Student General Meetings (SGMs) are a way of practicing direct democracy at Monash, allowing all students to have a say in how their student union and university runs. Meetings are open to the public, and all Clayton students have the right to speak and vote. Students from across Monash’s campuses are also encouraged to attend.
A Student General Meeting is the highest decision making forum of the Monash Student Association. The MSA is constitutionally obliged to follow any decision made at an SGM if 1% or more of the Clayton student population – at least 300 students – are in attendance and vote at the meeting when the decision is made.
SGMs may only be held from 1:05pm -1:55pm on any academic day, being widely advertised at least six academic days in advance. Any Clayton student may present proposals for discussion at a meeting, however all proposals/motions need to be submitted to the MSA Secretary before 5pm on the last academic day before the meeting.
From the university’s inception until seven years ago, they were the primary means for students to collectively make important decisions and decide on actions they would take to address educational issues as well as broader social and political concerns.
In the past, the inclusive and open nature of the meetings resulted in thousands of students becoming engaged in and having ownership over the political process and being able to work cooperatively and effectively fight attacks on education by both University Administration and Government.
These mass meetings and subsequent student mobilisations played a key role in winning the fight for and instituting free education in Australia in the early 1970s, as well as bringing about broader social and political change such as the abolition of the death penalty and the end of the Vietnam war.
The Student General Meeting, which has been called for May 1, will be the first meeting in seven years. It will be an invaluable opportunity for us all to come together and voice our opinions and discuss and vote on proposals for how we will respond to current attacks on our education.
