From solidarity with anti-regime protests in Iran, to condemning anti-protest laws, to the approval of funding start-ups, here’s what your elected student representatives got up to during this year's January council meeting.
With UTSSA President Neeve Ann Nagle (Student Unity) on leave, the meeting was opened at 6:33PM by General Secretary Salma Elmubasher (Student Unity) with an Acknowledgement of Country.
So what was discussed in this month's council meeting?
Spend Spend Spend
Motions 7.1 and 7.3 both called on council to approve the UTSSA spending $9500 for a financial audit on its 2025 finances by accounting firm Trood Prat & Co. to ensure the union’s funds have been used correctly and transparently and to approve an upper spending limit of $400 for flights and $300 for accommodation for both the President and General Secretary to attend the annual National Union of Students Presidential Summit at Swinburne University of Technology (think of this has the big national SRC doing two days of workshops to ensure SRC can be ran smoothly) from the 5th to 6th of February.
With President Neeve Ann Nagle on leave and General Secretary Salma Elmubasher unavailable to attend the summit, Vertigo understands Queer Officer Grace Cole (Student Unity) and Environment and Technology Officer Eamonn Ryan (Student Unity) attended as proxies.
Both motions were passed unanimously by council.
Motion 7.4 requested that the UTSSA confirm the appointment of Principal Solicitor for Fletch Law, Simon Fletcher, as an independent member of the UTSSA Grievance Committee. The motion also requests the approval to engage in Fletch Law at an hourly rate of $400 per hour + GST, as well as the approval of either the President or General Secretary to finalise payment and commencement into the committee.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Motion 7.8 requested the UTSSA approve the upper spending limit of $15,000 from the Indigenous Students Collective to purchase Indigenous themed lanyards and notebooks to be handed during the collective’s art and yarn stall.
Indigenous Student’s Officer and Dunghutti woman Taya Morante (Student Unity) confirmed she was in contact with Yarn Marketplace for the notebooks and lanyards.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Familiar Faces
Like with several previous presidents and other student leaders, Motion 7.3 called for the UTSSA to approve an upper spending of $500 to make corflutes with the faces and contact details of the President and General Secretary across campus to expand visibility of the UTSSA.
Speaking for the motion, Elmubasher highlighted the importance the corflutes had on the expansion of visibility of the student union and its office bearers saying “everyone knows who Nour [Al-Hammouri] is”.
Al-Hammouri served as the UTSSA’s President in 2023 and had corflutes with his face around campus alongside former UTS Council Undergraduate Representative Kurt Cheng and Postgraduate Representative Peter Munford.
Speaking against the motion, General Councillor Yasmine Johnson (Socialist Alternative) raised concern that the corflutes would give factions like Student Unity an unfair advantage when it came to the annual UTSSA election in October if either Nagle or Elmubasher were to run for re-election into the SRC.
Responding to Johnson, Elmubasher disagreed with her concern that it would give her and Nagle an unfair advantage when it came to the UTSSA elections, saying Al-Hammouri’s corflutes made it really comfortable for Nagle to approach him in his first year.
Sharing similar thoughts with Elmubasher, Welfare Officer Sina Afsharmehr (Student Unity) highlighted the need to push for visibility of the UTSSA to the student population. Afsharmeher also made a personal note on the importance of the corflutes, saying he would not have gotten involved in the UTSSA if it were not for seeing the corflutes in his first year.
With the discussion opening up to the floor, Vertigo Editor-in-Chief Emanie Samira Darwiche asked why it was only the faces of the President and the General Secretary going up on corflutes and not other office bearers, councillors or members of the Vertigo editorial team.
In response to this, Afsharmehr said Postgraduate Officer Tulloch (Student Unity) said that since both Nagle and Elmubasher were elected by students to their senior positions, they should be associated with the student union and should have their faces on the corflutes.
The motion passed 17 to 5, with Student Unity, NLS and General Councillor Ibrahim Hadi (Independent) voting for, SAlt voting against, and NSWLS abstaining.
IOU $500 (Kinda)
This one's a doozy.
Motion 7.5 requests the UTSSA to pay a total $500 invoice to Vertigo Design Director Laurie Lim, Vertigo Designer/General Editor James Pham and design student Isabelle Vincenzo for the additional design work they had done for laying up issue one of Vertigo ENTRÉE, which was also originally going to be merged with the UTSSA handbook.
With Vertigo unable to vote or put forward motions to council, General Councillor Hadi and General Councillor Amelia Ireland (New South Wales Labor Students) moved and seconded the motion, and both waived their speaking rights to Editor-in-Chief Emanie Samira Darwiche to speak after some last-minute calls were made before council.
Darwiche claims the UTSSA had failed to meet the December 16th deadline for ENTRÉE and did not receive articles written by office bearers until the 5th of January. With ENTRÉE set to go on shelves on O-Day, the choice to remove a showcase piece was made, with Design Director Lim laying up a new 10-page spread for the office bearer articles, with only days until the final document was set to be sent to print.
With everything set in motion, a document with the final copy was sent to Elmubasher for accessibility checks on the 14th of January, followed by another final copy also sent on the 15th. On the 16th, an emergency meeting was called between Nagle, Elmubasher, Darwiche and Managing Editor Simran Shoker with the UTSSA raising concern with Vertigo over accessibility of the edition, as well as no articles for the UTSSA Handbook were included in ENTRÉE. With printing now pushed back an entire week, a formal decision was made to add the additional articles into ENTRÉE as well as fix accessibility issues between the 17th and 18th of January, with additional help from design student Isabelle Vincenzo.
Responding to Darwiche, Elmubasher acknowledged a lack of clarity on what was needed from the UTSSA side, but said it’s not fair to put the entire blame on the UTSSA. Regarding failing to meet deadlines and the emergency meeting, Elmubasher explained some office bearers were in grief over the passing of a family member, while the emergency meeting was held as what was in the edition from the UTSSA was ineligible and shoved to the back of the edition.
Elmubasher also made note that this would be Vertigo’s first time creating the UTSSA Handbook, as well as having to deal with the resignations of former Managing Editor Kimia Nojoumian, Features Editor Mariam Yassine, and News Editor Asha Johnston, which had caused issues in addressing the UTSSA’s concerns with the edition.
The contentious $500 invoice was also deemed null due to a direct breach of UTSSA By-Laws 1.10 as well as Standing Order 9.2, 9.3 and 9.4.
However, the mention of the three resignations at the start of this year's editorial teams term had stirred the room, with Ethnocultural Officer Omar El-Sobihy (Student Unity) accusing Darwiche of writing the motion to only to air personal grievances out; a claim which Darwiche denies saying, "I don't appreciate the insinuation that this motion is to air out a grievance.”
Joining via Zoom from Japan, President Neeve Ann Nagle also spoke against the motion, saying asking for $500 without any consultation prior to council “does not stand”, while Executive Officer of the UTSSA Mariah Brown said if the motion were to pass, it would create precedent for office bearers to essentially pay themselves, opening the union up to fraud.
Tensions flared up, with General Councillor Yasmine Johnson questioning why this motion has taken up so much time despite not being able to constitutionally vote on it.
After a procedural to limit speaking time to one minute as well as having one speaker for and against, Design Director Laurie Lim spoke, saying the discussions which were made were fair, but wanted to echo Darwiche's initial concern on the lack of communication.
Despite the motion not being able to be tabled under the constitution, the motion was voted down by council.
Start-ups for Main Characters
Motion 7.6 and 7.7 request an expenditure of $700 from both the Postgraduate and International Collective for the Main Character Energy: Startup Careers workshops, which are set to go ahead on the 19th of February.
A partnership with UTS Startups, the workshop would give students, in particular postgraduate and international students, a chance to learn about startups and how to get involved.
The motion was passed by council with Postgraduate Officer George Tulloch abstaining due to a declaration of interest from his involvement with UTS Startups.
Campaigns and Surveys
With student wellbeing a main focus of the UTSSA, Motion 8.1 UTS Housing – Heat and Air Conditioning Campaigning and 8.3 Health Service Accountability Survey were tabled and discussed by council.
With 8.1, the motion called for the UTSSA to authorise a campaign on the state of heat, cooling, ventilation, and air-conditioning requirements for residents in student housing, with high-density housing like Yura Mudang and Scape housing being the main focus.
Welfare Officer Sina Afsharmehr spoke for the motion, reminiscing on the conditions in classes without adequate air conditioning in Western Sydney, which is often several degrees hotter than the rest of Greater Sydney during summer.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Afsharmehr also spoke on Motion 8.3, detailing plans to release a survey by mid-to-end Autumn semester on the experiences with the UTS Health Service. The survey aims to address key issues that have plagued the health provided as reported by Vertigo last year, which include lack of availability for appointments, last-minute cancellations and unprofessional conduct during consultations.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Bondi, Gun Reforms and Rushed Laws
Motion 8.2, Acknowledgement of the Bondi Beach Attack and Support for Students and Motion 8.5, Support for Gun Law Reforms, were both passed unanimously by council.
Motion 8.2 called on the UTSSA to stand in solidarity with Jewish staff and students, reaffirms attacks on community events is an attack on their right to exist and recognises that attacks like at Bondi last year can affect students regardless of background, ethnicity, or religion, including those who feel unsafe or fearful in the wake of heightened tension, misinformation, or community backlash.
Platform 4 of the motion was also amended to now read “Reaffirms solidarity matters, and that our community is strongest when we protect each other”, and the motion was passed unanimously by council.
Motion 8.5, in a similar vein to 8.2, called for the UTSSA to support gun law reforms which were passed through Parliament in response to the Bondi Beach Terror Attack.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Motion 8.6 Condemnation of Rushed Hate Crime Laws and Attacks on Free Expression called on the UTSSA to condemn the hate speech laws which were passed through parliament in response to the Bondi Terror Attacks, as well as the NSW Government's restrictions on protest, both of which have caused heavy scrutiny by civil groups over their powers to quell political expression and freedom of speech.
Speaking to the motion, General Councillor Yasmine Johnson condemned the passing of these laws, citing how the laws have now been used to stifle free speech, in particular when it came to discussions on the genocide in Palestine.
Johnson noted similar laws being passed in the United Kingdom, with protestors and activists being jailed for using the terms “Globalise the intifada” and “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”.
On the topic of suppression of free speech, Johnson also referred to the precedent the passing of these laws have already had on Australian society, with the removal of Palestinian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fatah from the now imploded Adelaide Writers Festival earlier this year.
Johnson also spoke on the move by the NSW Labor Government's anti-protest laws, which were extended ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Sydney, saying protests would go ahead making the laws “a dead letter in practice”.
General Secretary Salma Elmubasher also spoke to the motion, calling the laws a knee-jerk reaction as well as condemning NSW Premier Chris Minns over the extension of the protest laws, while Environment and Technology Officer Eamonn Ryan spoke on the precedent the laws could have in the event of a Liberal or One Nation majority government.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Standing in Solidarity
In late December, the devaluation of the Iranian rial saw shopkeepers in Tehran’s Great Bazar take strike action amidst the rising inflation rates as well as an ailing economy from strikes from Israel and sanctions from the United States and the United Nations. Tehran’s shopkeeper strikes would soon spread to other cities before evolving into anti-government protests across the country. Protestors and activists have been faced with heavy repression and violence by Iranian forces, with death tolls in the thousands, as well as a total internet blackout preventing protestors from getting information out from the ground.
As protests continue and violence escalates in Iran, several councillors have brought two motions to the UTSSA to show solidarity.
Motion 8.4 called for the UTSSA to support and show solidarity with Iranian students at UTS and to support the right to self-determination.
Speaking to the motion, General Secretary Salma Elmubasher said she recognises the different views which many Iranian students will have, emphasising the importance of the self-determination of Iranians.
Observer Lauran Finlayson (SAlt) also spoke to the motion, saying the UTSSA should be in support of protestors in Iran.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Similarly, Motion 8.7 called on the UTSSA to post a public statement of solidarity on the union's social media for Iranian protestors.
General Councillor Benjamin Grant-Skiba (SAlt) spoke to the motion, highlighting the resistance protestors have shown against violence from Iranian authorities, while General Councillor Andrew Brogden (SAlt) spoke on the importance of standing with the oppressed. Brogden also said it was important for the UTSSA to take a left-wing position and not support US intervention, nor to support the Iranian government.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Emergency Motions
Before council was closed, councillors submitted three emergency motions for the council to discuss and debate.
Emergency Motion 8.8 called on the UTSSA to stand in solidarity with Indigenous and Muslim communities in response to several incidents earlier this year, including a man throwing an improvised explosive device at an Invasion Day rally in Perth, a threatening letter sent to Lakemba Mosque in Sydney and the dumping of pig heads at a muslim cemetery in Narallen.
In reference to the attempted bombing of an Invasion Day rally in Perth, General Councillor and Gomeroi woman Amelia Ireland spoke on the need to take a stand against racism and anti-Indigenous sentiment in this country.
General Councillor Grant-Skiba also spoke to this motion, noting recent polling showing One Nation polling higher than the Liberals.
“We should be fighting for left-wing movements,” he said.
Emergency Motion 8.9 called on the UTSSA to condemn Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s four-day visit to Australia, publishing a public statement of condemnation and for the UTSSA to reaffirm its commitment to universal human rights, as well as requesting council to attend the February 9 protests against the Israeli President's visit.
General Councillor Ibrahim Hadi spoke on the motion, calling the Australian Labor Party’s invitation of President Herzog, who has overseen the genocide in Palestine for the past three years, as a “gross breach of public trust”.
General Councillor Amelia Ireland echoed similar sentiments to Hadi, calling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision to invite President Herzog a “disgrace”, while General Councillor Yasmine Johnson called the NSW government's decision to enact anti-protest laws “deliberate” and also condemned the federal government's attempt to tie Judaism with Zionism after the Bondi Beach Terror Attacks.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Emergency Motion 8.10 called on the UTSSA to send a solidarity message to student unions in Minnesota in support of their protests against the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across Minnesota and the United States.
General Councillor Benjamin Grant-Skiba spoke to the motion, giving council context to the unfolding events across the United States of America, where American citizens and immigrants, regardless of legal status, have been met with brutal force as well as deportations by ICE agents under orders by US President Donald Trump. In response to these raids, protests have erupted across the US calling for an end to the raids and an end to the state-sanctioned violence by ICE agents against its own citizens.
Grant-Skiba highlighted the endorsement of these rallies by trade unions and student unions in Minnesota and condemned the killing of protestors Renee Good and Alex Peretti by ICE agents.
Observer Lauren Finlayson also spoke to the motion about the student walkouts across Minnesota and the US in protest of ICE raids, highlighting the importance students have had in these protests and why it should be important for the UTSSA to show them solidarity.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
The meeting was closed at 8:34 PM.
See you next time!
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