By Myriam Robin

The previous Adelaide University Union (AUU) student elections crowned the Labor Left as the rulers of the AUU. Activate (the University’s Labor Left party) and Indy-Go, a progressive independent group headed by Lavinia Emmett-Grey, (former AUU President and girlfriend of current President, Fletcher O’Leary) now make up a controlling majority on both the AUU Board and the Student Representative Council (SRC). The new office-bearers have wasted no time in exploiting their majority to pass swathes of minor policy changes and attack their enemies.
What is most clear is the change of tone from the 2009 Board to this year’s. Emmett-Grey constantly had to fight both the Left and Right on just about everything when she was President last year. From the Left, Paris Dean (Activate), Jake Wishart (Greens) and Jason Virgo (also of Activate) were all keenly aware of the need to safeguard the democratic and open nature of the AUU Board. From the Right, Mark Joyce (Liberal) distrusted and questioned everything she said, and Andrew Anson (head of the Labor Right faction Innovate) proposed policy alternatives that, although almost always defeated, nonetheless prompted spirited debate during Board meetings about what the AUU was, and what its role should be.
In 2010, by contrast, most of the meetings are taken up by Office Bearer reports (which are rarely subject to intense scrutiny), and a large number of policy and rule changes. Knowing he has control of the numbers, O’Leary has been using this opportunity to enact the list of changes he and Emmett-Grey wished to make during their time on the Board last year. These changes have almost always been passed without question.

In the first quarter of 2010, the Board, instead of scrutinising those in power, appears far keener to attack its fringes.

After the bitterness of last year’s elections, it is unsurprising that deep-seated feelings of animosity exist between the Labor factions. To be honest, the Labor Right is doing little to help the matter. Tim Picton and returning Board Director Andrew Anson, both of the Labor Right ticket Innovate, failed to inform the AUU know they would be sending factional proxies to the National Union of Students (NUS) Conference, meaning the AUU spent $1,600 against the wishes of its Board. Furthermore, neither volunteered for O’Week, causing tempers to run high at the following Board meeting. After what was perceived as a smug speech (Picton claimed that, as both he and Anson had recently acquired full-time work, volunteering was for them not a viable option), Kim Dowling of Indy-Go unleashed her fury, perceiving that Anson and Picton thought their time was so much more valuable than hers.  Eric Parsonage, the only independent elected not to run with Indy-Go, called for their resignations. The animosity here was particularly pointed as, thanks to the new constitution passed in the recent elections, a three-quarters majority of Board is able to kick off elected AUU Board Members for perceived breaches of conduct.
The in-fighting doesn’t end there. Another tension has appeared between the Left and the AUU’s General Manager, David Coluccio. During 2009, Coluccio advocated policies such as selling UniBooks to the University and promoting professional AUU staff to greater positions of power. Thus, it is not surprising that the Left, traditionally advocates of student control, treat him with a measure of contempt. Nevertheless, his service to the organisation and senior position makes the subtle but unmistakably rude way that he is spoken of in Board meetings somewhat surprising.
After the Febuary 24th meeting, Dowling resigned from the Board, as she has unexpectedly chosen to defer her Honours year. The AUU Constitution fills casual vacancies with the final candidate to miss out on the original ballot. As such, Dowling’s seat will now pass to the student who originally came 17th, Luke Tran. An international student, he is expected to be a much-needed ally for the besieged Labor Right.