University of Western Australia Student Guild

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The UWA Student Guild is the official student representative body at the University of Western Australia, representing the interests of students to the university, government and the wider community, as well as providing services to students. As of 2021, the Guild is affiliated with the National Union of Students, the peak representative body for Australian tertiary students.[1] In 2021, 96% of the 21,265 UWA students were members of the Guild.[1]

Guild Council is the overall governing body of the Guild and consists of voting and non-voting members democratically elected at the annual Guild elections or at department annual general meetings.[2]

Governance

Annual Elections

Student representatives are elected to their positions by students in annual elections held in September. Elections are conducted by the Western Australian Electoral Commission. Elected office bearers take office as of 1 December in the year they are elected.[2]

Guild Executive

The Guild Executive consists of the Guild President, the Guild Vice-president, the Guild General Secretary, and the Chair of Guild Council.[2] Both the Guild Vice-president and the Chair of Guild Council are elected by and from Guild Council at the first meeting for the Guild Year.[2]

Guild Council

The Guild is administered by a council of student representatives elected for one-year terms, beginning on December 1 and ending on the 30th of November in the following year.[2] There are twenty-one voting members of council, and several more non-voting members.[2] Members may hold a voting and a non-voting role concurrently.[2] Unlike some other student unions, there is no financial compensation for student representatives, with the exception of the President and Postgraduate Representative who work at the Guild full-time and part-time respectively during their term.[2]

Members of Guild Council are:

  • Guild President: the peak student representative at UWA.[2][3] The 2025 Guild President is Nikhita (Nikhi) Talluri.[4][3]
  • Vice President: is responsible for assisting the President as a member of the Guild Executive.[2][5] The 2025 Vice President is Oliver Barrett.[5]
  • Chair of Guild Council (or Chair): is responsible for chairing all meetings of Guild Council as well as presiding over statutes and by-laws of the Guild.[2][6] The 2025 Chair is Aidan Kirby-Smith.[6]
  • General Secretary (GenSec): sits on several committees, publishes the agendas and minutes for Guild Council, and assists with organising the budget for the Guild.[2][7] The 2025 General Secretary is Annika Leunig.[4][7]
  • President of Education Council: chairs Education Council (Ed. Council) which provides a forum for students to have a voice on educational issues.[2][8] The 2025 Education Council President is Jay Williams.[8][9]
  • President of Public Affairs Council (PAC): is responsible for overseeing the activities of PAC as well as reporting to Guild Council.[2][10] The 2025 PAC President is Aimee Chan.[4][11]
  • President of Societies Council (SOC): is responsible for overseeing the activities of SOC as well as reporting to Guild Council.[2][12] The 2025 SOC President is Ethan Tan.[4][12]
  • President of the Postgraduate Students' Association (PSA): oversees the PSA which is the representative body for postgraduate students at UWA.[2][13] The 2025 PSA President is Charlotte (Charlie) Backshall.[13][14]
  • President of the International Students' Department (ISD): is responsible for overseeing ISD which represents international students studying at UWA.[2][15] The 2025 ISD President is Archit Menon.[4]
  • The 2025 Western Australian Students' Aboriginal Corporation (WASAC) Chair: is Ashleigh Petkovic.[2]
  • Women's Officer: is responsible for overseeing the Women's Department which represents women and non-binary students on campus.[2][16] The 2025 Women's Officer is Ruby Membry.[4]
  • 13 Ordinary Guild Councillors (OGC).[2] The 2024 OGCs are:
    • Oliver Barrett.[4]
    • Ritika Menon.[4]
    • Kassidy Anderson.[4]
    • Jude Kamalddin.[4]
    • Katrina Soares.[4]
    • Naveen Nimalan.[4]
    • Lachy Flavel.[4]
    • Ojaswi Shrestha.[4]
    • Finn Penter.[4]
    • Aidan Kirby-Smith.[4]
    • Olivia Stronach.[4]
    • Archana Ashok.[4]
    • Rama Sugiartha.[4]

Standing Invitees are not members of Guild Council but have the same rights and privileges.[2] Standing invitees are:

  • Immediate past Guild President.[17]
  • Wellbeing Officer: is responsible for overseeing the activities of the Wellbeing Department which co-ordinates and organises the wellbeing activities.[17][18][19] The 2025 Wellbeing Officer is Jeffrey Tang.[9][18]
  • Environment Officer: is responsible for overseeing the Environment Department which seeks to promote sustainability for the Guild and University.[17][20] The 2025 Environment Officer is Julia Suffell.[21]
  • Sports Officer: is responsible for overseeing the activities of the Sports Department which seeks to promote active lifestyles for UWA students.[17][22] The 2025 Sports Officer is Damian Zhang.[4]
  • Residential Students' Department (RSD) President: oversees the activities of RSD which is the peak representative body for students living on-campus.[17][23] The 2025 RSD President is Elizabeth (Libby) Bailey, Bailey was appointed following the resignation of Anthony Sims.[23]
  • Pride Officer: is responsible for overseeing the Pride Department.[17][24] The 2025 Pride Co-Officers are Aryaman Bhoosreddy and Ashel Siby.[24]
  • Access Officer: is responsible for overseeing the Access Department.[17][24] The 2024 Access Co-Officers are Tabarek Alhaffar and Lucinda Bartlett.[24]
  • Ethnocultural Officer: is responsible for overseeing the Ethnocultural Department which serves as a representative voice for culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) students to Guild Council.[17][25] The 2025 Ethnocultural Co-Officers are Selina Al Ansari and Reihaneh Gholilou.[25]
  • Volunteering Chair.[17]
  • Mature Age Students' Association (MASA) Chair.[17]
  • Any other Department officers.[17]

Services provided

The Guild runs a number of activities including Orientation Day (O-Day), the Weekly Tav Quiz and welfare events.[1] Guild Departments and Subsidiary Councils run other events, such as Club Carnival run by the Societies Council.[12]

The Guild supports and assists a network of more than 140 affiliated clubs and societies on campus through the Societies Council, catering to a very wide range of interests (religious, theatrical, cultural etc.).[12] The Guild runs the majority of catering outlets on campus, including the Tavern, and a volunteering centre.

The Guild's Student Assist provides one-on-one academic advocacy, financial counselling, a food pantry, and interest-free loans.[26]

Student media

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The Publications Committee oversees print publications from student departments.[1] This includes publications such as Pelican, Damsel Magazine (Women's Department), and Lighthouse Magazine (International Students' Department).[1]

Pelican was established in 1930, making it one of the oldest student publications in Australia.[27]

PROSH is a Guild initiative that began in 1931 and is the oldest and most successful single-day charity event in the country run entirely by students.[28][29] The tradition sees UWA students dress up in costumes and sell the satirical newspaper to raise money for charity.[29]

History

Foundation

The first meeting of Guild Council was held on Friday the 11th of April in 1913 with Sir John Winthrop Hackett serving as the first Guild President.[30] Due to tuition being free at UWA at the time, there were limited resources for social and sporting activities, this resulted in the Guild taking these activities on and charging a membership fee of a half-crown, two shillings and a sixpence.[30]

Cruickshank-Routley Memorial Prize

In 1955, following the deaths of two final year law students - Ian Cruickshank and George Routley - the Cruickshank-Routley Memorial Prize was established by the Guild.[31] In July 1983, an inaugural Cruickshank-Routley Memorial Prize Dinner was held which has now become the annual Guild Ball, held in October.[31] The Cruickshank-Routley Memorial Prize is awarded to the student who has made the greatest contribution to student life at UWA.[31][32] In 2023, the prize was $500.[32]

'New' Guild Building

In 2021, the UWA Student Guild held a Guild Alumni event to celebrate fifty years since the opening of the New Guild Building.[1] The event was attended by former Guild President, Kim Beazley as well as former Guild Councillor the Hon. Robert French AC.[1]

Controversies

Racism controversy

The 2013 edition of annual charity newspaper Prosh caused significant controversy when a racist article, "dream-time horoscopes" lead to a public relations disaster for the Guild, with the Indigenous Communities Education & Awareness Foundation (ICEA) withdrawing support from the paper.[33][34][35] SBS News reported that the horoscopes read "don't get stuck in a rut, shake up your daily routine and grab yourself a block of V-B instead of export".[33] The Guild President at the time, Cameron Barnes, apologised for the article and committing to conducting an independent review of the newspaper's editorial processes.[33]

Missing money

In May 2014, the Guild hired audit and tax firm BDO to investigate financial irregularities in the Guild's 2013 accounts which identified between $800,000 and $900,000 in financial irregularities.[36][37] Following the investigation, a staff member was dismissed as confirmed by the then Guild President, Tom Henderson.[38] In 2018, a former financial officer of the Guild confessed to stealing more than $500,000 from the organisation.[38][37][39] The financial officer was ordered to pay back $560,000 to the Guild's insurer as well as sentenced to four years in jail.[39]

Past Guild Presidents

Year Name Ref.
1913 Sir John Winthrop Hackett [30]
1914 Mr JJ Fitzgerald [30]
1915 Mr JG Robertson [30]
1916 Mr HS Thompson [30]
1917 Mr J Shearer [30]
1918 Mr HT Stables [30]
1919 Mr AF Backhouse [30]
1920 Mr E Grace [30]
1921 Mr EW Gillett [30]
1922 Mr HPD Lyon [30]
1923 Mr F Maw [30]
1923+ Mr TA Hartrey [30]
1924 Mr SG Demasson [30]
1925 Mr W Southern [30]
1926 Mr GL Throssell [30]
1927 Mr KL Cooper [30]
1928 Mr RG Wright [30]
1929 Mr AM Stewart [30]
1930 Mr RV Nevile [30]
1931 Mr HC Coombs [30]
1932 Mr C Sanders [30]
1933 Mr TG Wilsmore [30]
1934 Mr TH Roberts [30]
1935 Mr PWE Curtin [30]
1936 Mr GP Paterson [30]
1937 Mr NG Traylen [30]
1938 Mr H Giese [30]
1939 Mr S Johnson [30]
1940 Mr AJ Williams [30]
1941 Mr GB Hill [30]
1942 Mr FM Bennett [30]
1943 Mr JM Thomson [30]
1944 Mr AL Arcus [30]
1945 Mr FH Hibberd [30]
1946 Mr GE Ross [30]
1947 Mr DD Dunn [30]
1948 Mr PD Durack [30]
1949 Mr SB Rosier [30]
1950 Mr DE Hutchison [30]
1951 Mr JO Stone [30]
1952 Mr RJ Hawke [30]
1953 Mr BH Lochtenberg [30]
1953+ Mr LG Wilson [30]
1954 Mr JH McConnell [30]
1955 Mr JFM Gillett [30]
1956 Mr EN Maslen [30]
1957 Mr JK Walsh [30]
1958 Mr KB Paterson [30]
1959 Mr RD Nicholson [30]
1960 Mr EM Palandri [30]
1961 Mr GG Harvey [30]
1962 Mr RSW Lugg [30]
1963 Mr AH Fels [30]
1964 Mr DR Williams [30]
1965 Mr SG Errington [30]
1966 Mr RB Alexander [30]
1967 Mr PG Edwards [30]
1968 Mr D MacKinlay [30]
1969 Ms SJD Boyd [30]
1970 Mr KC Beazley [30]
1971 Mr RJ Perry [30]
1972 Mr JA McGinty [30]
1973 Mr RB Porter [30]
1974 Mr PM Alexander [30]
1975 Mr DC Parker [30]
1976 Mr NG Roberts [30]
1977 Mr AD Fitzgerald [30]
1978 Mr WR Grace [30]
1979 Mr KW Strahan [30]
1980 Mr DN Anderson [30]
1981 Mr ERJ Dermer [30]
1982 Mr MW Rennie [30]
1983 Mr MJ Huston [30]
1984 Miss DE Willmont [30]
1985 Mr DJ Kelly [30]
1986 Mr MT Schaper [30]
1987 Miss JA Quinlivan [30]
1988 Mr AC Tomlinson [30]
1989 Mr MZ Sumich [30]
1990 Mr TL Smith [30]
1991 Bruce Baskerville [30]
1992 Justin Kennedy [30]
1993 Luke Forsyth [30]
1994 Sarah Haynes [30]
1995 Natalie Curling [30]
1996 Simon Freitag [30]
1997 James Fogarty [30]
1998 Rosie Dawkins [30]
1999 Emmanuel Hondros [30]
2000 Tim Huggins [30]
2001 Kristy Duckham [30]
2002 Ryan Batchelor [30]
2003 Myra Robinson [30]
2004 Susie Byers [30]
2005 Natalie Hepburn [30]
2006 Mathew Chuk [30]
2007 Dave de Hoog [30]
2008 Nik Barron [30]
2009 Dominic Rose [30]
2010 Emma Greeney [30]
2011 Tom Antoniazzi [30]
2012 Matthew Mckenzie [30]
2013 Cameron Barnes [30]
2014 Thomas Henderson [30]
2015 Lizzy O’Shea [30]
2016 Maddie Mulholland [30]
2017 Nevin Jayawardena [30]
2018 Megan Lee [30]
2019 Conrad Hogg [30]
2020 Bre Shanahan [40]
2021 Emma Mezger [41]
2022 Amitabh Jeganathan [42]
2023 Geemal Jayawickrama [43]
2024 Indi Creed [4]

References

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  13. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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