At the final Student Representative Council (SRC) meeting of the term, representatives discussed the National Student Safety Survey, passed changes to election review groups, and engaged in a protracted debate on the AUKUS scholarship. 

President Christian Flynn shared an update on negotiations surrounding the Student Partnership Agreement with the ANU, which are expected to be finalised towards the end of the semester. This partnership, signed between ANU’s Academic Board and PARSA and ANUSA, outlines the relationship between ANU administration and student unions, with a focus on improving student experience. 

Treasurer Jaya Ryan, announced that applications and approvals of Student Assistance Grants were continuing to increase within the ANUSA budget. Additionally, Ryan voiced his satisfaction with the results from the Wage Theft on Campus survey, but stated ANUSA would continue to promote it in the coming weeks. 

Women’s Officer Avan Daruwalla outlined the Department’s plans for a special general meeting regarding the outcome of the National Student Safety Survey and Too Little, Too Late protest on the 30th of March. Daruwalla also clarified that regardless of whether students felt represented by the NSSS, they could still come to the Women’s Department for support. 

Several speakers thanked Daruwalla for her advocacy and commitment throughout the NSSS process, and acknowledged her role as a person of first disclosure. 

Speaking later on the NSSS, Vice President Chido Nyakuengama claimed that ANU obfuscated the true statistics, after having delayed their release by three years. Nyakuengama also argued that ANU continues to protect perpetrators and is “freaking out” over the NSSS damaging its institutional reputation. 

The Women’s Department’s proposed special general meeting on the NSSS passed in a vote by SRC members. The SRC also voted to combine the governance-reform working group and the election-reform working group, which mover Yates argued would improve community engagement and efficiency. 

Additionally, student representatives passed a motion by the Environment Officer and Socialist Alternative members for ANUSA to support the climate protest in Kambri on the 25th of March. 

The final and most controversial motion of this SRC regarding the AUKUS scholarship failed after heated debate. The motion called to rescind a previous motion passed at SRC 1 which opposed a government scholarship to train nuclear technicians for the AUKUS nuclear submarines.

Iafeta argued that the original motion was unconstitutional because it did not accurately represent the ANU population. Despite an amendment by Yates to remove any mention of unconstitutionality, the motion failed. 

The next SRC meeting will be held next week, stay tuned for continued Woroni coverage on student politics.