Adelaide Student Politics

Posted 11th May

Budget day tomorrow! NUS and its local representatives have been pushing for a change to the age (from 25 to 21) at which students are considered independent from their parents, and are thus eligible for individualized welfare. The campaign has gotten more media coverage both nationally and in Adelaide than any I’ve seen in my time at uni, largely due to the tireless efforts of the SRC with a lot of assistance from AUU President Lavinia Emmett-Grey. Tomorrow we find out if the work was all for nothing or not. But first, let us recap what’s happened so far.

Firstly, there were the marriages on the lawns. They got a decent amount of press coverage, and got normal students aware of what the SRC was campaigning about. See here for Lavinia's own words on the event.

Secondly, there was the ‘Two Minute Students’ report. That has also already been covered, and has been referenced by some news sources.

The day after ‘Two Minute Students’ was released, the SRC held a sleep-out to emphasize student poverty, organized largely by SRC Welfare Officer Lauren Moulds. As a media stunt, it worked like a charm. The pouring rain probably helped showcase the dedication of those present, as 30 cold students braved the elements. It got covered here and here (as well as on ABC2 and radio).

The university then put out a statement broadly supporting the SRCs efforts (although it is silent on the SRCs specific recommendations, instead more vaguely calling for more student income support). The Advertiser picked up the story.

Meanwhile, the Australian Liberal Students Federation has been busy (well, not dormant anyway) with its own campaign to stop the return of what it sees as Compulsory Student Unionism by the back door (I'm sure most lefties on campus would agree with them on that one). I've recieved several emails over the past few days reminding me to call up a swing senator to register my outrage. As far as I can tell, the Liberal Club on campus hasn't been particularly active on this issue.

No doubt NUS will put out a briefing the minute the budget is released. Watch Tuesday’s news.