With campaigning set to begin in a couple of days, you will be hit with a whole range of colours, slogans, and titles. Punch for SRC, Scooby Doo for NUS, Cry for Honi… it can all be overwhelming. Luckily, Honi is here to cut through the spin and make it easy for you!
Artistry
Artistry is a brand that aims to represent students from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. They are closely aligned with Student Unity (Labor Right). Artistry grew out of the previous Unity-Con brand, Ignite. This year they are running two tickets for Council, and one for NUS.
Engineers
The Engineers are a loose group of engineering students who usually run on left-wing, STEM student-focused platforms. There is just one Engineers SRC ticket in this election, headed by Victor Zhang, who unsuccessfully ran for USU earlier this year. They are running one ticket for NUS, but it is headed by members from the Labor factions).
Grassroots
Grassroots (Groots) are a left-wing faction. The past four SRC Presidents, including the current President, have been Grassroots members. Along with Socialist Alternative, Groots generally hold the balance of power on Councils. This year, Grassroots are running a Presidential candidate in Harrison Brennan. Grassroots are also running eight tickets for Council, and one for NUS (though only nominally, as it is headed by SAlt members).
Left Action
Socialist Alternative (SAlt) are running under their trusty “Left Action” brand, with three Council tickets and one NUS ticket (as well as two others under Grassroots and Switch branding respectively). SAlt, a Trotskyist faction, are active in student organising. Left Action won the most seats on Council in last year’s election, in which they also ran three Council tickets.
Lift
Members of the Liberal Party are once again running on the Lift brand with four tickets. They are also running one NUS ticket and a host of “joke” SRC tickets in “GYMBROS”, “ANTI WOKE”, AND “VAPERS”.
Penta
Penta is the largest international students faction, and are running five tickets this year. Though largely apolitical, Penta has typically worked with the Left. Penta was formerly “Panda” and ran a successful Presidential campaign in 2018 with Jacky He. Last year, they had three SRC councillors. They have one NUS ticket, but it is headed by USU Board Director Sargun Saluja from NLS.
Revive
Revive is the joint brand for Student Unity (Labor Right) and National Labor Students (NLS), which is a Labor Left faction on campus. NLS and Unity were once the most dominant factions in Presidential elections, with consecutive victories in the 2000s. This year, Revive is running a Presidential candidate in Rose Donnelly (NLS).
Revive is running 18 tickets for council this year, with one for NUS. Members from Unity and NLS are also running for NUS under brands including Engineers for NUS, PENTA for NUS, Legalise It and DEEZ for NUS.
S.L.A.
S.L.A., or Student Left Alliance, were formed last year as Solidarity (a Trotskyist faction, regarded as rivals with SAlt) and Black Flag (an anarcho-communist group) joined together to run the same platform as a loose faction. This year S.L.A. are running three tickets for Council, and one for NUS.
Spark
Liberal-aligned candidates will also be running under the Spark brand this year. They are running four tickets for Council this year. With the College brand not in use this year, Spark seems to be aiming to garner the college vote, with a ticket named “Spark for On Campus Living”.
Switch
While publicly a separate faction, Switch is functionally bound to Grassroots, with the two groups often voting as a bloc. Their differences are largely nominal, except Switch runs candidates for USU Board where Grassroots generally does not.
Switch are running seven tickets under their name for Council, and one for NUS (once again, headed by SAlt members). The NUS tickets are a result of preference deals which occur in the lead up to the election.
