By Sarah McCrea
Amid an abundance of revelations from students about the ANU’s on-campus accommodation, the ACT Greens hosted a workshop on how to improve student housing at the ANU. On 30 April, a mix of ANU and University of Canberra (UC) students met with the ACT Greens at Badger & Co. to share experiences, discuss concerns, and collaborate on ways forward to solve the ANU student housing crisis. Leading the workshop was Greens MLA Laura Nuttall, member for Brindabella.
The workshop started with participants sharing student housing horror stories. Nuttall then explained the reason for the event: mobilising students and getting them active in issues that affect them. She acknowledged the ACT Greens are a minority in the Legislative Assembly. “What makes this movement harder to ignore,” she said, “is when students are standing up for their rights”.
Students then discussed their concerns about on-campus accommodation. “Rent sets your economic life,” said one contributor. Students discussed prioritises for change: rent caps, rent freezes, improved maintenance and minimum standards in particular. However, one student commented, “any change that isn’t a change in power is just a change in privileges, and privileges can be taken and given”.
Pushing for a change in power for affected students, Nuttall raised the potential of legislative change being proposed in the Legislative Assembly from the ACT Greens. She also recognised that students can build bargaining power and rights within the ANU. Students brought forward the idea of renters’ unions at lodges, criticising the existing system of what they recognised as “exploitation”. It was remarked that “legislation that puts power into the hands of renters and renters unions” would increase the stability and longevity of any solutions.
Nuttall said she believed collective action should be taken by students. The ANU and businesses in charge of student accommodation are “making excess profit off your misery”, she claimed. The workshop concluded with a discussion about ways forward, how to take action, and how “change needs to be by students, for students”. Action has been taken by some students already, including by a former ANU student from Lena Karmel Lodge, who is reportedly considering a class action lawsuit.
After the workshop, Observer sat down with Laura Nuttall to discuss the ACT Greens’ plan to make student housing, as she described, “genuinely liveable.”
The ACT Greens and Nuttall are taking a community-first approach. Nuttall commented that from this, she had gained “genuine credibility to speak to the issues” that students face. She remarked that bringing these stories to Parliament gave tangibility to what would otherwise seem theoretical, allowing her to tell other politicians that “these are real people’s lives”.
Nuttall stated the rewarding nature of bringing these issues to Parliament and enacting real change, saying “I want to be able to look [the community] in the eye and say we have changed laws for the better on their behalf”. Returning to student housing, she discussed the importance of workshops, such as those on 30 April, to enable students to gain a voice and build momentum for the movement. However, legislative change for student housing may face opposition from major parties. On this topic, Nuttall stressed the significance of student action.
“If you have a really engaged student community, who are willing to talk not just with me, but with politicians across the board…they’re far more likely to understand where we’re coming from.”
Student mobilisation is not uncommon at the ANU. Nuttall discussed last year’s student campaigns relating to Renew ANU, specifically No Cuts at ANU and Save our Studies. With the students involved in working with the NTEU, members of the Legislative Assembly, and Senator David Pocock, Nuttall stressed the importance of community collaboration in creating positive change. The impact of student mobilisation and activism on “protecting student interests” has proved impactful in the past, Nuttall remarked, and can prove impactful again.
Since 2024, Nuttall has been the ACT Greens’ ‘Spokesperson for Disability’ in the ACT Legislative Assembly. When asked about the experience of students with a disability in student housing, she raised the issue that at the ANU, accessible rooms cost more (unless supporting documentation is provided). ”The system is not set up to include [students with a disability],” she stated. She discussed student housing having an impact on students’ ability to work, affecting their financial positions. With the high cost of on-campus accommodation as one concern, “it does have quite material impacts”, Nuttall said. Students with a disability are “disproportionately impacted” by these issues with student housing.
There are clear concerns that have been raised by Nuttall and she believes the ANU needs to act. “The ANU needs to take responsibility” she stated. Whether as accommodation providers or regulators, she believes they need to ensure “the people that pay them tens of thousands of dollars every year are safe [and] are comfortable”.
“If the ANU prides itself on student wellbeing,” Nuttall said, ”it needs to understand the experiences it offers don’t mean as much when people are struggling”.
She concluded that despite good intent from those working in the accommodations, there’s a lack of understanding of the extent of students’ situations. Change starts with listening. The ACT Greens direct students to their upcoming events on the movement to improve student housing. The next event, ‘Unf#*k Student Housing Campaign Consultation’, starts at 1:30pm on 13 May. It takes place at the ACT Legislative Assembly and you can register here.
An ANU spokesperson told Observer, “ANU is committed to providing a high-quality student experience, including safe and comfortable accommodation across each of its residences”.
They referenced “regular maintenance works, building inspections and responsive repairs” conducted by the ANU facilities management provider, intended to prevent and address maintenance issues.
“All student concerns and feedback are raised through established channels and are taken seriously by ANU,” they stated. “ANU continues to engage directly with affected students and residential communities to ensure concerns are resolved promptly and to strengthen our systems going forward.”
More to come.
Graphics by Anushkaa Ahuja
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