Challenging inequality
Driving social change: UNSW's commitment to equality and justice.
Challenging inequality and advancing social justice are at the heart of what we do as a university.
Through both our research and our teaching, we aim to drive progress in the lives of millions living with disadvantage. With support from you, we will continue to promote our social justice agenda across a range of activities.
UNSW is working with Indigenous communities to foster the next generation of Indigenous leaders and address the impacts of generational disadvantage. We are especially proud to have one of the highest retention rates of Indigenous students in Australia.
UNSW Gateway supports students who are underrepresented in higher education. The initiative is made up of two parts: the Gateway Admission Pathway and the Gateway Program. Both are designed to maximise post-high school success and help students get into their dream degree at UNSW.
The catastrophe of mass displacement is the focus for The Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law. The Kaldor Centre's aim is to develop humane, legal and sustainable solutions for the millions who leave their homes in search of a better and safer future.
Meanwhile, the UNSW Centre for Social Impact initiative helps the social sector develop more effective solutions for complex social challenges. The initiative provides community groups and not-for-profits with the tools and training they need to measure, assess and improve the work they do.
Explore our work in challenging inequality
UNSW Tax and Business Advisory Clinic
UNSW Tax and Business Advisory Clinic is a free business clinic for individuals and small businesses in serious financial hardship.
Described as “unbelievably useful” by the CEO of Financial Counselling Australia, our free tax and accounting advisory services enable the most disadvantaged to work through a system that is almost impossible to navigate without professional representation.
The complex issues presented include long-term overdue income tax and BAS returns, tax debts, mental health issues and domestic violence, amongst others. This means that each casework client needs around 20 hours of one-on-one advice from our frontline team to resolve their matter. At present, demand far outstrips supply, and we have a 3-month waitlist.
Select examples of the Clinic’s recent accolades include being awarded Finalist at the Australian Financial Review (AFR) Higher Education Awards (both 2023 and 2022) and the AACSB International's Innovations That Inspire Award (2021).
Your support can empower the Clinic’s work with the most underrepresented sectors of our society, helping people find their way through complex systems.
Contact
UNSW Philanthropy
philanthropy@unsw.edu.au
+61 2 8936 4700
Nura Gili Indigenous Program
Education is the key to human development. Despite this, First Nations students in Australia are much less likely than their peers to finish high school and go on to university.
Addressing the social justice imperatives of Indigenous Australians is a priority for UNSW. Through the Nura Gili Indigenous Programs Unit, we aim to make sure that First Nations students have the greatest possible opportunity to succeed at university.
Nura Gili is a targeted program that embraces Indigenous knowledge, culture and histories . Students have access to study facilities, tutoring, accommodation and employment support, pastoral services, scholarship advice and support for social and emotional wellbeing.
Nura Gili also runs programs for First Nations high school students to encourage them to think about a university education.
With your help, we can expand the scope and reach of this vital initiative. As a donor to Nura Gili, you will be helping us to attract and support more First Nations students, giving them the opportunity to create positive change in as graduates of, law, medicine, engineering and more.
Jayden (BSRP ’20), Nura Gili Ambassador
“I just want to say - thank you so, so much”
Meet Jayden, currently in his second year studying with UNSW Arts & Social Sciences. Jayden also loves playing rugby, and volunteering as an ambassador for Nura Gili, UNSW’s dedicated Indigenous Programs Unit.
In 2018, Jayden was one of 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who participated in Nura Gili’s Indigenous Winter School Program. Jayden said his experience was so positive that he returned to the program this year as a supervisor, and hopes to continue volunteering with the program to support the next generation of Indigenous students.
“Nura Gili was a huge part of my decision to come to UNSW. Without it, I'd be so lost, honestly. Not even just in an educational sense, but in all the extra things that go with being an Indigenous student” said Jayden. “It’s like an extended family. Somewhere you can turn up and it's like you’re at home.
“I just want to say thank you so, so much for what you’ve helped to create. It really does impact our lives. Without it, a lot of us genuinely would not be here. So thank you and please keep on supporting it.”
Contact
UNSW Philanthropy
philanthropy@unsw.edu.au
+61 2 8936 4700
Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law
More than 110 million people worldwide are displaced from their homes — the highest number since the Second World War.
As world leaders grapple with this challenge, there has never been a more important time for innovative and rigorous thinking to promote solutions.
The Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney is the world's leading research centre dedicated to the study of international refugee law.
Founded in October 2013, the Kaldor Centre undertakes rigorous research on the most pressing displacement issues in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, and contributes to public policy by promoting legal, sustainable and humane solutions to forced migration.
Through outstanding research and engagement, the Kaldor Centre is recognised as an intellectual powerhouse with global impact. The Kaldor Centre’s evidence-based research, analysis and engagement bring a crucial, independent dimension to the debate.
Already, the Centre has made significant headway towards a more just, responsive and accommodating world for refugees and forced migrants - but there is much more to be done. With support from you, we can build on the Centre’s strong foundations to forge better solutions for people in search of safety.
Contact
UNSW Philanthropy
philanthropy@unsw.edu.au
+61 2 8936 4700
Low SES scholarships
Young people from low socio-economic backgrounds are drastically under-represented at Australian universities. Those in the lowest brackets of disadvantage make up 25 per cent of the population, but only 16 per cent of all university undergraduates.
At UNSW, we want to make sure the best minds can achieve their academic potential, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Your support of our Equity Scholarship program will help us repair the imbalance. We will be tackling socio-economic disadvantage, but we will also be investing in our own diversity, creating spaces for new ideas to flourish, and new leaders to emerge.
Contact
UNSW Philanthropy
philanthropy@unsw.edu.au
+61 2 8936 4700
AMPLIFY Social Impact
Australia spends $510 billion a year on social change initiatives and yet, often, we know nothing about how effective they have been. In fact, despite our colossal spend, many social issues are only getting worse. If we want to see improvements, we need to understand how, where and for whom those initiatives are working.
Led by the Centre for Social Impact, Amplify Social Impact is Australia's biggest capacity-building project for the for-purpose sector. It provides thousands of not-for-profits and other social-purpose organisations with the insights and tools they need to strengthen their outcomes.
Your investment will help us connect evidence, people, technology and data so we can begin to drive sustainable change more effectively, and more efficiently, right across the sector.
Contact
UNSW Philanthropy
philanthropy@unsw.edu.au
+61 2 8936 4700
Uluru Dialogues
Your donation will go towards the Uluṟu Dialogue to continue its community, legal and advocacy work. The Uluṟu Dialogue at the UNSW Indigenous Law Centre (ILC) will continue its work toward recognition and education on the Uluṟu Statement from the Heart.
Following the referendum our projects include a national civics education module, Uluṟu Statement education, community engagement with six million Yes voters, a listening tour of First Nations communities, a new podcast will be launched on the Uluṟu dialogues and the post-referendum environment, a documentary, webinars on "where to from here for recognition and reconciliation".
We are publishing books to analyse the referendum, lessons for future referendums and the road ahead. The Uluṟu Youth Dialogue will continue its work led by Allira Davis and Bridget Cama for 2024 as it galvanises the massive YES vote from Australia's Youth.”
Contact
UNSW Philanthropy
philanthropy@unsw.edu.au
+61 2 8936 4700
