TUSA Student Council

05/10/2026

New Horizons Tasmania run inclusive Sport & Recreation Programs for people living with a disability. For more information, check out their Program Calendar, or head over to https://www.newhorizonstas.org.au/

Season 4 is almost here!

Whether you’re looking to try a new sport, meet new people, build confidence or simply have some fun, there’s a place for you at New Horizons.

With more than 300 members across the state, NHT offer a wide range of inclusive sport, recreation and social activities - from basketball, cricket, boccia and dance to walking groups, craft, social activities and plenty more!

📅 Season 4 commences Monday 19 October.

Want to see what we offer? It’s easy! Head to our website, choose your region and view your local timetable to find an activity that suits you OR download our Season 4 Calendar.
🌐 https://www.newhorizonstas.org.au/programs

Come along, give something new a go and be part of the New Horizons community! 🙌

18/09/2026

The National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) is now open, and we encourage all UTAS students to consider taking part.

TUSA continues to call on the university and broader community to ensure student safety. Gender-based violence, racism, or any form of discrimination, harrassment or abuse is never okay. 
 
The 2021 NSSS has informed a number of behind-the-scenes policy and practical changes at UTAS. These continue to be informed by TUSA and our elected representatives’ student voices. 
 
Your voice matters, and the greater the breadth of voices that contribute to the NSSS, the stronger our advocacy can continue to be - advocacy that includes informing and challenging the University, National Union of Students (NUS) and Governments. Belonging begins with foundations of safety and wellbeing, and we know that many students still experience the contrary. 
 
Now is the time to share your voice and experience of safety on campus and online - no matter what your experience has held. Head to your UTAS email to take part in the survey, or to our LinkTree for FAQ’s and support services.

08/09/2026

The National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) is now open! But… what is it? And why should you do it?

The NSSS is a national survey of Australian university students about perceptions and experiences of sexual violence and harm. Run by Roy Morgan on behalf of Universities Australia, the survey is both voluntary and confidential; responding is not mandatory, and individual responses are not shared with the university.

The NSSS is important because the student responses it gathers help to build a clearer picture of student perceptions and experiences of sexual violence and harm. This information is a vital part of creating safer university campuses for both current and future students.

Even if you have not experienced sexual violence or harm, we encourage you to consider filling in the NSSS. Why? Because EVERY student’s perspective matters, and every response helps build a clearer picture of student safety at university.

If you would like to take part, head to your UTAS email and look for an email sent by Roy Morgan on or after September 2. If you’re not sure if you want to take part, or would like to read more about the survey, you can access the NSSS Frequently Asked Questions page here: https://nsss.edu.au/faqs/.

If the survey brings up any feelings of distress or overwhelm, we encourage you to seek support, whether it be from our TUSA Advocacy Service, UTAS Counselling, or an external service provider.

The National Student Safety Survey Counselling Line (1800 572 224) is a dedicated service for anyone affected by any topics covered in the survey. Additionally, you can access the following resources:
⁃ Lifeline Australia (13 11 14)
⁃ 13YARN (13 92 76)
⁃ 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)
⁃ UTAS After Hours Crisis Support Service (1300 511 709, or text 0488 884 168)
⁃ Rainbow Sexual, Domestic Family Violence Helpline (1800 497 212)
⁃ MensLine Australia (1300 789 978)
⁃ Brother to Brother (1800 435 799)

03/09/2026

The 2026 National Student Safety Survey is now underway.

The National Student Safety Survey gives students across Australia an opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives about safety, sexual violence and harm at university.

The survey is important because what students tell us helps build a clearer picture of their experiences and can inform efforts to prevent sexual violence and harm, strengthen support services and create safer university campuses for current and future students.

If you receive an invitation, we encourage you to consider taking part. The survey is for all eligible students, whether or not you have experienced sexual violence or harm. Every student’s perspective matters.

Participation is voluntary and your responses will remain confidential.

Learn more and read the FAQs: nsss.edu.au

Support is available at tusa.org.au/support or by emailing [email protected]

29/07/2026

🥕 Did you know TUSA Food Hubs aren’t funded through SSAF?

Food Hubs have become one of the University’s most accessed student support services, providing affordable groceries and fresh produce to students experiencing cost-of-living pressures.
 
In 2026 alone, we’ve already recorded 7,500 student visits, almost matching the total number of visits across all of last year. Demand continues to grow, but the external grant funding that currently supports the Food Security Program is due to end later this year.
 
The SSAF funding that TUSA currently receives is already fully allocated to existing student services and programs. Funding Food Hubs from that allocation would mean cutting other services that students rely on.
 
That’s why TUSA is advocating for an increase in SSAF funding dedicated to the Food Security Program, so students don’t have to choose between this and TUSA’s other programs and services.
 
The current UTAS SSAF Survey is your opportunity to tell the University what student services matter most to you. There are opportunities throughout the survey to share your views on the services you’d like to see supported in the future. Every response helps the University understand what students value most.
 
Check your UTAS email, click the SSAF Survey link, have your say in a few minutes. Your money, your call.

22/07/2026

Did you know that the current minimum research training stipend is below the Henderson Poverty Line?

HDR students in Australia are struggling, with too many of the country’s brightest minds turning away from pursuing research simply because they can’t afford to.

Join us in signing the Parliamentary e-petition calling on the Australian Government to increase the minimum HDR stipend to $50,000 per year as an investment in Australian research. Head to the link in our bio and click ‘HDR stipend petition’ to add your voice to the call for investment in Australia’s HDR students.

21/07/2026

Whether in emails or when enrolling, you’ve no doubt seen it mentioned, but… what exactly is SSAF?

Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is a compulsory fee for most University students, which cover services and amenities for students that are of a non-academic nature.

What does that mean? It means things like employment and career advice, food services, and sport and other recreational activities.

SSAF is student money, so your voice as a student should be heard on where SSAF goes! UTAS opened their annual SSAF Survey this week, to gather information around what SSAF-funded services you use, and where you would like to see your student money spent. To fill out the survey, head to your UTAS email and follow the link emailed out to you this Monday. It only takes a few minutes, and it ensures that student voice on SSAF spending is heard.

Want to learn more about SSAF? Head to the link in our bio and click ‘Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)’ to access the UTAS breakdown of what SSAF is, how it’s charged, and where it’s allocated.

16/07/2026

What would make your experience as a postgrad student better? Let us know!!

Taking just a few minutes to complete our Postgraduate engagement survey will help us learn how best to communicate with you as UTAS postgrad students, as well as the kinds of events and opportunities you want to see.

Take part in the Postgraduate Engagement Survey here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=VV3rFZEZvEaNp6slI03uCH8LPea0NL5ChfsT26ZlnNhUMVVENE9STktRMldBRE5LNDBXQU8xNEJYWi4u&route=shorturl&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleATFPoFwZG9mAmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABpxwODcLao4U95Wy8kJCSFeSsf_qJ4fjsA2rgcFZeSwsbj3XsSfLxt7aJCkI9_aem_66oSt4eejqLPNm44CjgvBw

29/05/2026

Juggling classes, meetings, assignments and representing students as part of the State Council is no easy task. Join Oli, your Southern Campus President, in just one day in his busy life, including planning the Vent Tents those of you on the southern campuses may have met him at!

The days of all of our reps look a little bit different, so stay tuned for videos from some of your other reps in the future 👀

27/05/2026

This week is National Reconciliation Week. From the 27th of May to the 3rd of June, it immediately follows National Sorry Day on the 26th of May, a day of mourning and reflection.

This year, Reconciliation Australia’s theme is “All In for Reconciliation”. At TUSA, we use this invitation to reflect and listen deeply to truth, take proactive action, and urge all members of our TUSA community to walk with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff, and the palawa community towards a better future.

We know that racism continues in awful and systemic ways for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The Respect at Uni survey data released earlier this year evidenced the disproportionate statistics we keep hearing from staff and students’ lived experiences. Institutions like the University of Tasmania and TUSA must do more to listen, respond, and create meaningful change. This is unequivocally not okay. We are committed to combatting this in our university context. We’re proud to now be delivering on our first student-led Reconciliation Action Plan. We are working with Aboriginal students, staff, and community leaders to make TUSA a more culturally safe, responsive, and accountable space. We’re committed to a long-term journey toward a decolonised future.

We invite you, reading this, to join us in attending events, learning more, and acting on pathways towards truth telling and treaty in your communities, too, by supporting Aboriginal-led initiatives and engaging with our local community voices. Let’s all go all in for reconciliation.

At TUSA, we honour the palawa and pakana peoples as the Traditional Owners of lutruwita (Tasmania). We pay deep respect to Elders past, present and emerging student leaders, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.