UWA student elections

UWA student elections

By Sean Martin-Iverson

PERTH — University of Western Australia student guild elections are to be held from September 7-10. Left student activists have united to form a ticket to challenge the entrenched bureaucracy of the UWA guild and the local National Union of Students.

Resistance members will be running on the Activate ticket to remove the incumbent careerists and establish democracy, accountability and a commitment to activist politics.

Because of WA's voluntary student unionism legislation, the guild has become increasingly apolitical and focused on offering discounts, rather than student activism. For example, the guild refused to adopt Indonesian student Andi Arief when he was a political prisoner.

Activate will campaign for a guild that fights against racism, sexism and environmental destruction. Trisha Reimers, Resistance member and Activate candidate for women's officer, told Green Left Weekly: "Resistance sees the need for left activists to work together beyond elections. Voting for Activate is not enough. Students must participate in campaign committees like the Women's Department and the Education Action Network."

From GLW issue 330