Opinion: AUSA Election Debates
Earlier on Monday 25 August, the AUSA candidate debates for 2027 were held in the Student Quad.
Unfortunately, viewer turnout remained scant, with most onlookers only lingering to satiate their mild curiosity before ultimately resuming their journey to class (you’d hope, at least).
Some credit is due for the thankless mahi of the debate organisers, comprising members of AESA, Debating Society and Public Policy Club. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these are the clubs already most sympathetic to the cause of civic education, but their efforts are not to be taken for granted. Despite AUSA’s enduring (ir)relevancy crisis, some members of the student body still strive to arm student voters with as much information as possible about their aspiring student representatives, ahead of elections closing this Friday, 28 August.
Halfway through the presidential candidate debate, one of the debate moderators invited the panel to address the array of campaign posters plastered all over the Student Quad, actively calling for a ‘No Confidence’ vote across all AUSA portfolios. The mystery protester, or perhaps a group thereof, seems rather emblematic of the student body’s wider disinterest (at best) towards their student association.
One poster dubs the AUSA student elections the “Annual Comedy Show”, but the prevailing disconnect of THE platform for student voice from the very students it purports to represent hardly seems like a laughing matter.
Although one might easily miss this detail in the midst of hastily enrolling into next semester’s electives, each student compulsorily pays ~$1,000 towards a student levy. These compulsory payments are used to fund essential on-campus student support services and activities, aka the offerings AUSA oversees year by year.
While the mahi may very well extend beyond their contracted hours, each position on the AUSA Executive is also paid a living wage, all throughout the holiday period. Furthermore, each position assumes a different level of responsibility, presumably reflected in the varying levels of contracted hours for each portfolio.
* President — 40 hours per week
* Vice Presidents — 20 hours per week
* Officers — 10 hours per week
Note: Payments are made as honorariums, not as a salary.
Funding is always limited, but we nonetheless compensate members of the AUSA student executive presumably because we still believe in their mandate and the vital work they carry out on behalf of all students.
Every year, students receive a couple dozen follow requests from the newly published Instagram accounts of aspiring AUSA representatives, imploring you to vote for them. Bright, yet almost inevitably Canva-produced campaign posters materialise in every nook and cranny on campus, painting optimistic visions for what life on campus could be, if you simply exercised your right to vote.
At the end of the day, your money is being spent, and a vote allows you to have a say above all else. A vote for your next AUSA President, or a vote of no confidence, is a vote cast among thousands missed every year.
As Craccum nears its 100 years of publication in 2027, it remains living proof of why student voice matters, and why we must continuously rally to keep it alive.
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