School of Social Sciences, School of Education
UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture is now 100K alumni strong. We spoke with some of our alumni who are making the world a better place. Here are their stories.
The power of education
Sharan Burrow is a globally recognised union leader whose 35 years of service in local, state, national and international trade unions has made immeasurable contributions to workers’ rights.
Sharan was the first in her working-class family to have access to university, thanks to a teaching scholarship and Gough Whitlam's visionary move to make university education free. Reflecting on the impact of this policy change for Australians, Sharan says, “You saw women flood through the gates of all universities, but UNSW in particular.”
However, it was the response from her father that made her realise the power she now had: “My father was a macho type, but he broke down and cried when he understood the opportunity that he and previous generations were denied by being working class.”
Now Sharan has seen the costs of education rise with the Hawke Labor government establishing the Higher Education Contributions Scheme (HECS) that introduced a flat rate of $1,800 a year for degrees in 1989 and the Howard Coalition Government brought in the three-tiered rates in 1996. Sharan says, “It makes me sad that young people today don’t have access to university in the same way. We desperately need to lay a values-based future to save our planet. Students are burdened with debt which prevents them from going to university entirely.”
This educational inequality paved Sharan's path as an advocate for intergenerational education and instilled in her a strong belief in the responsibility to share prosperity.
School
Degrees
Bachelor of Arts 1965, Diploma of Education 1966, Doctor of Letters 2022
Title
Former General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, former President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
Studies at UNSW
Sharan experienced university life during the moratorium on the Vietnam War, a period of global social upheaval. She was exposed to vibrant debates and discussions in class and gained experience in grassroots activism. As a single mum studying, the university childcare facility, 'Pooh Centre', allowed her to make the most of her university experiences.
Her tutors were also an essential form of support throughout her studies. Sharan remembers being encouraged to continue studying when she found the pressures of juggling life and education too tricky. “My tutor knew I was struggling in his economics class,” she recalls, “and he said to me, 'Sharan, don't pull out; you understand the concepts; you can write fluently around economic aspects of our society. You must translate the math formulas into words so that the formulas land in that sensibility in your brain.' Every night, I went home and would translate the formulas into English.”
Sharan Burrow on ABC’s Q&A February 2023
Fighting for change
Sharon's engagement with unions was strengthened on “the real battleground” as a teacher, where she witnessed firsthand women having to fight for equal opportunities for promotions and paid maternity leave. Her career as a teacher took a transformative turn when the NSW Teachers Federation in Country NSW invited her to become an organiser. Over the next 35 years, she dedicated her life to advocating for workers' rights, social equality and women's empowerment. She led the Australian Education Union, later the Australian Council of Trade Unions and then the International Trade Union Confederation. Her commitment to workers' welfare and the protection of workers' rights as society transitions to sustainable practices has welcomed her into the spaces of political leaders and activists like Nelson Mandela.
Sharan is a lifelong activist, and even in semi-retirement, she has continued to advocate for change, now focusing on climate justice and social equity. She is currently a board member of the European Climate Foundation. She is working with a climate governance commission to reshape how governing bodies work together towards the mutual goal of a sustainable future. However, Sharan highlights the power of everyday people and believes the world needs to change how we view our moral and political obligations to our planet and each other and highlights the importance of climate curriculum for students in Australia and everywhere globally so that young people can feel empowered to shape their future.
If we think we can dominate a press, build an economy at any cost, no matter the exploitation of the workers who generate that wealth, then we are part of a society that is not respecting each other. We must have workers and their communities, trade unions, businesses, and associations at the table.
Advice for students
Aspiring to create a more inclusive society, Sharan is adamant that people must be lifelong learners. She believes that when we cease to learn, we cannot participate in the changing nature of the workplace or help shape the changing nature of society, whether it's through supporting families and friends or through the democratic debate and, ultimately, the ballot box.
“We have rights and therefore should expect entitlements, but we're not owed the future that we don't participate into shape.”
Celebrating 100K Alumni
Join us in celebrating the achievements of UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture alumni like Sharan.
Learn about the evolution of UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture and meet the UNSW ADA Alumni who are making the world a better place.