New Student-Led Organisation Election Information

Student Directors are elected representatives who help guide the new organisation and shape its priorities.

Five Student Directors will sit on the eight-member Board, alongside three University Directors appointed by the Vice-Chancellor. A University Finance Representative will attend meetings in an advisory, non-voting capacity and is not a Director.

As a Student Director, you’ll have the opportunity to:

• Help shape services and initiatives that respond to student needs.
• Bring student perspectives to Board discussions and decision-making.
• Help set the organisation’s priorities and oversee its progress.
• Contribute to student life across the University’s Callaghan, Central Coast, Tamworth and Newcastle City campuses, and for online, postgraduate and higher degree by research students.

You don’t need previous board experience to nominate, although experience in leadership, teamwork or decision-making is favourable.

Two of the five Student Directors will also be elected by the Board to serve as Chair and Deputy Chair.

These roles have additional eligibility requirements, which are outlined in the Candidate Information Pack.

Want to know more? Read the Candidate Information Pack for details about the roles, responsibilities and eligibility requirements.

Board meetings will be held in person, by telephone, by audio-visual link or by other technology consented to by a majority of Directors. At its first meeting, the Directors will elect a Chair and a Deputy Chair from among the five Student Directors.

Resolutions will be passed by a majority of votes cast by Directors entitled to vote. A quorum of four Directors must be present at all times during a meeting, comprising at least three Student Directors and at least one University Director, and there must always be more Student Directors than University Directors present. If no University Director is present within 30 minutes, the meeting will be adjourned; if no University Director attends the adjourned meeting, at least three Student Directors will constitute a quorum. If a vote is tied, the Chair will have a casting vote.

Student Directors will be elected by students of the University of Newcastle. One Student Director position (the Campus Director) is reserved for a Student enrolled at the Central Coast Campus (Gosford or Ourimbah). If the Returning Officer determines that there is no appropriate eligible candidate enrolled at the Central Coast Campus, the position will be filled by an Alternative Eligible Student (an undergraduate whose primary campus is not Callaghan or who is studying online, or a postgraduate coursework or higher degree by research student at any campus or online), and then by any eligible Student. The Campus Director must continue to meet the eligibility criterion throughout their term.

Under the Constitution, the three University Directors will be appointed by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, who will determine their terms of appointment and may remove them from office.

Student Directors will serve two-year terms, with terms staggered so that not all positions expire at the same time. At the inaugural election, three Student Directors will be appointed for two-year terms and two for one-year terms, as allocated under the Election Rules. A Student Director may serve a maximum of two terms; a one-year term counts as a full term.

Interested in nominating? Start by checking that you meet the eligibility requirements:

You must:

• Be enrolled (full-time or part-time) as a candidate in an award Program at the University of Newcastle.
• Remain a student throughout your term as a Director.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Not be ineligible or disqualified from holding office under the Constitution or the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).
• Understand the responsibilities of the role and be willing to fulfil them.
• Disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest.

All nominations will be assessed by the Returning Officer, who is appointed by the University's Academic Registrar. The Returning Officer's decision is final on all matters affecting eligibility and the conduct and results of the election. Successful candidates will be appointed as Student Directors on the declaration of results by the Returning Officer.

If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible, read the Candidate Information Pack for the full requirements, including the Chair's additional experience requirement and the Campus Director eligibility criteria.

Ready to nominate? Follow these steps:

1. Check your eligibility.
2. Read the Candidate Information Pack to understand the role and responsibilities.
3. Complete the Nomination Form and required declarations (including the Fit and Proper Person Declaration). Prepare a candidate statement of no more than 150 words and a recent head-and-shoulders photograph.
4. Submit your completed Nomination Form, declarations, candidate statement and photograph by email to newslo@newcastle.edu.au by 11:59 pm AEDT on Sunday 8 November 2026.
5. Look out for confirmation. The Returning Officer will assess your nomination and notify you of the outcome

Nominations close at 11:59 pm AEDT on Sunday 8 November 2026.

Candidate names and statements will be published the week of 16 November 2026.

Make a nomination

• Student Election Webpage
• Student Nomination Form
• Election Rules
• Electioneering Guidelines
• Candidate Information Pack
• Draft Constitution
• Student Director Postition
• Student Chair Description
• Student Deputy Chair Description
• SLO Summary