The National Union of Students (NUS) is the peak representative body for
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n higher education students. As of 2020, there are 21
student unions in Australian campuses affiliated to NUS. A student union is eligible for membership by its classification as a legitimate student representative body at any Australian post-secondary training provider and the payment of Union fees by the union according to the number of full-time study units of its students.
History
NUS in its current form came into being in 1987 after the collapse of its predecessor, the
Australian Union of Students
The Australian Union of Students (AUS), formerly National Union of Australian University Students (NUAUS), was a representative body and lobby group for Australian university and college of advanced education students. It collapsed in 1984 and ...
(AUS), in 1984. 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.
NUS was formed at the same time that the
Hawke government introduced the
Higher Education Contribution Scheme (a system of deferred tuition payments), abolishing the free education system previously introduced by the
Whitlam government.
NUS has had mixed success in its role as a lobby group and representative body. In particular, its limited finances have often meant that it has had difficulty making its presence felt on higher education issues. It was successful in the early 1990s in preventing the implementation of a deferred loan scheme in place of government student financial assistance, and in reducing the qualification age for student financial assistance.
NUS was unable to prevent the introduction of differential rates of HECS in 1996, but did lobby successfully to stop the introduction of a voucher system by then Federal Education Minister
Dr. David Kemp despite later claiming victory in a similar campaign.
The union suffered another major setback in 2003 when despite intense lobbying of independent senators, the reform package of
Dr. Brendan Nelson passed the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. This package permitted the introduction of
Domestic Undergraduate Up-Front Fees (DUFF) by universities in addition to HECS places, and allowed universities to increase their HECS rates by 25%. Components of the legislation introducing VSU, and the mandatory offering of the
Australian Workplace Agreement as a component of universities' enterprise bargaining practices were dropped.
In 2003, NUS membership fees became indexed to
consumer price index
A consumer price index (CPI) is a price index, the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Changes in measured CPI track changes in prices over time.
Overview
A CPI is a statistica ...
(CPI) removing some of the strain on the union's finances. NUS charged $5 per student represented by each member organisation. This raised small fears that many small and regional campus organisations might disaffiliate due to increases in affiliation fees.
In 2006, NUS took a massive budget hit with the introduction of
VSU.
In 2016,
Australian National University Students' Association
Australian National University Students' Association is the students' union of the Australian National University (ANU). It is better known by its acronym, ANUSA. ANUSA acts as a representative body for the undergraduate students of the Australi ...
voted against accrediting with NUS, citing problems with the conduct of factional delegates at the National Conference. The
Adelaide University Union
YouX (Formerly AUU) is a student union at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. It provides academic advocacy, welfare, and counselling services to students free of charge, funds the student newspaper '' On Dit,'' and owns a number of co ...
(AUU) voted to cease their SRC from authorising payments of Accreditation to NUS in their March Meeting. The AUU's SRC later condemned the move and restated its affiliation, and intention to pay accreditation fees autonomously. 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
Australian National University Students' Association is the students' union of the Australian National University (ANU). It is better known by its acronym, ANUSA. ANUSA acts as a representative body for the undergraduate students of the Australi ...
voted to accredit with NUS once again. Also in 2017, the Tasmanian University Union voted to end its affiliation with the NUS.
Delegates and factions
The operations of NUS are dominated by several organised factions, some with close ties to the youth wings of Australian political parties. In 2019, factions operating within NUS include:
*
Student Unity
The National Union of Students (NUS) is the peak representative body for Australian higher education students. As of 2020, there are 21 student unions in Australian campuses affiliated to NUS. A student union is eligible for membership by its c ...
(Unity), the
Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the la ...
right faction. The faction controlled approximately 51% of elected delegates at the 2019 National Conference.
*
National Labor Students
The National Union of Students (NUS) is the peak representative body for Australian higher education students. As of 2020, there are 21 student unions in Australian campuses affiliated to NUS. A student union is eligible for membership by its c ...
(NLS), the Labor left faction. The second largest faction, the NLS controlled around 17% of the delegates at the 2019 National Conference. Members of the faction vote on a position on all issues internally and then members are bound to vote in accordance with this. NLS are also constitutionally bound not to vote for, support, or negotiate with the Liberal faction. Following the 2020 NUS National Conference, the South Australian Caucus broke from NLS, forming National Organisation of Labor Students.
*Grassroots (Groots) were a culmination of the former factions of the National Independents (NI, Indies) and Grassroots Left (GL, Groots). The National Independents and Grassroots Left factions merged to form the 'Grassroots Independents' ahead of the 2018 National Conference. They have traditionally been the third most prominent faction, consisting of independently aligned,
Greens aligned members. Members are open to free votes, and fill out their own ballots. This grouping was estimated to have controlled approximately 15% of conference floor at the 2019 National Conference. The National Independents left the Grassroots ahead of the 2022 National Conference becoming either Small "i" indies or members of NLS.
*
Socialist Alternative (SAlt, SA, Trots), controlled around 12% of the votes at the 2019 National Conference, SAlt usually obtain 2–3 national office bearers in minor roles including ATSI, Ethno-Cultural, Environment, through negations with NLS.
*
Australian Liberal Students' Federation
The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF) is an Australian students' political organisation. Founded in 1948, the ALSF carries similar ideology to the Liberal Party of Australia. The Federation works closely with the Liberal Party, howe ...
(ALSF, Liberals, Libs), the
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...
faction. The faction controlled around 3% of the vote at the 2019 National Conference. Despite the faction's historically small control of the votes, it has been successful in gaining positions for Liberal students including Tasmanian State Branch President Claire Chandler in 2012 and Clark Cooley in 2016 as well as Victorian General Secretary Matthew Lesh in 2014.
*Small 'i' indies, are individuals attending NUS led events such as EdCon and NatCon, but are not necessarily a faction, but more of a grouping used to refer to a number independents who do not sit with a Grassroots Independents. they made up around 2% of the vote at the 2019 National Conference.
Financial and structural crisis
![Nus-state-library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Nus-state-library.jpg)
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 "questioned 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.
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
Voluntary student unionism (VSU), as it is known in Australia, or voluntary student membership (VSM), as it is known in New Zealand, is a policy under which membership of – and payment of membership fees to – university student organisations i ...
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.
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.
National Conference
By its constitution, NUS must hold National Conference, its annual general meeting, in the second week of December each year. 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. The election of national and state officers, as well as campus representatives, occurs during the week.
National structure
![Melbourne Trades Hall entrance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Melbourne_Trades_Hall_entrance.jpg)
NUS' national structure is formalised into both a National Executive and State Branches.
The responsibilities of the National executive, as subscribed 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. The National Executive may also delegate its powers as it considers appropriate.
The members of National Executive are:
* The National President (chair, casting vote only),
* The National officers (voting),
* 12 General Executive Members (voting), and
* The State Presidents (voting)
National Officers of NUS do not carry a vote at the National Conference of NUS.
Members of National Executive may not hold more than 1 voting position on National Executive at the same time.
The national officers of NUS:
* National President,
* National General Secretary/National Deputy President,
* National Education Officer,
* National Welfare Officer,
* National Women's Officer, who must be a woman,
* Two National Queer Officers, one of whom must be a woman,
''(non-paid national officers)''
* National Small and Regional Campuses Officer, who must be a student currently enrolled at a small and/or regional NUS member campus,
*
* National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer, who must identify as a student from an indigenous background,
* National Ethno‐Cultural Officer, who must identify as a student from a culturally or linguistically diverse background, and,
* National International Students Officer, who must be currently enrolled as an international student
* National Disability Officer, who must identify as a student with a disability.
State Executive
The state branches of the NUS include; New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia.
The members of State Executive are:
* The State President (chair),
* The State Education Vice President, and
* The President (or equivalent officer) from each accredited campus.
National Officers
The National Officers of NUS are elected annually at the National Conference, with their terms commencing in January.
President
National Secretary
Education Officer
Welfare Officer
Women's Officer
Queer/LGBTQIA+ Officer
Small and Regional Officer
Environment Officer
A motion to abolish the National Environment Offer position was passed at the 2016 National Conference. This change came into effect at the 2017 National Conference.
Ethnocultural officer
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer
International Officer
Disability Officer
State Officers
The State Branch Officers of NUS are elected annually at the National Conference, with their terms commencing in January. State and Territories officers are only elected if there are accredited campus from that State/Territory. 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.
Victoria
New South Wales
South Australia
Queensland
Western Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Tasmania
Union affiliation
Typically University Student Union's Representative Council's will vote on NUS accreditation. As of 2022, accredited university Unions include;
References
External links
NUS HomeCouncil of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA)Council of International Students Australia (CISA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Union of Students (Australia)
Groups of students' unions
Students' unions in Australia
Student politics in Australia