Dylan Botica – Illuminate

What sparked your interest in student politics?
I first got involved in the Guild and that was through being the president of a student club. I really saw the difference that a well functioning, supportive Guild made to my experience at Curtin and also how our club was able to run, and therefore I wanted to get more involved.

Why should students care about the NUS?
Students should care about the National Union of Students because it’s a body that is so often used by national factions, by external organisations like Socialist Alternative to move the conversation away from what actually matters to students and to actually further their own political gain and to go against what the bulk of students have actually passed as policy each year. For example this year we had the National Education Officer which is a very high paid position occupied by Socialist Alternative and they used this position to essentially refuse to leave Victoria to do everything that they do at their own university, not to actually come and help us here when we’re facing serious issues like self-certification going away, tuition free stuff, trying to get free education, trying to get people paid for their pracs. [There was] no help with any of that. They’re so focused on organising for Socialist Alternative for their own state that they don’t bother to care about anything like that and they’re getting paid. And so often they’ll make Facebook posts, Instagram posts, for example basically saying that all of the ANZACs are war-mongerers. Posts like these aren’t in line with what the bulk of students think and they’ll go off and do things like that, so it really damages the reputation and our capacity to make a positive change. That’s why the NUS is important and that’s why it’s important that the NUS is led by independent voices from actual campuses that actually study that want to make a positive difference for students.

The NUS is notoriously factionalised. Do you have any affiliation to a faction, and if so what’s the shared beliefs of that faction?
Illuminate isn’t a member of any faction but because the NUS is so factionalised it means that in order to get any policy changed, in order to get any positions in the NUS you actually need to either be part of a faction or do sort of a negotiation deal with a faction. So typically as a group we sit down and decide what’s best for Curtin students every year and what is going to be the best outcome for sorts of things we’ve campaigned for in the elections, and traditionally that means that we … don’t work with the Labor right, we don’t sit with them. We don’t work with Socialist Alternative but we do sit with the broader left.

If elected, what can you promise students?
I really hope that this year the NUS can get some accountability. The NUS because it is so factionalised and because decisions are made behind closed doors, and people get positions because they want to put themselves up and not necessarily make things better, I really want to come in and try and make some really sensible changes to how the NUS regulations work, to make sure people disclose things like conflicts of interest, and make sure that people actually abide by what the interests of students are in that role, because really fundamental things like that are currently in the NUS’s regulations.

What’s your own confession at Curtin or what’s a Curtin life hack you have found?
I think that the best thing about being a student is that you can swindle your way into lots of discounts. It’s not really a Curtin confession, but one thing I found out is you can get 10% of Emirates if you’re a student and no one knows this, so it will change your life if you ever want to go for your European mid-June journey … Seriously, 10% off, how good is that!

Jack Washington – Left Action

What’s your background in student politics?
I am a student activist here at Curtin, so I’m always involved in political campaigns and activism and progressive issues on campus. Part of that is also being involved in Student Guild and running in Student Guild elections to use the Student Guild resources to be put towards that activism which is one of the most important things those resources should go to.

Why should students care about the NUS?
The National Union of Students is a representative body for all students in Autralia. It’s the most important student representative body in Australia and therefore can represent all the issues that face students in the country. Today there are more issues than ever that are effecting students – you have the cost of living crisis, climate change, the far-right is rising across the country, and the National Union of Students is a really important organisation that can be used to fight back by students all across the country … Kind of no matter what that issue is, the NUS is something that can be used to fight back nationwide and it’s been used to do that already so far this year.

The NUS is notoriously factionalised, are you affiliated with a particular faction and if so, what are the shared beliefs of that faction?
I am affiliated with Socialist Alternative as my main faction at the NUS and the shared beliefs of that faction are that we’re socialists and activists who fight for human rights and progressive issues all across the country. No matter what the issue is – if it’s fighting against the Labor Government or fighting against the far right, people affiliated with Socialist Alternative are always fighting against those battles. We’re not attached to the other major political institutions in Australia like the Labor party … We can fight back and not be too worried about backlash coming.

If elected, what will you do in your role as NUS delegate?
I will continue to fight for student rights and rights of the general population because the NUS is the best thing to do that … It means there will be organised campaigns across the country, not isolated to Perth or Melbourne or Sydney. If elected as a NUS delegate I will use that platform to help fight for those progressive issues.

What’s your own confession at Curtin or what’s a Curtin life hack you have found?
One of the things I’ve seen on the Curtin Confessions Facebook page is ‘Don’t talk to the socialists’, but I think you should talk to the socialists.

Kim Pinto – Illuminate

What sparked your interest in student politics?
I’ve always been a lover of student politics ever since high school, but in university I first started my stint with Curtin Student Guild as IC Councillor in 2021 under the leadership of Sophia who was the Illuminate president for ISC then … they really inspired that confidence in me because they also had similar careers to mine in nursing. Nursing and politics are quite challenging to do at the same time but because of them as role models I felt [as though] I can do it and that’s what sparked my interest. Also, I’ve always been involved in clubs ever since semester 1 – different clubs, I’ve been in Study With a Purpose, I’ve been in Desi which is the Indian association at Curtin and other unis. I’ve also been in other leadership roles for other clubs like Study With a Purpose at Curtin, I was events member and I was the only nursing student in an education club. So something that I like to do is politics.

Why should students care about the NUS?Basically I am new to the NUS being an international student. I feel like international students are not represented in that national body, so for someone that’s never heard of NUS, NUS is the National Union of Students in Australia. I’m from India and we have a union there too, and it’s similar so all universities in the country have systemic issues but then the NUS takes that up to the government and represents the overall issues. Some of the issues that I would like to personally highlight would be unpaid placements, because as a nursing student myself, I’m studying undergraduate nursing and I’ve spent a lot of hours working unpaid and on the cost of my mental health; on the cost of compromising my relationships; compromising my own standard of living. I get that it is a necessity of the degree and it is helping me to be a better nurse, but I also feel like we should be paid something – it is only fair. Another issue I personally relate with as well is housing. Being a person that lives on Curtin University campus, on that new Curtin Exchange strip, let me tell you the prices are unaffordable and I’m side-eyeing that because if I forget onions for example, I need to go to the IGA and the onions are not something I can buy. I need to take out my car and go to the Spudshed and buy onions from there, because that’s how much disparity there is in prices. That’s just an example that I can think of on the top of my head. Take anything, compare the prices and you will see that it is unaffordable. Not just that. There are new restaurants over there that are not affiliated with the Curtin Student Guild and not just that, the prices over there too, if I do not cook dinner one day and I think ‘Okay let’s just go to a restaurant under my apartment’, I can’t physically find the money to go and enjoy a sit down meal and I think that is unfair for students. Especially the ones that work hard, pull extra shifts and want to experience life. The university personally should be pushing Curtin Student Guild outlets and I think that we are under represented and it is something that we should bring up, not just in the Guild, but in the NUS … I would  bring these 2 issues up if elected as an NUS delegate, so vote for me.

The NUS is notoriously factionalised. Are you affiliated with a particular faction, and if so, what are the shared beliefs of that faction?
I’m not associated with any particular faction so I can’t answer that.

If elected what will you do as NUS delegate?
I’ve read a lot about the NUS role, I’ve read a lot on the NUS via their website, I’ve even met NUS members because of the Curtin Student Guild and they visited us here in Bentley and I have photos with them so it was very exciting for me. I think through their experiences I felt like I could relate. I felt like I could contribute a lot if given the opportunity. I’m a very vocal person, I relate to people as an international student, as a nursing student, as a university student, as a student who lives by themselves … Just those experiences can bring a lot of lived experiences in my contribution. And I know it is fact that international students are not represented in the NUS. There might be 1 or 2 , but even if there’s 1 more, it’s still a contribution.

What’s your own confession at Curtin or what’s a Curtin life hack you’ve found?
I live on campus and every day at 8am I have the sudden realisation that ‘Shit, I didn’t turn on my CellOPark.’ And if you live on campus everyone has to pay the same thing – it might be 8am or it might be noon and there you have it, you’ve been fined $45 which is more than my hourly wage and is probably more than yours too. So I think that my personal hack, especially when I live right here and I have to use Curtin university parking because I didn’t get access to a parking spot – again it’s unaffordable – I book my parking the night before. So if I’m on campus I know that I have classes, so I’ll book parking in the Green Zone perhaps, I book it at 8pm the night before and it only starts at 8am the next day, so you don’t get charged for that time. It’s just so you get that mental stress of your head and you don’t have to think ‘Oh my God I didn’t turn on CellOPark, there’s going to be a fine sitting on my windshield’ and then I have to think about how to pay that fine and I’ll be relieved if it’s just a warning. All of those thoughts are out the window.

Veronika Gobba – Illuminate

What sparked your interest in student politics?
It started out probably in high school when I was really into the climate crisis stuff and doing climate walk-outs and being part of community groups that wanted to ban plastics. Last year I was the Humanities rep at Guild for the last third of the term and this year I am the VP Education.

Why should students care about the NUS?
The NUS is a national platform – a national student union – that advocates for students around Australia. Kind of like how Curtin Student Guild advocates for students at Curtin. Students should really care about the NUS because essentially it has a platform that can fight for those bigger issues such as the cost of living crisis and education. When you have a really strong student union, it means that smaller unions like Curtin Guild can focus on campus issues while the bigger one [union] can focus on the issues that effect everyone.

The NUS is notoriously factionalised, are you affiliated with a particular faction and if so, what are the shared beliefs of that faction?
If I am elected as NUS delegate this year, I will be talking with Illuminate and we will come up with a strategy that we will take to NUS so I’m not sure if I’m going to affiliate with a faction yet. I’ll know after the election.

If elected, what will you do in the role as NUS delegate?
A big thing I want to make sure that happens in the NUS is make sure they are still engaging with the accords really robustly. As I said before, we’ve seen the government can see that students need paid pracs, that they need to get rid of the job ready graduates package. I want to make sure the NUS is still really pushing on those issues right to 2024. I know the NUS is doing a lot of campaigning on the housing crisis and the rental crisis and I would like to see them move to more state issues. Especially with students and student accomodations having rental rights because currently people in student housing don’t have the protections that current renters have.

What’s your own confession at Curtin or what’s a Curtin life hack you have found?

My confession is that in my first year of uni I had an assignment or presentation that was due at 8am and I was up in the library doing it until 2am. It was a really long trek home so I decided to sleep in the library and I was on a little couch at one point, then I moved to the floor. I didn’t wake up until about 5am when the cleaners were vacuuming around me – it was like blasting in my ears. So life hack, never do that because that was the worst sleep I’ve had in my entire life.

Ella Marchionda – Left Action

What’s your background in student politics?
I’ve been involved in student politics for a few years now, mostly through socialist activism around all sorts of issues … Fighting the climate justice, organising a lot of climate protests in 2019, but since then I’ve been heavily involved in refugee rights activism to free refugees locked up by the government all around the country … I’ve also been involved in a bunch of campaigns across campus, so supporting staff when they’ve been on strike, for better wages and conditions, but also I’m mobilising and fighting for things like free education and in general, against the way our universities are run for profit and students are left behind in many ways.

Why should students care about the NUS?
I think students really should care about the NUS because it’s the peak representative body that’s meant to represent students all across the country. It has a lot of resources and ability to actually throw its weight in society and influence the government and influence different people … One thing is that NUS right now isn’t really that relevant for students. Most students don’t really know what the NUS is, they don’t know that it actually has an ability to organise activist campaigns that can defend students rights.  So it could run serious campaigns to fight for free education. It could run serious campaigns to abolish the increase of HECs debt. But you know, NUS has also run serious campaigns not just for education stuff, but also for other social justice issues. So a lot of people who are socialists like me have been involved in NUS and they’ve used their positions with NUS to run anti-racist campaigns in solidarity of black lives matter, to running serious campaigns for climate action and all sorts of things like that. They also run campaigns against the far-right and to defend LGBTI rights … We want more students to know what NUS is.

The NUS is notoriously factionalised, are you affiliated with a particular faction and if so, what are the shared beliefs of that faction?
I am a member of Socialist Alternative, so we are the most left-wing faction in the NUS. Our beliefs are that we are against capitalism. We think capitalism is really impacting the university sector specifically, but also a range of issues. So capitalism is making our universities run profit-driven, corporate institutions. This university, Curtin, has so many ties with fossil fuel companies that destroy the planet and students degrees are funnelled into what’s going to profitable for the economy rather than what [should be made] to be studied freely for the good of society. We also think capitalism causes the climate crisis. It causes the oppression of Indigenous people, of women, of LGBTI people. We think NUS is a political body that needs to take a left-leaning stand on all these issues and historically student unions have mobilised against the Vietnam War, against social justice political issues. We think NUS needs to do that again … and be a left-wing body and that’s what Socialist Alternative tries to push in the NUS.

If elected, what will you do in the role as NUS delegate?
As NUS delegate I will use it to push the NUS to be a leftwing body that stands for students rights and social justice. For example, I think the NUS needs to take an active stand against the Labor government. This includes against the raising of HECS debt and also against the AUKUS deal – the $368 billion being spent on nuclear submarines. The AUKUS deal has particular negative consequences for students as the government and university sector want universities to play a major role in fuelling the skills and resources needed for it, which will further militarise our unviersities. So I think NUS needs to take a stand against this.

What’s your own confession at Curtin or what’s a Curtin life hack you have found?
You see on the Curtin Confessions page a lot is student’s blaming their teachers for their problems. And I think we shouldn’t blame our teachers for our problems … It’s like the reason why our teachers are so stressed is because they’re so stressed and overworked by university management. They f****d them over, they treat them like shit. They force them to do all these unpaid labour to mark our assignments – that’s why teachers have to recycle their lectures because they’re not paid enough to do it and they’re not treated well and it’s actually the Vice Chancellor who earned a lot of money … This university makes a f*** tonne of money and so our teacher’s aren’t the problem, it’s the university management that’s the problem. So I think that’s what people should think about when they’re complaining about their classes.

A full video of the interview can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ug6m2zDDdvQXiJSEY-_BPcJmPa1y0o07/view?usp=drive_link

Hannah Northey – Illuminate

What’s your background in student politics?
So I started off like a lot of political advocates just in high school. I was a year 11 representative … um when it comes to the Guild this is my first year as an elected representative and next year will be my second as the 2024 Faculty of Business and Law representative. This year I had the privilege of being elected into the in-ordinary representation board member and my fellow elected representatives elected me to be the chair of the representation board. I’ve been involved working with the executive committee this year in numerous campaigns, as well as the parking campaign. Also, I started a textbook initiative to have textbooks released early for students and have them available online through the library, specifically for essential textbooks, as well as taking part in a mental health working group that staff organised for how to improve mental health for students. And then being the chair of the representation board, I have had valuable experience in leading meetings as well as directing discussion.

Why do you think students should care about the NUS?
In my opinion, students should care about the National Union of Students because it’s there to represent all of us. It’s made up of elected delegates that are chosen by other students by their universities or their education centres and then they come together to talk about prominent student issues and the best ways we can advocate for change. In that way, it’s sort of a voice for students studying anywhere and everywhere all across Australia.

The NUS is notoriously factionalised, are you affiliated with a particular faction and if so, what are the shared beliefs of that faction?
I do not have an affiliation with a faction.

If elected, what will you do in your role as NUS delegate?
If elected it would be my first time as an NUS delegate and I believe that with that being the case I would be able to provide a fresh perspective on student issues and ways we can work towards improving student rights. I would use my past advocacy experience combined with this new opportunity in order to fight for student rights and real change. Some of the issues I want to keep encouraging the NUS to work on would be to change the age of independence from 22 to 18 to allow younger students who are studying to be able to access financial aid while undertaking their courses. And also, getting paid of unpaid internships and placements.

What’s your own confession at Curtin, or what’s a Curtin life hack you’ve found?
A Curtin life hack I have is changing up your study space every now and then, I think it adds flavour to your life and lets your creative juices flow. It’s simple and fun to discover places on campus.

The full video of the interview can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CRdvDy8k_TvsJ-r-iJrchCIPR181DgXQ/view?usp=drive_link

Jasmyne Tweed – Illuminate

What made you want to get into student politics?
It kind of just happened by accident. I had a friend that was involved in the Guild and I kind of just got like a tap on the shoulder type of thing. So, I had always been passionate about improving the student experience just from like being involved in clubs and things like that, but getting involved in the guild, it kind of just happened. And sometimes the politics side of it isn’t always the best side of it, but my main focus being involved in the Guild is about improving the student experience for Curtin students. And students more broadly in WA.

Why should students care about the NUS?

Awaiting comment

The NUS is notoriously factionalised, are you affiliated with a particular faction and if so, what are the shared beliefs of that faction?

Awaiting comment

If elected, what will you do in your role as NUS delegate?

Awaiting comment

What’s your own confession at Curtin, or what’s a Curtin life hack you’ve found?
My Curtin life hack that I found, I remember I got this from my first year like first day tour, and that is if you go to like Main Café, or some of the Guild outlets like half an hour before it closes, they’ll give you like 50% off discount. That’s a good one.

Athina Hilman – Illuminate

What’s your background in student politics?
I ran for Guild Council in 2021, and Representation Board and NUS Delegate in 2022 (so far undefeated!). This year I filled a vacancy in the Vice President – Activities role.

Why should students care about the NUS?
The National Union of Students has a lot of organising power and direct access to federal ministers. They fight for students on a national level, such as campaigning to lower the age of independence. Who you choose as your NUS delegates has a lot of influence over what they fight for and how they do it. The results are closer to home than you think!

It’s also important for me personally to run, as I was born overseas in Indonesia. I want to ensure there is BIPOC representation within NUS. Certain groups in NUS like to talk on behalf of a certain culture or people, and I don’t want them to be a mouthpiece for problems in my community. I want to be there to voice what I believe truly needs to change for university students on a federal level. 

The NUS is notoriously factionalised, are you affiliated with a particular faction and if so, what are the shared beliefs of that faction?
I’m not actually affiliated with a faction, but when I went to the National Conference last year I worked closely with the National Labor Students (NLS). This is because groups like ‘Unity’ don’t share long term goals like making education free and transitioning to clean energy. Unity is also pro-military in the sense that an upcoming war for them means more jobs, and their deluded mind thinks that’s good for Australia.

To me, Socialist Alternative have been consistently positioning themselves as out of touch racists. At the last Education conference, a Socialist Alternative member said people from autonomous groups (ie LGBTQIA+, BIPOC or First Nations) are often not the best speakers for advocating themselves which is why everyone, even those not belonging to those groups, should be able to freely speak and advocate for them. I find that absolutely disgusting. Sure, everyone should be allowed to say anything BUT at the forefront of every campaign to do with autonomous groups, you AMPLIFY their voice. You do not speak over it.

Something that’s really important to me at NUS is holding Socialist Alternative accountable for their racism and attacks against other minorities. Last year, all the members of Socialist Alternative wore a Palestinian Keffiyeh (checkered black and white scarf) and Palestinian students in the room complained and said they should not cosplay as Palestinian people. They actively laughed and said they are doing this in support, even though a Palestinian student was so visibly distressed by it they had to leave the room! 

Socialist Alternative (left action) are a bunch of people who cosplay being in the french revolution, putting on embarrassing rallies in the CBD where only 20-30 people attend while they try and sell their RedFlag newspaper for $5.

NLS believes in democracy, feminism, unionism and socialism. This is important to me because I want to be working with individuals and groups that actively work to bolster women and their rights. There needs to be more chances for women in policy making which NLS does quite well. They believe in progressive values, lifting up the voices of minorities and a two-pronged approach of lobbying and activism, just like Illuminate. 

This year, if elected, I will chat with the other independent delegates from Curtin and we will work out where which group enables us to do the most good for Curtin students. I might end up sitting by myself as an independent if that’s what’s best!

If elected, what will you do in your role as NUS delegate?
Last year I presented a motion at NUS which was important to me. I said, if student unions hold rallies for certain minority groups then you should consult and have them be part of your rally planning. Socialist Alternative shut the motion down and said it was tokenism and that it limits anyone from being able to talk about issues.

I was very angry that it didn’t pass because it seems like a no brainer. If you’re doing a rally about Iran, wouldn’t you want Iranian students to be part of the planning? Wouldn’t you want the voices of those who are suffering be part of the campaign? But no, this wasn’t important to them. It’s disappointing. 

I will be fighting for BIPOC and International students and fight for their rights. International students deserve protection at work, deserve the best education like we all do here in Australia. But I also just want to be fighting for students regardless of their background. I know the age of Independence needs to be lowered. I know the university needs to do more about sexual assault on campus and I know the university needs to do more for student welfare and for students belonging in equity groups. This is what I want to fight for at NUS.

Socialist Alternative try to overpower more diverse groups by personally attacking individuals for being queer, trans, disabled, brown etc but I am not so easy to intimidate and I will stand up for those people so their voices can be heard.

What’s your own confession at Curtin, or what’s a Curtin life hack you’ve found?
If you’ve been studying for more than 8 hours straight and it’s between the hours of 1am and 4am you can go to the Koi Pond and the Koi will talk to you. Sometimes they will give you the answers to your assignment.

Hiba Alsoeady – (Illuminate)

What’s your background in student politics?
I have been a part of lot of advocacy groups and boards while I’ve been at uni, and this year I was the Guild Health Sciences faculty rep.

Why should students care about the NUS?
Students should care about The NUS as its primary objective includes working for the interest of students in improving quality of education, academic freedom, access to education, social security, health and welfare.

The NUS is notoriously factionalised, are you affiliated with a particular faction and if so, what are the shared beliefs of that faction?
I am aware that the NUS is highly factionalised, this is my first time running for NUS delegate, and if elected, I will discuss with my Illuminate team what will be the best way to represent Curtin students and WA students and push the union to do well. So, currently, I am unsure if I will affiliate with a particular faction.

If elected, what will you do in your role as NUS delegate?
I will advocate for students at a national level and ensure that I am bringing up policy ideas for the union that reflect what Curtin students need and want.

What’s your own confession at Curtin, or what’s a Curtin life hack you’ve found?
If you drop food at a Guild outlet, don’t cry, they’ll give you another one and you won’t have to pay extra.