Xavier Dupé is the National Union of Students education officer.
The National Union of Students organised nationwide anti-war rallies on 9 August, demanding that the Albanese government break the AUKUS alliance and fund housing and welfare instead.
University students are getting screwed. Rents are out of control, welfare payments are too low and HECS debt is piling up. Yet, instead of capping rents and raising the rate of JobSeeker, the federal government remains committed to spending $368 billion on nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS military alliance.
Hundreds of students gathered in Brisbane this week for the National Union of Students Education Conference to discuss war, inequality, oppression and the Albanese Labor government’s performance.
Student HECS debts are set to increase by 7.1 percent after the Labor government rejected calls to freeze annual increases in the debts. The average debt will increase by $1,758.72. It’s a rude awakening for many current and former students.
Labor’s Universities Accord promises “a visionary plan for Australia’s universities” when it releases its final report in December. But don’t hold your breath for it to deliver anything much for students and university staff.
Hundreds of students protested across the country on Friday 17 March to demand an end to fossil fuels and taxes on the rich and big corporations to fund a shift to renewables and decarbonisation of the economy. The protests, organised by the National Union of Students, criticised the Labor government for approving major new coal and gas projects when the world needs to rapidly reduce emissions.