Student Experience – EP10

Recorded live at the 2026 Student Voice Symposium & Student Summit, this episode explores one of the central themes emerging from the event: how trust, safety and meaningful participation shape student voice.

Across two days of conversations, students, staff, sector leaders and policy-makers came together to examine what it takes to create environments where students feel safe to speak up, confident they will be heard, and empowered to contribute to decisions that affect their education.

In this episode, ⁠Student Voice Australasia⁠ speaks with event contributors and delegates, capturing diverse perspectives on student partnership, representation, governance and institutional culture.

Together, they reflect on the importance of moving beyond consultation towards genuine collaboration, and what it means to create tertiary education environments where student voice is not only heard, but trusted, valued and acted upon.

Hosted by: 

• Belinda Brear (SVA National Coordinator)

• Francesca Harrison (SVA Student Partner)

• Megan Pozzi (Director Student Life, University of Southern Queensland)

Featuring:

• The Hon Prof Bill Shorten, Vice Chancellor, University of Canberra (UC)

• Aaron Saint-James, Student, University of New South Whales (UNSW)

• Sam Jacob, CEO of Australian College of the Arts (Collarts)

• Simone Chitsinde, Student, University of Canberra and President of the UC Student Representative Council (UCSRC)

• Sarah Bendall, First Assistant Ombudsman, National Student Ombudsman (NSO)