Student elections at Sydney Uni

In 1979 Tony Abbott was the president of the Sydney University Student Representative Council. In the most recent SRC elections at Sydney Uni, the broad left Grassroots ticket kept this fact in our minds as we campaigned tirelessly for the three week election period for an SRC where right wingers have minimal influence.

Our efforts paid off. The broad left now occupies 10 out of 33 positions on the SRC. Our presidential candidate fell short of victory by only 3 percent, giving the Labor factions who have dominated the campus a serious run for their money.

We also won two National Union of Students delegate positions.

Our platform was a commitment to student activism on education and social justice issues, with our marriage equality ticket getting one of the highest votes in the election.

Reassuringly, another popular ticket run by Socialist Alternative simply titled Fuck Tony Abbott also won a seat on council.

Of the remaining council positions, 13 went to the two Labor left factions, and the rest to Labor Unity and the independents. One negative is that the Labor right secured the presidency. The election of office bearers will take place on 4 November. With a left majority on council we hope to form an activist and left SRC ready to take the fight to Abbott into 2014.