Independents (Australian NUS faction)

Students who politically organise on an independent basis can be classified into two groups.

independents (small 'i' indies) are entirely independent voices in that they do not organise together and may have any sort of political affiliation, ideology, pusuits, as well as geography. By and large, small 'i' indies can be found on regional and rural campuses where location has demonstrable isolation effects.

The Independents (big 'I' Indies) operate collectively but are non-binding on NUS National Conference floor. These students have agreed to openly discuss their ideas on policy, with the intent of sharing information so that each participant may have access to a broad range of opinions and be able to fully participate in the National Union.

The five principles of the Independents are:
* Pro-Student;
* Pro-Union;
* Proactive;
* Non-aligned; and
* Non-binding.

In 2005, the Independents were coordinated on a national level by Susie Byers (WA) and Jason Ngam (Vic), who had been elected to National Executive for the 2005 term. In an amusing yet ultimately victorious twist of irony, the renegging on a vote deal by the National Broad Left faction at the 2004 National Conference lead to the Independents getting one of their two candidates (Jason) for National Executive voted in on a full quota in their own right. Susie was a member of National Executive as NUS West President. Susie Byers was President of the University of Western Australia Student Guild in 2004, and Jason Ngam was Higher Education Student Member of Swinburne Council and the 2003-04 President of the Swinburne Student Union.

At the 2005 National Conference, the Independents cooperated with many other groups to ensure a 'Left' National Office. Despite the failure of Curtin Student Guild President Patrick Gorman, the Labor Left candidate, to defeat Student Unity's Michael de Bruyn the 'Left Bloc' was highly successful, winning every other office-bearing position and a majority on National Executive. The Independents secured one National Executive position at the 2005 National Conference, Emeline Gaske, who was the 2006 Education Council President at UWA and coordinated the Independents on a national level.

The 2006 National Conference saw the Independents pull off a significant coup, defeating Student Unity for the position of National General Secretary for the first time in 15 years. The Independents worked with various left-wing factions, and also gained the support of the Liberal Students to elect Mathew Chuk, the outgoing President of the UWA Student Guild, who pledged to use the position to coordinate national campaigns and to reach out to member organisations that have become disenchanted with the way NUS had been run over the past 15 years. The Independents also again secured the position of WA State President with Enrico Burgio from the University of Western Australia holding a vote on the NUS National Executive.

The 2007 National Conference also saw the Independents emerge with a good result. Although they were unable to prevent a deal between the leading Labor factions for key office-bearing roles, the Independents worked closely with the left-wing factions and elected two candidates to National Executive: Enrico Burgio and Luke Villiers from the University of Western Australia. The Independent candidate Eden Ridgeway of Murdoch University was also elected as NUS West President, meaning that the Independents now hold three votes (and the balance of power) on National Executive. In 2008, the Independents are coordinated on a national level by Enrico Burgio.

Independent Office Holders