. [4]

A motion to abolish the National Environment Officer position was passed at the 2016 National Conference. This change came into effect at the 2017 National Conference.

A motion to create the National Vocational Education Officer position was passed at the 2021 National Conference. This change came into effect at the 2022 National Conference.

The paid national officers of the NUS are:

  • National President, [4]
  • National General Secretary/National Deputy President, [4]
  • National Education Officer, [4]
  • National Welfare Officer, [4]
  • National Women's Officer (who must be a woman), [4]
  • Two National Queer/LGBTQIA+ Officers (one of whom must be woman-identifying), [4]

Paid national officers are paid an hourly wage equal to the Australian Federal minimum wage with the National President and National General Secretary paid 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) wage and other paid officers are paid a minimum of 0.5 FTE. [3] In 2024, the honorarium of the National Education Officer, National Welfare Officer, and National Women's Officer was set at 0.75 FTE by the National Executive of the NUS. [6] In the same meeting, the honorarium for the National Queer Office was set at 1.0 FTE to be split between the two officers. [6]

The unpaid national officers of the NUS are:

  • National Small and Regional Campuses Officer (who must be a student currently enrolled at a small and/or regional NUS member campus), [4]
  • National First Nations Officer (who must identify as a student from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background), [4]
  • National Ethnocultural Officer (who must identify as a student from a culturally or linguistically diverse background), [4]
  • National International Students Officer (who must be currently enrolled as an international student), [4]
  • National Disability Officer (who must identify as a student with a disability), [4]
  • National Vocational Education Officer. [4]

State Branches

The state branches of the NUS include; New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia. [4]

The members of State Executive are:

State Officers

The State Branch Officers of NUS are elected annually at the National Conference, with their terms commencing in January. [4] State and Territories officers are only elected if there are accredited campus from that State/Territory. [4] The State Branch positions other than President and Education Vice President were abolished after the 2015 National Conference, coming into effect at the conclusion of the 2016 term of office.

Departments

There are 10 departments of the NUS, each overseen by the relevant National Officer with a limited degree of autonomy. These departments coordinate discussions with the relevant local officers at each university's student union, host specific conferences for their issues, and used to include the state branch officers (until those roles were removed in 2016).

These departments are:

National Conference

National Conference (also referred to as NatCon), is the NUS's annual general meeting (AGM). [3] The NUS must hold National Conference within 5 months of the end of its financial year, with the conference beginning on the second Monday in December. [3] [4] Held at a Victorian campus, the conference sees delegates from all accredited campuses gather to vote on policy that decides the direction of the union for the next year. [4] The election of national and state officers, as well as campus representatives, occurs during the week of National Conference. [4] Member organisations and associate organisations are able to appoint observers to National Conference. [4]

NatCon has at times been criticised for the perceived lack of transparency, owing in part to the fact that filming is typically banned for the entirety of the conference. [1] Proponents of the ban on filming have argued that this ban is to protect the privacy of attendees and enable them to engage more freely in debate, not to prevent transparency.

Current leadership

National Executive
National Union of Students
Leadership
National President
Ashlyn Horton, National Labor Students
Queensland President
Dylan Thomas, Forge
New South Wales President
Daniel O'Shea, Student Unity
Australian Capital Territory President
Kiera Rosenberg, Student Unity
Victoria President
Asad Jan, Student Unity
Tasmania President
Jack Oates Pryor, Student Unity
South Australia President
Oliver Shephard-Bayley, Student Unity
Western Australia President
Dylan Storer, Windie
Structure
Political groups
National Officers
  •   Socialist Alternative (3)
  •   National Labor Students (2)
  •   Student Unity (7)
  •   Forge (1)

General Executive

  •   Forge (1)
  •   National Labor Students (1)
  •   Student Unity (10)

State Branch Presidents

  •   Student Unity (5)
  •   Forge (1)
  •   Windie (1)
Length of term
1 year

National Officers [16]

PositionNameFactionStateUniversity
PresidentAshlyn Horton National Labor Students ACTAustralian National University
General SecretaryAidan O'Rourke Student Unity NSWUniversity of Technology, Sydney
Education OfficerJames McVicar Socialist Alternative VICRMIT University
Welfare OfficerLucy Fawcett Student Unity SAUniversity of South Australia
Women's OfficerEllie Venning Student Unity SAUniversity of Adelaide
Queer OfficerBrandon Lee Student Unity ACTAustralian National University
Brianna Symmonds-Manne Socialist Alternative SAUniversity of Adelaide
Disabilities OfficerOlivia Stronach Student Unity WAUniversity of Western Australia
First Nations OfficerJessica Wallace Student Unity NSWUniversity of Wollongong
Ethnocultural OfficerTapenaga ReupenaForgeQLDUniversity of Queensland
Small & Regional OfficerJye Langley National Labor Students NSWUniversity of Wollongong
International OfficerSarah Rizwan Student Unity WAEdith Cowan University
Vocational Education/TAFE OfficerElla Marchionda Socialist Alternative WACurtin University

General Executive [6]

NameFactionStateUniversity
Suchi KaliaForgeWA
Tharun Bala National Labor Students VICLa Trobe University
Mayank Sajwan Student Unity VICVictoria University
Kevin Li Student Unity VICUniversity of Melbourne
Millie Myers Student Unity TASUniversity of Tasmania
Paulasta Majumdar Student Unity VICDeakin University
Dylan Adams Student Unity ACTAustralian National University
Nick Goodyer Student Unity VICLa Trobe University
Libby Austin Student Unity NSWWestern Sydney University
Ella Byrne Student Unity VICRMIT University
Thomas Ellis Student Unity QLDUniversity of Queensland
Neeve Nagle Student Unity NSWUniversity of Technology, Sydney

State Branches

Queensland

PositionNameFactionUniversity
PresidentDylan ThomasForgeUniversity of Queensland
Vice-President (Education)Alyssa RosenForgeUniversity of Queensland

New South Wales

PositionNameFactionUniversity
PresidentDaniel O'Shea Student Unity University of Sydney
Vice-President (Education)Nethmi Goonasekara Student Unity

Australian Capital Territory

PositionNameFactionUniversity
PresidentKiera Rosenberg Student Unity Australian National University
Vice-President (Education)

Victoria

PositionNameFactionUniversity
PresidentAsad Jan Student Unity Monash University
Vice-President (Education)Disha Zutshi Student Unity University of Melbourne

Tasmania

PositionNameFactionUniversity
PresidentJack Oates Pryor Student Unity University of Tasmania
Vice-President (Education)Ranae Zollner Student Unity University of Tasmania

South Australia

PositionNameFactionUniversity
PresidentOliver Shepard-Bayly Student Unity University of South Australia
Vice-President (Education)Nathaniel Winters Student Unity Flinders University

Western Australia

PositionNameFactionUniversity
PresidentDylan StorerWindieCurtin University
Vice-President (Education)Rama SugiarthaWindieUniversity of Western Australia

Factions

Historically, the NUS has been dominated by members of Young Labor, with every President being a member since the creation of the NUS in 1987. [17]

Many NUS delegates are members of a faction, which are groups of students operating with a shared political platform. [1] [ better source needed ] Some delegates alternatively choose to be independent from any factions and these students are typically referred to as small-i independents. [1] [ better source needed ] Typically, each faction has a pre-conference caucus where they decide their positions on policy. [1] [ better source needed ]

The main factions are:

Financial and structural crisis

A NUS rally to protest funding cuts to higher education Nus-state-library.jpg
A NUS rally to protest funding cuts to higher education

In a report commissioned by the NUS secretariat in 2013, independent auditors TLConsult authored a report which cited NUS' "inflexible factional system" as detrimental to the organisation and leading to "historical accounting approach ... out of step with modern financial practices". Auditors "question-ed whether some stakeholders generally understood their responsibilities to NUS", citing alliances by some national officers to factions, rather than NUS, as contributing the structural issues faced by the organisation. [19] [20]

The TLConsult audit said that NUS only had enough cash reserves to "sustain the organisation for approximately one year in its current form" and that although voluntary student unionism had resulted in a notable decline in revenue, it was structural problems, "unchanged for nearly two decades", that were the primary cause of the NUS' current financial problems. [20]

In response to the financial pressures outlined in the audit which cited significant deficits run by NUS over the previous few years, and following outgoing NUS President Deanna Taylor's admission that they "the advice given to NUS is that were our income and expenditure levels to remain status quo, NUS would not exist beyond the next few years", delegates to the 2014 conference voted in favor of a financial and structural review, and to eliminate the stipend for the positions of National Indigenous, International Students and Disability Officer. However, an attempt to eliminate state officer bearer positions (presidents excepted) was not passed by conference delegates. [21]

Union affiliation

Typically, university student unions' Representative Councils will vote on NUS accreditation. As of 2022, accredited university unions include; [22]

StateUnionUniversityRepresentation
EFTSLDelegatesTotal Votes%
ACT Australian National University Students' Association Australian National University 17,4486352.75%
NSW Arc @ UNSW SRC University of New South Wales 48,6827987.69%
NSW University of Sydney SRC University of Sydney 58,20971179.18%
NSW University of Technology Sydney Student Association University of Technology Sydney 35,5947725.65%
NSW Wollongong Undergraduate Students' Association University of Wollongong 24,3577493.85%
NSW Western Sydney University SRC Western Sydney University 33,1107675.26%
SA Flinders University Student Association Flinders University 18,1746372.90%
SA University of South Australia Student Association University of South Australia 22,5707463.61%
QLD Queensland University of Technology Guild Queensland University of Technology 35,9617725.65%
VIC Deakin University Student Association (DUSA) Deakin University 37,4947776.04%
VIC La Trobe Student Union (LTSU) La Trobe University 25,4597514.00%
VIC Monash University Student Union Caulfield Monash University (Caulfield)7181.41%
VIC Monash Student Association (MSA) Monash University (Clayton)7604.71%
VIC RMIT University Student Union (RUSU) RMIT University 52,21971058.24%
VIC Swinburne Student Union (SSU) Swinburne University 29,1157594.63%
VIC Victoria University Student Union (VUSU) Victoria University 24,0197493.85%
VIC University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) University of Melbourne 54,08471098.56%
WA Curtin Student Guild Curtin University 35,0967715.57%
WA Edith Cowan University Student Guild Edith Cowan University 19,7577403.14%
WA UWA Student Guild University of Western Australia 20,5607423.30%

Notable people

Many federal and state Labor politicians have held roles in the NUS during their time as students, including:

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