Change Your ANUSA swept the ANUSA executive in the 2024 elections. They campaigned on a variety of policies. With a couple months left of their term, what does Change have left to do?

Covering mental health, increased access to food, deferral and extension accessibility, increased awareness of ANUSA services, work rights, and residential occupancy agreement changes, Change highlighted many areas that they planned to improve once elected.

Healthcare Accessibility

Change promised to increase access to ANU’s mental health services, including expanding services offered during exam periods. As of this article’s publication, this expansion is still unfulfilled.

Over the semester break, Change successfully implemented an ANUSA PrEP subsidy, open to all enrolled ANU students who have purchased PrEP medication within a fortnight prior to submitting an application. They have also increased medical grants from $300 to $500, which can be used to access mental health treatment. ANUSA continues to support the Less Bandaids, More Solutions campaign against staff cuts to the ANU Medical Centre.

Cost of Living

Cost of living is a major concern among young people, as evidenced by the 2025 election. Change will release a cost of living report at the next SRC, on the 27 August, fulfilling one of their campaign promises. Almost one year out from Change’s campaign goal of convenient and affordable snacks in campus-wide vending machines, no new machines have been installed. Free lunches are available from the Brian Kenyon Student Space (BKSS) from Monday to Thursday, with limited offerings dependent on the number of meals available from residential halls.

The Union Pantry initiative, launched on the 25th of July, allows students to claim five grocery items each. This is notably similar to one of opposing 2024 ticket Serve’s campaign goals. ANUSA Student Bites provides one paper bag’s worth of food per student per week. Further improvements to food accessibility come from an increase in grocery voucher limits, from one $50 voucher per semester per student, to two.

Student Support

Change also proposed a What’s on Offer document, intended to guide students to ANUSA support services and initiatives As a tool to complement the “cultural changes” that Change had planned, this guide was intended to break down barriers and increase access to support through its convenient collation of ANUSA services. The guide is nowhere to be found. If you are looking for support, refer to the Student Assistance page on the ANUSA website.

Other promised student support includes a Rights at Work campaign. The Women’s Department hosts a Rights at Work workshop alongside the ACT Working Women’s Centre on August 13th.

Assessment and Exam Considerations

Unfavourable assessment deadlines and exam conditions are potential pitfalls no matter what college we study under. Change promised to campaign for limiting exam scheduling to during class time for mid-semester exams, and end-of-semester exams during the equivalent of class hours. They further promised to ease the process for extensions, and are now pushing for implementation of these improvements after discussions with the Associate Deans of Education and the Education Development Committee throughout Semester One.

Change Your ANUSA has met many of their campaign goals and reported progress towards other incomplete goals.  Outstanding goals include the ‘What’s on Offer’ document, residential occupancy agreement improvements, an increase in Designated Outdoor Smoking Areas—and perhaps most importantly, where are our vending machines? No further comment has been given by ANUSA at the time of reporting. 

While Change’s campaign goals were targeted at implementing reforms across a range of areas of student and campus life, much of their work this year focuses on social issues, including the Tear Down the Poster Policy campaign, No Cuts at ANU, and Bring Back Our Doctors.

With the beginning of the election season, the 2025 campaign tickets are starting to form. Woroni will continue to report as each ticket is announced.