Women students expect lively debate
By Marina Carman
Next year's conference of the Network of Women Students Australia (NOWSA) will be held at the University of Western Sydney. The large group of activists who volunteered to organise it want to tackle issues of class, racism and the isolation women face in the poorer, western suburbs of Sydney.
Angela Luvera, women's officer at Edith Cowan University in WA, attended the 1997 conference in Brisbane. "It was very inspiring, with around 600 women attending", she told Green Left. "Given the increasing attacks on women's rights, there was great enthusiasm about getting active and organised to defend our rights.
"There was a lot of discussion about how to link our struggles with those of others, such as Aboriginal people, who are also fighting for their rights. Next year's conference will be a great opportunity to see how women have gone in sparking activism and educating people on their campuses."
The Network of Women Students Australia was formed out of a Women on Campus conference in 1987, called by campaigners against the Labor government's attempts to introduce tertiary fees. NOWSA has been held every year since then, in different capital cities.
Over the years NOWSA has drawn together thousands of feminists from around the country and helped to link their campaigns. Every conference is full of lively debate around issues like sexism and racism, body image, sexuality, domestic and sexual violence, child-care, abortion, equal pay and the ability to properly access the law.
For more information, or to get involved in the collective, phone the UWS Nepean (Kingswood campus) student union on 02 4736 0232.