La Trobe Student Union

During the 1960s and 1970s, La Trobe, along with Monash, was considered to have the most politically active student body of any university in Australia.[1] The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) was a prominent organisation on campus, often with the cover of a front organisation sometimes encouraging the name 'La Trot'. The following La Trobe alumni were all good friends at the time and took part in student politics: Bill Kelty from the ACTU and AFL Commissioner, former Treasurer Tony Sheehan, Don Watson, Geoff Walsh (Bob Hawke's press secretary, High-profile union officials Brian Boyd, John Cummins and Garry Weaven, former federal treasury official and former Westpac CEO, David Morgan. Some other Labor figures and people from the left side of politics include Mary Delahunty, Phil Cleary and Michael Danby. Despite the general socialist/leftist atmosphere several conservative corporate/business figures and Liberal party members have come from La Trobe, including Victorian Liberal Party Leader Matthew Guy who, in March 2018, apologised for a homophobic letter he signed in 1994, which resurfaced ahead of the State election.[2]

The La Trobe University Students' Union is responsible for many Contact Student Services but its role has been considerably diminished as a consequence of Voluntary Student Unionism. There were previously three main student representative bodies on campus known as the La Trobe University Student Guild, The Students' Representative Council and the La Trobe Postgraduate Students' Association. The La Trobe University Student Representative Council, became the principal representative body on campus and a student advocacy group as well as student representatives for welfare, disability, women, queer, indigenous, environment, education and welfare and the Guild managed student services. In 2011 however, the Students' Representative Council, The La Trobe Postgraduate Students Association, The Students Guild and the University merged the three separate organisations into one body: The La Trobe Student Union.

During the 1995 SRC election, there was a major scandal involving postal ballots sent to Glenn College. A group of four candidates associated with the Australian Labor Party contested the election as the "Tin Tin for NUS" ticket. It was discovered that one of the students, Stephen Donnelly, had gained access to the postal ballots during the delivery process.[3] When challenged to explain their behavior, all four candidates withdrew their nominations. The deputy returning officer writes that the candidates Stephen Donnelly, Robert Larocca, Nigel Rhode and Robin Scott were charged with Dishonest Conduct and Interfering with Ballot Papers. He escalated the matter to the Dean of Glenn College and then the University Secretary but found them disinterested and the matter was never formally prosecuted by the police. Stephen Donnelly has subsequently become the Assistant State Secretary in the Victorian branch of the ALP.[4]

From 2014, the LTSU saw a major diversity, inclusion and anti bullying campaign organised by Nathan Croft, Dean D'Angelo and Eshan Arya.[5] Eshan Arya further campaigned and successfully fought for executive representation of international and South Asian students within the LTSU. Since 2015, the LTSU ticket called 'Unite' originally founded by the trio of Nathan, Dean and Eshan has won the union elections.[6] Eshan Arya was also the first ever Indian President of the Union's International Students' Association associate body and the first Indian Post Graduate Officer to hold the position on multiple occasions.[7] Daman Mann in 2017 became the first ever Indian origin General Secretary of the LTSU.[8] In 2016, LTSU introduced a new position called 'Person of Colour'. This inaugural position was held Urwah Khan Sherwani and Yashasvi Tandon who secured this position with highest voting margin among seven positions.[9] A later resolution was passed to change the name of the position to Ethnocultural Officer.

• La Trobe Student Union)