Stephen Luntz (Returning Officer) and Patrick Clearwater (Deputy Returning Officer)
Notice is hereby given of the 2023 University of Melbourne Student Union annual student election. This is your chance to help shape the future of the Student Union!
Notice of Election
University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU)
Annual Student Election
4th–8th September 2023
Notice is hereby given of the 2023 University of Melbourne Student Union annual student election. This is your chance to help shape the future of the Student Union.
Information for candidates
All student members of UMSU are eligible to stand as a candidate (subject to the restrictions detailed in the notice below).
We’ve prepared detailed information on how to be a candidate on the election website.
An information session for prospective candidates will be held online at 6pm on Thursday 3rd August. Details are on the election website.
Be aware that the deadline for nomination, midday on Friday 11th August 2023, is strict.
Information for voters
All students are eligible to vote. The elections will take place on the 4th–8th September 2023: you’ll be sent a voting link by email, direct to your student email inbox.
We’ll have a series of polling help points around the Parkville, Southbank and Burnley campuses during election week, in case you need help.
More information is available on the elections website.
Notice of election
Notice is hereby given that nominations will open at 12 midday on Monday 24th July, for the 2023 University of Melbourne Annual Student Election.
Positions to be filled at the election include:
- Office-bearers, committees and Students' Council of the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU), including the Burnley Campus Department and the Southbank Campus Department
- Delegates to the National Union of Students (NUS)
- Several vacant positions to be filled by by-election for the remainder of 2023
A complete list of positions appears at the end of this notice.
Nominations close at 12 midday on Friday 11th August.
Polling will take place online from 10am Monday 4th September until 5pm Friday 8th September. All students are eligible to vote. Links to ballots will be emailed to all students, and polling assistance locations will be open around campus. A detailed schedule of polling times and locations will be posted after close of nominations.
Tickets: Any fifteen (15) students may register a ticket to run in the election by filling in the appropriate form. Applications for Ticket Registration open and close at the same time as nominations. It is not necessary to be on a ticket to run in the election.
Tickets that are running candidates for multi-member positions should also submit a form showing the order in which they wish their candidates to appear.
Candidates running for positions that cannot be held concurrently should submit a form showing which positions they wish to hold in case of a conflict. Some positions are restricted to certain students. Students nominating for these positions need to submit forms stating they are eligible for the position in question.
Ticket registration forms, candidate order forms and conflict of position forms must all be submitted by close of nominations. All forms are available from the Returning Officer or can be downloaded from the election website (see below).
Policy speeches: Candidates may also, with their nominations, submit policy statements for publication in Farrago and on the election website. Policy statements must not exceed 300 words for UMSU office-bearer positions or 100 words for all other positions. A photo session for office-bearer candidates will be organised after close of nominations.
In addition, tickets may submit a 1000 word policy statement.
Please note that all deadlines are strict and cannot be extended. Candidates are strongly urged to lodge their forms well before the deadlines. Nominations should be submitted at https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/elections. All other forms should be emailed as an attachment to the deputy Returning Officer or an authorised electoral official. Where this is not practicable, please contact the Returning Officer to make other arrangements. Do not post forms without prior arrangement, as no responsibility will be taken for late or lost forms under those circumstances. It is not possible to accept faxed forms.
Returning Officer’s Contact details
Notices will also be posted on the notice board, first floor, Building 168, where possible.
Positions for Election
Office Bearers
- President
- General Secretary
- Education (Academic Affairs) Officer
- Education (Public Affairs) Officer
- Welfare Officer
- Women’s Officer *
- Creative Arts Officer
- Activities Officer
- Queer Officer *
- Environment Officer
- Media Officers *
- Clubs & Societies Officer
- Indigenous Officer *
- Disabilities Officer *
- People of Colour Officer *
Students’ Council
One representative of each of the following restricted constituencies:
- Queer students *
- Indigenous students *
- International students *
- Graduate students *
- Students with disabilities *
- Students of Colour *
- Fifteen (15) general members elected by all students
Committees
Seven (7) members on each of the following Committees:
- Activities Committee
- Creative Arts Committee
- Disabilities Committee *
- Education Committee
- Environment Committee
- Indigenous Committee *
- People Of Colour Committee *
- Queer Committee *
- Welfare Committee
- Women’s Committee *
Burnley Campus Department
- Campus Coordinator *
- Seven general Committee members *
Southbank Campus Department
- Campus Co-ordinator *
- Campaigns Co-ordinator *
- Activities and Events Co-ordinator *
- Seven general Committee members *
National Union of Students
Seven (7) Delegates to the National Conference of the National Union of Students Inc.
By-Elections for the remainder of 2023
- Indigenous Representative on Student Council *
- Indigenous Committee * (5 positions)
- Burnley Committee * (3 positions)
- Southbank Committee * (3 positions)
- Disabilities Officer †
* See eligibility requirements below
† Position temporarily filled until results are declared from the Byelection.
Restrictions on election
Any member of UMSU may nominate for any position unless specified in Electoral Regulation 6, of which key points are summarised below.
The position of Media Officers must be held jointly by teams of three or four candidates. All other officer positions, except for President and General Secretary, may be held either individually or by two candidates jointly. Candidates who are running as a team should each fill out a nomination form, with a single policy statement.
If more than one person holds the office of Women’s Officer, one of them must be a Woman of Colour. For the Women’s Committee, half of all members (rounded down) must be Women of Colour, provided there are sufficient candidates who are Women of Colour.
For all other committees, including the Burnley and Southbank Committees and the general members of Students' Council (but not the NUS delegation), more than half of the members must be women, provided there are sufficient candidates who are women.
Candidates for Queer Officer, Queer Representative on Students' Council and Queer Committee must be Queer students. (See Regulation 6.1 for further detail.) If more than one person holds the office of Queer Officer, one of them must be a Woman, Trans or Non-Binary.
If more than one person holds any other office, one of them must be a Woman.
Candidates for Indigenous Officer, Indigenous Representative on Students' Council and Indigenous Committee must be Indigenous students.
Candidates for Disabilities Officer, Disabilities Committee and the Students with Disabilities Representative on Students’ Council must be students with disabilities.
Candidates for International Representative on Students' Council must be International students.
Candidates for Graduate Representative on Students’ Council must be Graduate students.
Candidates for the Burnley positions must be enrolled at the Burnley campus. Candidates for the Southbank positions must be enrolled at the Southbank campus.
Students running for any of these positions must submit a form stating their eligibility for the relevant position.
Students running for multiple incompatible positions must submit a form indicating their order of preference.
No person can stand for election if they are employed half-time or more by UMSU, the University or related bodies, tenants of the University, or any combination thereof. No person can stand for an office-bearer position if they have already served two terms of office as an office-bearer.
For further information on eligibility to stand and to vote in the election, please consult the Election Regulations, available at the UMSU Office and on the election website. Copies of the Regulations can also be obtained at the Election Office, where further enquiries are welcome.
Stephen Luntz
Above Quota Elections Pty Ltd
Returning Officer
24th July 2023 (Updated: 25 July 2023)