Chris Macfarlane (Left Action)
Hi, I’m Chris. I am a long time socialist and activist at Curtin and I will be a NUS Delegate in 2022 with Left Action.
We need a National Union that fights for students’ rights and social justice. So many issues that impact Curtin students can be found affecting students around the country. From the underfunding of the university sector, to the hyper-exploitation of international students, to the massive influence wielded by the fossil fuels industry in determining course content.
A strong National Union of Students is the only way to tackle these issues, both at Curtin and nationally. Over the past several years NUS has led important campaigns including the successful 2014/15 campaign against fee deregulation and $100k degrees, as well as the campaign for the “Yes” vote in the 2017.
None of this is automatic though, in order for NUS to play this role left wing activists need to be elected to it. It is no coincidence that the successful campaigns the union has run in recent years only happened when principled, left wing activists held important positions in it. The Curtin Student Guild must remain affiliated to NUS if it is to ever be an effective campaigner for students’ rights and social justice.