The advocacy and legal services at Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA) have experienced a sharp increase in students needing advocacy, advice and support with issues relating to the cost of living crisis.
The time-consuming demands of study mean that students have less time for paid employment and are often surviving on below minimum wage. Lengthy unpaid placements, increasingly long commutes to work or university, and dramatically increasing visa fees are placing ever-increasing financial pressure on students.
Rental unaffordability is at an all-time high. There are no properties for rent in the greater Sydney area that a student on Youth Allowance or Austudy can afford. Meanwhile, the housing market is saturated with grey-market housing: housing aimed at students that commonly operates with unlawful rental arrangements and is often overcrowded and unsafe. Unfortunately, students have few avenues for recourse when these housing agreements go wrong. Common issues dealt with by SUPRA’s advocacy service are bond theft, rental scams, unlawful contracts, under-heating in winter and overheating in summer, serious mould issues, and properties that are uninhabitable.
The cost of food has risen so sharply in recent months that many students weigh the cost of eating fresh fruit and vegetables against heating their homes. Dramatic and unexplained hikes in visa fees leave many students anxious over their grades, aware that even one fail grade could mean walking away from a whole degree because they lack the funds to secure a new visa, pay further tuition fees and be able to afford another semester living in Sydney.
The financial pressures faced by students extend beyond housing and food insecurity. SUPRA’s legal service is increasingly assisting students with workplace exploitation, including underpayment and unpaid entitlements, as well as consumer, credit and debt, and other financial matters that can have significant impacts on students’ wellbeing, academic progress and ability to remain enrolled.
Since SUPRA was founded in 1970, we have fought for students’ rights. Not just to study, but for all the things that contribute to a student’s life: safe and affordable housing, plenty of healthy food to eat, and the space and time to contribute to our diverse communities.
This fight continues. SUPRA’s Renting Rights Hub works to support students to understand their housing rights and take proper legal action. Our food bank provides vital staples to students, and our elected student council continues to fight for student rights on all fronts. SUPRA’s casework and legal services provide free and confidential advice to all postgraduate students.
SUPRA acknowledges the hardship postgraduate students are experiencing, and we continue to work to support you. Students seeking support can contact us for help.
Stay in touch with us