BY JANE ARMANASCO
PERTH — Left-wing activists have performed well in elections to the Curtin University student guild here, but have been unable to oust conservative and apolitical incumbents, who retained 12 out of 16 positions on guild council.
The September elections were the first held for two years. Three major tickets ran, along with many "feeder" tickets to direct preferences to the tickets.
Conservative and apolitical students have dominated the Curtin student union for many years. The women's department and other similar departments were closed by the guild in 1995, and no political clubs are allowed to affiliate to it. There are also huge restrictions on publicising political issues and campaigns. Guild council meetings are not publicised and attract little student interest.
The most radical ticket, Rage, was formed by activists involved in collectives and campaigns on the university, as a direct response to the incumbent guild leadership's lack of interest in students' needs. Rage candidates were also angered by the cancelling of elections last year and sought to ensure the same thing wouldn't again.
The ticket campaigned for more democracy in the guild and for increased activism and solidarity. It proposed that salaries of the guild president and vice-president be cut by 50% (they are both paid $28,000 a year) and that the money be diverted to create new women's, education, sexuality and environment officers' positions.
One Rage member was elected to the guild council and another one a position as a National Union of Students delegate.