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The National Union of Students is the peak representative body for Australian university students. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. NUS represents some 700,000 university students. Most student unions in Australian campuses are affiliated to NUS. Australia's universities are home to a variety of different Student union groups providing a range of political commercial and other services to students A university is eligible by its classification as a legitimate training provider and the payment of Union fees by the university according to the number of full time study units of its students.

Contents

Delegates and Factions

The operations of NUS are dominated by several different organised factions, often with close ties to the youth wings of Australian political parties. The Politics of Australia take place within the framework of parliamentary democracy. Current factions at NUS include National Labor Students (Socialist Left), Student Unity (Labor Unity), the Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF), the Grassroots Left, Socialist Alternative, the NLC (the international students faction), and the Independents. National Labor Students (NLS is a factional grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students. This article is about the Australian party faction for the Norwegian political party see Socialist Left Party (Norway The Student Unity (also known as SU or simply Unity) is a factional grouping within the Australian National Union of Students (NUS The Labor Right, or Labor Unity is the organised faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP that tends to be more economically liberal and socially conservative The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF is a student group informally associated with the Liberal Party of Australia. The Grassroots Left is a political grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students and the Australian student movement Socialist Alternative (often abbreviated as SA) is a Trotskyist group in Australia formed by a split from the International Socialist Organisation The National Liaison Committee ( NLC) is a national faction in the National Union of Students of Australia. Students who politically organise on an independent basis can be classified into two groups

History

NUS in its current form came into being in 1987 after the collapse of its predecessor, the Australian Union of Students, in 1984. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The Australian Union of Students was the precursor to the National Union of Australian University Students - as a representative body and lobby group for Australian University Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) It 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. Robert James Lee (Bob Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929 was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister As a general rule all students who attend Australian tertiary education institutions are charged higher education fees. Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916 known as Gough Whitlam (ˈɡɒf goff is an Australian former politician and 21st

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 1990’s 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.

A setback for NUS was the election of the Howard Liberal government in 1996, which had shown hostility towards (left-leaning) tertiary sector representational bodies such as NUS and the National Tertiary Education Union. See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU is an Australian Trade union for University academic and general (non-academic staff 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. Dr David Alistair Kemp (born 14 October 1941) Australian politician was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives

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. Brendan John Nelson, MP (born 19 August 1958 is an Australian politician and former Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia, as leader The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. 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. An Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA was an individual written agreement on terms and conditions of employment between an Employer and Employee in Australia

In 2003, NUS membership fees became indexed to CPI, removing some of the strain on the union’s finances but raising fears that many small and regional campus organisations might disaffiliate due to increases in affiliation fees. CPI redirects here For other uses see CPI (disambiguation. A consumer price index ( CPI) is a measure of the average price of consumer In 2005, the University of New England Student Association recognising it could no-longer contribute the demanding annual fee of over $40,000, held a referendum to disalffiliate, the motion was overwhelmingly carried.

Despite NUS having spent $255,307. 00 to run an anti-government campaign in marginal electorates [1], the 2004 Australian elections saw the government returned to office with what looked to be effective control of the Senate. Federal elections were held in Australia on 9 October, 2004. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 seats in the 76-member

See also

List of Office Bearers of the National Union of Students of Australia

Membership and organisation

NUS is composed of all affiliated student organisations, and is organised at both a National and a State level. This is a list of office-bearers in the National Union of Students of Australia, and the student organisations and factions of which those office-bearers were members The Commonwealth of Australia is made up of 8 states and territories controlled under a federal system of government Most university student organisations within the major cities are affiliated to NUS. Member organisations pay an annual fee which is indexed to the Consumer Price Index. CPI redirects here For other uses see CPI (disambiguation. A consumer price index ( CPI) is a measure of the average price of consumer Most, but not all, major institutions’ student bodies are affiliated to NUS.

The supreme decision-making body of NUS nationally is the National Conference, held annually at the University of Ballarat (Victoria) in December. The University of Ballarat is a dual-sector University in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. This conference is the central vehicle for policy debate and the election of national office bearers. Delegates are elected from all financial member organisations. The number of delegates and the number of votes held by delegates from a given campus is dependent on the EFTSU’s (Equivalent Full Time Study Units) of the campus. Smaller-scale annual conferences are also held at a state level to elect state office-bearers.

Queer (Queer Collaborations), Education, Women’s, Small and Regional, Environment (Students of Sustainability) and International Students conferences are also held annually to develop policy specific to those areas. Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. Queer Collaborations (QC or QC's is a national Australian Queer conference. Students of Sustainability (SoS is an annual conference of the Australian student environment movement and predates the Australian Student Environment Network (ASEN The National Liaison Committee for International Students in Australia ( NLC) was first formed in 1986 in an attempt to combat the Australian Government's introduction

Structure

NUS National structure is formalised into office bearers, committees, and departments.

National office bearers

The NUS national office bearers for 2008 are:

The first five of these positions are full-time. National Labor Students (NLS is a factional grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students. Student Unity (also known as SU or simply Unity) is a factional grouping within the Australian National Union of Students (NUS National Labor Students (NLS is a factional grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students. Student Unity (also known as SU or simply Unity) is a factional grouping within the Australian National Union of Students (NUS National Labor Students (NLS is a factional grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students. Student Unity (also known as SU or simply Unity) is a factional grouping within the Australian National Union of Students (NUS The Grassroots Left is a political grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students and the Australian student movement National Labor Students (NLS is a factional grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students. The Grassroots Left is a political grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students and the Australian student movement The Australian Student Environment Network (ASEN is the national network of many campus environment collectives in Australia. The National Liaison Committee ( NLC) is a national faction in the National Union of Students of Australia. The Environment and Queer Officer positions are all part-time. All of these positions, with the exception of International Students Convenor, are elected annually at NUS National Conference, with terms commencing in January.

The National Women's Officer must live and identify as a woman, as must one of the National Queer Officers [2].

The position of International Students' Committee Convenor is occupied by the National Convenor of the National Liaison Committee for International Students in Australia Inc. . This is not technically a national office-bearing position, although it does largely function that way in practice. The International Students Convenors are elected in July and commence their term in October.

See also: List of Office Bearers of the National Union of Students of Australia

National Executive

National Executive consists of the national office-bearers, the International Students' convenor, the presidents of each of the state branches, and twelve general executive members. This is a list of office-bearers in the National Union of Students of Australia, and the student organisations and factions of which those office-bearers were members Of these, only the general executive members and the state presidents have votes. The national president acts as chair and has a casting vote in the event of ties. The National Executive meets face to face twice a year, with further meetings conducted via teleconference. It is responsible for administering the union, subject to decisions of National Conference, and authorising the national budget.

Additional Information

The National Union of Students has attracted criticism over time concerning alleged wastes of student funds by the organisation. It has been alleged that students often found it difficult to view or obtain budgets of how NUS spends its money and this has led to accusations of mismanagement. Indeed, the NUS maintains a policy of refusing to provide a budget to students, and considerable comment has been made by past representatives of the voluminous quantities of alcohol available at the conference.

A "sweetheart deal" between the two Labor-aligned factions (the National Organisation of Labor Students (dominated by the Labor Left) and Student Unity (dominated by the Labor Right) saw them share President and National General Secretary each year until 2006 when the National Labor Students split at the National Conference and all factions except NLS and Unity supported an Independent candidate for General Secretary. The National Organisation of Labor Students (usually known as NOLS, was a factional grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students Student Unity (also known as SU or simply Unity) is a factional grouping within the Australian National Union of Students (NUS The independent candidate, described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "more left wing than either his predecessor or the opposing candidate," (both of whom were from the Student Unity faction, aligned with the right wing of the Labor Party) was subsequently elected for the term beginning 1 January 2007, bringing to an end Student Unity's control over this position and over the finances of NUS [3]. Student Unity (also known as SU or simply Unity) is a factional grouping within the Australian National Union of Students (NUS Student Unity regained the position with the election of Ben Maxfield for the 2008 year.

Many on the "right-wing" of student politics have criticised the goals of the organisation itself, viewing the NUS as being overtly partisan, and opposing its decisions to fund federal political campaigns against the conservative Howard government. See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March The Australian Liberal Students Federation in particular has a strong dislike for many of the activities undertaken by the NUS. The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF is a student group informally associated with the Liberal Party of Australia.

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National student organisations in Australia

Australian Liberal Students Federation | Australian Union of Students | Australasian Union of Jewish Students | Grassroots Left | Independents | National Labor Students | National Liaison Committee | National Union of Students | Socialist Alternative | Student Unity | Australian Labor Students | National Broad Left | National Organisation of Labor Students
Australia's universities are home to a variety of different Student union groups providing a range of political commercial and other services to students The Adelaide University Union (AUU was founded in 1895. Until 2006 the AUU funded seven affiliated bodies The Deakin University Student Association ( DUSA4U) in Victoria Australia is the representative association of Deakin University 's student body The student union one of several student organisations at the University of Melbourne, Australia, is divided into two parts Arc @ UNSW Limited is a not-for-profit public company based in Sydney, Australia, serving as the Student union at the University of New South Wales The UQ Union is the central student organisation at the University of Queensland. The RMIT Student Union Council commonly known as the RMIT Student Union, is the representative body for all students enrolled at RMIT University The University of Sydney Union ( USU) commonly referred to as The Union, is the student-run services and amenities provider at the University of Sydney The Tasmania University Union Inc (TUU is the Students' union that represents tertiary students attending the University of Tasmania. UTS Union Limited is the peak service provider at the University of Technology Sydney. Victoria University Student Union (VUSU is the Peak body representing and supporting all students at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia The UWA Student Guild is the premier student representative body at the University of Western Australia. The SAUA (Students' Association of the University of Adelaide was a Students' Representative Council like body that existed for students at the University of Adelaide from Monash University Berwick Campus is a campus of Monash University located in Berwick, which is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state Monash University Caulfield campus is a campus of Monash University located in Caulfield, which is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in The Monash Student Association (Clayton Inc (MSA is located at the Clayton campus of Monash University in the Campus Centre building The Gippsland campus of Monash University is located in the town of Churchill 142 km east of Melbourne The University of New England Students' Association (UNESA was the representative body for undergraduate students at the University of New England, Australia. The Newcastle University Students' Association (NUSA represents undergraduate students at the University of Newcastle, NSW Australia The QUT Student Guild is the student union at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane UniLife is the peak student representative body in the UniSA Spread across its four metropolitan campuses is the Centre for Regional Engagement, encompassing Whyalla and Swinburne Student Union (SSU is peak student representative body of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. The University of Sydney Students' Representative Council (SRC is the representative body for undergraduate students at the University of Sydney. The University of Technology Sydney Students' Association is the representative body for students at the University of Technology Sydney. The Australian Liberal Students' Federation (ALSF is a student group informally associated with the Liberal Party of Australia. The Australian Union of Students was the precursor to the National Union of Australian University Students - as a representative body and lobby group for Australian University The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS is a federation of Jewish student societies at Australian and New Zealand universities and other higher The Grassroots Left is a political grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students and the Australian student movement Students who politically organise on an independent basis can be classified into two groups National Labor Students (NLS is a factional grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students. The National Liaison Committee ( NLC) is a national faction in the National Union of Students of Australia. Socialist Alternative (often abbreviated as SA) is a Trotskyist group in Australia formed by a split from the International Socialist Organisation Student Unity (also known as SU or simply Unity) is a factional grouping within the Australian National Union of Students (NUS The Australian Labor Students was a Political faction within the National Union of Students. The National Organisation of Labor Students (usually known as NOLS, was a factional grouping operating within the Australian National Union of Students
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