Welcome Week 2025

I’d like to welcome everyone to the University of Sydney in 2025. My name is Angus Fisher and I have the pleasure of being your Students' Representative Council (SRC) President.

Whether you’re a new or returning student, the SRC is here to support you in every way it can; be that through our excellent casework and legal services, our robust student-focused campaigns, or just being a familiar face on campus. The SRC is your student-run student union and is totally independent of the university so whenever you’re having issues with them, or frankly, any problems related to being a student or young person, we are your go-to people. If you have ever wondered where that approximately $200 Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) that you pay each semester goes, part of it helps fund our important work.

I have been asked a lot: “What does the SRC President actually do?” I will attempt to answer this question as concisely as possible. I see the role as three broad responsibilities, all of huge importance. Firstly, the President is the executive director of the not-for-profit organisation that is the SRC. I oversee all the staff that the SRC employs and ensure the organisation is running as it should by putting student’s interests first. Secondly, the President is the undergraduate student representative. I attend countless meetings and answer an ungodly amount of emails from the university, the government, and the media to make sure the interests of the approximately 40,000 undergraduate students are heard. Finally, the President is the lead union organiser. I help facilitate campaigns that the SRC office bearers wish to run and try to engage with the student body (you) to get involved. Students are stronger together.

I am proud to be the SRC President because the SRC has a rich history of social justice by fighting for student rights and broader societal issues through its activism and advocacy since 1929. The SRC has played a pivotal role in movements for educational reform, anti-war protests, environmental sustainability, LGBTQIA+ rights, and gender equality. Notably, the SRC was at the forefront of opposition to the Vietnam War and campaigned for free and accessible education during the economic reforms of the 1980s. With a deep commitment to intersectional justice, the SRC continues to champion causes such as workers’ rights, Indigenous sovereignty, and climate action, embodying its legacy of progressive activism. The best way to get involved in the SRC’s campaigns is through its collectives which you can find on the SRC website or by getting in touch with me.

Students and the greater world face many challenges today that the SRC tries to fight. First and foremost is the corporate university, which seeks to maximise profits by cutting courses and staff while making hundreds of millions in surplus. Our education is becoming increasingly commodified. The cost of living crisis continues to hit young people the hardest with soaring rents and food prices. It’s more important than ever that the government hears our struggles. The university’s complicity in the Palestinian genocide, climate change, and other injustices are rife. The SRC is one way students can fight for what’s right. Over the past couple of years, student unionism has won an independent student ombudsman, partially paid placements, and the disclosure of ties to weapons companies at many universities. Student unionism works.

I hope to see you all around campus this year and getting involved with your SRC. This year we will be hosting a fortnightly stall/BBQ on Eastern Avenue so you can raise issues directly with us. Please follow the SRC Instagram @src_usyd to keep up with what we’re doing and feel free to look me up personally on social media. Thank you for reading!

In solidarity,

Angus Fisher