FIRE-UP holds the Fortress: FUSA 2024 Student Election RESULTS
REPORTED BY EMPIRE TIMES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LACHLAN WHITE.
IN SHORT:
FIRE-UP won a second term of government on student council in a landslide.
Nathaniel Winter has provisionally elected as FUSA Student President.
FAIR DINKUMS won 1 out of 20 student council seats and 1 out of the 6 NUS delegates.
In a pivotal moment for FIRE-UP have emerged victorious, successfully defending their position in the recent election, with the currently General Secretary Nathaniel Winter provisionally elected as Student President.
Nathaniel Winter won in the first count, our prediction is that Nathaniel Winter (FIRE-UP) would secure Student President was correct however it wasn’t as tight as we predicted, with +1% to FIRE-UP and 489 vote difference between Reagan Shanmugam (Fair Dinkums).
With this victory, the FIRE-UP are poised to continue implement their strategies, addressing key community needs and challenges such as cost of living crisis with expanding financial and food support to students, better club support, and bringing campus culture from the dead across all campuses.
FIRE-UP won with 58% of the votes for office bearing position. An estimated additional 153 votes have been cast since day 2 of the election. There were also 230 blank ballots for the General Council. The Flinders election has been notably calm, with reports that the Returning Officer allegedly didn't issue a single warning throughout the week.
The vote saw a decrease in voter turnout, with 98 less participants casting their ballots for president than last year, that was a worry that voter turnover would be much less with the first few days being low however this is more than 2022 and shows that FIRE-UP has broken the mould of Flinder’s low voter turnout again this year.
13TH STUDENT COUNCIL
Colour scheme: FIRE-UP (Orange), Fair Dinkums (Yellow), Unaffiliated (Blue). Diagram made with parliamentdiagram.toolforge.org
STUDENT COUNCIL COMPOSITION
Number of members shown for 2025 provisionally elected composition (w/ changes from 2024 election composition)
17 to FIRE-UP (0)
1 to Fair Dunkums (+1)
2 to UNAFFILIATED (+1)
0 to Activate (-1)
With the election concluded, FIRE-UP stands triumphant, having successfully defended Fortress Flinders against the onslaught of rival forces. The attacking armies, composed of independent candidates, brigade of Fair Dinkums and a loose regiment of Activate, attempted to breach the stronghold with promises of reform and change, but their efforts ultimately fell short.
The flames of ambition that ignited outside the fortress were extinguished as FIRE-UP rallied the student body in unprecedented numbers of votes. This victory not only marks another chapter for the FIRE-UP’s student council but also solidifies FIRE-UP’s majority to the student council.
As the dust settles, the landscape of student governance has been transformed with this landslide. No longer under the shadow of Activate’s long reign, FIRE-UP now holds the reins, ready to lead with renewed vigour and determination. The banner of the smiling flame flies high over Fortress Flinders, a new era is set to continue now under the guidance of Nathaniel Winter.
Maybe a former holder of the crown, Left Action’s absence in this battle, kept the walls of the fortress unscathed, and retreated to regroup for a stronger attack. It seems impossible for Activate to return to its glory days, however rumours are brewing of a greater return in 2026; afterall FIRE-UP may just need to remember why Activate fell.
This year’s council hasn't seen much conflict - due to the absolute domination of FIRE-UP last year. FIRE-UP is hoping to maintain this dominance with 26 candidates running, elected 17 with 1 withdrawing from the race. That candidate withdrawal affected, a change reaction with Fair Dinkums winning a seat in which that candidate was also running for Education Officer, resulted in FIRE-UP guaranteed Education Officer.
The only change is that FIRE-UP technically gained a seat, as it lost a seat during the year, when Education Officer Ben Grillett resigned from FIRE-UP affiliation and sat as an independent on council. However, the result for FIRE-UP here is the same as last year’s election result.
We assume that one of the biggest factors to their position strengthening was the lack of multiple tickets with Socialist Alternative that usually runs under Left Action ticket didn’t run this year, which may be the first election in a decade, and Activate having much less candidates than last year with only challenging two office bearing positions. Another factor is that FIRE-UP had change the landscape with absolute domination on student council this year, which only saw a few conflicts from Education Officer Ben Grillett resigning and sitting as an independent after pushing for a motion regarding Palestine from Left Action member, Denzel.
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NUS & EMPIRE TIMES
2025 Empire Times Editorial Team
Angel Parker, Evangelia Karageorgos, Nadia Metzger and Saga Haba are provisionally elected as the 2025 editorial team.
Angel Parker was appointed as Empire Times editor in the Semester 2 and has previously been a contributor. Evangelia Karageorgos has previously been a contributor also.
Nadia Metzger has previously been First Nations Students officer.
NUS DELEGATES:
5 delegates to FIRE-UP
1 delegate to FAIR DINKUMS
As for NUS Delegates, Flinders University has six delegates to the National Union of Students (NUS). Usually most of FIRE-UP’s delegates are aligned with Student Unity, if correct would provide 5 delegates to that national faction, and possible to pick-up the extra 1 delegate from Fair Dinkums.
Interested?
Stay tuned for further updates for the Student Election. If you have any information about the student election or any corrections on this article, please email us at: empiretimes@flinders.edu.au
If you are interested in learning more about the student election at Elections – FUSA
EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER: This article offers insights into the upcoming Student Council elections, authored by a student who ran under the "FIRE-UP" ticket previously. Given the author's direct involvement in the election, their perspective may carry inherent biases. Our publication aims to uphold journalistic integrity and transparency, presenting this piece as a firsthand account while acknowledging its subjective viewpoint. We encourage readers to consider this context, ensuring a balanced understanding of the events discussed.
REPORTED BY LACHLAN WHITE.
A crushing landslide for FIRE-UP, maintaining its hold on student council. The fortress isn’t burnt as the flame is still going, it sees a second term.