A Student Union for All Students

A union should always represent its members first and foremost. This is how I believe ANUSA can do that.

• Meeting regularly with the Interhall Council (IHC), prioritizing a productive relationship with college rescoms that ensures students living on campus have an advocate in ANUSA

• Improved reporting of the activities of the executive, in collaboration with Hayden O’Brien our candidate for Treasurer we will publish monthly reports detailing executive pay, achievements for students, hours worked, and the expenditure of the Association. By focusing the executive team to actually deliver on policies and keep students updated on their progress we can demonstrate the important work ANUSA does.

• Helping students throughout the entire academic year, with more support and info at the beginning of sem and right through to exams. This includes work by Kiera Rosenburg and Rosie Paton, candidates for Welfare and Education Officer who have committed to delivering an ANU crash-course guide that helps students navigate university, ANUSA, and canberra.

• Crucial academic reform, including access to textbooks, simple extensions, no participation marks, and mandatory reform of classes with consistently low SELT reviews. Candidate for VP Vaishnavi Gangarapu has detailed extensively just how important these reforms are, if they can be in place at other universities why not at ANU.

• Centering Clubs and Societies in our campus social scene. Clubs are an invaluable contributor to ANU community, working with Change for ANUSA's club candidate Harrison Oates, we'll organize more events, more frequently, outside the typical O-week Bush week schedule. Harrison has also extensively consulted and met with Clubs to understand their needs, electing him means clubs can expect their biggest year yet.

Our union should always be an inclusive and welcoming space, we need an executive that is focused on representing and working with all students and student groups. No matter if someone is undergrad, post grad, hdr, domestic or international they have a place within our student association.

Prioritizing services

The services and programs ANUSA provides are critically important for students, particularly in the current cost of living crisis. From free legal assistance, support with academic issues, navigating university systems to financial grants, free work qualifications, and free breakfasts in the BKSS. As Treasurer this year I have focused on making sure our services are sustainable while also prioritizing the areas students care about. I am committed to doubling our efforts in providing the maximum array of quality services that students expect from ANUSA. Here's how we can do it.

The Skill Up program provides free qualifications for students to help with getting a job, this includes barista courses and the responsible service of alcohol. The issue is that significantly more applications are received than spots available, and so heaps of students miss out. I want to increase the frequency ANUSA runs Skill Up so we can help more students get into work.

Food insecurity on campus is a massive issue, made worse by the tightening access of the ANU Thrive food pantry. Our focus on providing food for students is based in the experience of our candidates during our time at university, our promises are achievable and will make a difference for students. Working with ANU libraries, we can provide food and snacks in libraries during exams. This is something that happens in uni’s right across Australia, that helps students in an already stressful time. Students can get a free breakfast monday to friday in the BKSS, with the introduction of the BKSS lunch express in partnership with the Residential Experience division we have been able to expand the food options available during lunch. The lunch express however is dependent on leftovers from catered colleges and by itself does not represent a long term solution. That is why I am committed to partnering with other organizations in Canberra and working with the rest of the executive to secure a free lunch, monday to friday, for all students.

Harm reduction strategies recognise that there are inherent risks in human behavior, and to take approaches that prioritize safety over other aims, I am committed to harm reduction in three key areas; designated smoking areas on campus, pill testing kits in the BKSS, and subsidizing PreP for students. The removal of Designated On-Campus Smoking Areas, or DOSA, has had negative ramifications for everyone. People who smoke (especially those in residential halls), are forced to walk often quite far or to poorly lit areas. Non-smokers, on the other hand, are exposed to the secondary smoke of those who choose to not to follow the current rules in place. We should be realistic, people smoke on campus anyway. Providing this demographic DOSA is a no-brainer, and a benefit to everyone. Smokers have safe, well-lit areas where they can smoke and dispose of the cigarettes properly. Non-smoking students with concerns of second-hand smoke will have the option of avoiding designated smoking areas. DOSA are an extremely effective harm-minimisation tool, not only for smokers, but everyone on ANU campus. The ACT government operates the CanTEST site in civic, which provides fixed pill testing, in the two years it has been open it has proved an invaluable service for the community. It is however only open for a few hours on Thursdays and Fridays, which leaves a large gap for people who are unable to access the site at these times. A sensible solution to this is to provide an on-campus option for students, in the BKSS, which is available during regular opening hours monday to friday. Making sure people have access to pill testing kits means prioritizing student safety in an accessible, shame-free environment. Finally we commit to introducing a Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP) subsidy, to protect students at risk from HIV transmission. This is essential medicine, and access to it shouldn't be decided by financial constraints, simply send us your receipt and receive the subsidy.

Mental Health at ANU

Students at ANU have consistently wanted better, more easily available access to mental health care. We completely agree, that’s why we have focused so much on ways ANUSA can help. Our mental health policy makes it easier for students to access support through the introduction of a new mental health grant, which will be administered by the Student Assistance Team alongside the other grants available. By adding this option to the suite of grants already available it increases the visibility to students and highlights that support IS available. I also commit to partnering with the ANU Psychology clinic to provide free first sessions for students, getting people in the door and addressing another barrier faced by students. We also need to be mindful of what groups don't access support and what the barriers are, particularly as international and postgraduate students are statistically less likely to reach out for help. To address this we need to ensure regular communication and out-reach that meets students where they are, this includes guides on how to access support in different languages and connecting with the academic colleges to disseminate information. 

The IDEA Governance committee is currently undertaking a Mental health strategy review, this review includes preventive measures, culture and attitudes, and the array of services both on-campus and off. With this review we have the opportunity to make a clear and compelling case as to expectations of the body, to ensure that both students and staff are centered within the strategy and not left to be the victim of another wave of financial cuts. As President I will work with the committee to promote student voices and make sure it is representative of the needs of students. Critically we need to call out the ANU where it is failing, students often report feeling like they are being pushed out the door as soon as they connect with on-campus counseling, which happens after being put on a waitlist for weeks or even months. To address this we call on the university to focus on ensuring continuity of care, providing appropriate triage services and referrals to other crisis support services.

ANUSA can also do more, including running sessions for all students at the beginning of semester which focus on ways to look after yourself and your friends throughout the year, and expanding Less-Stressival to encompass more wellbeing activities and programs.

Protecting student rights

University students have always been at the forefront of pushing for and achieving social change, ANUSA must work to ensure students on campus are protected from failures within the university and society at large. This means upholding the most fundamental values of any union, the right to assemble, organize and protest. These rights have come under increasing attack from university management this year, with the shameful attempt to call police on a peaceful assembly of people at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Our ability to live,work, study and organize on campus are incredibly important. As President I will work to ensure student rights are protected. This means standing against decisions of the university that unfairly target and intimidate students, ensuring those that are the victim of this treatment are referred to support and understand their options. 

Residential rights are currently overlooked and undervalued by the ANU. With such a high portion of students living on campus, our university iis unique in Australia. The treatment on-campus students experience would not be tolerated in any other form of housing, the agreements students sign designate them as occupants, not tenants which robs them of rights normally afforded to renters. Rental tariffs have increased year on year often above wage growth which is making living on campus increasingly difficult, at a university which has the lowest portion of low SES students in the country this poses an existential threat to ANU as the “national university”. ANUSA needs to properly educate students on their rights within accommodation, this needs to be done as soon as practically possible to limit the amount of time management can overstep and mistreat students. The ANU crash-course guide will include information on how accommodation at ANU works and what pathways there are for escalating concerns. Students shouldn't have to deal with inadequate, expensive, and unfair living arrangements.

Your Rights at Work is another crucial area ANUSA can stand up for students. By partnering with specific unions and UnionsACT, we commit to running sessions and providing information directly on students on issues they will face in the workplace. This will include areas such as superannuation, the awards system and how that practically affects their job, what to do in the case of unfair or predatory treatment in the workplace, and other entitlements they should expect. Speaking from experience, students and young people are some of the most at-risk groups for experiencing breaches of their rights at work. By making sure students know their rights and how to stand up for them, it will help to ensure they are being treated as they deserve.

Governance Review

Following the disestablishment of PARSA as the postgraduate union and the inclusion of postgraduates and HDR students in ANUSA, the union committed to undertaking a governance review to make sure the ANUSA was able to properly represent all students. In the process of the review an independent third party consultant was engaged to meet with, hear from, and consolidate the feedback from students, elected office bearers in ANUSA, and university management. The review produced a 48 page report which outlined the current operations and structure of the association, as well as 31 recommendations covering areas such as constitutional amendments, role clarity and accountability, student engagement and communication, complaints and dispute resolution, training and development, and postgraduate engagement. It is crucial that all candidates running in this election read and properly understand this review, as there has been either purposeful mischaracterisation or misunderstanding of many of the recommendations. The review did not set out with a particular political objective, but rather reflected the views of the students who went to the consultations. Statements from individuals suggesting the union should disregard the entire report and ignore all the recommendations are ignorant and misinformed. Many important reforms are included, including addressing behavior at ANUSA meetings, ensuring postgraduate students have opportunities to engage with the union in a way that works for them, and clarifying existing conflicting sections of the current constitution. 

There are of course areas which need to be further worked on, particularly surrounding departments, as a candidate for President I commit to a genuine co-design process with autonomous departments and their officers to ensure the unique needs and views of each department and the students they represent are put front and center. Anything that infringes on autonomous departments ability to build community and represent students is unacceptable.

We need to ensure that ANUSA is not held back from its fundamental goals of providing services, advocating for student welfare and furthering student interests.

 NUS

The National Union of Students (NUS) is the peak representative body for students in Australia, it advocates for students interests and achieves real wins. The NUS amplifies ANU students' voices and coordinates between different student groups to push both governments and universities, because we are stronger when we work together.

• Centering ANU students interests and voices within the NUS

• Making sure ANU students needs are represented in government policy and legislative changes

The NUS achieved real results for students in the University Accords, including a new student ombudsman, minimum SSAF for student-led organizations and removing the failed Job-ready graduates package. There is more to fight for, particularly;

• Opposing unfair international student caps, which weaken both universities and Australia

• Holding universities accountable for the harm that occurs to students on campus

Referendum

Alongside the ANUSA election a referendum will be held for all students to vote in. The question is as follows: “Do you think ANU should withdraw all current investments in the weapons industry and make no further investments into the weapons industry?” This serves as another important opportunity for students to express their views to the university, I alongside the entire Change ticket support a YES vote. We must continue to work to ensure the ANU does not stop at partial divestment, does not re-define what divestment is, but instead moves to make sure students' tuition fees are not going towards a category of investments which cause clear social harm.

ANU COUNCIL

ANU Council is the chief governing body of the university, with two students elected annually one postgraduate and one undergraduate the council provides an opportunity to make sure that students voices are not just heard but acted on. This year and in years past we have seen the university make unilateral decisions which leaves the community worse off, with one of the most recent egregious examples being the decision to cut the number of graduation ceremonies, leaving graduates facing additional costs to travel back to canberra or in even worse position of not being able to attend their own graduation, as is the case for many international students. This is because the university is finding itself in an increasingly worrying financial situation, we have seen over the past few years that because of that student experiences and services are the first to be cut. We should not be the victim of mismanagement by the university. IIf elected undergraduate member on council I will be the voice in the room making sure that students are not left to fend for themselves.

If elected I commit to running consultations for students to voice their concerns and issues so that all students have a voice on council that is working for them. I am especially focused on bringing the following areas to ANU Council;

• Raising the unfair, predatory treatment against students who have unpaid parking fines, which has resulted in some students being taken to court

• Taking the results of the referendum on divestment to council, ensuring that the university hears the simple demands of students loud and clear

• Pushing the university to fully divest from weapons companies, which clearly violate the so called “socially responsible Investment policy”

Additionally I will be a strong advocate for international students who are unfairly targeted and disregarded by caps legislated by the government. International students are an important part of the ANU community and shouldn’t be made to feel unwelcome or unwanted.