UMSU Annual Election 2024
Annual elections will be held in September to elect leaders and representatives who will be in charge of UMSU in 2025.
Table of contents
Notice of Election
Notice is hereby given of the 2024 University of Melbourne Student Union annual elections. This annual election also incorporates by-elections for casual vacancies for the 2024 term of office.
The election will be held from the 2nd–6th September, 2024.
The notice of election is available as a PDF.
List of positions
The following positions are open for election.
Officer positions
- 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 — voting representatives
- General representative (15 to elect)
- Representative for Graduate Students
- Representative for Indigenous Students
- Representative for International Students
- Representative for Queer Students
- Representative for Students of Colour
- Representative for Students with Disabilities
- Representative for Southbank Students
Committee members
Each committee elects 7 members.
- Activities Committee
- Creative Arts Committee
- Disabilities Committee
- Education Committee
- Environment Committee
- Indigenous Committee
- People of Colour Committee
- Queer Committee
- Welfare Committee
- Women’s Committee
Southbank campus positions
- Southbank Students Campus Co-ordinator
- Southbank Activities Officer
- Southbank Education Officer
- Southbank Students Committee (7 to elect)
Burnley campus positions
- Burnley Campus Co-ordinator
- Burnley Students Committee (7 to elect)
National Union of Students
- National Union of Students delegate (7 to elect)
2024 Byelection
Note: These positions are 2024 positions that are vacant. Successful candidates will fill the positions for the remainder of the 2024 term of office (until 30 November 2024).
- Indigenous Officer*
- Indigenous Committee member (6 to elect)
- Burnley Campus Co-ordinator
- Burnley Campus Committee member (5 to elect)
* Note: the Indigenous Officer position is listed but is subject to a resignation expected to take effect on 31 July
A list of positions, role descriptions, and current officeholders is also available.
Note the special requirements for University Council.
Nominations (how to be a candidate)
All general members of UMSU are entitled to run for elections. If you’re not a member, follow this guide to becoming a member — it’s free.
Nominations must be received by the deadline, which is 12noon (Melbourne time) on Friday, 9th August 2024. This deadline is strict and cannot be extended.
More information for candidates is available. This includes a summary of the eligibility requirements for specific positions, information about tickets, links to election forms, guidance for candidate photos and other information of interest to candidates.
Tickets
A group of fifteen or more members seeking election on a common platform may apply to register a ticket name and be set out on the ballot under the ticket’s name.
Information about tickets, including the form for registering a ticket, can be found on the candidate information page.
How to vote
This year, elections will be held online. You’ll receive a link in your student email on Monday, 2nd September, which you can use to vote. Voting will open at 10am that day. Your vote must be received by 5pm (Melbourne time), Friday 6th September. Voting isn’t possible outside this time.
All students enrolled in higher education award courses are eligible to vote in the elections.
As the elections are being held online, postal votes are not offered this year.
Getting help voting
If you have questions about voting, you can contact the Returning Officer for assistance.
During the election, we will be running polling help points on the Parkville, Southbank and Burnley campuses. More information about these will be posted closer to polling week.
Timetable
The election timetable will be updated throughout the election period.
- Monday, 22nd July
- Formal notice of elections given
- Opening of nominations
- Opening of ticket registration
- Wednesday, 31st July
- Details and date to be confirmed — prospective candidates’ information session
- 12noon, Friday 9th August
- Deadline: close of nominations, including complete policy statements and conflict of position forms
- Deadline: ticket registrations including ticket policy statements
- Note these deadlines are written into the Electoral Regulations strictly and therefore cannot be extended.
- 11.59pm, Monday 12th August
- Deadline: candidate photograph submission
- Deadline: ticket “order of candidates” forms
- Deadline: declarations of eligibility for certain positions
- To be advised: candidates’ information session
- Monday 2nd September – Friday 6th September
Election regulations
The election takes place under the auspices of the UMSU Constitution, Regulations, policy and procedures, in particular, the Electoral Regulations.
Returning Officer
The Returning Officer is responsible for managing the election. In 2024, UMSU has appointed Stephen Luntz of Above Quota Elections as Returning Officer. Patrick Clearwater has been appointed as Deputy Returning Officer.
Complaints: complaints about the conduct of the elections, or the candidates in it, can be made to the Returning Officer (below).
Office hours
Our office is Room 406, level 4, Building 168, on the Parkville Campus.
We hold regular drop-in office hours from 2pm–4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting from the 26th July. We are available for appointments outside those times.
Note: We don’t have an office or regular hours on the Southbank or Burnley campuses, but can attend by appointment if needed. Please contact us below.
Contact details
The best contact for the Returning Officer is returningofficer@union.unimelb.edu.au. If you wish to contact a specific official, see below.