Inclusion Award

For developing teaching practice, curricula or learning environments that foster inclusion for a diverse range of students

Gail Crimmins and Shahab Pourfakhimi    Pronouns: she/her and he/him

Gail Crimmins and Shahab Pourfakhimi have been instrumental in the development of The School of Business and Creative Industries’ Principles of Curriculum Design. These principles outline that learning material is to be that reflects the diversity of our communities. The principles support the inclusion of all minoritised individuals and groups who study programs and courses offered by SBCI. Of particular note is that the Principles support the integration of scholarship by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, scholarship and practices originated from the Global South as well as Global North, and scholarship and practice developed by women, transgender, and non-binary persons. Conscious inclusion of diverse perspectives not only expands academics and students’ insights and conceptual frameworks but validates the significant contribution to knowledge that minoritised individuals and groups contribute. This practice values and celebrates diversity, and those staff and students who identify as a minority.

Inclusion Award

For building and supporting inclusion and diversity at UniSC, fostering inclusive teams and positively influencing the working and/or learning environment and enhancing cohesion and understanding in a diverse community for staff and/or students and/or community.

Kaide Voltz Pronouns: they/them

Kaide Voltz goes above and beyond in helping students with disabilities, those who are a part of LGBTQIA+, and from other cultural backgrounds, with assessment and just general life issues and helping bridge that disadvantage gap. As a Students as Partners representative,

Kaide has been strong advocate in many areas including; supporting LGBTIQIA+ students to be more prominent in their community and comfortable in their own selves; Advocating for more diversity in student groups such as Literary Coven and MADs (Mums and Dads group); Assisting new culturally and linguistically diverse students in feeling more comfortable with Australian uni life and more familiar to the education system here and providing peer support for other students with disabilities in class and in the Literary Coven.

Inclusion Award

For building and supporting inclusion and diversity at UniSC, fostering inclusive teams and positively influencing the working and/or learning environment.

Jennifer Watson Pronouns: she/her

The Committee also commended the following nominees for their contributions to student engagement and leadership, research and embedding equity, diversity and inclusion within their learning and teaching professional practice.

• Sharon Crawford: UniSC student
• Sophie- Jane Alder-Magee: UniSC student
• Dr Hannah Banks: UniSC staff
• Shannon Horsfall: UniSC staff
• Jessica Whyman: UniSC student
• Frankie Ellett: UniSC student
• Bailey Wemyss: UniSC student

Inclusion Award

For enhancing cohesion and understanding in our diverse community

Simone Pearce She/her/hers

Simone Pearce has been instrumental in the development of initiatives, policy and platform for athletes with a disability within the sport of athletics. Simone’s work in the community, which aligns with her academic research at USC, involves increasing opportunities for athletes with a disability in sport, including modifications to competition conditions and scope of events offered.

Simone has been a key driver for shaping opportunities for athletes with disabilities in Little Athletics Australia. Simone established the Little Athletics Australia Inclusion Committee. She was the Chairperson until January 2021 and remains actively involved in leading the Committee’s diversity and inclusion responses.

The Inclusion Committee is a multi-disciplinary team of internal and external stakeholders who collaborate on the development of strategy to improve opportunities for athletes from diverse backgrounds including athletes with a disability, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander athletes and athletes who are culturally, linguistically and/or gender diverse.

In the 12 months that it has been established, the committee has seen significant achievement including direct engagement with the state and territory member associations Australia-wide on inclusion and diversity; direct engagement with the Little Athletics Australia Board on inclusion and diversity to change the way athletes with disability are included in the sport; direct opportunity for parents of athletes with a disability to have a platform to help improve opportunities; direct engagement with national peak disability sport bodies to drive best-practice and capability in the sport; and direct engagement with the Little Athletics Australia workforce on inclusive practice across business functions.

Inclusion Award

For enhancing cohesion and understanding in our diverse community

Deborah Fisher She/her/hers

Deborah Fisher is a fashion and design academic, who uses her professional experience and creative industry networks to celebrate and advance equity and inclusion in our communities. As Chair of USC’s Disability community of interest (DisInterest Group), Deborah has led initiatives that bring community together to discuss disability, identity, and related matters and responses.

Her innovation mindset, positive influence and passion for an inclusive world, has seen Deborah invited to contribute to and lead disability initiatives with government, industry and community partners. Most recently, she was invited to be a member of the Queer and Disability Services and Professionals Network convened by WWILD (WWILD supports people with intellectual or learning disabilities who have experienced sexual abuse or have been victims of crime).

Activating fashion parades and drag shows as agents for social change, the equity events that Deborah delivers bring together key stakeholders in our regions, to raise the visibility and voices of people with disability. She has demonstrated a sustained commitment to more diverse and inclusive communities through initiatives that honour the rich variety of our lives, are locally co-created, and increase the understanding and disability literacy of everyone involved.

Inclusion Award

For enhancing cohesion and understanding in our diverse community

Bailey Wemyss (Ze/Zir/Zirs)

Bailey Wemyss successfully established the Disability and Inclusion Group SLG in Semester 1, 2021 where previously there was no such group. Bailey saw a gap in the Student Senate where disability representation should have been.

The aim of this group is to be a formal group for disability representation that reports to the Student Senate, and other bodies within the university as required. All students with a disability are invited and encouraged to join, so that together, they can become a force for positive change within the university, and beyond. Carers and allies are invited to join the group.

There are currently four official members of the group, with another half a dozen unofficial members, with plans to increase student communication activities to gain more members. The activities of the group can clearly be seen in the attached supporting documentation - Terms of Reference. Bailey was also selected to be the Undergraduate Student Representative on the USC Disability Action Plan Working Group in 2020. As part of this group, Bailey actively contributed to the development of a whole of institution action plan (renamed to the Disability Access and Inclusion: USC's Action Plan) that represents USC’s commitment to providing an inclusive learning and working environment, enhancing student learning and employment outcomes and contributing to our communities through our engagement and research. Bailey volunteered Zir time

Additionally, Bailey is the Undergraduate Representative for the Disability and Inclusion Action Plan Implementation Group that was established in 2021 to develop and oversee an implementation plan/strategy for the DAIP to ensure progress on action items.

The Committee also commended the following nominees for their contributions to student engagement and leadership, research and embedding equity, diversity and inclusion within their learning and teaching professional practice.

• Claire Smith: USC undergraduate student
• Trinh Huynh: USC postgraduate student
• Anne Drabble: Senior Lecturer, School of Education and Tertiary Access
• Jo Wu: Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
• Belinda Harris: USC Alumni and professional staff member Student Services and Engagement

Inclusion Awards

USC Student Raymart Walker

For building and supporting inclusion and diversity at USC, fostering inclusive teams and positively influencing the working and learning environment.

Raymart demonstrated national leadership with his engagement in the New Colombo Plan program. Coming from a first-in-family, first-generation Australian, low SES, background, Raymart has used his experiences and embodied the program’s goals by promoting the Program to USC Students from diverse backgrounds to consider the NCP experience within their USC program and ensured they were supported in their applications.

Raymart has made substantial contributions to supporting inclusion and diversity in the University community through his involvement with the Student Representative Council (SRC), serving two years as Co-Chairperson.

He co-authored the USC Student Senate Governance Structure (Senate), which acknowledges the diverse USC student voices, and amplifies the voices of those who may not have been heard in the traditional structures.

This project has enabled broad and robust participation in student representation, providing a greater breadth of voice and impact in the USC community. There are now over 100 student representatives, representing significant growth.

Raymart, was the architect of the USC Student Sponsorship Scheme. Enabling students with an opportunity to obtain international opportunities that students may not have otherwise accessed contributes to their professional development and student experience, supported by USC.

Raymart was also involved in the  National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) student vlogger program,  sharing his story with the Higher Education community, which documents students’ journeys during COVID. The vlogs highlight to Australian Higher Education Equity staff the challenges and opportunities to support students during the pandemic.

His strong motivation to contribute to a cohesive but diverse community and his ability to take the lead on these initiatives are above and beyond students’ expectations and will have a long-term impact on the USC community.

USC Alumni Dr Alayna Cole

For enhancing cohesion and understanding in our diverse community.

Alayna is a producer at Sledgehammer Games (SHG) She champions diversity and inclusion in the games industry, with a particular research focus on LGBTQ+ representation.

In 2016, Alayna founded the Queerly Represent Me (QRM), a not-for-profit organisation, working on diversity and inclusion in the games industry after identifying this space was remarkably white, straight, and male. Alayna identified an opportunity to support marginalised groups, which included the LGBTQ+ community, marginalised genders, diverse races, religions, cultures, and abilities.

This support takes place by consulting with game studios and providing resources, training, and guidance to diverse industry professionals. In 2020 she published her first book on Cooperative Gaming: Diversity in the Games Industry and How to Cultivate Inclusion.

As co-chair of the International Game Developer’s Association and leaders of the IGDA LGBTQ+ special interest group she has won awards for her contribution to diversity and inclusion. Her passion and expertise have her travel globally to speak on the topic.

Alayna is currently working on diversity and inclusion initiatives with Activision Blizzard King (ABK), one of the world’s largest game development and publishing studios. Alayna works as a producer at Sledgehammer Games and is actively involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives for SHG and ABK more broadly. In this role, Alayna is engaged in diverse hiring efforts, event sponsorship and support, website and content updates, consulting on game content, and more. She is influencing some of the largest games and game studios to ensure they are becoming more inclusive.

Her commitment to enhancing cohesion and understanding in a diverse community through awareness-raising and education continues at both a local and global level.

Reconciliation Award: A Group Award

Dr Lynne Stuart and Aunty Leone Smith 

For their commitment to building and promoting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and implementing strategies to increase the participation rate of Indigenous Australian students in higher education study.

USC Indigenous nursing academics, ‘Two Black Swans,’ Aunty Leone, and Lynne, have created the Capture and Keep Model model in collaboration with Indigenous Services.

Designed to support the Next Generation of Indigenous Nurses and Midwives – to ‘Close the Gap.’

The model supports Indigenous nursing and midwifery higher education students to succeed in their studies. It provides students with:

• Cultural and academic guidance and support for them to be successful in navigating both the university and clinical health environments.
• Cultural safety preparation is delivered before the student’s clinical placement in Indigenous communities.

Aunty Leone and Lynne skillfully work in partnership with the USC student support systems to facilitate students’ best outcomes.

Key to the model success is the focus to support, retain, and graduate the next generation of Indigenous nurses and midwives to work in the Australian healthcare workforce.

Recognition must go to ‘Two Black Swans’ for their on-going commitment to reconciliation and the ability to identify and embed multiple initiatives with USC and the broader community. Aunty Leone has been informally engaged in this initiative since 2013, with Lynne’s commitment not an aspect of her University employment.

Reconciliation Award

Lynne Stuart and Matthew Mason

For commitment to building and promoting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Lynne and Matt have demonstrated five years of engagement activities which promote inclusion and diversity. They have had a local presence at Aboriginal and Torres Islander Sunshine Coast university events and are members of the Congress of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islanders Nurses and Midwives. Their combined energies have contributed to best practice across USC and the sector.

When Matt and Lynne first started at USC, there were no darker skinned mannequins in the lab provided for our nursing students. The USC clinical school has subsequently purchased a number of these for students to practice clinical skills.

There have been 20 new Indigenous clinical placements introduced with a culturally appropriate yarning circle protocol where all nursing and midwifery students. This provides students with the opportunity to prepare for and then debrief about their experiences on those placements.

More recently, the team have included, across the nursing curriculum, the call to action from March 2018, with the inclusion of cultural safety in the new Code of Conduct for all nurses.

Their contributions are significant, and best summed up by their head of School, Associate Professor Amanda Henderson. “The way that Lynne and Matt use their academic positions to promote awareness of closing the gap in their school, the wider university, nationally, and internationally, demonstrates that this is something that all of USC could become successful at doing.”

Sandy O’Sullivan

For initiatives and professional activities to achieve the vision and goals set out in USC’s Reconciliation Action Plan.

Sandy is a Wurundjeri person, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the School of Creative Industries. Sandy has contributed to public and academic debate and supported the capacity building for staff to understand and embed Indigenous perspectives into the curriculum within the School of Creative Industries.

Sandy has been an ambassador for IndigenousX, one of the largest and most distinctive media programs in the country. They developed a suite of programs to support staff to embed Indigenous programs in the curriculum. Participants identify and research significant contributions by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for each discipline area and discussed how staff could then include those contributions into curricula.

Sandy has developed a suite of resources to accompany the workshops and regularly distributes readings and resources to support embedding Indigenous perspectives.

There was a very clear message from the USC staff who nominated Sandy for this award. “Without any hesitation, we claim that Sandy O’Sullivan’s contribution to reconciliation has created significant cultural change within the School of Creative Industries, and informs contemporary debate and wider national and international cultural change.”

Inclusion Awards

USC Alumni Alison Chan

For enhancing cohesion and understanding in our diverse community.

Alison is passionate about multicultural Australia, and especially the importance of hearing the voices, histories and knowledge of multicultural Australians, and Indigenous peoples, in curriculum and classrooms.

As a teacher in humanities and English at Chancellor State College, she has led curriculum projects in the humanities from years 7-10, with a focus on improving representation on multicultural peoples and history.

She served on USC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Sub-Committee and has collaborated on many projects, including the Multicultural Student Portfolio at the College. The group has two main purposes, to build a community which knows and celebrates the depth of its multi-culturalism, and to develop leadership skills of culturally diverse students.

Alison is actively engaged in leading and coordinating staff and students to celebrate days of significance, such as NAIDOC week and Harmony Day, resulting intangible engagement and the opening of the college’s yarning circle.

Outside of her teaching career, Alison has presented as a guest speaker at International Women’s Day events, led and administrated an online and well-established feminist inter-sectional group, with 500 members, for the last five years.

Alison is an inspirational mentor and valued member of our community.

USC Student Jason Valusaga

For enhancing cohesion and understanding in a diverse community.

Jason has made an inspiring contribution at USC towards encouraging the participation of disadvantaged or underrepresented groups, and is passionate about Australian-Indonesian relations. He has committed himself to promoting and supporting diversity by being involved in a number of activities at the local, national and international levels.

Just some of these activities have included, in his role as President of Frank about Art USC, where he organised the Vibe events, which brought multiple bands to USC, and provided a platform for the sharing of diversity.

As a President of USC Enactus, Jason was involved in the development of USC’s first international cookbook, recognising and celebrating the rich diversity of staff and students across the university.

His appointment as a 2019 Colombo Plan Ambassador is evidence of his passion for diversity and closer Australian engagement with Asia.

Jason has been involved in several activities at the USC and national communities, highlighting his commitment to championing diversity and raising awareness for others to embrace that diversity. From 2016-2018, he had multiple roles in Amnesty International USC and campaigns such as refugee rights, LGBTIQ rights, and close the gap.

USC Student Tyson Kettlewell

For enhancing cohesion and understanding in a diverse community.

Tyson is driven to create an equitable and diverse centre of critical thinking and change.

In his role as Co-Chair of the Student Representative Council, he was involved co-authoring the student governance framework, dedicated to defining leadership at USC. He has worked alongside staff and students to get the framework approved, including supporting the development of the newly formed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student Group which sits with framework.

As Vice-President of the Student Guild, he was effective in collaborating with students on a range of issues and dedicated to amplifying the diversity of student voices.

Tyson has volunteered as a committee member with a number of Sunshine Coast based organisations and USC student associations, including Amnesty International, USC Active Minds, and involved in the development of USC Youth Respect, a student group dedicated to providing advocacy for gender equality.

As the youngest White Ribbon ambassador in Australia, Tyson developed the first youth-based White Ribbon group in Australia, which advocates for an inter-sectional lens to fight inequality models. Working with a variety of national, state and community partners to create a safe and inclusive program.

Reconciliation Award

Brendan Powell - (USC Alumni)

Reconciliation Award: Contributions to implementing strategies to increase the participation rate of Indigenous Australian students in higher education study

Acknowledgement of contribution:

Brendan and his colleague Scott have actively contributed to USC and the wider community through the development of a fully inclusive sporting environment that empowers participants from diverse backgrounds and provides life changing opportunities that extend beyond the sporting field.

This award is in recognition of the success of the Mooroo-Mooroo Indigenous program.

Mooroo-Mooroo is a Gubbi-Gubbi word for “full of life”.

This is a free program designed to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians. Not only does it increase activity levels, addressing physical health, but also provides training, experience and transferable life skills to participants contributing to mental health, a sense of community and belonging.

11,000 People have participated in the programme in both far North QLD and the South East since 2012. Brendan and the OzTags team’s commitment to building aspirations extends past this particular program and we value his ongoing commitment and passion to diversity, inclusion and reconciliation

The Sapphires (USC Staff)

Leone Smith
Lynne Stuart
Bronwyn Dole

Reconciliation Award: Initiatives and professional activities to achieve the vision and goals set out in the University of the Sunshine Coast Reconciliation Action Plan 2017-2019

Acknowledgement of contribution:

The Well Persons Health Check Day (WPHCD) initiated and run by North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health (NCACCH) – is an annual event held at alternate venues either on the Sunshine Coast or Gympie.

In 2018 the day was held on the USC Sippy Downs campus…on Gubbi Gubbi/ Kabi Kabi land with just over 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people attending.

This has introduced our local Indigenous community to the USC higher education environment.

Recruiting, educating, and graduating increased numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from University programs will go a long way to enhance equity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and communities, and promote the needed diversity and inclusion in the higher education student cohort. This will in turn help facilitate the national Close the Gap targets in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education and Health.

Recognition must go to ‘The Sapphires’ for the coordination and growth of such an impactful event

Inclusion Awards

Vietnamese Association Sunshine Coast (VASC) (USC Student Association)

Tuan Son Le
Duyen Nguyen Van
Nhut Tran Minh
Trang Trinh Thi

Inclusion Award: Enhancing cohesion and understanding in a diverse community for staff and/or students and/or community

Acknowledgement of contribution:

VASC hold a unique place in the student clubs at USC, being the only student club based upon a cultural identity. The club, holds a number of activities and initiatives that are designed to provide support to its members, engage with the USC community, and to share Vietnamese culture with other USC students and staff.

Activities are open to all USC students and provides all of us with an opportunity to build cultural awareness, which is important when collaborating to ensure each of us have this awareness to work in a synergistic and respect manner.

We acknowledge VASC in this valuable contribution to the USC community and encourage interested students and staff to join them at the Vietnamese lunch on Tuesday 21 August as part of the 2018 Diversity week celebrations

Sarah Lawson (USC Alumni)

Inclusion Award: Enhancing cohesion and understanding in a diverse community for staff and/or students and/or community

Acknowledgement of contribution:

Sarah was born with Cerebral Palsy and has not let this stand in her way, having completed her university degree, learning to drive and being heavily involved in a number of toastmaster clubs across the coast. Sarah joined USC Speakers Toastmasters, while she was studying at USC, to help her gain confidence when speaking to people. Along the way she has developed her public speaking skills and has contributed to enhancing the understanding of diversity in the local community through the following activities:

• Writes a blog “Live Laugh Love Contagiously”
• Guest speaker at an International Women’s Day Luncheon and recently at the Stories of Hope Programme.
• Made a YouTube Video to help people with disabilities realise they can exercise and have fun at the same time.

Marjorie Blowers (USC Alumni and Staff member)

Inclusion Award: Enhancing cohesion and understanding in a diverse community for staff and/or students and/or community

Acknowledgement of contribution:

Nominated by a Community Member for her commitment to advancing LGBTI inclusion on the Sunshine Coast for more than 10years.

She has been involved in the implementation and coordination of many community based events:

• Founded the LGBTI Youth support group ShOUT (now run by headspace)
• Board member of the QLD AIDS Council
• Lynchpin Sunshine Coast Pride Network and Pride Fair Day (which have been running for over 11 years)
• Offered support to individuals from the LGBTI community on campus and in the broader Sunshine Coast region tirelessly for many years.

In 2017 she was nominated for an LGBTIQ Champion Awards and the Australian LGBTIQ Awards and recently she was nominated for 2 awards at the 57th annual Queens Ball awards, LGBTI volunteer and LGBTI activist for 2018 for the ongoing contribution she makes to the community.

Staff awards

Ms Emma Kill

Preparatory and Enabling Unit

Supporting Teenagers with Education, Mothering, and Mentoring (STEMM)
Emma Kill has facilitated the TPP courses for the STEMM program delivered at Burnside State High School for the past 8 years, however her referees note that Emma’s contribution to the program extends beyond the role of Associate Lecturer, TPP. Emma regularly provides a flexible program which is a key element for successful completion, and provides mentoring and outreach to the young women involved in the program. Emma is described as a ‘genuine advocate for young mothers’, and is known to provide extra tutoring during holiday periods, organise food hampers and transport, and connects young women with support services when they are in need. Emma’s authentic and engaging approach has transformed many lives of many young women.

Dr Florin Oprescu and Dr Michele Verdonck 

School of Health and Sport Sciences

Suncoast Spinners Reverse Inclusion Program
In Semester 1, 2017, Dr Florin Operscu and Dr Michele Verdonck assisted a local wheelerchair basketball club, Suncoast Spinners, to develop a program and successfully apply for government funding to extend the program to the Sunshine Coast community across 2017 and 2018. The program includes activities, lectures and workshops that aim to increase awareness and promote the participation of people with disabilities and able-bodied people in the same sporting activity by reversing the inclusion.

Student group awards

USC Law Student Association

In the past year, the USC Law Student’s Association have coordinated a range of events equity and diversity focused activities,including:

• LGBTIQ forum during Diversity Week 2016
• The annual Women in Law High Tea
• Inaugural Indigenous Reconciliation Breakfast
• Mental Health talks
• Amendment of competition rules to accommodate competitors with a disability and the creation of the ‘Law Buddy Program’ in place of the Student Mentor Program

Amnesty International USC 

In Semester 1, 2017, Amnesty International USC coordinated a range of events including:

• ‘Letters for Love’ event which obtained 280 actions for equal rights for marriage eligibility in Australia
• Panel discussions for IDAHOT and National Reconciliation Week
• Participated in the recent Relay for Life Cancer Council event on campus, raising almost $2,000

Callum Lee

President of USC Law Association

We would also like to Acknowledge Callum Lee current President of the USC Law Student Association, in his positions he has worked toward creating a positive, inclusive community for USC Law Students, key activities he has engaged in are:

• Volunteer Mentor for Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience Program (AIME)
• Completed USC Ally and Unconscious Bias Training, taking his knowledge from the training to ensure events and activities are delivered in an inclusive manner.
• Investigative report presented at Australian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) on issues facing Rural, Remote, Regional and Boutique (RRRB) law students around Australia.

The USC SEEDS Program - STAFF

(Award to be accepted by Bridie Kean)

Bridie Kean is both a University of the Sunshine Coast staff member and USC PhD Student. Bridie manages the USC Sports Elite and Education Dual Stream Program (SEEDS), which is the first dual para-sport and academic program to be offered and an Australian university. This program enables athletes with a disability to combine tertiary studies with high-performance sports training and coaching at USC’s state-of-the-art sports facilities.

The USC SEEDS program promotes an environment in which young athletes are encouraged and supported to achieve academic excellence as well as success on the sporting field. The program also aims to demonstrate the abilities of these athletes and raise awareness of the value of sport for people with disabilities.

The opening stages of the program involved collaboration between USC, Basketball Australia and the QAS Centre of Excellence for Applied Sport Science Research to implement a basketball program. The program offers opportunities for student-athletes with a disability to be coached by National coaches through the support of Basketball Australia, with four training sessions included in the student-athletes weekly schedule. In the pilot semester, Bridie and student-athletes were engaged in a variety of events that contributed to raising awareness for wheelchair basketball both on the USC Campus and at the University Games. Bridie worked with Sporting Wheelies Disabled Association to host an exhibition wheelchair basketball game at the opening ceremony at the Gold Coast Uni Battle. This exhibition game gave University students from around Australia the opportunity to try wheelchair basketball. Bridie has also presented at the Australian University Sport National Conference regarding how to create opportunities for University students with disabilities to engage in sport.

USC Law Student Society - STUDENT

(Award to be accepted by David Knobel)

The USC Law Student Association (LSA) commenced in 2014 with the law school and is an entirely student-run organisation. The association’s mantra, “building our students, building our profession” typifies the focus of the organisation tot encourages students to make a difference to the legal industry and the community at large.

The USC LSA has regularly been involved in USC initiatives, including Equity and Diversity Week 2015, Imaginarium 2015, Explore USC2015, and Experience USC 2016.

This month the USC LSA will host its first annual “Women in Law” function. A discussion forum designed to celebrate, hear from and focus on the role of women in all areas of the legal industry.

In 2015, the Association hosted the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner of Queensland, Kevin Cocks, at a public lecture on the role of the commission, the importance of its presence in Queensland, and his experiences in the field.

The USC LSA, as a student organisation, goes above and beyond the expectation s of a small student body and repeatedly strives to ensure that the university community, not just Law students, benefits from its community focused attitude.

The Committee also commended the following for their contribution to diversity at USC:

Deborah Heck

Associate Professor Deborah Heck has engaged with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in a sustained way to develop an ongoing and sustained mechanism for engagement within the university structure. This work commenced in late 2012 and resulted in the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Sub-Committee.

USC Amnesty International

Amnesty International is the world’s largest independent human rights organisation, and Amnesty International USC is currently the most active university club in Australia. The club’s activities include hosting events both on and off campuses, participating in social media campaigns, engaging with local MPs, and promoting and defending human rights around the world.