The Newcastle University Students' Association (NUSA) represents undergraduate students at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. The organisation is one of four student organisations at the university (the others being UoN Services Ltd, Campus Central (a student guild at the university's Ourimbah campus), and NUSport) and focuses on advocacy, political representation and organising as well as providing welfare services and supporting a student based food co-operative.
NUSA publishes the student magazine "Opus" quarterly.
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NUSA has long been held by the left factions of the National Union of Students of Australia usually by either the National Broad Left or the National Organisation of Labor Students or more often by the two, cooperatively. Both the NBL and NOLS dissolved in the period of late 2005 and early 2006. Despite the Howard Government's Voluntary Student Unionism legislation causing massive cuts to both staffing and service levels at NUSA [1] [2], it continues to provide independent representation through independent and university funding. NUSA maintains a strong relationship with the other unions on campus such as the CPSU, NTEU and LHMEU by joining with them in many campaigns[3].
NUSA is directed by the NUSA Council which is made up of the NUSA executive, the collective convenors, faculty representatives, first-year representatives and a representative from the colleges. The organisation operates on the basis of student collectives which are convened by office bearers to direct and undertake political campaigns. NUSA is affiliated to the National Union of Students of Australia.
NUSA and its collectives are involved in a number of campaigns at any one time. Violence at the Newcastle Campus has been one such issue that has dominated in recent months[4] [5] [6]. As such the Women's Collective were heavily involved in the annual Reclaim the Night march this year[7].
Previously the Association has been successful in getting a train station at the Newcastle campus, preventing the closure of the Huxley library and lobbying the University to purchase up to 25% green power.
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