By SYBILLA GROSS,
politics editor
Together has won over Monash students for a second year in a row, winning a landslide 77 per cent of the vote and keeping control over the MSA.
“We didn’t even exist 18 months ago but now we have just won 77 per cent of the vote, which wouldn’t [have been] possible without the incredible support of 65 clubs to back us up and the Monash students,” Mr Fogarty said.
Last year, Together won 64.9 per cent of the vote.
The party beat the other major contender in this year’s elections, newcomer party Activate.
Together’s leader Henry Fox won the presidency, receiving 2703 votes, or 77 per cent of the vote, compared to the 563 votes for Despina Skourlis of Activate, with just 15 per cent.
While only the numbers for the presidential ballot have been declared, counting will continue tomorrow, with the official full election results likely to be released early next week.
All office-bearing positions have gone to Together, but some portfolios are being shared with smaller party Grassroots, who campaigned alongside Together once again after last year’s successful coalition.
Grassroots picked up the officer roles in the education public affairs, environmental and social, and disability and carer’s departments.
Four out of five student council positions also went to Together, with the fifth likely to be won by Activate, Mr Fogarty said.
For their the second year in office, Together has promised further improvements to campus life, which formed a major part of their campaign running up to the elections. These include snooze lounges and cheaper textbooks.
Together’s focus on campus life in their policy platform was very similar to their campaign efforts last year.
“This is the kind of politics they want to see in our student union, policies that are inclusive, representative and effective in the way they operate,” Mr Fogarty said.
The exact number for the voting turnout this year has not yet been finalised, but is looking to be very similar to last year’s levels which numbered close to 4000, according to Mr Fogarty.
Queer officers Ellie King-Cain and Peter Bui of the Rainbow Collective ticket were elected unopposed.
Left Action remained in the margins, with presidential nomination Daniel Taylor receiving 263 votes, or 8 per cent of the total vote.