SAA Member panelists had an opportunity to speak at the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) Student Life Forum during the Student Accommodation in a Post-COVID-19 World discussion on the 26th of February 2021.

Facilitated by SAA President Geoff Denison, representatives from University Managed, Purpose Built Student Accommodation and Residential Colleges shared their valuable insights into their COVID-19 journey to date from a student accommodation perspective and the important part the National Property Accreditation Scheme (NPAS) will play in supporting the post COVID-19 recovery.

SAA Member Panellists included: 

• Geoff Denison, President, Student Accommodation Association; Associate Director, Accommodation Services, The University of Adelaide
• Steve Diack, National Relationships Manager, Scape
• Amit Mitra, Manager, Housing Services, University of Technology Sydney
• Dr Paul Tosch (MAICD), Chief Executive Officer, Lincoln College Inc

Event participants also had an opportunity to hear from Bassina Farbenblum, Associate Professor, UNSW Faculty of Law; Director, UNSW Human Rights Clinic; Founding Co-Director, Global Migrant Worker Justice Initiative who presented findings of her research into international student exploration in accommodation. You can access the research papers following the links below:

• Laurie Berg and Bassina Farbenblum, As If We Weren’t Humans: The Abandonment of Temporary Migrants in Australia During COVID-19 (2020) 
• Laurie Berg and Bassina Farbenblum, Living Precariously: Understanding International Students’ Housing Experiences in Australia (2019)
• UNSW Human Rights Clinic, No Place Like Home: Addressing Exploitation of International Students in Sydney's Housing Market (2019)