Welcome back to Glass’s coverage of the QUT Student Representative Council (SRC) meetings! This is our coverage of the meeting held on Monday the 27th of July at Gardens Points’ P-Block, room P-419.
All current students are welcome to attend SRC meetings. If you want to see change on campus, we encourage you to put forward a motion to the SRC.
COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
You can find a link to the minutes from the meeting on this page once published, and you can read our live coverage on threads.
AND WE’RE OFF!
The meeting was opened at 6:11 PM by the Chair Fang Li.
Roll call confirmed the attendance of the following officers:
Roll call confirmed the attendance of the following officers:
President – Caleb McGiffin
Secretary – Samuel Hulls
Treasurer – Matthew Bloder
Welfare Officer – Isaac Oliver
Engagement Officer – Miles Hirst
Clubs and Societies Officer – Geoffrey Latz
Environment Officer – Yuanyi Tham
International Officer – Rajinder Singh
First Nations Officer – Mimi Lewis
Disability Officer – Felix Park Weir
Science Faculty Councillor – Connor Lowe
CIESJ Councillor – Elowyn Gampe
Education Officer – Georgie Dobbs
Women’s Officer – Keely McConnell
Postgrad Officer – Vaibhavi “V” Bisht
The following officers were absent with apologies:
Health Faculty Councillor – Ethan Johnstone
Science Faculty Councillor – Rajit Bhargava
Queer Officer – Lauren “Ren” Johnstone
Positions for Engineering Faculty Councillor remain vacant.
Secretary Samuel Hull raised that this was Caitlin Brennan’s second unexplained absence and that they therefore must be censured by the Chair.
The minutes from last council were confirmed.
MOTIONS WITH NOTICE
Amendment to QUT Guild Election Regulations
This motion was moved by Environment Officer Yuanyi Tham. Tham called for the Guild to remove Regulation 10.5, which has required students campaigning in the Guild elections to display physical IDs; those with only digital IDs are removed from the campaigning zone.
“The issue that we’ve seen in the last elections was basically people who didn’t have physical ID cards because QUT no longer just gives you one automatically when you vote – that actually created problems where students who wanted to campaign but didn’t have physical ID’s couldn’t present them to the Returning Officer (RO), and the RO couldn’t accept their digital IDs because the regulations say only physical IDs are permitted,” said Tham.
Seconder Georgia waived their right to speak, and the motion moved to vote.
President Caleb McGiffin and Secretary Samuel Hulls voted against the motion but were interrupted by attendees questioning their decisions.
Discussion started, and Welfare Officer Isaac Oliver spoke against the motion, stating “if we do remove 10.5, it means that no one would share their IDs, which then means that anyone from any campus in Queensland or even in other states could come to our elections.”
Indigenous Officer Mimi Lewis spoke for the motion, speaking to the difficulty of obtaining a physical ID as QUT announced they will be phasing out physical IDs.
Women’s Officer Keely McConnel made a point of information stating that there are already safeguards built into the election regulation—anyone concerned by the validity of a campaigner’s student status can notify the RO to check their IDs.
CIESJ Faculty Councillor Elowyn Gampe spoke for the motion.
“It’s actually just better if it’s available for students to not have to jump through further hoops because it’s already a complicated application process. We should make it as easy as possible to participate in the democratic processes of the student union,” said Gampe.
Yuanyi exercised their right of reply, stating that the RO raised this issue with the SRC last year as an issue serious enough to remove the regulation so as to fix the problem.
The motion moved to a vote and did not pass.
MOTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
There were twelve motions without notice this meeting. The room subsequently adjourned for ten minutes, allowing attendees to read and discuss the proposed motions.
QUT Guild stands in solidarity with Indian Students Fighting for their Future
International Officer Rajinder Singh moved the motion, speaking to current youth-led protest movements in India and peaceful demonstrations met with aggressive policing.
“This protest was not just to demand the resignation of the education minister. This is more about demanding a fairer education system that supports the students,” said Singh.
Student observer Sharon seconded the motion, saying that “There is a real movement among students that reject what this fascist government stands for. There is no reforming it.”
Environment officer Yuanyi Tham spoke for the motion.
“I think the student protests in India are just like so incredibly inspiring and I think it points to the role that students and student unions can actually play in terms of actually making political arguments to the student body and actually encouraging them to fight for what they deserve and what they believe.
“The student unions of India were able to mobilise tens of thousands of students to come out and call out the government for allowing the education system to generate into such a corrupt, scandal-written system.
“I think it’s really important that we take the example of these students in India and encourage more people that can try to go against the system because that’s what we need right now,” said Tham.
The motion passed unanimously.
Condemn the ALP for its meeting with Narendra Modi
Education Officer Georgie Dobbs moved the motion.
“The crux of this motion is to say that leaders like this should be fought. The lead from the Labor Party that we have witnessed is that people of this nature—politicians which have a programme of inciting racial violence, attacking peaceful protestors, attacking students—should be welcomed with open arms.
“It’s important as a student union that we condemn the Labor Party for its meeting with Modi. They are more than happy to ignore this kind of violence. This is disgraceful. It just makes the world a more dangerous, violent place,” said Dobbs.
Student Observer Sharon seconded the motion, stating that key issues Australians care about aren’t being acknowledged by the Labor Party, in favour of “imperial power”.
CIESJ Faculty Councillor Elowyn Gampe also spoke for the motion, speaking to Modi’s military interests and repression of the student movement in India.
President Caleb McGiffin made a point of information regarding the motion, stating that it condemns the Labor Party rather than Modi himself. Thus, he was going to abstain from the vote.
“This is the most typical, classic political point-scoring that we see from Socialist Alternative in these meetings, where the substance of the motion is really good. You’re totally right, Modi is a fascist, he’s a murderer, he’s a racist, and he is a terrible person. So, what is the substance of motion? Condemn Labor,” said McGiffin.
In response, Gampe asked “Is that not worth responding to, the head of your political party doing this? Caleb? You didn’t respond to the political arguments we made.”
Student Observer and Member of Socialist Alternative Isabella Foley spoke for the motion.
“This is about you and your faction actually standing for something, you know, that actually matters. It’s not about political point scoring; it’s about holding politicians accountable here in Australia for meeting with people who are actively shifting the global climate in politics further to the right.
“The Labor Party are voting against opposing the Prime Minister of Australia, meeting with, you’re right, a fascist. I don’t know what’s so funny. I don’t know what there is to laugh at. It’s absolutely disgusting,” said Foley.
The motion passed, with Labor-aligned councillors abstaining from the motion.
The QUT Guild calls for a Royal Commission on Gender-Based Violence
Women’s Officer Keely McConnell moved the motion, citing the number of women killed this year as a result of gender-based violence: 42.
“I shouldn’t have to say, imagine if that was your sister, your mother, etc. for you to understand how serious this is. This femicide has been going on for decades. However, there has never been a royal commission into gender-based violence, despite this epidemic of violence being widely known.
“These deaths will not stop until this is a recognised issue. These deaths will not be stopped without a change in our culture,” said McConnell.
Disability Officer Felix Park Weir seconded the motion, stating it is the responsibility of men to help make systemic change. Weir also raised that there are financial barriers in place such as the Centrelink partner income test which prevent women, disabled women especially, from leaving abusive relationships.
Student Observer Isabella Foley spoke for the motion and spoke to the connection between femicide and worsening economic conditions of women globally. Foley also asked the Labor-aligned students in the room to speak to the Labor Party’s attempts to address this issue.
There were no more speeches from the floor. The motion passed unanimously.
QUT Guild Condemns Homeless Service Funding Cuts
Clubs and Societies Officer Geoffrey Latz moved the next motion while Business and Law Faculty Councillor Emmett Morrison seconded.
First Nations Officer Mimi Lewis spoke for the motion.
“I would like to just point out that ultimately these provisions do little to actually prevent or help homeless people when they are experiencing crises for lack of access to housing.
“Housing is not an issue of scarcity in this country. There are thousands of empty homes that sit vacant that governments across the country could seize and make available to homeless people. And nothing is done. They sit back and they count their money,” said Lewis.
Education Officer Georgie Dobbs moved a motion to amend the original motion and add a fourth point stating that the QUT Guild supports the seizure of all vacant homes in Australia and demands the federal government distribute them to the homeless population.
“I think we need to be real with ourselves and say that our student union needs to do more against one of the biggest issues that’s affecting young students in this country—the housing crisis,” said Dobbs.
Mover Geoffrey Latz was not amenable.
President Caleb McGiffin spoke against the amendment to the motion stating, “that’s not a realistic solution.”
“If I had a dollar for every neoliberal solution that the Labor Party had come up with for the housing crisis, I would have enough money to build enough public homes so that there were no homeless people in Australia anymore,” replied Student Observer Isabella Foley.
International Officer Rajinder Singh made a point of information regarding the amendment, asking how it would solve the problem in the long term.
First Nations Officer Mimi Lewis replied, saying that “One of the biggest barriers for homeless people to get a job is having a stable address. When you give someone a house, you give them the opportunity to thrive because they don’t have to worry about having access to basic amenities.”
Votes ‘for’ and ‘against’ were tied so the amendment failed to pass.
The SRC voted on the original motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Support a National Day of Action to scrap the NDIS Bill
Disability Officer Felix Park Weir moved the motion.
“There are no provisions within the bill to address harm caused by its consequences. Plan reassessments will change completely, and participants will lose access to essential rights. The amendments are not culturally safe or trauma informed to the point that discrimination against marginalised people is actually built into this bill, by way of excluding any reference to their needs.
“As long as we ask disabled people to rely on a for-profit system that benefits private health care providers, we are failing. The real solution is to create a universal widely accessible public health care system that effectively addresses disability care as well,” said Weir.
Environment Officer Yuanyi Tham seconded the motion.
“I think that the NDIS cuts and this amendment bill that we’re seeing is just another line of attack that the Labor Party is unleashing upon the most vulnerable people in Australian society.
“It’s about encouraging people with disabilities, and working-class people in general, to stand up against the disgusting Labor government who has been totally complicit in the erosion of our quality of life in this country, and it’s about giving them the confidence to actually fight for themselves, fight for their rights,” said Tham.
The Chair called for any speeches from the floor, and Student Observer Isabella Foley called for those in the SRC who are aligned with Labor to speak to the motion.
“This is like a massive attack, not just on the health care of people with disabilities in Australia, but it’s also going to force a bunch of people’s families to become their unpaid caretakers. It’s the most egregious attack on some of the most oppressed people in Australian capitalism I’ve seen in my lifetime. What do you have to say about that?” said Foley.
They were met with silence. The motion passed unanimously.
The QUT Guild is Concerned by the NUS Endorsing Increased Repression on Campus
CIESJ Faculty Councillor Elowyn Gampe moved the motion.
“This is functioning as a pink-washing project for what is actually the largest attack on our civil liberties in several years.
“There are examples of genuine anti-Semitism that have been raised at the Royal Commission, but it’s actually important to say that all of the examples were not acted upon by universities and were not associated with the Palestine movement, which they are claiming is responsible for this rise.
“There is a constant complaint that the opposition to genocide displayed by the anti-racist Palestine solidarity movement over the last few years is apparently the same as the criticism of the religion of Judaism. This is actually just a blatant lie and a smear thrown at the Palestine movement which has fortunately actually been rejected by the vast majority of society,” said Gampe.
Education Officer Georgie Dobbs seconded the motion.
“A whole bunch of the uni sector have stepped forward and have recognised that this is actually an opportunity to attack unions and students and staff, anyone on a uni campus who wants to talk about the genocide, who wants to call out the actions of our government, who wants to talk about weapons on campus—anything that says you support Palestine.
“We can’t conflate real, dangerous antisemitism with anti-Zionism,” said Dobbs.
President Caleb McGiffin spoke against the motion, stating that there is a rise in anti-Semitism on campuses but that “to try and conflate all of that into an attack on the Commission is to disregard the rise.”
McGiffin also noted that there has been antisemitic graffiti on campus.
Student observer Isabella Foley replied, speaking for the motion.
“The point of this Royal Commission is to conflate the Palestine movement with a rise in anti-Semitism that has obviously resulted in one of the most egregious massacres that is racially motivated against Jewish people in Australia ever.
“There are just people who get up and they say that to support Palestine in and of itself is anti-Semitic. I think as a student union, it’s very important that we reject that that is the truth. That is not the truth. It is not anti-Semitic to support Palestine. It is not anti-Semitic to stand up to the government of Israel and its policy of genocide and apartheid,” said Foley.
The vote was tied, so the motion did not pass.
Education Officer Georgie Dobbs began questioning why Welfare Officer Isaac Oliver voted against and moved a procedural motion to abstain the meeting for ten minutes. This did not pass.
Motion to Condemn Youth Justice (Circuit Breaker) Amendment Bill 2026
& Motion to Condemn Breach Bail, Go to Jail
These two motions were moved en bloc by First Nations Officer Mimi Lewis, and seconded by Disability Officer Felix Park Weir, both motions regarding the Crisafulli government’s amendment to justice bills.
Lewis stated the bill targets Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth, giving the QLD justice system “unprecedented control” over their lives with “no consultation with welfare professionals or consideration for social safety.”
“I think the QUT Guild must push for the better conditions of young people and all incarcerated people while condemning the system that profits from locking up vulnerable children,” said Lewis.
Seconder Felix Park Weir stated that the Labour Party are using children as political tools.
Education Officer Georgie Dobbs spoke for the motion.
“It’s laws like this, laws that are endorsed across the political divide for both Labour and Liberal alike that seek to lock up more Indigenous kids in detention facilities to give the police more powers to take them away from their families and from their communities,” said Dobbs.
Both motions passed unanimously.
Support the National Day of Action (Student Strike) to Fight the Far Right and Pauline Hanson
First Nations Officer Mimi Lewis moved the motion, reading the preamble.
“The global rise of abhorrent, right-wing ideas and oppressive governments has given room for the previously disgraced Pauline Hanson to rise back up the political ranks and gain record polls, with 31 percent of people in favour of voting for Pauline Hanson in some areas,” said Lewis.
Women’s Officer Keely McConnel spoke for the motion, speaking against the actions and policies of Senator Pauline Hanson and the rise of the far right.
Treasurer Matthew Bloder made a point of information stating that encouraging students to walk out of class is not the best mode of delivery to convey the motion’s message.
Student observer Isabella Foley rejected this sentiment stating that “pretty much all of civil society should be totally disrupted non-stop until the rise of the far right is actually halted in its tracks. The purpose of the student union is to try and promote actions like this.”
Science Faculty Councillor Connor Lowe spoke for the motion, saying “I don’t know how you can say that Labor’s going to offer any alternative to [Pauline Hanson] when they do have, in my strong opinion, racist policies of their own. But we can’t really just let Labor and wait around, because I think we’ve done enough waiting already.”
The motion passed.
QUT Guild Condemns the Federal Governments Ongoing Subclass485 Temporary
Graduate Visa Fee Hikes
International Student Officer Rajinder Singh moved the motion, asking the room to imagine that they have just spent $200,000 for their education and while preparing to apply for a graduate visa, they get the announcement that the government has doubled the fees.
President Caleb McGiffin seconded the motion, stating they are “proud’ to condemn the Labor Party and federal government for increasing the costs of this visa.
Engagement Officer Miles Hirst spoke for the motion.
“This unexpected and unwarranted second rise to the hikes for the 485 should be that it is not just for international students. Future hikes should be announced ahead of time to give students and their families time. The government should also clearly demonstrate whether additional funds are going to be used,” said Hirst.
Women’s Officer Keely McConnel spoke for the motion, saying “I think it’s absolutely disgusting that the government is making it even more difficult for international students to study and work in Australia. It ties into this building xenophobia that we have in Australia against not wanting people to migrate to Australia when we thrive on that in Australia. We are a multicultural society.”
Education Officer Georgie Dobbs also spoke for the motion, calling the visa process in Australia “racist”. Dobbs also stated the importance of a student union’s approach to government actions like this.
Dobbs continued speaking because they did not want the student members of the Labor Party to “get the last word.” They then made reference to the earlier motion regarding the antisemitism royal commission, calling these SRC members frauds.
Dobbs was stopped by the chair on point of relevance and was reminded to not make personal attacks.
The motion passed unanimously.
CLOSING
There were no questions, and the chair closed the meeting at 8:41PM.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday the 27th of August. Further details TBA.
That concludes Glass Magazine’s coverage of the 2026 May SRC meeting.
See you next time Glassies xoxo
