National Union Student Representatives

The National Union of Students (NUS) was established in 1987 and is the peak representative body for Australian tertiary students. The NUS represents over a million students to the federal government and other peak advocacy bodies. A recent win by the NUS is fighting for the creation of the National Student Ombudsman.

The NUS runs an annual President’s Summit which provides an opportunity for all campus presidents to come together to share knowledge, ideas, and hear from organisations involved in student advocacy. Student representatives also attend an annual Education Conference to discuss issues relevant to students. Other conferences like a Women’s Conference, a Disability Conference, and an Ethnocultural Conference are also held in some years.

What is a NUS Delegate’s Role?

An NUS Delegate’s role is only to attend the NUS National Conference (NatCon) which runs for a week in December. Any student can attend this conference but only delegates have voting powers.

NatCon is an opportunity for students from all NUS affiliated campuses to come together to vote on and debate policies to guide the actions of the NUS each year. One of the most important aspects of this involves negotiating with other students to ensure that successful motions are representative of a broad range of student interests.