Whilst there was a glimmer of hope that we would be inquorate for April’s Student Representative Council (SRC) meeting — and therefore free to enjoy our Wednesday night as we wished — this was swiftly quashed at 6.24pm with a quorum of 21 councillors. I shot a quick text to my Mum: “Oh no, I might not be home particularly early.” Although significantly less than the 37 councillors we saw last month, the levels of yelling and screeching remained high.
Buckle in, friends.
SRC President Harrison Brennan (Grassroots) opened the meeting by acknowledging Country and decrying the “disgusting” curfew implemented in Alice Springs as an attack on First Nations rights. Then, Grace Street (Grassroots) initiated a procedural motion to jump straight into motions Q4, Q7, and Q10 concerning direct action at the recent ZIM rally, support for the May 2nd School Strike for Climate, and condemnation of police brutality at a recent Pride in Protest rally.
Q4: To Protest or Not to Protest
Victor Zhang (Engineers) spoke about the blockade of a ship from Israeli company ZIM at Port Botany on March 24, saying that “we knew this action was illegal under the anti-protest laws,” but that “we need to bleed the Israeli war machine dry.” Zhang then noted a lack of attendance at the action, saying “here was an opportunity for everyone in this room to strike at the war machine, yet hardly anyone in this room was there.”
Brennan then spoke noting that “everybody that turned up knew the risk… we put our bodies on the line.” Brennan kicked the hornet’s nest, and specifically called out one faction: “I want to call out Socialist Alternative here, you guys weren’t there.”
Soon after, Vice President Rose Donnelly (NLS) opened the speaking list; Vice President Deaglan Godwin (SAlt) was first on the podium. “It’s pretty clear what this motion is all about now,” Godwin argued, “this is a purely cynical sectarian jab from two factions who have consistently refused to do anything to build Palestinian solidarity.”
Godwin’s words were met by heckling, which he attempted to speak through; “I will not be lectured by…” Godwin claimed to a room of groans. “Socialist Alternative actually called the most successful anti-ZIM protest in Australia,” said Godwin, as part of his apparently unlimited speaking time. Godwin then noted that “it’s clear people who have parents who are the Vice Chancellor of UNSW,” looking at Grassroots.
A motion was then passed to limit representatives’ speaking time to two minutes.
Vieve Carnsew (Solidarity) spoke to the ZIM motion, arguing that both weekly Palestine Action Group (PAG) protests and the ZIM actions were simultaneously necessary in opposing the genocide in Gaza.
Jasmine Al-Rawi (SAlt) denounced this motion as a “point-scoring operation” as opposed to “building a movement for Palestine.”
Nour Al Hammouri responded, saying “I think we are all aware that the Palestinian call has always included coming to any and every event related to the cause”. Al Hammouri then claimed that “we ended up costing [ZIM] millions of dollars,” saying that “every action that happens isn’t successful, but that doesn’t mean you can pick and choose.”
Al Hammouri ended his speech on an exasperated note, asking “I don’t know why we’re arguing… we’re all going to pass this surely. It’s a Palestine motion let’s just move on”.
Godwin then returned to the front, stating that “even if American aid was stopped, that wouldn’t stop the genocide in Gaza”. Godwin further argued that “direct action is useful, direct action is important. But it’s not actually the most important thing”.
“The most important thing is building a movement, a mass movement,” said Godwin, “a movement that genuinely involves mobilising tens of thousands of people.” As always, we are yet to see any evidence of SAlt’s tens of thousands of members. Godwin closed his speech by claiming that “Socialist Alternative has spent a lot more time than any single Grassroots member on building a movement for Palestine”.
Maddie Scott (SAlt) then claimed that “the union movement in Australia is at its weakest position because it is tied to the Labor party.” After almost an hour of debate, Motion 4 passed. Despite their vociferous protests, SAlt voted in favour of the motion.
Q7: May Day, M’Aidez!
Al-Rawi spoke to Q7 endorsing the May 2 strike for Palestine rally, commending past student strikes for mobilising “hundreds of students”. Al-Rawi argued that “it needs to be a priority of the student union for them to go out and be examples […] for the kind of left we want to see on campus”.
Emma Searle then called on the SRC to focus on building a mass action that can help challenge Labor, followed by Chloe Pamaka (SAlt) who declared that “the mass of students on campus need to be radicalised and need to be mobilised”. Ben Walden (SAlt) also spoke to the motion, arguing that the SRC has a responsibility to support radical protest in Sydney and fight for Palestinians.
Isaiah Tasi, a visitor from University of New South Wales, called out their “right wing” SRC for not contributing to the last strike for Palestine.
Things got interesting (if arguing over logistical minutiae is your kind of interesting) when Grace Street (Grassroots) questioned the May 2 date, on account of being the day after May Day (historically May 1). “Would you like to maybe move it to May Day or another day?” Grace asked, “because [having it on] May 2nd is against the union movement”.
After brief endorsements of left-wing solidarity from both Jasmine Donnelly (NLS) and Ned Graham (NLS), Godwin took the stand for SAlt and attacked the suggestion that the date of the protest be modified. This was met by heckling from Grassroots — “when did you decide on May 2nd?” – which could be heard from above the racket. According to Grassroots, SAlt had picked the May 2 date without consultation. Grassroots alleged that the original document simply said “Week 10”.
“So, May 2nd falls within USyd’s week 10,” was Godwin’s attempt to rebut the hecklers, before launching into a fairly standard justification of political strategy followed by a good dose of attacking Grassroots: “I think that reflects a general orientation of Grassroots, and to talk a lot of big smack in meetings. My question to Grassroots is what will you actually do to build this strike?”
Both Carsnew and Tom Williams (SAlt) endorsed the date change, with Williams arguing that a protest should occur on both May Day and May 2. Maddie, of SAlt, got up to speak about how she “thought the last school strike we had was fucking awesome,” before expressing disappointment that there was a squabble over the date.
In the end, the motion was passed.
Q10: Police brutality and Queer Organising
Esther Whitehead (Queer Action Collective [QuAC]) then spoke on police abolition: “what do we do about the police that brutalise us at every rally? We need to defund the police!” Jamie Bridge (QuAC), Harrison Brennan, and Tim Duff (QuAC) all echoed these sentiments, before the motion was passed.
Procedural, Procedural:
Godwin then attempted to move a procedural immediately to Q8: Stop Labor’s Attacks on Refugees! Jamie Bridge spoke against the procedural, pointing out that they’d “hate to see quorum being pulled before the QuAC motions being heard.” This prompted an angry rant from Godwin, who declared that “this is disgraceful on both the queer collective and Grassroots. They have voted down a motion to talk about the most egregious refugee rights abuse of the year. Right now you are saying your queer collective motions, your queer collective, is more important.” The procedural did not pass, and the meeting moved on to Motion 3 — as we sunk further into our seats.
Q3: Day of the Unborn Child Counter-Rally
Eliza Crossley (Grassroots) moved Q3, “join our PRO-CHOICE rally to fight Day of the Unborn Child.” “It’s really important that if you call yourself left-wing you will be at the day of the unborn child counter protest,” Crossley said. Ellie Robertson (Grassroots), Maddie Clark, Jordan Anderson (Grassroots), and Esther Whitehead all spoke to the motion, which passed without dissent.
Q5: Recognition of Murdoch’s Reign Over Australian Politics
Victor Zhang moved what he described as a “relatively straightforward motion,” calling on the SRC to endorse Youth Against Murdoch. Grace Street spoke briefly to the motion, which passed immediately — short and sweet!
Q6: Placement Poverty Action
Grace Street moved Q6, calling on the SRC to endorse the upcoming Students Against Placement Poverty (SAPP) National Week of Action (8-12 April 2024). Street noted that the action was about “getting students not just to leave their radical politics at uni, but to take them into the workplace with them.” Sofia Filipovic (Grassroots) spoke to the motion, as did Gerard Buttigieg (NLS) and Eliza Crossley. The motion passed at 9:03 pm, and we began to hope that we might actually be home and in bed before midnight.
Q8: Stop Labor’s Attack on Refugees!
And then shit hit the fan. Again. A very long speakers list began to assemble down the side of the lecture hall, with Harrison Brennan, Lauren Finlayson (SAlt), Keira Fairley (SAlt), Lucas Pierce (SAlt), Ishbel Dunsmore (Grassroots), Max Pomarca (SAlt), Alex McEvoy (Grassroots), Simon Upitis (SAlt), Tim Duff (QuAC), Jasmine Al-Rawi, and Maddie Clark all decrying Labor’s policies, and attacking the Labor students in the room to various degrees.
Two Labor representatives joined the speakers list. Daniel Holland (NLS) spoke to the motion, saying “yeah look this bill is pretty disgusting… the echoes of Trumpian hatred of immigrants, of other countries, is evident in this bill,” and called for a more humane policy towards refugees. Gerard Buttigieg (NLS) faced intense heckling as he harked back to Whitlam’s Labor in an attempt to prove that “this is not business as usual for the Labor party.” Buttigieg then claimed; “the Labor party is the only party that has made even slightly incremental change in this country”.
“You like to sit on you like to sit on your high horse and tell people to tear up their party cards… well I tell you I don’t see the Greens winning government any time soon, I don’t see the revolution coming any time soon,” said Buttigieg. “This country is a predominantly conservative country,” Buttigieg claimed, “and if you are not in the business of changing people’s mind and meeting working class people where they are, you will fail”. Buttigieg closed above a chaotic room with “you shout, but you are absolutely morally responsible for the destruction of the Left in Australia”.
The motion finally passed at 9:39pm, and the room was demonstrably exhausted.
Q9: Queer Action Collective Funding
Jamie Bridge then moved a motion to increase QuAC’s budget immediately. Esther Whitehead spoke to the motion, noting that “activism needs funding. We need money to be able to do this, and we have the least money. And I think this is because of inherent queerphobia.”
Jordan Anderson and Harrison Brennan both spoke to the importance of QuAC. Brennan said “I’m very open to endeavouring that QuAC gets a budget increase,” but noted that “I just don’t think its right to commit to a number before we talk about budgets.”
To the consternation of Grassroots, Bridge and Duff of QuAC attacked Brennan for not promising the money immediately. Deaglan Godwin then accused QuAC of “sectarianism,” before Marcus Verdichhio, “one of the first two ally members of QuAC,” told the Council “if we actually want to get stuff done that we want to, put your money where your mouth is.”
Chaos erupted as the Council attempted to vote. In the end, and in what was quickly becoming a recurring theme, SAlt voted for the motion despite their protestations. The motion was passed at 10:03pm.
Q11: Hands Off Our Queerspace
Jo Staas (QuAC) introduced the motion by speaking to the importance of queerspace: “we deserve to have an autonomous space that is rightfully ours.” Jamie Bridge, Tim Duff and Esther Whitehead all spoke to the motion, noting the importance of Queerspace as both a safe environment for vulnerable queer students and a crucial organising space for queer liberation. Eliza Crossley spoke in favour of Queerspace, before Bridge returned to the mic to reiterate QuAC’s previous points.
As the motion passed at 10:19, we all let loose a collective sigh of relief upon realising that this really, finally, was the end of the meeting. Harrison Brennan requested a procedural to move all reports en bloc, saving the Council from another hour or two of debate. Deaglan Godwin objected vociferously, and everyone other than SAlt groaned. The room erupted slightly — subdued by fatigue — when Maddie Clark and Rose Donnelly began to argue. In the end, however, the procedural passed, and the Wednesday 3 April meeting of the USyd SRC closed at just after 10:20pm.