The Fortnightly
WEEK ONE, SEMESTER TWO, 2025
WELCOME BACK!
Evelyn Unwin Tew
Welcome back to Semester 2!
The team here at Togatus had a lovely break, and we hope you all did too.
From the new AFL mascot to the federal election and the changes to CALE, it was our pleasure to publish for you last semester. We are very thrilled for this coming semester and have some very exciting surprises in store for you. We greatly appreciated all of your support in semester 1, and hope you enjoy our content throughout this semester just as much
Our magazine will be out on Monday of Week 3, so keep your eyes out for that! Our Fortnightly publications will continue this semester as normal, and we are proud to continue to be the voice of Tasmanian students
As always, if you would like to get in touch, or send in submissions, please send us an email at togatusmagazine@gmail com
as always, lots of love from your Tog Team x
Welcome From State Council
Jack Oates Pryor
Howdy, guys, gals and non-binary pals, welcome to Sem 2!
Whether you’ve just begun your time here, or you’ve been here for 5 years (we love double degrees), count this as your reminder of what TUSA can do for you.
If you need SUPPORT, our TUSA Advocates and Student Legal Service provide free, confidential, and independent support and advice to you They’re icons We’ve also got free and subsidised food at your local TUSA Food Hub on campus because we all need to eat, plus there’s not much better than free food as a student
If you’re looking for COMMUNITY, our TUSA Clubs and Societies are seriously good value (and it’s coming up to ‘Ball Season’, yay!). TUSA also run a huge array of events and activities ourselves on campus and online AND we’ve got out Unique Tassie Experiences trips to see the natural beauty of Tasmania if you're otherwise reliant on the (virtually non-existent) public transport here.
If you’re interested in REPRESENTATION, your TUSA State Council have been elected to represent and advocate for you: we’ve got 15 representatives (including our TUSA Equity Committee). Also, we’ve got the student elections just around the corner, so get ready to exercise your democratic rights to voting and to being given a sausage! (international students, ‘democracy sausages’ are a thing here)
If you’re looking for GROWTH opportunities, we’ve got plenty of training sessions including Mental Health First Aid Training Plus, there are heaps of volunteering opportunities and ways to get involved
TLDR: get involved in the fun stuff. Reach out to us if you’ve had a rough time.
Take care, Jack Oates Pryor, 2025 TUSA Student President
President@TUSA.utas.edu.au
‘WHY STUDENT DEBT RELIEF MATTERS
AND WHY I’M BACKING IT’
Senator Richard Dowling
When I finished my degree at UTAS, I was proud to walk away with an economics qualification and a fair-sized student debt. Like many Tasmanians, I felt the weight of that debt as I tried to build a career and future.
That’s why I’m proud to support the Albanese Labor Government’s 20% cut to student HELP debts legislation that will be introduced as one of the first priorities when Parliament returns in July. It will apply to everyone with a current HELP debt and be backdated to before the 1 June indexation, so people get the full benefit
In Tasmania, this will make a real difference More than 13,000 people in Clark and over 11,000 in Franklin carry HELP debt. Cutting that debt is direct cost-of-living relief and for many, it’s a step closer to buying a home, starting a family, or simply getting ahead
We’re also introducing a new Commonwealth Prac Payment for nursing, midwifery, teaching and social work students $331.65 per week to help with unpaid mandatory placements. That means fewer students having to choose between turning up or dropping out
To me, this isn’t just about policy it’s about fairness. It’s about making sure the next generation doesn’t get stuck with a heavier load than the last. My focus in the Senate is on intergenerational fairness and helping people build a strong foundation for the future. That means equipping students and graduates with the tools they need to navigate a more complex, competitive economy and ensuring that investment in education doesn’t hold them back, but sets them up to succeed
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE 2025 NUS EDUCATION CONFERENCE?
Ineka Leffler
Over the semester break student unions, including TUSA, attended the National Education Conferenceor ‘EdCon’ for short. Held at ANU, and run by the National Union of Students (NUS), the purpose of this conference was to offer a platform for student leaders to discuss solutions to issues that affect student’s education Tackling topics like Free Palestine and the Housing Crisis, the purpose was not to directly tackle education policy, but rather broader issues that can affect a University Student’s education
For the non-political hacks reading, a big part of the NUS is political factions Factions advocate for specific policies within the NUS, and create the breeding ground for large-scale debates, walkouts, and inefficiencies.
One of the main topics discussed was the ongoing Palestianian Genocide and War in Iran Given Australia announced support for the US' military Strikes the day before the conference, debates were particularly heated. Eventually however, the NUS organised a Press Conference for Student Media, to condemn the war in Iran and Australia’s support Furthermore, the National Day of Action for Palestine was agreed upon, which is to be held in August, supporting Student’s right to walkout for Palestine,. With heavy factionalising within the NUS, screaming, tears, and walkouts became common, ultimately undermining collective action
This resulted in no collaborative plan for the Housing Crisis, and led to a walkout by Deakin University’s Queer Officer, at the ‘Queer Voices and Student Unions’ workshop, who was ashamed and insulted at the factional warzone that occurred at a workshop that was intended to support Trans people. In saying this from a TUSA perspective, as noted by President Jack Oates Pryor, the “networking and opportunity to see how other student unions around the country run was invaluable”
As a relatively small and regional university, it’s particularly important for UTAS to collaborate and network with mainland universities to not only help strengthen our support network and amplify our unique needs, but to further enhance our capacity to keep improving and striving for better Jack noted that what was most beneficial for TUSA were student led-workshops. Jack collaborated with Deakin University’s Student Union President to talk about the ‘Students as Partners’ model, which allowed different universities to present an array of challenges and solutions. Ultimately, Jack pointed out that he is “keen now to implement some of those learning here at TUSA”.
RHODES SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONSCLOSING SOON
Robert Hortle
Every year, one outstanding young Tasmanian gets the chance of a lifetime: studying at the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. The Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps the most prestigious international scholarship program in the world, and is open to students from all disciplines
There are a lot of myths about the Rhodes. People often think you need to be some kind of superhero–a national-level athlete, a straight-A genius, and basically the next Nelson Mandela But as a former UTAS Cricket Club third grader with a very good–but by no means perfect – academic record, I’m here to tell you that this is not the case. What matters is passion, dedication, and a genuine desire to make a difference
The scholarship covers all University and College fees, a personal stipend, and one economy class return airfare to Oxford and home again. It also gives you the opportunity to join a vibrant, international community of future leaders at Rhodes House. It really is a lifechanging experience
Applications for the 2026 Tasmanian Rhodes Scholarship close on 12 August at 23:59 AEST.
You can apply here: www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/applicatio ns/australia/. or
Contact rhodes.scholarship@utas.edu.au for more information
TOG-TASTIC WORDSEARCH
WE’VE BEEN KEEPING A SECRET...
We’ve got a surprise worth talking about, so keep your eyes peeled next week... xoxo
The opinions expressed herein are not those of the editors, the publishers, the University of Tasmania, or the Tasmanian University Student Association. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that the content and information included is as up-to-date and accurate as possible at the time of publication, but no responsibility can be taken towards Togatus for any errors or omissions
If you have concerns or questions about anything that has been published, contact the Editor-In-Chief, Evelyn Unwin Tew, by email. To receive this content digitally subscribe here:
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