SCPA- “Outstanding Small Affiliate of the Year”

SCPA’s Campaigning and Student Engagement Recognised at a National Level.

The Southern Cross Postgraduate Association was awarded the “Outstanding Small Affiliate of the Year” at the 2019 Council of Australian Postgraduate annual awards, held in Newcastle. CAPA General Secretary, Rachel Brisbane, provided the rationale behind SCPA’s nomination and win:

“SCPA always engages with CAPA campaigns, and has in the past taken a leading role in assisting CAPA with developing campaigns. They were very much involved in the HECS campaigns in 2017 and 2018, and always reach out to ask how they can help on issues of significance. SCPA is not as well-resourced as some of our larger affiliates, but they do support CAPA wherever they can – through the aforementioned efforts, as well as by consistently paying their affiliation fees, and assisting with the administration of annual CAPA elections in previous years.”

The Annual Dinner and Awards night capped off a three-day CAPA Annual Meeting, in which SCPA participated as a voting delegation, and Craig Wilson stepped up as Assistant Returning Officer. Many thanks to SCPA Committee Member, Katie Hotko, for volunteering her time to take part. Key issues raised as national priorities for postgraduates were: the welfare of International Postgraduate Students, ongoing funding of Student Associations by Universities and campaigning for the extension of Austudy to all domestic full-time postgraduate students.

From left: Craig Wilson, Natasha Abrahams (CAPA President), Katie Hotko and Danielle Notara