Potter Museum Reopens with First Nations Art Exhibition

Sophie He

Having undergone substantial redevelopment since 2018, the Parkville campus’ Potter Museum of Art reopened during Reconciliation Week with 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art. According to the Museum, the exhibition ‘celebrates the brilliance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art while confronting the dark heart of Australia’s colonial history and proclaims the importance of Indigenous knowledge and agency.’ The free exhibit is open until 22 November. 

UniMelb Releases 2024 Sustainability Report

Sophie He

The University has released its 2024 Sustainability Report, communicating that it is ‘On track’ to meet 10 of its 28 sustainability targets by 2030. This is the third report released under the University’s commitment to its Sustainability Plan 2030 targets, and its 11th one overall. 

Since the 2023 Report, five additional targets have been classified as ‘On track’. However, the target which reads, ‘The University has reduced total water consumption by 10% relative to a 2019 baseline’ has regressed from ‘On track’ to ‘In progress’. 14 targets remain ‘In progress’, meaning that while efforts have been made, the University is not on course to meet them by 2030. The Report classifies three targets as ‘Not yet started’, citing their contingency upon the prior completion of other targets. Notably, ‘The University has significantly increased the proportion of water consumption from non-potable sources compared to a 2019 baseline’ is the single target marked ‘Needs attention’, signalling insufficient evidence of its implementation. 

In both 2024 and 2025, UniMelb ranked 9th worldwide in the ‘QS World University Rankings: Sustainability’, a significant jump from 51st in 2023. 

‘The 2024 Sustainability Report highlights some of the great work being done across the University. However, the Report fails to accurately convey the areas where the University is falling behind in meeting its own targets, obscuring the continued urgency and further commitment needed for the final 2030 strategy to be eventually achieved,’ says UMSU Envirment Officer Bearer Jayde East. 

Students may view the report on the University’s website.

University of Melbourne Sells $8 million Parkville Mansion

Mathilda Stewart

The University of Melbourne has listed for sale the historic Parkville residence, known as Cumnock House, previously home to former Vice Chancellor Duncan Maskell. The University is seeking to sell the property for between $7.9 to $8.69 million.

Located at 62 The Avenue, opposite Royal Park, the grand Italianate mansion was originally built in 1889 for stock and station agent George Howart, and acquired in 1919 by Ridley College, an Anglican theological college affiliated with the University, which officially purchased the property for $7.1 million in 2017.

The property was previously the home of former Vice Chancellor Duncan Maskell, and was the location of multiple protests during his tenure. In November 2020, the Unimelb NTEU Branch organised a rally outside the property to protest the University’s underpayment of over 350 casual teaching staff. Another was held in December 2021, opposing Maskell’s implementation of widespread casualisation and pay cuts. 

The NTEU at the time described the property as “a symbol of the inequity facing employees at the country’s wealthiest university where top management enjoy some of the highest salaries and benefits while casual staff suffer under conditions that have included wage theft, no career path and a devaluing of their work”.

UniMelb Drops in Global University Rankings

Sophie He

The release of ‘QS World University Rankings 2026’ saw the University of Melbourne drop to 19th place from the previous year’s 13th. 

Higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds annually ranks universities from around the globe. It commences the requisite research in September of each year, publishing their findings the following June. Rankings are based on a series of indicators which measure universities’ outcomes in research, employability, global engagement, the learning experience and sustainability. Indicators pertaining to ‘Academic Reputation’ and ‘Citations per Faculty’ are the most heavily considered, comprising 50 per cent of the weighting. 

UMSU Apologises for Accidentally Referencing Islamophobic Meme 

Sophie He

The University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) has apologised for referencing an Islamophobic meme in its Week 10 eNews mass email. The subject line reads, ‘Can Tralelero [sic] Tralala proofread my essay for me?’. Tralalero Tralala is an Italian brain rot meme which has accompanied AI-generated Italian voiceover insulting Allah. The meme depicts an AI-generated shark wearing Nike shoes. 

In its following eNews email, UMSU issued an apology stating it was ‘not aware of’ and ‘deeply sorry’ for the subject line. The apology concludes by committing to ‘more diligence and care with any cultural references in [their] messaging going forward to avoid causing harm to [their] student community’. 

General Store Coffee Prices Rise

Sophie He

The price of machine coffee at The Campus General Store has risen. Customers who do not bring their own cup can now expect to pay $2.50 for a small coffee, a $0.60 increase from the previous price. 

Labour Announces 20% cut in HECS Debts

Ibrahim Muan

The Labour Government has introduced legislation to cut all student loan debts by 20 per cent, promising relief to over three million Australians. 

Touted as a major cost-of-living measure, the bill also raises the repayment income threshold from $54,435 to $67,000. However, economists and higher education experts warn that the policy may deepen long-term inequities in the student loan system.

The government says the 20 per cent cut—backdated to 1 June—will wipe approximately $16 billion from the HELP system, translating to around $5,520 in savings for the average debtor. It applies to all types of student loans, including HELP, VET Student Loans, and Apprenticeship Support Loans.

However, industry experts point out that the one-off cut disproportionately benefits higher-income graduates on track to repay their loans in full, rather than lower-income earners who are less likely ever to reach the repayment threshold.

While the changes are well-intentioned, they risk locking some students—particularly women and low-income graduates—into “a debt treadmill,” as smaller repayments over an extended period can still mean decades of owing money.

Critics are calling the across-the-board reduction “blunt” and “regressive.” They argue that targeted support—such as indexing changes or sector-wide fee reforms—would provide more equitable and lasting relief.

The bill follows earlier indexation reforms, pegging annual loan increases to the lower of the Consumer Price Index or Wage Price Index. Together, the changes amount to nearly $20 billion in total student debt relief.

University Threatens Legal Action Against Unimelb for Palestine

Mathilda Stewart

The University of Melbourne issued a legal threat against the student activist group Unimelb for Palestine (UM4P) on Monday 12 May, requesting the removal of ‘Unimelb’ from its name, citing trademark infringement.

In a statement on Instagram, UM4P alleged that the University also threatened to have the group’s account taken down.

The group claims this is part of a broader attempt to suppress activism which opposes its ties with weapons manufacturers.

“This legal threat is just one of many tactics the University has used to silence protestors.”

In the past twelve months the University has issued disciplinary actions against students, used Wi-Fit to track student protesters, and instituted specific bans on indoor and ‘disruptive’ protest action.

UM4P has since changed its name to U Melb for Palestine and updated its logo, but maintains that the University’s actions are a form of intimidation aimed at stifling dissent. They call on the University community to reject what it describes as an attack on free expression.

“We refuse to be silenced, and we will continue to fight.”

Aborted encampment for Palestine: Thursday 8 May 

Mathilda Stewart

Thursday 8 May saw students from Unimelb for Palestine launch a briefly renewed encampment in South Lawn in protest of misconduct charges levelled against multiple students by the University. Two 

students were later expelled by the University, and another two suspended, though they are currently awaiting an appeal.

The action was announced on social media early on Thursday morning. After protesters set up two small tents, police, called in by University security,  issued a directive for participants to remove the tents. Police directions were complied with, and police left the campus shortly after. 

A speakout was held at 11 am, organised by Students Against War, in protest of a speaking event by former Elbit Systems engineer Gal Barkai in the Electrical Engineering Building. 

While the encampment maintained a presence on South Lawn throughout the day, participants ultimately dispersed in the evening. 

In a statement released the following day on Instagram, Coalition for Palestine stated that the “events that occurred yesterday were a clear demonstration of the university’s draconian strategy of political expression.”

UniMelb Releases 2024 Annual Report on Racism

Ibrahim Muan

The University of Melbourne’s 2024 Annual Report on Racism paints a picture of cautious institutional progress, framed around acknowledgement, data collection, and policy reform. However, for many students—particularly those who contributed to the 2023 Racism at the University of Melbourne Report published by the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU)—the report rings hollow. When read side by side, the two documents reveal a widening gulf between managerial commitments and lived realities on campus.

The University’s report, released in June this year, recognises that racism remains “ongoing and systemic” across the institution. Drawing from 113 complaints submitted through internal channels in 2023, it documents a range of racially motivated incidents affecting both staff and students. However, only 13 cases progressed through formal complaint procedures, underscoring a broader culture of underreporting and institutional mistrust. The report acknowledges that students and staff face considerable barriers to accessing support—particularly due to uncertainty around reporting mechanisms, fears of reprisal, and concerns about the impartiality of University processes.

In response, the University has introduced a suite of reforms. These include a new Anti-Racism and Racial Equity Policy, the expansion of support pathways through the Safer Community Program, and the development of a racism-specific staff training module, which more than 4,000 employees have reportedly completed. The University has also integrated anti-racism metrics into leadership key performance indicators (KPIs) and piloted initiatives to diversify recruitment and retention. 

The University positions them as evidence of structural change and a commitment to equity. However, what the report lacks—by design or omission—is the kind of detail and emotional truth that animates the 2023 UMSU report. Compiled by the Student Union’s People of Colour Department, the UMSU report is based on 43 student testimonies. It outlines a confronting portrait of institutional racism: students experiencing overt racial abuse, microaggressions in classrooms, alienation in tutorials, and a general sense of being ignored, disbelieved, or gaslit when they raise concerns.

Most damning is the UMSU report’s finding that over 60% of students surveyed did not know how to report racism, and only one in ten who did found the process worthwhile. Academic staff were frequently named perpetrators, and many respondents spoke of the futility of escalating complaints, citing procedural opacity and a lack of follow-up. The report calls for a survivor-centred complaints process, co-designed with students of colour, and structural reforms to curriculum, training, and staff accountability.

In contrast, the University’s report is more circumspect, opting for neutral language, anonymised data, and high-level policy over specificity. It does not break down where or how racism manifests across faculties or disciplines, nor indicate whether any complaints led to meaningful consequences. Most tellingly, the University has yet to publicly respond to the UMSU’s 2023 report, despite its precise alignment with institutional values around equity and inclusion.

UMSU International By-election Results Declared

Ibrahim Muan

Vinayak Kapoor has been elected President of UMSU International following the 2025 General Elections, which saw 1,629 students cast their votes—well above the 500-voter threshold required.

Key roles include Shreeyukta Adhikari as Vice-President (Cultural and Social), Dhruv Rana as Treasurer, and Kaelyn Miranda as General Secretary (provisionally elected unopposed). Several positions were uncontested, including Vice-President (Media and Marketing) and multiple officer roles.

No nominations were received for the Media and Marketing Director role, leaving the position vacant. The election period concluded with one appeal, which has been resolved.

Full results and counts are available on the UMSU website.

UniMelb Transitions from Google Workspace to Microsoft

Ibrahim Muan

The University of Melbourne is transitioning from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, significantly changing how students and staff will access digital services. 

In late 2025, UniMelb accounts will no longer support Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, or other Google tools. Instead, email and collaboration will exclusively shift to Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, Teams, and other applications within the Microsoft 365 suite. 

Student IT states this change is part of a “strategic transition to a single platform” that aims to provide better integration, enhanced security, and streamlined support. Students are encouraged to migrate their files from Google Drive and Gmail as soon as possible.