Welcome to Glass’ live coverage of the 2026 QUT Guild’s Student Representative Council Elections! This blog will be regularly updated during the campaigning and voting periods of this year’s election.
PROVISIONAL RESULTS
2365 total vote
President – Emmett Morrison (Progress)
Secretary – Lucas Gordon (Progress)
Treasurer – Kai Robinson (Progress)
Education Officer – Eloise Decloedt (People’s Party)
Engagement Officer – Miles Hirst (Progress)
Clubs and Societies Officer – Caleb McGiffin (Progress)
Environmental Officer- Tee Bridges (People’s Party)
Women’s Officer – Saijalpreet Kaur (Progress)
International Officer – Rajinder Singh (Progress)
Post Graduate Officer – Yasir Shaikh (Progress)
Business and Law Faculty Councillor – Elisabeth Kaptain (Progress), Charles Box (Progress)
CIESJ Faculty Councillor – Isabella Foley (SAlt), Harley Wilson (Progress)
Engineering Faculty Councillor – Joe Wilson (Progess), Conor Mitchell (SAlt)
Science Faculty Councillor – Isaac Stumer (Progress), Karan Rooprai (Independent)
NUS – Connor Knight (SAlt), Georgie Dobbs (SAlt), Emmett Morrison (Progress), Caleb Mcgiffin (Progress), Rajinder Singh (Progress), Elisabeth Kaptain (Progress), Isaac Oliver (Elevate)
Board – Ella Budge, Sarah Noor
DAY 8: Friday October 9
It is the final day of campaigning and the last chance for the factions to secure votes before polling closes at 5:00 pm.
All campaigners are out in force today on the Gardens Point campus and the amiable atmoshpere from yesterday has since vanished. The Progress-SAlt alliance has been accused by the Elevate, People’s Party and Ignite caucus of increasingly aggressive campaign tactics.
Ignites’ Charles Goodwin told Glass that he had been called a racist multiple times. When asked if he was a racist, Goodwin replied “no”. Additionally, People’s Party candidate Ali Abbasi, said that he had been followed all day by multiple progress candidates. In response, Presidential candidate for Progress Emmett Morrison, described the accusations as “hyperbolic”.
The largest point of contention today was wether or not each faction supported Guild money being used for political activism and guild affiliated political clubs. For SAlt and Progress, the answer was a resounding yes. They criticised the other party’s for their apolitical stance and Elevate’s support of disaffiliating political clubs from the Guild. SAlt candidate Connor Knight said that he condemned an apolitical Guild with “Every fibre of my [his] being”.
Ignite and the People’s Party both had a similar stance on the matter. Ignites’ Charles Goodwin explained that it really depends on the context. “Most of the time the Guild doesn’t really have enough power to influence that change,” he said in regards to global societal issues.
Ali Abbasi from the Peoples party stated, “we want guild funds to go to students first and then to social issues.” He continued saying that “you can’t spend every penny on political activism.”
Elevate seemed to differ slighlty from the rest of their caucus, with Presidential candidate Isaac Oliver said that political activism should be funded as “it is the core of student unionism”. Where Oliver differs from SAlt and Progress is that they believe that while funding should go towards political activism it should not be used to support any particular party agenda.
Ahead of this afternoons results announcement, at 6:00 pm at the Botanic Bar, most of the factions have described themselves as carefully optimistic; aside from Progress, who are very confident that all of their candidates will be elected.
The provisional results will be published here once they have been annouced at 7:00 pm.
DAY 7: Thursday October 8
There is little to report on the ground today, as the factions have come to tolerate each other. When asked how the third day of voting was shaping up, most candidates replied that nothing of note was taking place.
Voting has plateaued, students are less inclined to take flyers and there is less of a presence on campus.
Comparatively, the online discourse has ramped up. Environmental officer candidate and member of the peoples party, Tee Bridges, provided a statement to Glass overnight in response to yesterday’s coverage of the online conversation between herself, and the SAlt Candidate for Environmental officer, Connor Knight.
Brigdes explained that “my opponent feeling that I was taking a personal dig at them, says more about them and the overall reputation of SAlt, than it does about me.” She emphasised that this post, nor any other, was not directed at Knight, and made no mention of them or SAlt.
Bridges condemned Knights online and in person comments, saying “what I will no longer stay quiet about is the use of personal attacks and guilt tripping as political tactics.”
Bridges cited Knight’s comment under the aforementioned post calling an instagram user who disagreed with them “Tony Abbott” and alleged that SAlt had been booing students who expressed interest in voting for other candidates.
The Environmental officer candidate highlighted in her statement that, while she understands the bigger issues of today, she is “not interested in making promises that I can’t guarantee the Guild has the power to change,” and that she will continue to “fight for what is right, whether on campus or the bigger issues affecting our communities.”
Presidential candidate for Elevate, Isaac Oliver, expressed their desire to weigh in on the conversation saying “Connor’s comments are not an isolated case among office bearer candidates but a systemic symptom of the election culture that has been cultivated by the political factions for years.”
Oliver went on to explain that this culture is the reason why there are a large number of non-affiliated parties and independents running this year.
“It’s a direct response to the faction’s inadequacies.”
As of 5:00 pm today the voter count sits at 1692.
DAY 6: Wednesday October 7
With voting opening just yesterday, candidates took the chance to continue to push for votes on social media, reemphasising their campaign promises.
People’s Party Candidate for Environment Officer Tee Bridges stated on a promotional Instagram post that they “understand the scope” of the role and “know that they’re not going to solve climate change”, stating that their first action if elected is to tackle QUT’s recycling systems.
Their opponent, Conor Knight, running with SAlt, took to their comments, asking whether that was a ‘dig’ at them. Speaking to Glass, Knight stated that ignoring the broader context of climate change in favour of staying insular with regards to things like QUT’s recycling policies is akin to “abandoning the field of battle at a time where human survival has never been more dire and important,”
“Institutions like the Guild and student unions around the country can, and we saw this during the movement for Palestine, play a role in thrusting students’ opinions, wants, and cares to the front of Australian political life and society.
“I think it’s actually a disadvantage for students to have an Environment Officer that doesn’t see that bigger picture. I’m all for recycling, but I think we’ve got bigger fish to fry,” Knight said.
Three SAlt members have been elected unopposed: the First Nations, Queer, and Disability Officers. To this, Knight stated “I think that everyone acknowledges that the socialist ground game is the best ground game.”
Progress’ candidate for President Emmet Morrison admitted that students are very receptive to the socialist message but is not dismayed because their faction has been “visible every single day of the campaign.”
The distinct strategies used by election campaigners typically divide into two core approaches: student-centric initiatives and global-political frameworks. Some attempt to teeter the line.
Progress is one faction whose campaign policies focus on hyper-local campus improvements and student welfare such as promises to ‘fix’ QUT YOU subjects and to build a permanent food bank at our Gardens Point campus.
Morrison stated that “the Guild is an all-encompassing union. The SRC is a small part of that that focuses on a student voice, and that student voice includes global issues,”
Charles Goodwin, running on the Ignite ticket for Engagement Officer, said that some campaigns may be misleading in this way because “you can’t just snap your fingers and all of a sudden its done,”
“I think it’s important to consider what the Guild can actually achieve,” they stated.
There are now two days left on the campaign before the provisional declaration of polls this Friday at 6PM.
As of 5:00 pm today the voter count sits at 1237.
DAY 5: Tuesday October 6
Campaigning for the 2026 QUT Guild SRC elections has entered in second week and today voting officially opened. Naturally, this has invigorated the factions, many of which have increased their numbers on the ground.
Unfortunately their momentum was immediately crushed by the first thunderstorm of the season. The wet weather sent SAlt and Elevate scrambling to protect their paper corflutes, sustaining only minimal cardboard casualties.
Candidates reported much lower engagement today, ultimately putting the drop in numbers down to the rain. Those that did turn out were swarmed by members of each faction. All of which, have cited the others as using aggressive tactics to win votes.
As of 5:00 pm today the voter count sits at 748, just over a quarter of the way towards unlocking those Zara Larsson tickets.
DAY 4: Friday October 2
It’s the final day for the first week of campaigning and the last before voting opens. Candidates have noted a significant drop in students on campus, and thus, a drop in engagement altogether.
Campaigners stated that the “honeymoon phase” of the campaign is over, meaning students have already seen what the candidates are about and now are less inclined to stop and take another flyer.
Each party has expressed tentative confidence at their ability to pull votes in next week polls. Progress admitted to initially feeling intimidated by the early numbers of People’s Party campaigners, but have since regained confidence due to the party’s no show today.
“We have been more consistent,” said Progress candidate Caleb McGiffin.
In response to this Isaac Oliver, Presidential candidate for Elevate, warned against underestimating the smaller tickets despite their smaller campaigns.
“The students who aren’t here aren’t here because they are students first, and not spineless stupol hacks,” said Oliver.
SAlt, Ignite, and Elevate have all said that they are feeling good about their election prospects, but know that whichever way it goes, it will be close.
The factions have ramped up their political jabbing today, with Progress being accused by multiple candidates of intentionally placing their a-frames in front of their oppositions’.
When asked, Progress President candidate Emmett Morrison explained, “We like to have a bit of fun.”
His running mate, and Progress‘ Clubs and Societies prospect, Caleb McGiffin offered more on the subject saying “tactical placement is not out of the ordinary…its not unique to us just because we have more”.
SAlt put the matter down to commonplace campaign tactics that were being used by all factions, not just Progress.
In addition to the questionable a-frame placement, Isaac Oliver revealed that, a day prior, Progress‘ Samuel Hulls had jokingly called him a fascist. When questioned on this Hulls explained that, in response, Oliver had called him a Nazi and neither of the pair were “taking it seriously”.
Ignite reported to Glass that SAlt also took part in verbal political jabbing, saying “here comes the racist party” when Ignite arrived to campaign.
Isaac Oliver criticised both SAlt and Progress, explaining that their behaviour is not in good faith and meant as an intimidation tactic to make it harder for smaller factions and independents.
“It’s disheartening” said Oliver.
It is true that the larger factions are indeed better equiped to keep consistent in their two weeks of in-person campiagning. However, we are yet to see whether this will translate into more votes until the polls open next week.
DAY 3: Thursday October 1
Day 3 of campaigning was the first of the 2026 elections to be held at the QUT Gardens Point campus. Today, all five major tickets were out in force, alongside a handful of independents. Candidates expressed pleasant surprise at an increase in student interest, though some put this down to GP’s funnel-like main entry way making the stupol gauntlet harder to escape.
More difficult to avoid where Progress’ 23 double sided a-frames, holding over 40 campaign corflutes. And though Progress had the numbers, it was SAlt that chased down a would-be frame thief who brazenly picked up one of their three frames on the way to the bus.
The topic of the day for Progress was QUT YOU, a new mandatory curriculum that has come under heavy criticism by students. “A lot of people have come up to us to complain about it.” Said Progress Engagement Officer candidate, Miles Hirst, “When you ask people about how to fix QUT YOU, the first thing that comes to their mind is getting rid of it.” The other factions generally agreed with this sentiment.
For SAlt, most of their engagement came from talking to students about paid placement, artificial intelligence and Pauline Hason. While the People’s Party, Elevate and Ignite’s constituents focused on guild transparency, particularly for clubs.
However, the major talking point today was Ignite’s candidate for Treasurer, Robert Plant, who’s alleged ties to the Liberal National Party caused unrest between the factions.
When asked if they were affiliated with the LNP or held similar views, Robert replied with a simple “no” before elaborating that while a member of their family is involved with the party they are not, going on to say, “If we were supported by the LNP we’d have more a-frames… we’d have as much as progress”. In a final statement on the subject Plant reiterated, “They [the LNP] have no impact influence or contribution to this ticket.”
SAlt were weary of Plant’s possible ties saying that despite not knowing if they had current ties to the party, it was important to note that in the 2024 guild elections Plant campaigned with Revive, a ticket that included Young Liberals members.
Progress took a much stronger stance, providing a detailed statement to Glass that criticised Ignite for the possible ties and called out Elevate for being friendly with what Progress’s Clubs and Societies Candidate, Caleb McGiffin called “the most conservative ticket in the election”. Caleb went on to explain that while they are not sure if any Ignite candidates are current LNP members, that the alleged ties do “show that those candidates have personally held conservative beliefs that don’t aline with what students believe on campus.”
In response to the criticism Elevate’s presidential candidate Isaac Oliver said, “I find it pretty cheap that Progress are taking shots at me for not being an asshole.” Oliver cited the reason for Ignite’s existence as a party of club execs is the mishandling of the Clubs and Societies portfolio by the previous officer and current Progress Welfare Officer candidate, Geoffrey Latz.
DAY 2: Wednesday September 30
Things seemed to be proceeding smoothly outside A-Block today. Candidates who spoke to Glass said that students were responding well to their campaigns — a rare point of consensus in an otherwise divided field.
Newcomers from the People’s Party claim to be advocating for the changes they believe students want to see, and they think their lack of experience is an asset. Candidate for Treasurer Ali Abassi stated that voters should be excited by the fresh, new opinions and perspectives. Notably, Abassi also outlined that the ticket formed due to their disappointment with the previous running of the SRC.
Contrastingly, International Student Officer Rajinder Singh (running for re-election) stated that they joined the Progress ticket this year after seeing the good they’ve done.
Presidential candidate Isaac Oliver proclaimed that Elevate and the People’s Party are committed to fighting for students despite “getting ragebaited by Progress and SAlt,” and have formed to be their antithesis.
“We aren’t gonna say that we aren’t gonna do political things, but when we do it, we’re going to make sure that students are put in the foreground, that their interests and their impacts are put in the foreground, and not the interests of factions that want to see their future candidates in future elections,” they said.
Glass was curious to hear why SAlt and Progress were endorsing the other for certain positions despite a difference in factions and politics.
Emmet Morrison, running for President on the Progress ticket, stated that this provides the best results for students because it is the best way for students to have a stable Guild that continues to deliver.
Answering the same question, Education Officer and SAlt member Georgie Dobbs said that students “don’t have much to worry about” because their faction ultimately wants a union that is responsible and capable, but also seriously committed to student activism.
Few Independents were out campaigning today. It seems the two coalitions that have formed have commanded the space.
Voting opens in just five days so watch this space to see if campaigners can keep the momentum going.
DAY 1: Tuesday September 29
Candidates have commenced Week One of campaigning at QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus. Voting opens Tuesday 6 October till Friday 9 October. The provisional declaration of results will be announced Monday 12th October at 7PM, with the final election results published on the Guild website the next day. The Welfare Officer, Queer Officer, First Nations Officer, Disability Officer, Health Councillor, and Media Editor(s) have been elected unopposed.
There are five major factions running in this year’s election: Socialist Action: Free Palestine (SAlt), Progress, Elevate, Ignite and the People’s Party. Today, presidential candidates Progress’ Emmett Morrisson and Elevate’s Isaac Oliver will be debating at 1PM in the Grove Bar.
The debate was an hour of incumbent Welfare Officer and seasoned candidate Isaac Oliver going up against first-year Emmett Morrison.
Morrison, who is a current Business Faculty Councillor, stated that Progress’ top priorities for the term include extending shuttle bus hours, implementing a permanent food bank at Gardens Point, and ensuring the $1.2M Student Amenities funding (SSAF) is managed well for students and clubs. Oliver, whose platform is centred on systematic governance reform and expanded cost-of-living support, emphasized the current work the Guild is doing.
Both candidates traded criticism regarding executive track records and institutional transparency. Audience questions, most of which were intended for the Progress candidate, allowed Morrison to defend his running as a first-year, highlighting his ticket’s unopposed Welfare Officer while challenging Elevate’s past “inability” to successfully deliver on long-running student campaigns. To this, Oliver asked “what are you gonna do that hasn’t already been done by me?” He referenced Progress’ lack of engagement with the Foodbank.
Oliver questioned the Progress tickets’ management of club funding and criticized their removal of term limits, arguing it stifled fresh leadership within the SRC. He shared that this year’s Health Councillor was “pushed out” by the SRC, and cited the newest ticket, the People’s Party’s come-up as student’s direct response to unhappiness with their student representatives. That’s why, he said, Elevate explicitly partnered with them, ensuring new, authentic, and diverse voices can be brought directly into the Guild. In rebuttal, Morrison noted that students who did not campaign with Progress in last year’s election are now affiliated because they’ve seen that “Progress is who actually gets things done.”
Oliver brought up Progress taking credit for events and initiatives run with and by the SRC and Guild Professional Staff (GPS) on their Instagram such as increased SSAF, Foodbank funding, and upgrading the Botanic Bar: “Progress..is not starting the fight, it’s ending it. It’s stuff that’s been done by GPS and SRC and they’re just finishing the cake.”
Morrison’s final words reemphasized a commitment to “concrete policies with measurable results,” He concluded “Progress is the ticket who can deliver.” Oliver stated that “Elevate has been delivering this entire year. Whether you like it or not, we’ve got these tangible deliverables.”
