The Graduate Union Annual Report
THE MELBOURNE GRADUATE Vol. 72 No. 1
April 2019
Annual Report 2018 The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc.
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 1
The Graduate Union Annual Report
“The witness of biography ... is unanimous upon this point; the value of education is among the greatest of all human values.” — Virginia Woolf
Annual Report of The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Incorporated Editorial: The Publications Team The Melbourne Graduate April 2019 — Volume 72, Number 1 Periodical Publication of The Graduate Union Print Post Approved PP337834/00022 Incorporated Association Registration Number A0023234B Editorial and Photography by the Publications Team. All other images have been obtained from publicly sourced domains. Printed by: City Copy Page 2 | Volume 72, Number 1
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Contents 4
38
Messages from the
Membership in 2018
President Chair of Council
43
CEO/Head of College
Residents
7 2018–2019 Council Members
8 Governance and Nominations
11 Graduate Union Council Election
14 Membership and Marketing
21 Meeting Services and GU Collegiate
46 Year at a Glance
48 Fundraising and Benefaction
61 Buildings and Facilities
68 Our Team
70 Finance and Audit Financial report for the year ended 31 December 2018 Independent Auditor's Report
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
The President’s Message I am delighted to be making my fourth and final annual report to my fellow Members. 2018 was another year of progress in providing outstanding service to our Members and visitors and building a strong foundation for future growth. As I said many times during the year, this is a genuinely exciting time in the history of our great organisation — fast forward 10 years — and we plan to have a fabulous new 11-storey state of the art facility behind the terraces providing our current and future Members with an unparalleled accommodation, meeting and social gathering experience right on University Square with the underground Parkville Station. 2018 has been a milestone year as we launched our Diamond Jubilee Capital Fundraising Campaign to enable us to achieve this innovative and achievable vision — a vision that will see us meeting the needs of an ever-increasing graduate community here in Melbourne for quality, affordable facilities in a friendly, homely facility. Fast forward another 10 years and our long-term vision sees the Leicester St complex ranking as a truly world class Graduate precinct with a total of three new buildings on the site. It should be our collective objective to ensure that, as we move forward, our Association and its facilities never lose their unique culture and warm friendly environment in which Members can relax, be informed and cement long term friendships. It was a privilege to chair the Association’s 106th AGM, my last as President, and in particular to present the President’s Excellence Award to our Operations Manager, Mr Daniel Clark, in appreciation of his exemplary service to this Association. I was pleased also to present
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Dr Graham Mitchell AO with Honorary Life Membership, and Dr Irma Mooi-Reci and Dr David Wilson with Honorary College Fellowships. The year has been marked by many vibrant Member and cultural events including the Chinese New Year Prosperity Toss, the Iftar Ramadan Banquet, Christmas in July, the Donor Thank You Day Lunch, Diwali, the Chairperson’s Cocktail Party and the traditional Christmas Dinner and Party. At these, I have been pleased to welcome people from all over the globe and at all life stages to our Graduate House and have felt proud of our ability to foster integration and opportunity. I extend congratulations and farewell to Professor Glyn Davis AC who has led The University of Melbourne with distinction from 2005 to 2018, introducing the innovative and very successful Melbourne Model which combines broad undergraduate studies with professional specialisation at graduate level. This has increased exponentially the number of graduate-enrolled students requiring college-like accommodation — a demand and need that our Association has been endeavouring to meet. Together with Cr Pagone, I have had the pleasure of meeting the 20th Vice-Chancellor of The University of Melbourne, Professor Duncan Maskell, welcoming him to our membership and introducing him to our Graduate House, a college concept with which he is familiar having worked for many years at the University of Cambridge. I want to thank the Chair and members of your Council and its subcommittees, our CEO and Head of College and our amazing staff, who have not only delivered truly outstanding results for our Association in 2018, but importantly have established a strong foundation for sustainable future growth — a growth that will meet the increasing needs of graduates in Melbourne over the next twenty five years and beyond.
Dr Ken V Loughnan AO President of The Graduate Union
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Chairperson of Council’s Message The Council of 2018 has had the enormous benefit of the foundation work done in recent years under the leadership of Councillor Rhys Watson in conjunction with Dr Kerry Bennett. 2018 saw The Graduate Union acquire additional new premises for graduate accommodation and obtain a building permit to construct substantial new accommodation for graduates. These developments were made possible by the sound and stable governance and administration of The Graduate Union in the preceding years coupled with a vision of the mission for The Graduate Union. The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne began in 1911 in what was then the outskirts of the university precinct. It finds itself now an independent organisation run by its Members in what is, in effect, the heart of the university precinct offering essential graduate accommodation to some of the best and brightest graduate students in Australia. The Melbourne Model has refocused the importance of graduate students to The University of Melbourne and the educational mission of The Graduate Union is substantially to provide graduate accommodation within a university setting in which graduate work can flourish and be nurtured. To that end, The Graduate Union has increased the accommodation it is able to give to graduates within that context and has embarked upon an ambitious and exciting project to extend those facilities substantially in the future.
education. All members of Council, and all members of the subcommittees of Council, provide their expertise and time voluntarily and without reward. We are grateful for the time and effort they give us. I have no doubt that I speak for all members of Council in thanking each and every member of the subcommittees of Council. As Chair of Council I thank each and every member of Council for the diligence they bring to the work of Council. The prospect of the new construction brings to Graduate House new opportunities and new visions. An expanded space for graduate accommodation will enable Graduate House to deepen its education mission and objectives in many new directions. In that task we are especially fortunate to have Dr Bennett as CEO and Head of College who brings to the task not only good management and sound administration but also an impressive educational curriculum vitae. We have been fortunate also to have been able to persuade the President, Dr Ken Loughnan AO, to extend for a short time his tenure as President. His work in the last three years has been significant in shaping the direction of The Graduate Union as a whole and his continuation in that role has been greatly appreciated. The final matter to mention is perhaps the most important, namely the dedication and work of the staff. The Graduate Union would not function without the work and care of its staff. We are fortunate to have a stable team of dedicated employees who do more than asked and who make the space at Graduate House what it is. We owe to them a very special thanks!
Cr The Hon Gaetano (Tony) Pagone Chairperson of Council
That has been made possible by the stable stewardship of preceding Councils which have focused upon sound management, good governance and an educational vision. The subcommittees of Council work hard and efficiently within their terms of reference and are able to draw upon the depth and experience of a wide range of people who know and understand the importance of graduate
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The CEO/Head of College’s Message 2018 has been a year of vibrancy and growth. We have a strong system of governance and a sound team of dedicated staff members and volunteers. Working with our active and contributing Members, as well as an increasing base of supporters, we have continued to build on a solid platform for expansion and influence into the future. The year signalled the conclusion of our 2016-2018 Strategic Plan and the formulation of our third (2019-2021), with continued focus on the five strategic pillars that are proven to support our vision of being renowned as the pre-eminent membership association of graduates of universities from around the world, living, meeting and learning within a vibrant and active collegium which advances education and its application for the good of society. Under the pillar of Innovative Influential Membership we have prioritised the development of the Association's network for the benefit of all segments of our membership, from those earlier in their careers, particularly our Resident Members, to those seeking also to give back as they enter retirement. We have begun the establishment of membership schemes that will enhance the experience of and engagement with the Association, including an incentive program (both for individuals and for organisations) and generational membership packages — our Association with origins in 1911 now having families with three generations of graduate Members. Our brand reviews and needs analyses have informed significant and wellreceived changes in our communication strategies with different member segments, as well as the updating of our image to stay true to our legacy while adding also a contemporary edge. We held another successful and full season of GU Collegiate events with every occasion enabling the bringing together of our eclectic membership to celebrate and learn from our ‘multi’ (disciplinary, ethnic, lifestage) community. The Culture of Giving pillar has been significantly progressed by Members who are driving fundraising and benefaction initiatives, as well as the engagement of their professional and personal networks. Because of this we have good reserves to support opportunities for postgraduate students. Many Members contribute ideas, time, thought, advocacy and finance to our capital campaign for
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the terrace redevelopment, as well as our crowdfunding platform. We are indeed grateful for a membership - here and globally - that is lending its weight to these significant fund-raising initiatives, and ask for your continued strong involvement and assistance in coming years. The pillar of Planned and Achieved Major Projects has been underpinned by our master planning and a very busy year of capital improvements. In July 2018, Melbourne City Council granted a permit for the construction of Stage 1 of the G-House Master Plan, the detailed design for which will commence once we have funding certainty. Informed by a research trip to Singapore, we have begun concept designing for Stage 2, the southern wing neighbouring Melbourne Business School. In October we acquired another 18 bedsits in Barkly Place - such is the overwhelming need and demand for accommodation that also provides a supportive collegial community. We have also progressed our G-Union Master Plan, with Council scheduling a strategic planning session mid-2019 to consider delivery of education and other graduate support initiatives. Importantly, the two pillars of Well-Managed Finances and Mitigated Risk and Effective Responsive Stewardship are being met comprehensively. We have sound internal controls and are generating sufficient revenue and reserves to support further growth and to give confidence to finance providers. We have a contemporary system of governance with inclusion (e.g., Resident Members on all subcommittees), accountability, transparency and an organisational culture of ethics, trust and confidence. We have a focus on strategy that is underpinned by a comprehensive risk mitigation and management framework, as well as carefully considered policies and procedures. The Association has solid foundations. I remain humbled by, and grateful for, the generosity and dedication of my colleagues here at Graduate House and of our governance team, as well as that of the many Members who contribute always to our fabric, our legacy and our future. Thank you.
Dr Kerry Bennett CEO/Head of College
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Council Members 2018 – 2019
Cr Mary Kelleher Chairperson of Buildings and Facilities subcommittee
Dr Ken V Loughnan AO President
Cr The Hon Gaetano (Tony) Pagone Chairperson of Council
Cr Vincent Mirabelli Vice-Chairperson of Council
Cr David Cowie Chairperson of Finance and Audit subcommittee
Cr Leo Santalucia Chairperson of Governance and Nominations subcommittee
Cr Rhys Watson Chairperson of the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee
Cr Molina Asthana
Cr Kingsley Davis Cr Damon Luo appointed to December 2018
Cr Keith Ryall Chairperson of Membership and Marketing subcommittee
Cr Viv Nguyen appointed to May 2018
Vice-Chancellor Representatives from The University of Melbourne
Cr Paul Southwick Cr Muan Lim
Cr Simon Waters
Cr Peter Rogers
appointed to May 2018
appointed from September 2018
appointed from December 2018
appointed from June 2018
Cr Sarah Banks
Cr Martin McCurry
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
Governance and Nominations Governance and Nominations Subcommittee
Governance Standards
(c) oversee Council’s compliance with its governance obligations established by external regulatory authorities;
Council and Council Members are required to adhere to the governance standards prescribed under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) and the Australian Charities and Not-forprofits Commission Act 2012 (Cth). The Governance and Nominations subcommittee monitors and makes policies to ensure adherence to these standards as provided in PART 2 of the Regulations under the headings of: (a) purposes and not-for-profit nature of the Association; (b) accountability to Members; (c) compliance with Australian laws; (d) suitability of Officers; (e) duties of Officers; and (f) governance values, ethics and behaviours of the Association.
(d) determine, review and recommend improvements to governance policies;
Rules
(e) review and recommend changes to the structure and functioning of Council and of Council subcommittees for effective governance;
The Rules of The Graduate Union are a written document that guides how the Association works and are a contract between the Association and our Members. This document sets out our purposes as a charity and not-for-profit organisation and outlines the rights and responsibilities of Members and office holders.
As set out in regulation 33.2, the roles and responsibilities of the Governance and Nominations subcommittee are to: (a) establish excellence in governance practice; (b) formulate and review policies and practices relating to the effectiveness of Council and of Council subcommittees, and Council succession planning;
(f) facilitate the understanding by Council Members of their governance role and responsibilities; (g) safeguard the process for annual updating of the strategic plan; (h) research and recommend improvements to the proceedings of Council in relation to meetings, resolutions of Council Members, Council Members’ interests, minutes and registers; (i) ensure periodic reviews of the terms of reference for each subcommittee; (j) ensure periodic reviews of the performance of each subcommittee; (k) ensure Council Members are provided with information about professional development opportunities; (l) monitor compliance with PART 2 of the Regulations; (m) establish and operate a procedure for identifying and securing suitable future candidates for election, co-option or appointment to Council; and (n) monitor the mitigation and management of risk which applies to governance and nominations, including the adequacy of internal systems of risk identification and risk treatment.
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Amendments to the Rules, as outlined in last year’s report from the Governance and Nominations subcommittee, were put as Special Resolutions to Members at the 2018 annual General Meeting (AGM) and passed. Following lodgement of these amended Rules with Consumer Affairs Victoria and the Registrar of Incorporated Associations (the Registrar), the Association was advised that: • permanent provisions in the Rules for Special Resolutions to be made by postal ballot did not comply with the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic), SECT 66 providing for ‘one-off’ occasions where permission was to be sought in advance for the use of postal ballots (e.g., amalgamation of Associations); and • providing for postal ballots for Special Resolutions, in the manner rule 43 was being amended, did not meet the requirements of Sections 64 and 62 of the Act; however
The Graduate Union Annual Report
• in accordance with Section 50(8) of the Act, the amendment made at the 2016 AGM to rule 38.1 “Use of technology” at General Meetings had continued to be approved. As postal voting was used in the passing of amendments to the Rules made at the 31st May 2018 AGM, further amendments not approved by the Registrar related to: • correspondence between the Model Rules and the Association’s Rules;
details will now be required on the smaller internal, rather than the external larger, envelope for return of the voting papers, and, on application, Members may be able to submit electronic votes for the elections to Council. Amendments have also been made to provisions for election material, particularly that requested for placement in Graduate House. In addition to those made for consistency with the Rules, other amendments have been to provide:
• membership cessation;
• clarity on the terms of office for the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the subcommittees of Council;
• powers and tenures of the Association’s Officers; and
• for the approach for non-quorate subcommittee meetings; and
• indemnity of the Association’s Officers.
• for the Chairperson of Council to be delegated authority to call for a non-scheduled subcommittee meeting.
As a result of these determinations by the Registrar, the Association was requested to revert to the Rules existing prior to the 2016 AGM with the addition of the amendment to Rule 38.1 “Use of technology” passed at the 2016 AGM. The Association amended its Rules to reflect the Registrar’s request and following lodgement with Consumer Affairs and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), these Rules were confirmed as accepted (28th August 2018). The majority of motions on notice for Special Resolution at the 2019 AGM are thus being represented to Members, as they had not been passed validly at the 2018 AGM.
Regulations As provided by rule 46.3(b) of the Rules of the Association, the Regulations of The Graduate Union are established by Council for the governance and management of the Association and, if applicable, in accordance with any regulatory authority standards, as determined by Council. Amendments to the Regulations made in 2018 have been primarily to the provisions for the elections. ‘Election Period’ has been defined as the period from the sending of the notice of a ballot to the closure of the ballot for election to Council. Provisions have been included to ensure the selection and timely withholding of election update information so that all candidates receive same — at the same time, and from the same source. Member
Composition of Council The Rules provide for the election of not more than nine Council Members, each with terms of (usually) three years. Cr Mary Kelleher, Cr David Cowie and Cr Kingsley Davis OAM were elected in 2018 and their profiles are shown in the 2017 April edition of The Melbourne Graduate. The Vice Chancellor of The University of Melbourne appoints two representatives to Council. Cr Sarah Banks has been a member of Council since October 2015 and, in her role as Deputy Director of Alumni Relations, has assisted considerably with the strategic positioning of the organisation for membership recruitment and retention, and for advancement. Mr Martin McCurry joined Council in June 2018 as the second Vice-Chancellor’s representative. Martin is the Executive Director of Major Projects and thus brings his considerable experience and expertise to our Association at a time when it is particularly needed with the gaining of the planning permit from Melbourne City Council for the terrace redevelopment. The Rules provide for not more than three appointments to Council (rule 49.1(d)). Through this provision, Council appointed Viv Nguyen and Paul Southwick for second year terms which ended
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in 2018. Ms Nguyen served on the Finance and Audit subcommittee, and Mr Southwick as Deputy Chairperson of Council, and on the Finance and Audit subcommittee and the Membership and Marketing subcommittee. We are grateful to both for bringing to Council sound finance, business and governance guidance and advice. Mr Damon Luo was appointed to Council and to the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee for a one year term that concluded by December 2018. We thank Mr Luo for bringing to Council representation from the Resident Members enrolled in postgraduate studies and for his support and advice in relation to philanthropy and the facilitation of stronger international and business networks in the UK, the US and Asia. Cr Hong Muan Lim was appointed to Council in June, Cr Simon Waters in September and Cr Peter Rogers in December 2018. Cr Lim joined Council having served on the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee since 2017. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (H1) from The University of Melbourne and is an Associate of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants. Cr Lim worked for 22 years with Hewlett Packard (HP) serving in Finance and Administration, Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Leasing and was instrumental in setting up the first joint venture leasing company in China, HP China Leasing Ltd, and the first wholly owned manufacturing arm for China’s domestic PC and Server business, HP Shanghai Ltd. Cr Lim is an Advisory Board member of the Department of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics, Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Centre for Asian Business and Economics and a lifetime member of the Chancellor’s Circle. Cr Lim continues on the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee (as Co-Vice-Chairperson) and is also a member of the Finance and Audit subcommittee, as well as the Initial Project Control Group (IPCG) established to oversee the major fundraising and project management of the terrace redevelopment. Dr Simon Waters holds a Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Melbourne, and is a practising architect with Simon Waters Architects and Founder and CEO of Architects Group Australia. Cr Waters has worked across all building types including residential, commercial and institutional. A
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Member of the Australian Institute of Architects for over 30 years, he was elected Fellow in 2012. Cr Waters was an accredited architect with Archicentre from 1987 to 2016 with which he completed over 700 inspections. He is a Director on the board of Quest Foundation which supports those with physical disability. Cr Waters was appointed to the Buildings and Facilities subcommittee. Cr Peter Rogers joined Council in November 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chem) from Monash University, a Master of Applied Science from The University of Melbourne and a PhD from Monash University. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia and has been awarded a Monash Distinguished Service Medal, the Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering medal. In 2014 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Monash University. Cr Rogers is Emeritus Chairman of the Monash Engineering and IT Foundation, a Member of the Monash Resources Engineering Advisory Board, Chairman of Australian Rotary Health District D9800 Committee, Past President of Rotary Club of Melbourne, and Assistant Governor of Rotary International District 9800. He brings extensive experience of governance, fundraising and international human resource consulting. Cr Rogers was appointed to the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee, the Membership and Marketing subcommittee and the IPCG. In conclusion, I thank the 2018 Governance and Nominations subcommittee members — Mr Kingsley Davis OAM (Chairperson to May), Ms Molina Asthana (Co-Vice-Chairperson from June), Mr John Green (Co-Vice-Chairperson), Dr Phillip Cobbin, Dr Brendan Grabau, Ms Melissa Kennedy, Ms Cheryl Kidston, Cr Vincent Mirabelli, Cr Gaetano (Tony) Pagone, Ms Parisa Shiran, Cr Paul Southwick (to May) and Cr Rhys Watson (to May) as well as the secretariat and administration staff at Graduate House.
Cr Leo Santalucia Chairperson of the Governance and Nominations subcommittee
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Graduate Union Council Election As a result of the call for nominations published in the January/February newsletter and on the website of The Graduate Union, five valid nominations had been received for three vacancies. A further vacancy has since arisen, so that there are now four positions to be filled. A poll will therefore be held, with voting closing at 4:00PM on Friday, 24th May 2019. A voting paper, a small envelope marked ‘Voting Paper’ and an outer reply paid return addressed envelope, in which the small envelope containing the voting paper is to be placed, are all enclosed with this Melbourne Graduate and May Newsletter to all Members. If you have not received them, please contact The Graduate Union office immediately. Should you wish to complete an electronic vote, please apply to the Returning Officer for an electronic vote by email to ronritchie@ optusnet.com.au. You will be required to complete identity checks and declarations as required by the Returning Officer before submitting the electronic vote in the manner provided by the Returning Officer.
Candidates are listed here, and on the voting paper, in the order in which names were determined by lot in the presence of witnesses: Stephens, Max *Mirabelli, Vincent *Ryall, Keith Lim, Muan Green, John The personal statements which follow are in ballot paper order and have been standardised only by listing the surname first, followed by the first name and the listing of degrees and diplomas, and the inclusion of the names of the proposer and seconder of the candidate. An asterisk* indicates a retiring Council Member seeking re-election. A complete listing of Council membership during 2018-2019 and additional information supplied by candidates is available under the About Us tab on The Graduate Union website: www.graduatehouse. com.au. The four members elected in this poll will have terms expiring in May 2022.
Ronald G Ritchie Returning Officer
Personal Statements from Candidates STEPHENS, Max PhD (Melb), MA (Melb), DipEd (Melb) Proposer — Mary Kelleher Seconder — David McCredie I am a Life Member of The Graduate Union, and an active member of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. In 2015–2016, I was a member of The Graduate Union working party setting out a vision to involve and support early-career graduates through a multidisciplinary life stage development. We are uniquely placed to connect graduates through opportunities for mentoring, volunteering and networking. Moreover, involving and engaging early-career graduates is vital for our continued success and viability. Welcoming, connecting and supporting are key elements that we can offer. At Graduate House, I have also been a mentor to the United Board academic fellowship program since its inception. I regularly meet residents and academic visitors. I have strong connections to universities in China and Japan, and several other Asian countries. If elected to the Council, I believe that these experiences can support our vision and assist our future development.
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Personal Statements from Candidates (continued) *MIRABELLI, Vincent BJuris, LLB Proposer — Gaetano (Tony) Pagone Seconder — Leonard Santalucia I am a Senior Consultant with MDM Lawyers and have practised in the areas of commercial, civil and common law litigation since 1975. I am a director of various companies and was previously on the board of CO.AS.IT. I am a member of the Law Institute of Victoria, CO.AS.IT, the RACV City Club, the East Melbourne Group and the Australian Italian Lawyers Association. I am grateful for my university education at The University of Melbourne and am passionate about the needs of graduates at all career stages. Across all sectors, postgraduate education through life is essential in today’s competitive job market and to maintain the agility of mind needed to work with people from different disciplines globally. I hope to contribute to The Graduate Union with not only my legal and governance expertise, but also by tapping into my national and global networks for the benefit of earlier career graduates.
*RYALL, Keith BSc, DipEd, BEd, GradDip Proposer — Roy T. A. Hardcastle Seconder — John Edward Elligate I am passionate about graduates, The Graduate Union and Graduate House in general, but specifically the potential for growth of each one. Much has been achieved; much remains to be done. We are in the process of implementing the 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, the third for this Association. I am proud to have been involved with the Council over the past six years and if re-elected, will work with our Members/ stakeholders to ensure we deliver on what we promised. We have five Key Result Areas which we must never lose sight of as they have provided a blueprint for the way forward to ensure that Graduate House and The Graduate Union will be vibrant, thriving and relevant, and existing way beyond my lifetime. My experience with professional associations and service organisations has given me insights as to how to ensure visions become reality. I hereby pledge my enthusiastic and total support.
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Personal Statements from Candidates (continued) LIM, Muan BComm (Hons) (Melb) Proposer — Gaetano (Tony) Pagone Seconder — Rhys Watson Muan Lim graduated with a B.Com (Hons) from The University of Melbourne in 1977. Working with KPMG and PWC, Muan was accepted as an Associate of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants. A 22-year veteran of HP, Muan has served many roles in Finance, Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Leasing. Muan set up the first joint venture leasing company in China, HP China Leasing and the first wholly owned manufacturing arm for China’s domestic PC and Server business, HP Shanghai. Muan had served as Finance Director Asia-Pacific, VP Supply Chain Asia-Pacific PSG, Global VP Finance and Remarketing. Currently Muan chairs the Advisory Board of the Centre for Asian Business and Economics, is an Advisory Board member of the Department of Management & Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE), and is alifetime member of the Chancellor’s Circle at The University of Melbourne. Muan has been appointed to Council and serves on the Benefaction and Finance and Audit subcommittees.
GREEN, John BEc (Tas), LLB (Deakin) Proposer — Leonard Santalucia Seconder — Vincent Mirabelli I have been a Life Member of The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc. since 2006 and actively involved in its affairs as current Vice-Chairman of the Governance and Nominations subcommittee and member of the Finance and Audit subcommittee and former Councillor in 2016 and 2017. I have more than 30 years’ experience as a senior university administrator, including six years as the Deputy University Secretary at The University of Melbourne. I have degrees in Law and Commerce and Fellowship membership of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (UK), Australian Institute of Governance, Certified Practising Accountants and Institute of Company Directors. If re-elected, I would be keen to continue to contribute to the Council’s engagement with the graduate community and ensuring that our global international collegium have a rich and rewarding experience at Graduate House.
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Membership and Marketing Membership and Marketing subcommittee
(i) monitor the mitigation and management of risk which applies to membership and marketing, including the adequacy of internal systems of risk identification and risk treatment.
As set out in regulation 34.2, the roles and responsibilities of the Membership and Marketing subcommittee are to:
Membership As at 31st December 2018, The Graduate Union had 2,636 Members as compared to 2,467 by the end of 2017.
(a) oversee the recruitment, and growth and maintenance of the Association’s membership, and the development and promotion of new or improved programs or services;
The number of Resident Members remains high and stable, with 516 in 2018, 17 (3%) below that in 2017 (533) and a 7% five-year increase. Residents typically join the membership before residing at Graduate House, with some continuing membership when they leave (and thus change membership category). Hence the numbers reported here differ from annual occupancy reports.
(b) advise Council on the development of new or improved services or programs that strengthen the Association’s offerings to Resident Members, non-resident Members and the general public; (c) advise Council on marketing and communications strategies to increase Member numbers and Member participation;
The number of Life Members shows a slight decline — with 1,182 in 2018, 27 (2%) less than in 2017 (1,209) — consistent with an average annual 2% decline (7% five-year decrease). It is with great sadness that we say farewell and thank you to those who joined in the early to mid‑1900s and who are deceased in 2018.
(d) review the fees, charges and conditions for membership and recommend any changes for adoption by Council; (e) monitor Member satisfaction with the Association’s services and facilities;
Regular and Associate Member numbers in 2018 were 267, an increase of 27 (8.5%) on 2017. Organisation Member numbers increased by 12 (35%) and daily Member numbers by 140 (29%). The number of GUCA (Graduate Union College Alumni) Members on record is 2,523 and we continue the process of researching and entering those who have resided at Graduate House since 1962.
(f) oversee the management of and make recommendations for significant awards to, and recognitions of, Members and staff; (g) review and recommend to Council any revision to policies for the conduct of Members; (h) review membership applications in accordance with the Association’s membership policy; and
by end of 2017
Number of Members
533
by end of 2018
1209 1182
1200 800
The bar graph below illustrates the changes in numbers from last year. The number of new
516
400
246
485
267 34
0
Residents
Life/Hon/ Hon Life
Graduates/ Associates
625
46
Organisation
Daily
Comparison of the number of Members in each division of membership by the close of years 2017 and 2018.
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Engagement
Members in 2018 was 576, an increase of 119 (26%) on 2017 (457). The line chart below shows the variations in new Member numbers per month, the average in 2018 being 48 (range 26-74), 10 above that in 2017 (38; range 18‑66).
The Association has many different (and prospective) Member segments ranging from those recently graduated to those lately retired. The schematic (on the next page) illustrates these graduates from all life stages. Whilst increasing membership numbers demonstrate a continued and increasing interest in the Association, the Membership and Marketing subcommittee has identified the need to continue resourcing and adopting new approaches to recruit and retain new Members, as well as to deliver suitable service offerings.
The bar graph below shows the total number of new Members per membership division. Compared to 2017, there has been a 37% increase in the number of new Resident Members (from 208 to 285), reflecting the addition of the Barry Street and Barkly Place residencies, as well as the trend to shorter term residencies with shorter course module offerings in the postgraduate market. The five-fold increase in Organisation Members is consistent with the increased demand for meeting and function services, particularly from the university, government, not-for-profit and professional development sectors. The Association continues to ensure that groups and organisations that seek also to deliver education and social good purposes are provided with a high-quality venue at Graduate House with audio-visual, online and catering support at an affordable and reasonable price.
Tailored strategies are adopted for each of these Member segments to foster retention, as well as recruitment (gain) of new Members. An ‘active’ membership — one that is engaged, interested and supportive — is critical to success in honouring the Association’s legacy, achieving its purposes and continuing its growth with increasingly strengthened foundations. This engagement and active participation is encouraged through a variety of means and at different levels.
Number of new Members
2017 2018
80
60 40 20 0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
The number of new Members admitted each month of 2017 and 2018.
by end of 2017 Number of new Members
by end of 2018 330
300
208
200 100 0
3
3
Life
48
42
Regular
194
186
4
Resident
19
Organisation
Daily
The number of new Members admitted per division in 2017 and 2018.
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Working Professionals Mid-Career Returning to Study
M ul
Postgraduates College Residents Early in Career
At the governance level, and in addition to seeking election or appointment to Council, Members may participate through the Council subcommittees and working parties. The Regulations of the Association provide for up to four Resident and five non‑resident Members who are not Council Members to be members of each subcommittee (except the Remuneration subcommittee) and thus to contribute important voices, expertise and experience. The benefits go both ways. For the Members, particularly those in study or earlier in careers, these governance opportunities give experience, resume additions, access to networks and the ability to make a real difference for fellow and future Members. The Association gains advice and information that is contemporary and best practice from highly qualified, diverse (in all respects), bright and innovative member segments. This facilitates continuous quality improvement, integration between member segments and the rolling present conterminous of the past and future. There are numerous engagement opportunities at Graduate House. For those in the not-for-profit, government, education and business sectors, Graduate House is used frequently as an alternative place to meet clients, to provide one-on-one or small group leadership, coaching, mentorship and facilitation sessions (e.g., in the Phillip Law Members Lounge or Barbara Funder Lounge), and to convene academic, research and planning meetings, seminars, small-to-medium sized conferences, compulsory and continuous professional development sessions,
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ry na
erational Me d Gen mbe y an l rsh i m n g i h a ip c n a a d Men F , Co g n t i o r rin o t g Tu Knowledge and Tra m ns o fe isd r l and Multidis W a r u c t l ipl u i tic
Late in Career Semi-Retired Retirees
alumni and other reunion functions, and family/ friend gatherings. In addition to the GU Collegiate events that the Association organises fully and that are free or subsidised for Members, Members are supported in the self-organisation of activities and the formation of a variety of interest groups. Hence the Bridge Group, the Italian Language Conversation Dinner, the Women’s Forum and many of the Resident Member activities (cultural dinners, excursions, social functions, sport, games) are organised and run by Members, with the Association providing the venue, as well as some marketing and administrative support. Engagement with Members from afar is crucial. This is primarily through a complex and matrixed communications system that varies from hardcopy in-the-post publications and telephone calls to digital platforms (website, email, social media, mobile). We are fortunate to have an interesting and interested membership. Hence, Members at all life stages (early, mid, later) are encouraged to share their graduate pathway stories and to give and gain inspiration and guidance in their respective fields of endeavour. Every story published gets a response from someone somewhere in the world. This is of tremendous benefit for earlier career graduates who require visibility, supportive networks and opportunities in a very competitive global job market and in a world that needs their skills. The sharing of narratives, position papers
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and other content gives those with greater experience the chance to put in words important legacies to demonstrate what has worked in the past, where the future might lie and what might be strengthened. The diversity of the membership means that each Member story hits ‘a home’. We continue thus to encourage all Members — of all disciplines, ethnicities, sexes and life stages — to submit their stories for publication. With a membership that is intelligent, distributed and independent, the Association sees great opportunity — indeed a responsibility — to bring together its influential and innovative Members to improve and manage the world. Volunteer opportunities are facilitated locally, nationally and internationally (e.g., with Variety the Children’s Charity; Rotary; United Board), as is a basic understanding of each of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to inform the broad focus direction of these efforts. We are fortunate to have many society-contributing Members in Australia and globally who provide these experiences in established well-structured and effective networks. The Association’s existence since 1911 means that several families have generations of graduate (and prospective) Members. We have descendants of our founders (e.g., of Sir John Monash) in our current membership, as well as families with at least three
generations of membership (graduates from the 1940s-1960s, their children, nieces and nephews who graduated in the 1960s to 1990s, the next generation graduating in the 1980s to now and a-soon-to-graduate fourth generation in coming decades). While we see and meet some of these families when they gather at Graduate House, we are most privileged to have multi-generational graduate families (and the potential for membership) also in many other countries. We have made ‘generational membership’ a key result area for our 2019-2021 Strategic Plan and are grateful for the support of our current Members in bringing to membership their descendants from around the world. This assists also in spreading the message that our Members are graduates of all universities nationally and internationally, not just of those in Melbourne. 2018 has seen also the development of a ‘performance-based incentive’ arrangement for the organisations and groups that convene events and functions at Graduate House. This provides discounts on catering costs to encourage their delegates to become individual Members of the Association, the extent of these discounts being greater for organisations that also become Members. The following gives an example of the information provided to explain this program.
Graduate Union Organisation Incentive Program The Graduate Union Organisation Incentive Program provides discounts on catering costs for Organisational Members and non-Member Organisations to encourage their delegates to become individual Members of The Graduate Union. Different discounts apply for Organisational Members and Non-Member Organisations as set out below. Discounts are provided as part of discount cycles of up to 10 events or one calendar year, whichever comes first.
Organisational Member Incentives Up to 10 events (one discount cycle) per calendar year A 50% catering cost discount (per head) is applied at the organisation’s next event, for the number of new individual Members signed up before the next event; and an ongoing 15% catering cost discount (per head) for the rest of the discount cycle or one calendar year, whichever comes first (see diagram below). 3 new members
2 new members
1 new member
2 new members
3 new members
0 new members
1 new member
2 new members
0 new members
1 new member
Event 1
Event 2
Event 3
Event 4
Event 5
Event 6
Event 7
Event 8
Event 9
Event 10
50% off for 3 people
50% off for 2 people and 15% off for 3 people
50% off for 1 person and 15% off for 5 people
50% off for 2 people and 15% off for 6 people
50% off for 3 people and 15% off for 8 people
50% off for 0 people and 15% off for 11 people
50% off for 1 person and 15% off for 11 people
50% off for 2 people and 15% off for 12 people
50% off for 0 people and 15% off for 14 people
50% off for 1 person and 15% off for 14 people
In the example above, ‘Event 1’ to ‘Event 10’ is one discount cycle, where ‘Event 1’ is the first discounted event.
38
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Database A review is being undertaken of the Association’s internally developed CRM (Customer/Client Relationship Management system) for the purposes of informing a restructure and incorporating contemporary tools for data analytics, research, reporting and mobile platforms. The current system was developed and introduced in 2013 following a comprehensive review of database systems available at that time for the integrated management of the Association’s existing and developing member services: accommodation, meeting and function services, membership, donations, finance, scheduling, logistics, etc. There was no one database management system that covered these different aspects, and those that came close were expensive and involved engagement of an external company on an ongoing ‘retainer’ basis for updates, tailoring and ongoing support. From the outset, the 2013 system had been designed to enable internal tailoring for different and expanding services, as well as to link to other databases used by the Association (e.g., for booking accommodation; for bookkeeping). It has allowed also the generation of reports, the exporting and importing of data and the generation of communications with members. With records of past, present and future (prospective) Members it has also facilitated and improved membership and stakeholder engagement. The review is determining key changes that need to be made to the front-end of the application (design, usability and flow) and the back-end (data storage; inconsistencies, redundancies). The restructure will involve the shift to Structured Query Language (SQL) and the use of improved analytics to inform tailored engagement, service provision and reach.
The year ahead 2019 marks the first year of the Association’s third Strategic Plan in which the priority for an Innovative Influential Membership is included again — signalling the Association’s continued commitment to education, social good and global influence through its intelligent and global networks. The focus for the Membership and Marketing subcommittee will thus be on the identified strategies for achieving four key result areas:
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1. Graduate House is the place and Graduate Union the network in which graduates want and need to be; 2. Members and their network groups connect readily to satellite groups of influence and innovation around the world; 3. The Association is renowned globally for delivery of activities that advance education for the benefit of the community; and 4. Generations from the same families are Members. In conclusion, I extend my gratitude to the 2018 Membership and Marketing subcommittee members — Ms Rosie Maddick (Co-Vice-Chairperson), Cr Sarah Banks (Co-Vice-Chairperson from June), Mr Paul Southwick (Co-Vice-Chairperson to May), Cr Molina Asthana, Cr Kingsley Davis OAM, Ms Merium Kazmi, Cr Mary Kelleher, Ms Mehak Masood, Cr Rhys Watson and Ms Jingyao Yu (to July). I thank also the dedicated and hardworking staff at Graduate House for their warm hospitality, professionalism, hard work and dedication.
Cr Keith Ryall Chairperson of the Membership and Marketing subcommittee
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Communications Website The website is a key information and marketing tool for the Association. It is designed to outline the history and structure of the organisation, to advise our charitable purposes and the services delivered, to enable donations and applications (for accommodation or membership) through on-line and downloadable forms, and to provide updates and news about our Members, the graduate sector (e.g., education, employment, accommodation) as well as opportunities and coming activities and events. In 2018, continued focus has been placed on updating the website to improve efficiency and usability, as well as compatibility with a range of mobile devices. Data analytics have been reviewed at each Membership and Marketing subcommittee meeting to determine the number and country of origin of new and repeat visitors, average durations
of website visits, the numbers of on-line form accesses and conversions, and patterns of use. The results from assessments of website use are used to inform regular updates and continuous quality improvements to make the website streamlined and intuitive to use, as well as current. The bar chart below shows, for example, the seasonal fluctuations in the number of new visitors to the website, as well as the total number of visits (including those who have returned to the website). The crisp, clean feel of the website is consistent with the overall re-branding strategy. Colours analogous with the maroon winged victory logo have been integrated into a geometric, patterned and contemporary palette that is used across all the Association’s media platforms (hard copy and digital publications: newsletters, Melbourne Graduate, posters, social media, emails, etc.).
Number of visits
Unique visits 2018
12000 10000
Number of visitors 2018 10,020 9,180
9,407 8,113
8000
8,421
7,305 6,593
6,663
6,616
6000
4,977
6,979
7,058 6,548
6,891
6,113
5,452 4,590
4,653 3,761
4000
4,079
3,950
3,414
2,998 1,812
2000 0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
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by end of 2017
Number of followers/links
by end of 2018
15000 12000
9,398
11,010
11,667
13,013
9000 6000 3000
651
656
774
849
0
Social Media Social media continues also to be an important communications and marketing tool, with the Association’s ongoing presence on selected websites according to relevant data analytics. The bar chart (above) and table (below) illustrate the number of followers/links on four social media platforms. end 2017
end 2018
%
651
656
0.8
774
849
9.7
YouTube
9,398
11,010
17.2
11,667
13,013
11.5
YouTube and LinkedIn continue to show increasing use, with the numbers at the end of 2018 (11K and 13K, respectively) being 17.2% and 11.5% greater than at the end of 2017.
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YouTube
YouTube views are predominantly of the accommodation facilities and GU-Collegiate presentations. The LinkedIn network tends to be of senior-level professionals from around the world and across a variety of universities, businesses, government and not-for-profit sectors with interest in learning, sharing of news, position papers, jobseeking, recruitment and networking. While use of Twitter has plateaued, that of Facebook continues to increase — by 9.7% over the same period — but with much lower numbers. At the end of 2018, the Association commenced a presence on Instagram, a photo-sharing platform. The use of messaging through mobile apps is increasing at a greater rate than that of some social media platforms. The Association is thus testing ways to integrate efficiently such apps (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat) in its communications, networking and marketing through both social media platforms and its relational database management system.
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Meeting Services 2018 was another successful and busy year at Graduate House with many bookings for special events, seminars, conferences, workshops, planning days and graduations. There was a total of 1,001 bookings ranging from small to large meetings and private events. 225 convenors from various organisations booked with us in 2018 and their events were attended by 22,796 delegates. These figures do not include GU Collegiate functions, governance meetings and individual/group bookings frequenting the dining room and bistro on a daily basis. Our Hospitality Manager, Mrs Rosie Ellul, is pleased to report that the success of these events is due to good teamwork, listening and understanding the requirements of our clients and the tailoring thus to provide excellent service. Rosie extends her gratitude to the many who use our facilities and is appreciative of their loyalty in returning regularly and in joining as Members. The organisations that use Graduate House range from alumni groups, schools, research units and faculties from various universities to groups from the charitable and not-for-profit sectors and government departments at state and federal levels. The following gives a brief outline of the groups that convened functions throughout 2018. In the first week of February 2018, The University of Melbourne's hardworking Advancement Office held an 'Away Day' of nine workshops attended by 120 delegates. This Office has done a tremendous job over the last few years for The University's highly successful Believe campaign. The Australian Accounting Hall of Fame held their 9th Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony in March with 90 delegates. Residing within the Department of Accounting at The University of Melbourne, the Australian Accounting Hall of Fame is administered by the Department's Centre for Accounting and Industry Partnerships (CAIP). This annual dinner was sponsored by CPA Australia. We extend our congratulations to the three champions inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2018: Ron Weber, Margaret Abernethy and Ray Ball. The John Cain Foundation Monthly Lunches continued in 2018 on the third Wednesday of each month. Speakers included Felicity Wade, National Convenor of the Labor Environment Action Network; Professor Shelley Mallett, an
Margaret Abernethy
Ron Weber
anthropologist at ANU and La Trobe University; Marion Terrill, the Grattan Institute's Transport Program Director; Emma Dawson, Executive Director of Per Capita; Lyndsay Neilson, Mike Waller and Bob Noakes on their Preparing Melbourne for Autonomous Transport Ray Ball policy paper; Andrew Giles MP, Member for Scullin, and Professor JooCheung Tham, Professor at Melbourne Law School; Professor Peter MacDonald, of The Melbourne School of Population; Jeremy Reynolds, former Victorian Demographer, Dr Rachel Carey from The University of Melbourne's Foodprint Melbourne program; and Peter Mares, writer and researcher. The Annual John Cain Lecture and AGM were also held at Graduate House on 26th June 2018 with speaker Professor Frank Bongiorno, Head of ANU's School of History. Social Education Victoria (SEV) hosted 110 attendees for their Activate Citizenship: Civics and Citizenship Professional Learning Day on 30th April. The Rotary Club of Carlton continued to hold its weekly Tuesday lunches at Graduate House, again with an excellent series of speakers and topics. Many other Rotary functions and events were also held throughout the year. On 24th April, the Rotary Club of Carlton generously subsidised for nine Graduate Union members to attend a special Rotary lunch with guest speaker Mr Peter Duncan AO on “Mistakes – How Important are they to Management”. Peter had a long and successful corporate career with Shell, was Chairman of Orica and Director of CSIRO, National Australia Bank and GasNet.
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Congratulations are extended to Resident Member, Parisa Shiran who was awarded Honorary Membership of the Rotary Club of Carlton at this lunch in recognition of her services to Rotary projects and ideals. Parisa had immersed herself in Graduate House Friends of Rotary (GHFoR) and volunteered for the Rotary BBQs at Bunnings, Book Fairs and many other Rotary activities. For over ten years, the Rotary Club of Carlton has been lucky to have our home base at Graduate House, providing us with the perfect space and facilities for our regular club meetings and special functions. We are, of course, part of the global Rotary network of 1.2 million people who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. More importantly, we are well connected into the community fabric of Carlton, providing funds and support to many local agencies. Our Caring for Carlton Program is the backbone of our club and allows us to provide support to many varied programs including education at all levels, at risk youth, swimming and sport lessons for underprivileged children, and multicultural inclusion. We also support organisations providing aid for youth homelessness, and mental health research. Rotary Club of Carlton meets at Graduate House most Tuesdays at 12:30 for 1:00pm. New members and guests are warmly welcome. — Rotary Club of Carlton The Melba Group, of leading females who support an egalitarian society, held regular luncheons throughout the year on the last Friday of the month in the formal setting of the Johnston Library. In conjunction with International Women's Day on 8th March 2018, a special dinner was held in the combined Stella Langford Wing at Graduate House. The dinner was organised by GU Members Ms Lesley Bawden and Mrs Margaret Sawyer, both of whom are also Melba Group members. The dinner was a friendly and welcoming gathering of women, with speaker Ms Anne Frankenberg, Deputy General Manager at the Australian National Academy of Music talking about women's presentation in the Arts. On 4th June, the League of Women Voters Victoria (LWVV) held a special event, Naming Public Places: Women and Leadership in the Public Domain. 2018 marked the 94th anniversary of women gaining the right to stand for election to the Parliament of Victoria on 24th May 1924, and 116 years since
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The Australian Accounting Hall of Fame Awards night.
(from left) Mr Peter Duncan AO, Cr Molina Asthana, Resident Member Parisa Shiran (Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Carlton) and Cr Keith Ryall at the special Rotary Club of Carlton lunch.
most Australian women gained the right to vote and stand for the Commonwealth Parliament. The guest speaker for the event was historian and co-editor of the Australian Women's Register, Ms Helen Morgan. Many faculties, departments and units of, or affiliated with, The University of Melbourne convened meetings at Graduate House in 2018. Examples included a function for the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and a large half-day workshop organised by the Centre for Health Policy in May. The Engagement Unit of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences held a one-day five-workshop event in September, and the Department of Infrastructure Engineering held their Infrastructure Engineering Postgraduate Conference (IPEC) for 110 attendees in November. Held at the end of each year, IPEC featured the showcasing of research within the department in the areas of civil, environmental, geomatics and ocean engineering, as well as the provision by keynote speakers and panels of insights and foresights to help Research by Higher Degree students navigate their future career.
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Another end of year event was a cocktail party on 17th December for The Melbourne School of Health Sciences (MSHS). This was an evening of Christmas Celebration for 90 guests as well as the presenting of MSHS Staff Awards.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) participants.
Melba Group Lunch in the Johnston library.
Throughout 2018, Melbourne School of Professional and Continuing Education at The University of Melbourne Network of Schools (UMNOS) held a total of 22 programs, with an average of 60 attendees at each. UMNOS is a network of partnerships involving Australian schools and the University. Schools are guided in their development of a bespoke approach to match the needs of their school community. UMNOS develop dashboards and other resources that focus on the use of school data, and collaborative processes to support student learning. In their role as developers, UMNOS also evaluates all school-based implementations and outcomes, and collaborates with teaching and learning leaders in schools to provide relevant professional development on high-impact instructional strategies. They work with teachers to develop evaluation of interventions, to collect and interpret evidence and to link school activities into the wider activities and resourcing of The University of Melbourne. In August, The Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) Victorian Branch held a workshop for 90 delegates. ACHPER is a professional association representing and supporting teachers and other professionals working in the fields of health, physical education and sport and recreation areas of study. It caters for the professional learning needs of over 3,000 delegates each year. Graduate House is an ideal venue because many of their events are practical, requiring ‘active spaces’, while others are theoretical requiring lecture and discussion rooms.
International Women's Day Dinner in the combined Stella Langford Wing.
Graduate House is a great venue to hold our event, not only because it is convenient to University staff, but because The Graduate Union's staff is highly experienced in preparing large events. The function rooms are well suited to the needs of our seminars with efficient audio systems and spacious sitting areas. Graduate House has great event catering services with multiple choices, and this satisfies our attendees' needs. — Department of Infrastructure Engineering
Graduate House, Carlton, has become one of our preferred venues. Our events run seamlessly, and all requests are fulfilled with the utmost professionalism. The venue range, both layouts and configuration, quality of catering and advice we receive from the staff are exceptional and amongst the best we have experienced. Our delegate evaluations reflect these comments. We look forward to continuing to use the facilities as future needs arise. — Ms Kerrie Borrie ACHPER
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Carlton-Parkville Probus Club Inc. are at Graduate House on every second Tuesday of the month. Their meetings are usually half-day events with a guest speaker and 70-90 members. On 11th September, their members came to Graduate House with their favourite Australian Rules Football (footy) team colours. This group now receive an annual award from the CEO/HOC for greatest volume generation. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (ANZAPPL) held a cocktail party on 6th December with 70 guests attending the ANZAPPL Twilight Soiree on Terrorism and Psychopathology. The presenter was Dr Emily Corner, a Lecturer of Criminology at the Centre for Social Research and Methods at The Australian National University. Her doctoral research focused on examining mental disorders and terrorist behaviour, and won the Terrorism Research Initiative’s Thesis award in 2016. Another repeat client is Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Victoria which held eight events in 2018, including two major functions each with 100 attendees. ATOM Victoria is the Victorian chapter of a not-for-profit professional association that works to support media teachers at all stages in their career by providing resources, educational publications, awards activities and professional learning and networking opportunities. Graduate House has been the venue for many of ATOM’s professional development seminars and conferences over the years. This is because it provides an excellent environment for members to connect with each other, share resources and ideas and participate in seminars and workshops that are both inspiring and educational. The venue space and catering at Graduate House has suited ATOM, because the level of quality and professionalism is on par with that of ATOM’s, and also supports the organisation in its mission to advance media education in the Australian cultural sphere. — Scarlet Barnett ATOM Victoria Education Officer In 2018, the Australian School of Applied Management (ASAM) held 44 programs at Graduate House. ASAM is one of Australia’s most respected and prolific providers of management and leadership education. Their curricula adopts a blended learning methodology based on principles of adult learning, combining knowledge-sharing, experiential participation, practical application and
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Carlton-Parkville Probus Inc members in footy outfits.
reflection. ASAM also supports several specialist schools including Women and Leadership Australia and Workplace Training Advisory Australia. Another regular group is the Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria (MGTAV) who organised a total of nine full-day and half-day events at Graduate House. Established in 1971, MGTAV is a professional association for Modern Greek language teachers and pre-service teachers from government, independent, Catholic, and community language schools, across all levels of education. Over the last decade, MGTAV has been successfully offering quality professional development to its members, a good number of which were held at Graduate House. MGTAV recognises the important role that Graduate House has played in providing highly professional facilities alongside helpful and dedicated staff, who help us make every event a success. From committee meetings, to seminars and conferences, MGTAV has been able to use function rooms, catering and facilities to enhance member experiences, and we look forward to working with Graduate House in the future. — MGTAV Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Australia also held many half-day and full-day instruction courses throughout 2018. A Melbourne based not-for-profit organisation, MHFA develops mental health training courses for workplaces and the community. Since 2000, MHFA training has spread to every state and territory in Australia and is available in 26 countries. To date, over 3 million people have been trained by over 5,000 instructors worldwide, working towards a world where everyone has the first aid skills to support people with mental health problems.
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Ramadan Iftar Banquet in May.
Influenza Vaccination Day in April.
Annual General Meeting Dinner in May.
Residents Christmas in July party.
Donor Thank You Day Luncheon in October.
November Monthly Luncheon with Dr Ross McMullin
Chairperson's Cocktail Party on 30th November.
Members Christmas Party on 14th December.
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
Organisations at Graduate House The logos for organisations and groups that used our facilities in 2018 shown on these two pages illustrate our commitment to assisting other notfor-profits with charters also for the advancement of education for community benefit. Survey results in previous years, our repeat clientele and the feedback that we have been receiving and reporting in every monthly newsletter, give a clear indication
that our success is due to our welcoming and high quality service, the flexible configurations for room layouts to suit individual needs, our range of appetising catering options and our positive and timely response to feedback. From all of us at Graduate House, we thank you for your patronage in 2018 and look forward to serving you again in 2019.
Association of German Australian Urban Australian Professional Australian Academy of Teachers of Victoria Research Infrastructure Thermography Technological Sciences (AFTA) Network (AURIN) Association (AUSPTA) and Engineering (ATSE)
Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
Australian Centre for Heart Health (ACHH)
Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER)
Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (ANZAPPL)
Australian Psychological Society (APS)
Australian School of Australian Society of Applied Management Music Education (ASME) (ASAM)
Calabrese Cultural Association
Catholic Education Melbourne
Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV)
Environmetrics Australia Pty Ltd
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Children's Protection Society
Australian Food Hygiene Services (AFHS)
Australian Asian Association (AAA)
Australian Italian Lawyers Association (AILA)
Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM)
Cooperative Research David Morris Consulting Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI)
Geography Teachers' Institute of Engineering Association of Victoria and Technology (IET) (GTAV)
International Coach Federation (ICF)
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International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Alumni
International Student Advisers’ Network of Australia (ISANA)
Irabina Autism Services
John Cain Foundation
League of Women Voters of Victoria
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria (MGTAV)
Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria (MLTAV)
Order of Saint John
Organisation Development Australia (ODA)
Parkville Conference St Vincent de Paul
Peer Support Australia
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (PMCC)
Phoenix Australia
Principals’ Association of Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools
Probus Carlton
Retired Veterinarian Group
Rhodes Scholars’ Association Victoria
Ripponlea Institute
Rotary Club of Carlton
Social Education Victoria (SEV)
Social Work Department Writing Group
Supply Chain Logistics Association Australia (SCLAA)
Swinburne University of Technology
The University of Melbourne
Turkish Teachers Association of Victoria (TTAV)
Uniseed Management Pty Ltd
University of NSW Australia (Canberra)
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA)
Winglong Pty Ltd
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
Visiting Dignitaries His Excellency Mr Y Kristiarto S Legowo Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Australia On 29th January 2018, The Graduate Union hosted a delegation from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Canberra and the Consulate-General of the Republic of Indonesia, Victoria, led by His Excellency Mr Y Kristiarto S Legowo, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Australia.
Seated: His Excellency Mr Y Kristiarto S Legowo (left) and Graduate Union President Dr Ken V Loughnan AO. Back row (from left): Mr Prima Januar Sastrawiria, Mr Zaenal Arifin, Mr Muhammad Imran Hanafi, CEO/Head of College Dr Kerry Bennett and Mr Billy Wibisono.
The delegation included Mr Zaenal Arifin, Consul, Consulate-General of the Republic of Indonesia; Mr Prima Januar Sastrawiria; Mr Billy Wibisono, First Secretary, Information and Socio-Cultural Affairs, and Mr Muhammad Imran Hanafi, Education and Cultural Attaché from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Canberra. His Excellency Mr Legowo holds a Politics and Social Sciences Doctorandus Degree, with a major in International Relations, from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. Before his appointment as Indonesian Ambassador to Australia (and to the Republic of Vanuatu), His Excellency served as the Ambassador for Indonesia to the Philippines until late 2013 and then as Secretary-General in the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Having experienced learning and living away from family and friends, His Excellency expressed understanding and a feeling of reassurance that graduate students from Indonesia are in a safe, inclusive and supportive collegial environment while at Graduate House.
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United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia On 2nd March, The Graduate Union held a welcome lunch for the Executive Vice President of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, Mr Ricky M Cheng and the Program Officer for the United Board, Ms Vivica Xiong. The lunch was held in the Johnston Library and was attended by the Chairperson of Council, The Hon Gaetano (Tony) Pagone, Cr Molina Asthana, Cr Mary R Kelleher, Cr Damon Luo, Cr Leo Santalucia, Professor Anne Steinemann, Cr Rhys Watson and Dr Kerry Bennett.
Left to right: Ms Vivica Xiong, Dr Kerry Bennett, Mr Damon Luo, Mr Ricky Cheng, The Hon Tony Pagone, Cr Rhys Watson, Cr Molina Asthana, Professor Anne Steinemann, Cr Mary R Kelleher and Cr Leo Santalucia.
The United Board is a tax-exempt charity registered in the United States of America and Hong Kong. It began working in 1922, with 13 Christian universities in China. Following suspension in China (1951), it worked with more than 80 education institutions (predominantly universities) across Asia, including in China after a formal invitation to return (1980). The United Board sponsors professional training for faculty, administrators and trustees, and fosters linkages and networks. Mr Cheng’s role is to raise major funds for the United Board’s programs and to communicate with current and potential donors and friends to spread the significant impact of their work. In his role as Executive Vice President, Mr Cheng has responsibility for development of the organisation, strategic planning and future directions. With Graduate House hosting two United Board Fellows every year since 2016, a sound foundation for exploring further joint initiatives has thus been established.
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United Board Fellowship Program
Dr Lakshmi Priya Daniel
Graduate House is proud to continue ongoing collaboration with, and support of, the United Board Fellows Program. On 4th October 2018, The Graduate Union held a welcome morning tea for the visiting 2018 United Board Fellows, Dr Anne Lan K Candelaria and Dr Lakshmi Priya Daniel. In attendance were members of the Women’s Forum and Melba Group; the Fellows’ academic mentors, Professor John Polesel and Associate Professor Kate MacNeill; and support mentors, Cr Mary Kelleher, Dr Max Stephens and Professor Deirdre Coleman.
Dr Lakshmi Priya Daniel serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at Stella Maris College in Chennai, India. From 2014 to 2017 she was Dean of Student Affairs with responsibility for assisting students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds to attain scholarships from private trusts and organisations. Dr Daniel's academic mentor during her stay was Associate Professor Kate MacNeill, Director of the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) in the Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne.
GU Collegiate GU Collegiate events, particularly the Monthly Luncheons, have been convened since 1911.
From left: Mrs Margaret Sawyer, Mrs Wazila Khan, Mrs Margaret Mayers, Ms Francesca Folk-Scolaro, Ms Jo Elvins, Dr Anne Lan K Candelaria, Dr Kerry Bennett (back), Dr Lakshmi Priya Daniel (front), Professor John Polesel (back), Associate Professor Kate MacNeill, Mrs Brenda Richards, Dr Max Stephens and Mrs Pat Ryan.
The highly competitive United Board Fellows program provides leadership development of mid-career faculty and administrators from Asian colleges and universities. Through this one-year program, including one month at Harvard University before placement at a university in the Asia Pacific, the leaders are prepared for advancing whole person education within their home institutions. Dr Anne Lan K Candelaria Dr Anne Candelaria is the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines as well as a faculty member of the Department of Political Science. Her interests lie in understanding how graduate education can assist in narrowing knowledge, technology and poverty gaps. Dr Candelaria's academic mentor during her twomonth stay here at Graduate House was Professor John Polesel, Centre for Vocational and Educational Policy, Melbourne Graduate School of Education.
The table on the following page shows attendance rates according to membership division for some of these events. It is exclusive of the regular selforganising groups: the once-a-week Bridge Night, fortnightly Italian Conversation Dinner and the once a month Women’s Forum, as well as of the Resident Member events (JobFocus, Residents’ Christmas in July Party, Welcome tables, English Conversation Corners, cultural dinners, Movie Nights and special occasions). In 2018, there were approximately 135 GU Collegiate functions. For the 23 events tabled on the following page, the total attendance number was 1,721 for the year inclusive of 317 Life Subscriber Members, 406 Regular and Associate Members, 154 Resident Members and 364 non‑members.
Culinary Team In addition to catering for academic and professional development meeting services and GU Collegiate, over 85,000 (more than 300 each day) meals were prepared in 2018. The catering for Resident Members — seven breakfasts and five meals each week — accounts for about 90% of these meals, the remaining being for those who come to Graduate House for group lunches, dinners and after work catch ups, as well as the Association's regular clientele of non-resident Members, non-members and Loyalty Card holders. The Association is very grateful for the professional services provided by our dedicated and talented
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Life and Honorary Life Members
Events and Participation
Number of events in 2018
23
Regular and Associate Members
Resident Members
nonmembers
Total
317
406
154
364
1,721
February Monthly Luncheon
February
3
36
1
13
53
March Monthly Luncheon
March
9
17
2
20
48
Summer BBQ/Residents and Members
3
15
107
6
131
College Table (Drama)
0
10
1
2
13
9
21
3
4
37
April Monthly Luncheon
April
Estimated numbers of 500 vaccinated on the day — managed by Vaccin8@Work
Influenza Vaccination Day
500
0
6
0
2
8
8
44
1
15
68
Oaktree Lunch
4
4
0
10
18
College Table (Arts)
0
10
0
5
15
Ramadan Iftar Banquet
0
10
10
62
82
Annual General Meeting Dinner
26
21
10
12
69
College Table (Geography) May Monthly Luncheon
May
June Monthly Luncheon
June
4
24
1
11
40
August Monthly Luncheon
August
10
14
1
4
29
4
7
0
3
14
13
15
0
4
32
6
4
0
2
12
12
12
1
6
31
Donor Thank You Day
27
20
2
25
74
College Table (Mental Health)
5
7
4
5
21
33
31
2
26
92
94
63
5
51
213
47
8
3
63
121
College Table (History) September Monthly Luncheon
September
College Table (Linguistics) October Monthly Luncheon
November Monthly Luncheon
October
November
Chairperson’s Cocktail Party Members’ Christmas Party
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December
The Graduate Union Annual Report
2018 Monthly Luncheons We are honoured to continue the 1911 initiated tradition of 'lectures by distinguished visitors and others' in our Monthly Luncheons and apologise for no longer charging 9d!
Mr Graham Dudley The Stiff in the stacks
7th February
Why is it that libraries are seen as a typical locale for a crime, most often murder? The public image of the library is generally that of a quiet, comfortable and inviting place where people read and study and feel safe. It could be that this warm and cosy image that invites the eruption of fictitious crime, often violent and often deadly, is attractive to authors. Graham Dudley expanded our vocabulary by saying that crime novels set in libraries are part of a much bigger genre, that of bibliomurder or bibliomysteries, and took us through a list of 28 of his favourite crime novels with intriguing titles.
Ms Shailee Basnet
Everest to Empowerment
7th March
Along with fellow Nepali mountaineer and teammate, Maya Gurung, Shailee Basnet took us through her journey of scaling Mount Everest in 2008 and then later leading the Seven Summits Women Team to climb the highest mountains in seven Continents (including Mount Kosciuszko in Australia in 2010). The team completed the epic challenges by 2014 and is the first female group in the world to achieve such a mammoth feat. Shailee shared her challenges, from changing the mindset of her countryfolk, especially coming from an underdeveloped country, to the day to day obstacles on the mountains. Summing up her mountaineering experience, Shailee said, “I put one foot in front of the other”.
Mr Louis Coutts
Australia and the Rule of Law
4th April
Discussing the problems of claiming that Australia is a Rule of Law society, Louis Coutts said that there is no universally accepted definition of the Rule of Law, yet the idea of it is often used by politicians to defend regimes that are in fact hostile to the concept. Believing the concept has more application as a legal than a political phrase, Mr Coutts discussed how the idea of the ‘Rule of Law’ has long been searched in a mythical ‘lawyer’s philosopher’s stone’ to which all laws and political parties should conform in order to confer legality to those activities. Mr Coutts said that his own experience in practising law showed the many departures from the Rule of Law often occurring in the most unjustifiable circumstances.
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Mr Paul Briggs OAM Repositioning Value
2nd May
Mr Paul Briggs was the first Indigenous man to join the Council of The University of Melbourne in its 150-year history. Speaking on the topic of Investing in our Futures — Repositioning value, Mr Briggs went to the heart of identifying and combating the ideas in the community about Aboriginal people. Passionate about advancing Aboriginal community development, Paul’s presentation acknowledged where he grew up — on the banks of the Dungala (Murray River) at Cummeragunja, NSW — and identified his family lineage, which includes a long list of past Yorta Yorta leaders. He spoke about the establishment of the Kaiela Institute in Shepparton to provide a place and a process to encourage and support our leaders and institutions to collaborate and take a more strategic approach to building the future of the Aboriginal people across the Goulburn Valley.
Ms Caitriona Fay and Ms Chantelle Georgy
6th June
No misgivings: how to ensure your giving goes as planned In a joint presentation, speakers Ms Caitriona Fay and Ms Chantelle Georgy discussed the normally dry topic of Estate Planning and Philanthropy, and asked: ‘what are the key learnings people need to know?’ Focusing on the four main areas in estate planning — namely, the Will, Power of Attorney, Superannuation Funds and Philanthropy — Chantelle outlined how each has its own legal ramifications. In expanding the area on philanthropy, Ms Caitriona gave a sense of current-day philanthropic opportunities and outlined some ‘unsung’ hidden history of philanthropy and bequests in Australia.
Professor Alan Pert Parallel Practice
1st August
Professor Alan Pert's presentation on ‘Parallel Practice’ covered the challenges and eventual success in joining the practical and the academic worlds. His journey into architecture shifted from the pursuit of research and academic achievement to one grounded in solving the problems of architects and creating buildings fit-for-purpose. In refurbishing older, post-industrial buildings, Alan developed an interest in heritage, particularly after having been inspired by the St Peter’s Seminary in Cardrose, Scotland. Seeking to maintain the history of these buildings and bringing them back to life, Alan established his own company, NORD (Northern Office for Research by Design). He then went on to undertake prestigious projects such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, and London Park for the London Olympics, aiming in each case to ensure the translation of usability research to improved design.
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Mr David Lea
Principal, Politician and Poet
5th September
Occupations like principal, politician and poet have all come naturally to David Lea. At the Luncheon, we learnt what led to his rise to the Victorian Parliament and what inspires him in his lifelong passion for poetry. It takes a creative soul to write poetry and a strategic one to work in politics. His achievements tell of a talented and diplomatic person who has shown grit and determination in his chosen career paths, including years as a teacher and principal, who then went on to become a politician. Working as Head of English in technical schools from 1959 to 1969, he rose to be Vice-Principal and Principal from 1970 to 1985. From there he moved into politics, all the while remaining a poet who had commenced this form of expression as a teenager.
Dr Ted Crawford AM
Giving a Smile to a better future
3rd October
Dr Crawford discussed the establishment of the ‘Give a Smile’ program, which he founded in 2005, while being President of the Australian Society of Orthodontist (ASO). This program involves over 350 ASO Orthodontist across Australia, each providing free orthodontic care to at least one child per year whose family is experiencing socioeconomic difficulties. Dr Crawford's experience and the respect with which he was held in this field contributed to his gaining the confidence of his colleagues to sign up to this initiative. He is an established practising orthodontist with extensive experience in teaching orthodontic studies. He contributes regularly to orthodontic and dental conferences, nationally and worldwide, and has lectured to audiences in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and North America.
Dr Ross McMullen Farewell, Dear People
14th November
Presenting his book, Farewell Dear People, Dr McMullin spoke to a ‘lost generation’ in the First World War of young men who went to war at a time in their lives when they were demonstrating great potential. While recognising the significant study done on the collective impact of these casualties, he asks, “Do we know our war heroes, or who they were? Do we know their stories?" His book covers ten Australians of rare potential who died during the war. They had outstanding pre-war achievements and character, each coming from different backgrounds, geographically and socially. Some were more affluent than others but for each of these remarkable Australians he has written an extensive biography, explaining why they were special and why each of them was a profound loss to Australia.
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2018 College Tables The Graduate Union thanks our College Table guests for their generosity of time and expertise and for enabling robust and interesting discussions.
Professor John O'Toole AM
Drama and Arts in Educational setting
16th March
Professor John O’Toole AM was the Foundation Chair of Arts Education at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. He developed several of Australia’s first drama education and applied theatre degrees and has written and co‑written many standard textbooks and research texts in drama and the arts. Professor O’Toole is also a playwright and director in young people’s and community theatre.
Associate Professor Ian Rutherfurd Geography
20th April
Ian Rutherfurd is an Associate Professor in the School of Geography at The University of Melbourne and a Chief Investigator on four Australian Research Council (ARC) grants. He is President of the Institute of Australian Geographers, and of The Australian and New Zealand Geomorphology Group. His research interest is fluvial geomorphology, and water and river management. He has worked on rivers all over Australia, as well as across Asia, North America and Africa. He has published over 80 journal articles and book chapters.
Dr Danny Butt
Artistic research: practices of knowledge
18th May
Dr Danny Butt is Associate Director (Research) at Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne. His book, Artistic Research in the Future Academy was published by Intellect/University of Chicago Press in 2017. Dr Butt works with the Auckland-based collective Local Time, which engages the dynamics of visitor and host in the context of mana whenua and discourses of indigenous self‑determination.
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Associate Professor John Lack History
17th August
Associate Professor John Lack, a Principal Fellow in the School of History and Philosophical Studies, taught in the Department of History from 1978–2003. He is the author of A History of Footscray and co‑author of Unleashed: a History of the Footscray Football Club, two documentary histories of Australian immigration, and No Lost Battalion: An Oral History of the 2/29th Battalion AIF. His research interests include agricultural technology and the Great War home front.
Mr Matthew Absalom Language and Linguistics
21st September
Matthew Absalom is a university teacher and researcher, linguist, Italian language coach, translator and published author. His current appointment is in the Italian Studies Program at The University of Melbourne. His academic and research career in Australia spans three universities: the Australian National University, The University of South Australia and The University of Melbourne. Matthew was the leading author of Cengage’s Esplora! Senior textbook series and has recently been involved as a writer for the new edition of Pearson’s Ecco! Uno and Ecco! Due.
Professor Helen Herrman AO Mental Health
19th October
Helen Herrman AO is Professor of Psychiatry at Orygen, National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, and the Centre for Youth Mental Health at The University of Melbourne. She is the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre in Mental Health, Melbourne, the current President of the World Psychiatric Association and the immediate past President of the International Association of Women’s Mental Health and the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists. Professor Herrman’s research and practice interests include community mental health care and promoting mental health, particularly for marginalised groups, including those who are homeless, in prison or in out‑of‑home care.
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2018 Women’s Forum The Women's Forum was the brainchild of Life Member Patricia Boaden and her friend Shirley Horne (both now deceased), who in 1995 saw the need to provide a structured environment in which women could express their views on mutually predetermined topics without fear of being interrupted or judged. Patrica actively attended the Forums until her death in July 2010. In keeping with tradition, the few simple rules are applied consistently with each person having five to ten minutes to express a view without interruption. No questions or comments are made while someone is speaking and no discussion takes place until each attendee who has chosen to contribute has spoken. The ensuing open forum is then usually a lively and robust discussion which continues with conversation over lunch in the Bistro for those who are able to stay.
Low Literacy Levels in Primary Schools 21 February st
We are concerned that today’s principles of learning have been undermined by various philosophies imposed from above by people who do not teach yet who seek to understand the extent of underperformance. The only way to challenge this is to provide better teaching. Are children failing to learn to read because they are not getting the best reading instruction in the early years of school? The most effective methods for teaching new complex skills and imparting knowledge are probably explicit instructions.
What Will 2018 Bring? 21st March
Most of us will have personal plans for 2018 but the future is generally unknown except for individual anniversaries. We all expect that our personal ‘good health’ and fortune will continue, yet we do little to avert the consequences of what we are doing (deciding) now for our future. Things that are 'publicly' scheduled give all of us a pattern (pathway) to the future, e.g., to walk more or to attend cultural activities such as the ballet or plays.
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The Women’s Forum is convened in the Anderson Room.
The Forum is a good example of and exercise in attentive and disciplined listening! As illustrated in this following summary of topics covered in 2018, discussion can range from current affairs to contemporary society issues.
The Importance of recycling and sustainability; the value of Op-Shops 18th April
Opportunity (Op) shops provide many varied opportunities — from volunteer work, social connection, recycling and fundraising to low cost clothing, furniture, books and bric-a-brac. They are a good resource for those with limited funds and an excellent source of rare and unusual treasures for collectors, ranging from original paintings to furnishings once owned by the rich and the famous.
How much is too much? 16th May
Will there be enough time to accomplish all those plans we have made and still be able to accommodate all the extras that will certainly arise? Every day the post brings us another bundle of requests for help, and we cannot allow our own resources to be taxed too far. So how much is too much? It is possible to ascertain the honesty of various charities by approaching the Charities Commission that must see new organisations being established each day?
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Importance of Colour 21 June st
Psychologically, colour plays an important role in the world in which we live. It is present in our surroundings, affects our mood and is linked to our emotions. We have many idioms to show how colour can affect our mood. Do you ever feel blue? Are you green with envy or seeing red? Is your world black and white? As a powerful form of communication, colour is irreplaceable. Red means ‘stop’ and green means ‘go’.
Living with Loneliness 20th July
There is a difference between loneliness and being alone. Many people who are alone live happily. Loneliness can be debilitating and physically affect one’s health. Trying to overcome loneliness can be very difficult. When one loses the ability to be mobile and has difficulty getting around, loneliness can creep in. Some people who are lonely focus on the negative side of things such as what they do not have, instead of finding the positives and treasuring what they do have.
Public Safety 18 August th
Public safety is being able to walk around without fear, day or night. But there are warnings everywhere and we still have to be vigilant at all times. Public safety applies to pedestrians and bikers — there should be no obstacles on footpaths. A modern day obstacle are people themselves: many are looking at their screens, not watching where they are going. Should there be more communication between generations? Awareness might be different for younger and older people.
Alumnae of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music reunion.
Importance versus cost of having a pet or companion animal 20th September
Pets can bring companionship, love and some extra exercise to your life, but they require financial commitments such as pet food, veterinarian services, council registration and accessories. Additionally, people who travel often may find it difficult to own a pet. Timesharing a pet can be a way for those who might not ordinarily be able to have a pet on their own to still have all the benefits of a pet in their lives.
Old Age and Dementia 18th October
Death from dementia has increased by 68% over the past 10 years. There are currently no known cures for some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) run computer-based courses to stimulate healthy brain activity; they also assess, prevent and treat cognitive decline, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and depression in older adults.
What’s on your bucket list? 15th November
Waking up and feeling well should be on everybody’s bucket list. It is important to enjoy every moment of life while we are alive. While joyful activities should be on the top of our bucket lists, sometimes life conditions limit our options. Not everybody has a bucket list beaming with laughter and excitement; one must be able to afford to join the activities. Life is full of interesting surprises if one has good health and sufficient finance (or the ability to find cheaper options)!
Melba Group enjoying a Christmas in July lunch.
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Membership in 2018 New Members We extend a warm welcome to the new Members of our Association.
Life Members
Associate Members
Ms Elise McCredie
Mr Howard Hutchins
Ms Alison Margaret Rabinovici
Members
Dr Andrea Jane Smith
Honorary Members
Ms Miriam Aberdeen Mr Jack Aquilina
Mr Martin McCurry
Mr Mark Aronson
Organisation Members
Dr Elizabeth Brooke
Australian Teachers of Media Inc (ATOM Vic Education)
Mr Wayne Chow
Mr Russell Byard
CareLink
Dr Jeanette Conrick
Centre for Stem Cell Systems, The University of Melbourne
Dr Maxine Claire Cooper
Council for Professional Teachers Association Australia (CPTAV)
Mr David Keith Cragg
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne
Ms Anne Davidson
Dr David Cottle Ms Karen Cresp
Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne
Mr Ted E Gallagher
Graduate Student Association (GSA), The University of Melbourne
Dr Kim Hassall
IRABINA Autism Services
Ms Linette Hawkins
Mathematical Sciences, RMIT
Ms Hannah Hegerty
Melbourne School of Professional and Continuing Education (MSPACE)
Ms Jennifer Hutchison
Mental Health First Aid International Modern Language Teachers Association of Victoria Inc (MLTAV) Organisational Development Australia (ODA) Ripponlea Institute School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Mr David Edwin Hatt AM
Mr Peter Kemp Ms Debra Klages Mr Yasuo Kuwata Mr Kim Lee Ms Rosemary Macindoe Mrs Noela Marshall Mr Louis Matthews
Social Education Victoria (SEV)
Mr Shaun McVeigh
Watpac Construction Pty Ltd
Ms Lorna Prendergast
Winglong Pty Ltd
Mr Greg Robinson Mr Ian Rosenberg
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Dr Helen Szoke AO Professor Richard Tomlinson Ms Leonie Turack Dr Graeme Turnbull Mr Simon Waters Dr Sumitra Wickramasinghe Dr Xueyuan Wu
Resident Members Mr Youssef Mohammed Abdelaziz Dr Khaled Hatem Afifi Dr Mohebat Ahmadi Mr Muhammad Mossavir Ahmed Miss Alisha Aleyamma Ajit Mr Ben Bande Mr Argho Banerjee Ms Candice Basterfield Miss Weiran Ben Mr Dominik Bertsche Mr Adrian Gomez Brandon Mr Henrique Burigo Dr Anne Lan Kagahastian Candelaria Miss Sophie Cape Mr Ding Chen Dr William Cheung Ms Chia-An Chung Ms Judith Collins Mr Dakota Nevans Crisp Miss Charlotte Eleanor Croft Dr Lakshmi Priya Daniel Mr Kevin Dara Mr Warren James Davis Dr Daria Davitti Mrs Solveig Katja Dawson Mr Joao Otavio De Sousa Mendes Mr Yunpeng Deng
Ms Maria Theresia Martina Dijkstra Miss Razia Ramzan Dossa Mr Ran Duan Mr Ali Eskandari Mr Bosi Fan Mr Ivo Fokkema Mr Lionel Foo Dr Joanna Fronczyk Miss Giorgia Galiazzo Dr Dragana Gallagher Professor Kerry Lynn Gibson Dr Valeska Valentina Grau Cartdenas Mrs Sarah Jane Darthea Haack Mr James Ashwell Hall Ms Diane Hately Mr Arnim Heinemann Mr Michael James Heisel Mrs Beatriz González Hernández Ms Haidee Nicole Hicks Mr William Charles Rowland Horncastle
Miss Anamika Kunnumpurath Miss Helen Hei Man Kwok Ms Serim Kwon Miss Jia Wen Lam Mr Kwan Shing Lau Dr Susan Ledger Miss JeeYoung (Jen) Lee Mr Christopher Paul Leiberman Mr Kok Hon Leuar Ms Jennifer Louise Lewis Ms Victoria Lewis Miss Tianyi Li Miss Wenhuan Li Ms Xiangjun Li Miss Jennifer Liang Ms Shao Qi Lim Miss Wan Qin (Charmaine) Lim Miss Siyi Lin Miss Ming Liu Ms Xiaotian (Skye) Liu Ms Frances Alexandra Lojkine Miss Adha Bilal Lone
Miss Yu-Wen Huang
Miss Amaya Lorca
Ms Zhangke Huang
Dr Fleur Alice Loveridge
Miss Kristen Brooke Hunter
Miss Qiyu Lu
Mr Takahiro Ito
Miss Jobelle Lyka Magno
Mrs Jeanne Soberg Jorgenson
Miss Ka Ki Mak
Mr Ihtisham Kalimullah
Ms Nina Maksimovic
Miss Mariyam Kamil
Mr Quentin Malé
Mr Ville Petteri Kari
Mr Rahul Malik
Ms Ninnie Moa Felicia Karlsson
Professor Dara Manoach
Dr Berit Karseth
Dr Jorge Manzi
Miss Tara Thomas Kayalackakam
Mr David McGuire
Dr Heejin Kim
Professor Sally Engle Merry
Miss Melissa Louise Kirby
Mr Roberto Minunno
Dr Jeremy Allen Knott
Mr Mohamed Feisal Mohamed Hasan
Mr Daniel Korir Sitienei
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
Professor Cristina del Rocio Montiel Molina Mr Isaiah Noel Morich Dr Poorna Mysoor Miss Claude Nasseh Ms Venansia Frisca Indra Natasya Dr Emma Nyhan Mr Shinya Ogaya Miss Elizabeth O'Loughlin Professor Francisco E Olucha‑Bordonau Miss Alice Amelia O'Rourke Dr Miguel Rodriguez Penabad Mr Anthony R Perri Dr Giulio Ermanno Pibiri Ms Carolyn Francis Pickett Mrs Laura Pisanu Miss Sanjana Naveen Prasad Dr Sandeep Ranesh Pratap Miss Hema Preethi David Daniel Preiss Professor Jorgen Primdahl Dr Simon David Raboczi Mr Navaneeth Rajagopalan Mr Michele Rigon Mr Tirso Varela Rodeiro Ms Mathea Bendino Roorda Mrs Superna Sandhu Mr Hiroshi Sato Mr Junya Sato Mr Marco Savioli Mrs Alexandra Schafer Professor Thomas Rainer Scheibel
Mr Shafay Ali Shah Hussaini Ms Saumia Shankarr Mr Ranjit Shanker Sukumaran Ms Akriti Sharma Mr Li Shen Mr Chittesh Shukla Ms Surabhi Shukla Mr Anwar Sleiman Mr David Henry Smith Dr Lili Song Mrs Bounpalisone Souvanlasy Miss Nicole Edith Speck Professor Satish Srirama Professor Vlado Stankovski Mr Danis Sugiyanto Miss Xiaoyu Sun Miss Yajing Sun Mr Budi Surasa Putra Miss Bibiana Tan Miss Tenglun Tan Mr Kurt Daniel Thoner Ms Louise Tidmand Miss Livia Tjahjadi Dr Helene Evelyne Toussaint Mr Logan Kane Townsend Miss Shucheeta Mukund Trivedi Mr Yu-Hsuan (Matthew) Tu Mr Yoshitaka Uchida Dr Ryo Ueno Miss Laura Maria Van der Kall Dr Maria Varaki Mr Garvit Walia Mr Andrew Jun Walker
Mrs Anne-Maree Schweitzer
Mr Kang-Hsu Wang
Ms Sharon Li-Lian Seah
Miss Siqi Wang
Ms Jocelyn Irene Seccombe
Dr William Jiaen Wang
Miss Mugdh Setia
Miss Zhenyi Wang
Mr Heer Shah
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Professor Ronald Arthur Gerald Weber Miss Nadishka Dhayanthi Weerasuriya Mr Lachlan James Wittick Miss Mian Wu Miss Tianzhen Xia Miss Angela (Huifen) Xu Miss Dan Xu Dr Jun-Ichi Yano Mr Broderick Desmond Yelds Ms Wai Lan Yeung Ms Bonnie Yu Mr Chunyang Zhang Mr Xiaosuo Zhang Miss Ziyan (Chantelle) Zhao Miss Hanyun (Jessica) Zheng Professor Ling Zhu Ms Fanyu Zou
Non-resident Student Graduate Members Ms Hadeel Al-Nawab Mr Steven Aquilina Mr Mark Batrouney Ms Anna Boulton Ms Dheema Hassan Mr Gareth Roberts Ms Mian Wu Ms Yixin (Anna) Zhang
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Our Members Recognised
Honorary Life Membership award
Honorary College Fellow award
Honorary College Fellow award
Dr Graham Mitchell AO, PhD
Dr David Wilson
Dr Irma Mooi-Reci
Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia
President of the International Association of Judges (IAJ)
International President of Variety, The Children's Charity International
Past President, Professor Jeffrey Victor Rosenfeld AC, OBE
Chairperson of Council, The Hon Gaetano(Tony) Pagone
President, Dr Ken V Loughnan AO
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Our Members Remembered Valete Our condolences are extended to families and friends. The year of joining is indicated.
Mrs Wylva Gorry Andon, 1957
Miss Betty Joan Cathles Keay, 1982
Dr Edgar Roger Banks, 2017
His Hon Francis Bannatyne Lewis, 1975
Dr Jean Unita Barrie, 1962
Mr Adrian Kenneth Lowe, 1966
Mr Laurence Mackinley Bell, 1982
Mr Peter Ian McCutcheon, 1996
Dr Derek David Braham, 1962
Mr Valentine Charles Morgan, 1950
Mr Douglas Albert Brooke, 1949
Mr John Francis Nicholas, 1950
The Reverend Richard Stephen Cherry, 1955
Dr Michael Ian Nissen, 1954
Mr David Francis Doyle, 1957
Mr Bernard Gabriel O’Connell, 1955
Mr Neville Francis Dutton, 1958
Mr Kenneth Frederick Proposch, 1951
Mr Victor Thomas Gillatt, 1969
Mr Robert John Rowlands, 1954
Mrs Betty Glynne, 1952
Mr Geoffrey Donald Shaw, 1975
Mr Barry John Henderson, 1956
Mr Robert Lawrence Simpson, 1963
Mrs Margaret Munro Hendy, 1959
Mr William John Smith, 1965
Mr Alistair Maxwell Jackson Hillier, 1971
Dr Geoffrey Norman Vaughan AO, 1963
Mr Kenneth Frederick Hince OAM, 1968
Mr Peter John Wettherall, 2014
Dr Judit Kardos, 2000
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Residents Graduate House Student Group The Graduate House Student Group (GHSG), separately constituted and affiliated with the Graduate Student Association (GSA) of The University of Melbourne, is responsible for facilitating events at Graduate House including cultural dinners, welcome tables, movie and music nights as well as day trips, group outings, fundraising events and initiatives in support of the 2030 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.
We thank the many contributors to GHSG activities in 2018, Nouman Daud Sharif (President), Amer Shanbour (Vice-President), Sufian Alimdanat (Treasurer) and Juanjuan Wu (Secretary) — as well as Muzzaffar Ahmed, Kimberley Auyong, Prakhar Bhargava, Shih-Jung Chen, Avi Ghandhi, Melissa Kennedy, Merium Kazmi, Haris Khan, Li Li, Damon Luo, Attiya Malik, Mehak Masood, David Mussoff, Hema Preethi, Joshua Rhee, Parisa Shiran, Ligia Veliz, Daniela Yaneva, Chen Xin and Hui Ping Yaw.
(from left) Jia Wen Lam, Nadishka Weerasuriya, Laura Van der Kall, Simon Scutts, Beatriz González Hernández.
(from left) Parisa Shiran and Beatriz González Hernández volunteering at Carlton Rotary's Bunnings BBQ.
(Left to right) Cr Rhys Watson, Ms Mehak Masood, Ms Mahroo Arshad, Dr Ken V Loughnan AO, Ms Daniela Yaneva, Mr Shuntaro Iizuka, Ms Juanjuan Wu and Ms Daisy Feller.
Australian Award Scholars including Resident Members Mehak Masood, Attiya Malik and Merium Kazmi (second to fourth) at the Fitzroy Victoria Bowling and Sports Club.
(from left) KangHsu Wang, Paul Raecke, Laura van der Kall, Hema Preethi, Joa Otavio Mendes, Takahiro Ito, Ryo Ueno and Carmen Minuesa Abril in Melbourne's CBD.
Ryo Ueno, Takahiro Ito, KangHsu Wang, Joao Otavio Mendes, Laura Van der Kall, Paul Rckercke, Hema Preethi, Carmen Minuesa Abril, Li Li, Hui Ping Yaw on the Yarra River.
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The In-House International Collegium Graduate House is one of the most international residential colleges worldwide. Every year, hundreds of postgraduates from around Australia and the world choose to stay in our great College, creating a truly multicultural environment. This map shows the number of residents from each country in 2018. These numbers are exclusive of visitors booked in by our organisation members, such as visiting academics and researchers and others here on university-related collaborations. For the new and lone postgraduate student or visiting academic, this means instant immersion into a welcoming and diverse ‘united nations’. Once they leave residence, they are integrated and active in an influential world-caring network. I really enjoyed my stay at Graduate House. The accommodation has a very warm ambience, making it a comfortable place to live in. It is an unforgettable experience getting to know the multicultural residents coming from various backgrounds. Overall, my experience in Graduate House, especially the bonds that I formed, has helped me broaden my horizons — I’ve come to realise that the world is huge and there’s still so much to discover. — Yu-Hsuan Tu from Taiwan Personally, living in Graduate House has been a convenient, comfortable and convivial experience for several reasons. Being simply a stone’s throw away from Lygon Street, Brunswick and the culture and vibrance of the CBD — as well as the provision of catered meals and weekly housekeeping — means that Graduate House has afforded me the opportunity to focus on my studies and enjoy the city in a way that I would not have been able to otherwise. Everyday, the gracious smiles and the ‘good morning’s of the housekeeping and kitchen staff, as well the support of the duty residents and the administrative staff, make the atmosphere at Graduate House one of inclusion, encouragement and warmth. It very quickly starts to feel like home. Perhaps the most important aspect of this place, however, is its multicultural, multilingual cohort with its breadth of knowledge and expertise. It has been a profoundly rewarding experience getting to know the multitude of nationalities that pass
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through, exchanging our diverse histories and making friendships that will last a lifetime. It really is a community of minds. So often, academia can be a solitary and isolating experience, but the mealtime gatherings and social events provide the entertainment and interaction we so often crave and need. I am thankful to the good friend that recommended I make the move to Graduate House and I would not hesitate to make the same recommendation to someone else. — Nadishka Weerasuriya from Sri Lanka
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Year at a Glance Graduate House welcomes 2018
Meet and Greet Police Safety Discussion
JAN
Ramadan Iftar Banquet and Celebration
Completion of Barbara Funder Lounge Monthly Luncheon with Ms Caitriona Fay and Ms Chantelle Georgy
Annual General Meeting
MAY
College Table with Matthew Absalom
Monthly Luncheon with Mr David Lea
SEP
FEB
JUN
Donor Thank You Day with speaker Susan Pascoe AM
OCT
Celebrating International Women's Day
GU Influenza Vaccination Day
Monthly Luncheon with Ms Shailee Basnet
MAR
APR Monthly Luncheon with Professor Alan Pert
JUL
Residents' Christmas in July Party
AUG
2018 National Student Leadership Forum Ambassadors
Chairperson’s Cocktail Party
Monthly Luncheon with Dr Ross McMullin
NOV
Members’ Christmas Party
DEC
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Fundraising and Benefaction Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee As set out in regulation 32.2, the roles and responsibilities of the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee are to: • monitor and review policies and practices that relate to advancement activities (donations, fundraising, benefactions, sponsorship, endowments and trust fund management); • provide advice to Council on an appropriate gift acceptance and review framework that aligns with the Association’s objectives; • oversee the reporting to Council and donors on the overall management and administration of philanthropic income; • oversee the management and review of the investment performance of the Association’s philanthropic funds; • monitor the meeting of endowed trust fund obligations and expendable gift expectations for compliance with the expressed wishes of donors; • oversee the Association’s stewardship of donors including, where necessary, responding to individual donors; • ensure the proper administration and performance of trusts and other funds involving fiduciary obligations, including the proper content and form of the Association’s instruments recording trust obligations and related administrative arrangements; and • monitor the mitigation and management of risk which applies to advancement activities, including the adequacy of internal systems of risk identification and risk treatment.
Strategic priority of ‘benefaction’ Significant progress was made in 2018 on all four key result areas of the 2016–2018 Strategic Plan priority of benefaction:
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• Council is driving advancement and the engagement of influential with the Association; • major funds have been secured from bequests, donations and other endowment sources; • G-House and G-Union major projects are ‘ready-to-go’; and • the crowd funding site generates support for education and innovation.
Advancement Governance and Engagement of Networks 2018 saw the Council continuing to strengthen its strategic and policy focus on advancement for the benefit and sustainability of The Graduate Union. As is the case for all charities, our Association is operating in an ever-changing and very competitive donations ‘marketplace’. With general cutbacks in government funding, there are more organisations seeking philanthropic support, many having well established systems, highly qualified, skilled and experienced development and advancement professionals and very compelling cases for support. This subcommittee has thus been overseeing the bringing together and alignment of its advancement strategic direction with other functions of the Association — membership, strategic planning, Council development, marketing (including branding and positioning), public relations and communications. This integrated approach is resulting in increased visibility of the Association, greater awareness and appreciation by Members and other graduates of our purposes and of our competency, the creation and sharing of a vision for the future — our next 108 years — and the strengthening of our governance, resourcing and systems for advancement. As the result of the systematic and strategic approach to advancement activities, greater focus on philanthropic standards and practices and the introduction of several
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governance policies and procedures, the Association was accepted to membership of the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA).
As an FIA member, the Association is a signatory to the FIA Code and therefore expected to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards of fundraising. The Code covers transparent and ethical behaviour, conduct towards and communication with donors, conduct towards and communication with beneficiaries, including people in vulnerable circumstances and professional engagement with suppliers. Our Association’s demonstrated adherence to the Code enables us to use the FIA logo in all printed and online material. The Association is also entitled to the use the registered charity logo of the Australian Charities and Not-for profits Commission (ACNC) the statutory body and national regulator with which it is registered. In accordance with the Association’s Policy Development Framework, and in line with bestof-class Australian and international philanthropic standards and practices, the following policies and governance procedures have been developed and are in implementation: • Fundraising Code Policy; • Deductible Gift Recipient Status Policy; • Gift Review and Acceptance Policy; • Gift Acknowledgement Policy; • Donor Recognition and Naming Policy; • Sponsorship for Fundraising Events Policy; • Endowment Management Policy; and • Memorandum of Gift for the Diamond Jubilee Campaign. Council has committed to engaging directly with our membership, governments, universities and the general graduate community for fundraising. Each Council Member has been tapping actively into their networks and advocating support, particularly for the Diamond Jubilee Campaign. This network influencing role has been supported by the design and development of campaign-specific material,
including personalised material for each Council member to use in outlining our case for support in a tailored manner to donors from different sectors. Since its establishment, this subcommittee has overseen the launch and success of many initiatives, including the personalised Thank You Luncheon in appreciation of our generous donors, ‘boutique’ and ‘discrete’ events to meet with those who may be interested in providing major support to the Association, a major Fundraising Gala and a Ramadan Iftar Banquet. These events serve also to explain why we are raising funds, why it is important to our Association and its purposes and why our donor support is so valued and valuable for our sustainability, growth and expansion.
As reported in last year’s annual report, the system and structural arrangements for managing donor funds have been streamlined and consolidated. The endowment managed investment portfolio has been established with the support of Scott Fisher of Lanyon Partners. The Association continues its policy of directing 100% of all donations to the causes and targets specified. Each gift is deposited immediately into an interest-earning and named donation account, before being used for its purpose or transferred to the managed investment portfolio to optimise earnings and grow the capital base. Though Council gave due consideration in 2018 to the establishment of a separate foundation for its advancement functions, it was agreed that this added an administrative, compliance and expense burden that was not appropriate at this stage of the Association’s history. Instead it has determined to fund the administration of its advancement activities from its operational revenue (accommodation, meeting and function services) and provide the necessary resources for this function in an integrated and matrixed
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manner across all departments. Hence, while there are dedicated part-time positions for an Advancement Officer and a Crowd Funding Officer, other staff are allocated on an as-needed basis to support advancement activities (e.g., for database development, management and analysis; marketing; membership and communications; graphic design and publications; etc.).
Bequests, Donations and other Endowments for identified ‘ready‑to‑go’ projects The Association is fortunate to have Members who give different forms of strong support throughout their lifetimes. From its establishment in 1911, Members have lived, learned and met together, continuing the experience of ‘the meeting of the minds’ beyond university as they entered the workforce, had families, became leaders, volunteered across the world and retired.
Technical School (five years) and then with Strathcona Baptist Girls’ School (21 years). Margaret and her husband Alan (m. 1969) enjoyed many major overseas trips, as well as a six-month road trip around Australia. Mrs Hendy regularly attended events at Graduate House and took a keen interest in the Association’s governance, particularly during the annual elections to Council when she would assist the Returning Officer. It is a privilege to honour the legacy of a woman who will be remembered as positive and supportive. Margaret contributed to the education of thousands of young people over her career. A residential room in the new redevelopment will be named the Muir-Hendy Room. Once occupied, a certain percentage of the revenue earned each year will be set aside to establish an in-perpetuity annual Margaret Munro Hendy scholarship to support graduate-level studies and/or research in education.
These Members built and continue to build the organisation through great generosity in the form of donations of funds and buildings, bequests and sponsorship, as well as volunteer and pro bono work. We seek always to honour this legacy and to foster a culture of active and contributing membership.
Graduate House Society The Graduate House Society was established in 2016 to acknowledge those Members — past and present — who have provided for this Association in their wills. A memorial-frame is now displayed in the Phillip Law Members’ Lounge to honour this extraordinary generosity and consideration. The Association’s website also includes this inperpetuity gratitude to those who have set our legacy and foundations for the future. In 2018, we were very grateful to have been remembered in the will of Mrs Margaret Munro Hendy (née Muir). Born in Glasgow in 1926, Margaret gained a Master of Arts followed by a Diploma in Social Studies from the University of Glasgow after World War II. She migrated to Australia in 1957 and commenced her long and dedicated career in teaching, first at Sunshine
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Graduate House Society Members
Annual Appeal The 2018 Annual Appeal was towards the strengthening of the fund-pool that has been established since 2014 to support the attendance of two Resident Members at the annual fourday National Student Leadership Forum (NSLF) in Canberra. This provides the recipients with a valuable and life-changing experience to cultivate leadership skills and to meet some of the country’s most influential leaders.
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Resident Members Joshua Rhee and Daniela Yaneva were selected to represent Graduate House at the 2018 NSLF from 23rd to 26th August (yes, when there was another leadership spill). This is a two-staged application process — one internal with many applications from Graduate House Residents; and the next external with applications from all over Australia vetted through the NSLF selection process. In his report on this wonderful experience, Joshua reflected that the participants were presented with the concept that “faith is confidence about the future in the midst of uncertainty, and that while values can change, faith remains constant. Throughout the Forum, I heard stories of extraordinary leadership that were made possible by faith. Most importantly, when speaking to my peers, I heard about how their own faith has given them strength to overcome obstacles and allowed them to achieve things that they thought were impossible. I don’t mean to pretend that attending the Forum has allowed me to find my faith. But, at the very least, it has made me appreciate the need to start looking.” Daniela expressed her learning with extracts from one of Glen Campbell’s classics: Let me be a little braver When temptation bids me waver Let me strive a little harder To be all that I should be Let me be a little meeker With the Brother that is weaker Let me think more of my neighbour And a little less of me Daniela noted that she "saw a different side of ‘leadership’ — one that involved a greater goal than just
Joshua Rhee and Daniela Yaneva
individual desires and goals. The forum did not focus on a vague ideal of ‘leadership’ but rather the specific and individual values and beliefs that drive each individual’s leadership. It was thus more about why people led, rather than how effectively or ineffectively they led. One of the most important takeaways from the NSLF for me was that true leadership required less of advancing one’s own interests and desires forward, and more of promoting a greater cause — whether this be the community’s needs, or the nation’s."
Diamond Jubilee Capital Fundraising Campaign Since being granted a permit from Melbourne City Council (July 2018), we have embarked on the most challenging fundraising campaign and development project this Association has perhaps ever undertaken. The Diamond Jubilee Capital Campaign will see us construct a new, 11-storey above ground and 5-basement below ground residential building. The new building will consist of 136 new residential college rooms and many other facilities specifically included for the benefit of our valued Members, such as, a larger reception lobby, a spacious Members’ lounge, a new library, a gymnasium, a vibrant new café, a theatrette, additional parking, bookable spaces of different capacity and much more. To be able to progress with a development of this magnitude, the Association must — of course — find the necessary funding to meet the construction costs. In October 2018, a leading fundraising consultancy was engaged to carry out a feasibility study to understand the viability of being able to raise the funds and to assess the timeline required to raise the funds. The Association has approached a number of its Members and supporters to gain their views and insights about the ambitious Campaign, and anticipates a Feasibility Report and a Campaign Plan by April 2019. Much work has gone into the development of our Diamond Jubilee Campaign material. Our hope is that Members will use this material to promote the campaign and to seek support through their business and personal networks. In addition to the individualised material for Council Members, there are videos, brochures, newsletter stories and socialmedia plugs to support active canvassing for funds. The Donation Generation Plan, the Case for Support and other documents validate the importance of,
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and urgency for, this redevelopment, pointing to such factors as:
• the continuing short-supply of purpose-built student accommodation; and
• the location of Graduate House within a student precinct with large numbers of graduate-level students enrolled at The University of Melbourne and RMIT who seek accommodation (more than 38,000);
• the inability of the Association to meet the high demand — estimated conservatively at 14 graduate students per college-bed — for convenient, supportive, collegelike accommodation.
• Graduate House being the only graduate-level residential college in Victoria;
The above line graph shows the number of enrolments with Australian universities in 2018. Of note, are the high numbers of postgraduates in the ‘feeders’ for Graduate House — The University of Melbourne (27K) and RMIT (11K), acknowledging also that graduates enrolled at other Melbournebased universities choose to reside at Graduate House because of the mature learning, living and supportive collegial environment.
• the approximately 6,500 graduate students who are most likely to be looking for collegelike accommodation each year (as opposed to a more lonely experience in a privatelyrented room);
Numbers of enrolled students ‘000
2030 2020
1000
2012
800
2008
600 400 200 0
Undergraduate
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PG (Coursework)
Higher Degree by Research
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The bar graph is from a 2014 publication entitled Future Demand for Higher Education in Australia. Assuming that Victoria continues to provide for 28% of the nation’s postgraduate enrolments, this predicts increases in postgraduate enrolments in 2020 and 2030 respectively of: • 8,680 and 17,640 in Victoria; • 2,698 (to 29,468) and 5,482 (to 32,252) for The University of Melbourne (31% of Victoria’s postgraduate enrolments); and • 1,147 (to 12,530) and 2,331 (to 13,714) for RMIT (13%).
Acknowledging generosity The Association is fortunate to have the generous support of Mr Neil Taylor and Mr Clive Hele (Roger) Brookes. Neil’s association with The Graduate Union commenced in 1975 when he took membership after graduating from The University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Science degree. His mother too — Clara Hunter — is also an alumnus having gained her Bachelor of Education degree in 1913 just two years after our Association was established. Mr Taylor is one of the Association’s most ardent supporters and benefactors. Besides making significant annual donations to the Association, he has also given many one-off and substantial gifts towards the Association’s major projects. The ‘Taylor Room’ in the Stella Langford Wing is thus named in his honour.
Mr Taylor has also contributed to the governance of the Association. He was the Chairperson of Council from 2004 to 2007 during another period of rapid expansion of the college with the construction of the central wing. In recognition of this generosity of time and effort, Neil was appointed as Inaugural Patron (together with Heather Kudeviita) at the 2017 Chairperson’s Cocktail Party. At the 2018 Cocktail Party, we were delighted to support a reunion between Neil, Life Member Joan Ansell and Mary Hansford (née Cooper), all of whom had graduated in 1950 from Bendigo Teacher’s College. Neil went on to teach science at secondary schools in Canada and regional Victoria before settling in Mornington with his family and establishing a very successful and well-respected education-book publication and distribution business. Mr Taylor’s sense of, and action in philanthropy extends beyond the confines of our fortunate Association. Neil and his family give regular donations to schools to support those from less socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds and to regionally-based hospitals to support the purchase of much-needed equipment. Neil is also a regular preparer and server at the St Peter’s Anglican Church-run Mornington Community Meals program The Association feels very humbled to have the early and demonstrable support to the Diamond Jubilee Campaign from this great man. Thank you.
In 2017 and 2018, he was an early and significant donor to the Diamond Jubilee Capital Campaign; and has expressed his wish for this contribution to support the construction of staff offices, including the office of the CEO/Head of College. Neil believes that it is important to provide the momentum required for the Diamond Jubilee Capital Campaign through personal example and has come forward to energise and show his strong support publicly. He is a passionate supporter of the opportunities and facilities that The Graduate Union and Graduate House provide to past-graduates — especially, to enable past graduates to come together in a collegial space to share knowledge and experience. In addition to being a regular attendee over many decades to the Association’s GU Collegiate events,
Mr Neil Taylor
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His great grandfather is Alfred Deakin (1856-1919) — also a graduate of The University of Melbourne in law — an Australian journalist and politician who was instrumental in the Federation of Australia (1901) and in office as the nation’s Prime Minister for three separate terms (1903-1904; 1905-1908; 1909-1910).
Mr Roger Brookes
Clive Hele Brookes, who goes by the name of Roger after his maternal side of the family (as he had been named after Sir Roger de la Hele [circa 1285-1340]), has been a Life Member of our Association since 1955. He joined upon graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) degree from The University of Melbourne. Roger embraces and understands fully the need for the redevelopment project. When interviewed by Helen Connell in 1990 with his father, Wilfred Brookes, Roger responded to a question on the challenges that lie ahead: “With college life you form a very close association with a number of individuals, and you particularly recognise the worth of students in other faculties, what their knowledge is and what their interests are, and become infected with it to some extent." Mr Brookes was thus an early ‘demonstrator’ contributor to our Diamond Jubilee Campaign. His significant gift is for funding a top floor room — with a view over the soon to be reimagined University Square — which is to be named the Brookes Family Room, in honour of the contribution to society of Roger’s family over many generations. Indeed, Roger Brookes comes from a distinguished line of leaders thought to be descendants from the Anglo-Normans on his mother’s side.
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Roger’s grandmother was Ivy Brookes (née Deakin; 1883-1970), a significant contributor to the National Council of Women (1912-1940) and the (now Royal) Women’s Hospital. In 1905, Ivy married Herbert Robinson Brookes, who was born in Bendigo and had resided at Trinity College while undertaking first a medical degree — which did not agree with his constitution — and then a civil engineering degree (BCE 1890). Roger recalls his grandfather’s fond recollections of college life, mixing and living with people who brought different perspectives, and the networks it provided to underpin his successful business career thereafter. Herbert and Ivy contributed significantly to The University of Melbourne — a wing of the Conservatorium, the building of the Vice-Chancellor’s House and positions on Council (Herbert) and on the boards for Physical Education and Social Studies (Ivy). Roger’s great grandfather was William Brookes (1833-1910), a fortunate Bendigo miner and business man who purchased and combined paper mills in Melbourne, Barwon and Broadford to form The Australian Paper Mills Co. Ltd (1882). William, together with Archibald Curry salvaged ‘The Holyhead’ wrecked in ‘The Heads’ near Queenscliff, Victoria. Wilfred Brookes — Ivy and Herbert’s firstborn (1906) and Roger’s father — began working at age 17 to then train at Point Cook (1925-1926) and become a decorated wartime fighter pilot in the war against the Japanese. Roger recalls sitting with a photographer friend and his father as they flicked through a book showing his father’s pilot acquaintances and their planes, and their collective shock at learning that they all had died in tragic aircraft accidents. Wilfred went on to become a successful businessman who was knighted in 1979, in recognition of his service to commerce and industry before and after the War. Roger’s successes reflect his lineage. Following his studies at The University of Melbourne, he worked briefly in Dunlop Rubber’s accounts department before shifting to Queensland to work on a large sheep station in central Queensland — an extensive
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landholding that had been in his family since the subdivision of the old Mount Cornish station in the 1880s — when the railway line was put through to Longreach. From Queensland he became part-owner of a farming property, in north-east Victoria, past Glenrowan. However, this was a time when tractors had no cabins to protect the drivers from dust. With the onset of severe respiratory symptoms, Roger thus had to leave country life to return to the city.
MV Anderson Award Donated by the family of Magnus Victor Anderson, the MV Anderson Award recognises the achievements of graduates who have developed the skills and insights from their field of study for the benefit of the wider community. In 2018, this award was received by Attiya Malik and Prakarn (Mac) Sombunying.
After a few years with Colonial Gas in the 1960s and night school studies in accounting, Roger joined Alcoa in its accounts department in 1973. As a construction accountant he enjoyed site visits to many Alcoa plants in Geelong and Portland, and three in Western Australia. By this time, he had noted the lack of attention given by many accountants to development of their social skills, reflecting also his father’s experience of having gained business networks and directorships. Roger thus feels very strongly that our Association — The Graduate Union through residency in Graduate House — has a particularly important role to play in bringing together people from across the globe, not only to develop business networks and to open up doors and opportunities but also to learn models of working together for the world’s benefit. Leaving Alcoa in 1985 after 12 years, Roger and his father very much enjoyed returning to regional and outback Australia, particularly to Broken Hill (far west NSW) and the Riverina District. Following the death of his father in 1997, Roger further developed the Sir Wilfred’s Brookes’ Scholars Awards at Deakin University by establishing the Brookes Oration and an associated function. Rekindling an interest gained during his undergraduate years, Roger also continues his personal interest in British and Medieval history, particularly that related to three notable 11th century women: Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem (1105-1161), Empress Matilda of Germany (11021167) and Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204). It is indeed an honour to have Mr Brookes as a ‘lead’ and ‘leading’ donor. True to his family’s legacy, Roger has set an example which will inspire and guide others to support our Diamond Jubilee Campaign and the redevelopment. We are extremely grateful and appreciative that he has declared his involvement and support.
Attiya Malik
Prakarn (Mac) Sombunying
Attiya is an Australia Award Scholar from Pakistan. She is a wonderful contributor to college life, a member of the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee and undertaking a Master of Education degree within the Graduate School of Education at The University of Melbourne (due for completion at the end of 2019). Ms Malik also holds a Masters in Interior Design. Prakarn (also known as Mac) is from Thailand. He is a barrister and solicitor, practicing mainly in civil and criminal law. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and was undertaking a Master of Public and International Law, at the Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne. Mac intends then to pursue his interest in human rights.
Graduate House Research Scholarship The 2018 Graduate House Research Scholarship was awarded to Mr Shuntaro Iizuka who is undertaking his doctoral research in the School of Social and Political Sciences at The University of Melbourne. The title of his research is: How do contemporary government agencies work? An analysis of survey data. Originally from Japan, Shuntaro is exploring particularly the effects on the operations of Japan’s government agencies after extensive administrative reform instigated following similar changes in
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other countries. His interviews of the CEOs of these large Japanese agencies have included questions on autonomy, perceptions of the relevant reforms and the organisational value and culture. The Graduate House Research Scholarship was instrumental in Shuntaro Iizuka enabling Shuntaro’s attendance and presentation at the World Congress in International Political Science held in Brisbane in July 2018.
Graduate House Bursaries The 2018 Graduate House Bursaries were awarded to the following Resident Members:
Ms Mehak Masood Ms Mahroo Arshad Ms Daisy Feller Master of Master of Creative Development Environment, Writing, Publishing Studies, The The University and Editing, University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne of Melbourne
Margaret Watson Travelling Fellowship and Robert Heaton Research Support Award The 2018 Margaret Watson Travelling Fellowship to support travel to further the postgraduate research of a talented Resident Member was awarded to Ms Juanjuan Wu who also received the Robert Heaton Research Support Award. Juanjuan is undertaking her doctoral studies in English and Theatre Studies with the School of Culture and Communications at The University of Melbourne. Her research is on the narratives of travels made to China by Western women from the late-Victorian to the Edwardian eras. Together with an Arts Graduate Research International Grant from the Faculty of Arts, the funds enable Juanjuan to make library research trips to Cambridge, Oxford, London and Edinburgh in August and September, and to present her research at the ‘Borders and Crossing’ conference in Pula, Croatia.
Juanjuan Wu presenting her paper at the ‘Borders and Crossing’ Conference in Pula, Croatia on the 15th September 2018 — her first conference presentation in Europe.
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Ms Sherilyn Tan Doctor of Medicine, The University of Melbourne
Ms Daniela Yaneva Juris Doctor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
Donor Thank You Day Celebrating the generosity of our benefactors, the Association held its Thank You Donor luncheon on Sunday, 7th October. The guest speaker was Ms Susan Pascoe AM, Chair of the Australian Council for International Development, the peak body of overseas aid organisations in Australia, and Chair of the Community Directors Council, a new enterprise established to give good governance to the not-forprofit sectors. Ms Pascoe spoke on the general topic of philanthropy. She outlined the particularly Australian history of giving as originating from the livestock industries and the Gold Rush era and moving, in more recent times, to extraordinary contributions from major foundations such as the Paul Ramsay Foundation, Pratt Philanthropies, the Ian Potter Foundation and the Myer Foundation. Ms Pascoe noted also the trends for greater giving now from women and from corporate Australia. Applauding the giving spirit of the donors and benefactors of
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our Association, Ms Pascoe emphasised that such giving is strengthening civil society and making us all better people. Our National Student Leadership Forum ambassadors also spoke at the luncheon. Daniela Yaneva said that her time in Canberra was a formative and life-changing experience, which was made possible because of the generosity of Members like those in the audience. Joshua Rhee spoke about this reasons for researching morality, and how different values and ideological beliefs can create unnecessary divisions. He acknowledged the extraordinary culture at Graduate House where ‘diversity is the norm and intolerance is not’.
Crowdfunding As reported last year, work is progressing on the Association’s crowdfunding platform ‘Fund Lifelong Learning’. With the goal of becoming as well-known and frequently accessed as such sites as GoFundMe or Indiegogo, Fund Lifelong Learning will host crowdfunding ventures for ‘People, Programs and Places’ in the areas of Education and Research, Professional and Sustainable Development in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, Lifelong Learning and Philanthropic Pursuits. The site is intended for release in 2019.
In the category of ‘People’, it is envisaged that individuals from anywhere, including Resident Members can create and crowdfund ventures in support of their education, research, presentations,
development and societal contributions. Graduate House has also created crowdfunding posts for support programs including scholarships and bursaries, which are awarded to individual Resident Members. Crowdfunding for ‘Programs’ can include ventures initiated by and benefiting a number of people. This could include activities, seminars or programs for charities, organisations, community groups and more. For example, volunteer groups can fund the expenses of a development project to clear plastics from our oceans or to feed the homeless. Fund LifeLong Learning will further the Association’s goal to capitalise on the collective intelligence of our membership, as well as of other graduates, across all disciplines, life stages and ethnicities to create and support lifelong learning opportunities. The third category, ‘Places’ will enable crowdfunding for buildings and facilities that enable education, research, professional development and teamwork. For example, the Association will be posting various small and large Graduate House projects, including that for the major redevelopment of the terraces. Posts under this category are also envisaged to be created from all over the world to support ventures in infrastructure development. In our mission to lead crowdfunding for academic, economic and social good, development and sustainability, the platform is designed to receive donations from all over the world. Fund Lifelong Learning charges the lowest administrative fee of 5% in comparison to other active crowdfunding platforms. The platform adopts two separate funding models. Every venture created by Graduate House for the Association’s activities, adopt the ‘All or Nothing’ funding model which allows funds to feed into the venture as and when it is received. The 5% fee collected on these ventures will rollover into the endowment funds. Every other venture created adopts the ‘All or Nothing’ funding model, which requires the target amount to be met, before funds are transferred to the venture creator to ensure
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responsible and accountable fundraising. The fee from these ventures will be used for the running and operation costs of the platform.
community of backers on Fund Lifelong Learning who can also be notified of other similar ventures hosted on the website.
Once Fund Lifelong Learning is live and running, it can be linked to goal 17, ‘Partnerships for the Goals’ of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda on the SDG Forum. This can help gain further exposure and potential global support for the platform and the individual ventures hosted on the site. Individual ventures can also be linked to the other goals on their forum in accordance with their requirements, in order to advance the agenda as well as to maintain accountability towards the objectives.
New social media channels for Fund Lifelong Learning are being developed in line with a detailed digital marketing and social media marketing plan. These plans are being prepared for the pre-launch, launch and post-launch phases of the platform's release. The already established and running social media platforms for Graduate House and the new platforms created for Fund Lifelong Learning will see information such as blog posts, videos, graphics, and other interactive content published to targeted audience segments over a timeline to create awareness and generate user engagement with Fund Lifelong Learning.
Early April 2018 saw the soft launch of the website to Resident Members for usability testing. The Resident Crowdfunding Working Party, which commenced in early 2018, and the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee provided feedback and proposed recommendations to improve the design and use of the website through the year. There are currently ten crowdfunding ventures on the website, across the three categories of and all the areas we support. The platform is being developed where users register a profile to create and support other ventures. This can increase communication between the venture creator and supporter, and subsequently builds more traction for the site because of increased engagement. This replicates a virtual
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In conclusion, I extend my gratitude to the members of the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee for 2018 — Muhammad Mossavir Ahmed, Shih-Jung Chen, Deborah Cutts, Nanette Gibson, Shelley Jones (CoVice-Chairperson), Muan Lim (Co-Vice-Chairperson), Damon Luo, Attiya Malik, Fausto Marasco, Vincent Mirabelli and Wal Reid. 2018 was a particularly busy year and you have all contributed willingly of your time, experience and expertise in the continued strengthening of our culture of philanthropy.
Cr Rhys Watson Chairperson of the Fundraising and Benefactions subcommittee
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Thank You For Your Support Donations and Bequests in 2018 In 2018, donations and bequests were received from the following generous supporters:
Mr Leonard Bailey
Ms Marie Dowling
Mr George Markou
Professor Peter Bailey
Mr Benjamin Elbers
Mr Douglas Marshall
Ms Sari Baird
Assoc Professor Joseph Epstein
Dr Lynette Martin
Mr Argho Banerjee Mrs Ellie Barnes Ms Lesley Bawden Dr David Bottomley AM Mr Adrian Brandon Mr Henrique Burigo Mrs Nancy Burns Mrs Kathleen Cameron Dr Allan Casey
Mr Andrew Farran Ms Francesca Folk-Scolaro Mr Lionel Foo Professor David Forrest Ms Gwendolynn Gage Bishop James Grant Mr Charles Halik Dr Richard Harcourt
Mrs Mary Maslen Mrs Margaret Mayers Mrs Desma McDonald Mr Vincent Mirabelli Mr Philip Moss Mr Edward Muntz Dr Anthony Nicholls The Hon Justice Tony Pagone Dr Patricia Phair
Mrs Andrea Casey
Associate Professor John Harcourt OAM
Mrs Diana Cherry
The Hon David Harper AM
Mrs Joan Pretty
Mr John Cleeland
Mr Robert Heaton
Dr Joanna Pyper
Mr Ewan Colson
Ms Pauline Henthorn
Professor Rick Rawlings
Mr Stuart Colvin
Professor Brian Howe AO
Mrs Louisa Richards
Professor Lurene Contento
Mr Tony Hunt
Mr Ronald Ritchie
Mr Louis Coutts
Mr Reginald Jackson
Dr David Robson
Mrs Grietje Croll
Ms Mary Kelleher
Ms Sharon Seah
Mrs Emily Cross
Ms Helen Keneley
Mrs Elizabeth Sevior
Mr William Cushing
Dr Zoltan Kiss
Mr Frank Shaw
Dr Arthur Day
Mr Peter Kolliner OAM
Ms Elizabeth Shellard
Professor David de Kretser AC
Mr Kenneth Lee
Mr Peter Sholl
Mrs Margaret Dean
Ms Jennifer Lewis
Professor Richard Snedden
Mr Lindsay Doig
Dr Sharon Lierse
Professor Richard Southby
Ms Carolyn Pickett
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 59
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Mr David Sparks
Mr John Vernon
Professor Satish Srirama
Mrs Maria Wass
Mr Stephen Stuart
Miss Joy Wellings
Miss Farsai Taemaitree
Dr David Westmore
Professor Brian Tress
Mrs Yvette White
Miss Barbara Tynan
Mr Mark Worsnop
Thank you also to those who nominated to remain anonymous.
Some High Contributors
Mr Paul Barnett
Mr Alan Bell
Lady Josie Blyton
Mr Clive Brookes
Miss Wendy Cobcroft
Mr Edward Dickinson
Mr Daryl George AM
Mr Roy Hardcastle AO
Miss Ann Rusden
Dr Elizabeth Shaw
Mr Neil Taylor
Mr Rhys Watson
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
Buildings and Facilities Building and Facilities Subcommittee
(h) review the optimal use of buildings and facilities and recommend to Council any changes thought desirable or necessary.
As set out in regulation 28.2, the roles and responsibilities of the Buildings and Facilities subcommittee are to:
Occupancy The 2018 average occupancy for the Graduate House facility on Leicester Street (three wings; 114 rooms) was 91.8% as compared to 91.6% in 2017. The 13 apartments on the seventh floor of 50 Barry Street — acquired late 2016 and refurbished in the first months of 2017 — were available for the whole of 2018 with an average occupancy of 89%. In October 2018, The Graduate Union settled the purchase of 18 apartments at 24 Barkly Place. Seventeen residents continued tenancy until the end of 2018 and these apartments are being refurbished in early 2019.
(a) monitor and review policies and practices relating to the development and management of the Association’s buildings and facilities; (b) when requested by Council, oversee the development of a master plan (physical infrastructure) for any expansion of the Association’s buildings and facilities; (c) oversee the development of approved projects for upgrading specific buildings, parts of buildings or facilities;
With a total of 31 offsite apartments, Graduate House thus now comprises 145 rooms with capacity for up to 180 residents per night. The bar graph shows below the average monthly occupancy for 2018 inclusive of the Barry Street apartments but not the Barkly Place apartments.
(d) review the fees, charges and conditions for the use of college residential rooms and facilities and recommend any changes for adoption by Council; (e) monitor the implementation of approved capital expenditure;
Need for College Accommodation
(f) monitor and ensure timely maintenance of all buildings and facilities;
In 2018 more than 38,000 students were enrolled for postgraduate coursework and research studies at The University of Melbourne (27K) and RMIT (11K), compared to 70,000 students for undergraduate degrees.
(g) monitor the mitigation and management of risk which applies to the buildings and facilities, including the adequacy of internal systems of risk identification and risk treatment; and % occupancy
Y2017
Y2018
100
80
60
40
20
0 Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
TOTAL
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As the only college specialising in providing accommodation only for graduate students, as well as visiting academics and researchers, Graduate House is in huge demand but not meeting this demand. The most common profile of those residing at Graduate House is a first-year postgraduate student who is not from Melbourne and enrolled at The University of Melbourne. Based on this profile, conservative estimates suggest that approximately 6,500 postgraduate students each year might thus be seeking college-like accommodation. Though other residential colleges affiliated with The University of Melbourne provide also for postgraduate students, the total number of postgraduate student college beds (inclusive of Graduate House) is less than 500. This means that for every postgraduate student who gains a college residency, there are 12 students who may be seeking such but missing out.
brightest who are coming here to study, research and teach from all across Australia and the world. With more than 120,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses in this precinct in years to come, there is a clear and increasing need into the future for more graduate-specific college accommodation rooms, particularly for those unable to gain entry to privately managed residential tenancies in the for-profit sector.
Graduate House Master Plan The Graduate House (G-House) Master Plan envisages three redevelopment stages, the first for the northern end of the Leicester Street holdings (behind and above the terrace wing from 222 to 234 Leicester Street), the second for the southern end (210 to 214) and the third for the central wing from 216 to 220).
Stage 1
Forecasts of the numbers of postgraduate students in this precinct suggest continued increases — to 42,000 in 2020 and 46,000 in 2030 — with those who may seek college-like accommodation projected to be at least 7,100 and 7,800, respectively. The many accommodation redevelopments in this precinct will add just over 5,300 student-only beds to be made available to all student-types. While some offer a sense of community, the experience for graduate students in this private rental market can often be lonely and isolating. It is certainly not the experience that we want for the best and the
On 31st July 2018, the Association was granted a planning permit from Melbourne City Council to construct an eleven-storey, five-basement level graduate student college wing — Stage 1 of the G-House Master Plan. Construction is to commence by August 2021 and to be completed by August 2023. As outlined in more detail in our 2017 Annual Report, this redevelopment will have 136 residential rooms in the top eight floors, a ground floor café opening to Grattan Street, improved resident and staff facilities on the first floor and further meeting and function spaces on the second. TOTAL
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT 45 residential rooms
59 residential rooms
10 residential rooms
114 residential rooms plus 31 off-site
Stage One
Stage Three
Stage Two
TOTAL
136 residential rooms 11 storeys 5 basements Function/events floor Theatrette Café from Grattan Street
135 residential rooms
135 residential rooms
406 residential rooms plus 31(+) off-site
APPROVED NEW DEVELOPMENT
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Where the world’s leaders stay — professors, judges, clinical consultants, business executives, etc.
The Graduate Union Annual Report
In September 2018 Council thus established an Initial Project Control Group (IPCG), which has the key goals of overseeing and guiding the realisation of this redevelopment on time, to budget, to standards and in accordance with the Association’s purposes. Over the next few years the two key tasks for the IPCG will be the raising of sufficient capital ($40M) and the development and submission of detailed plans and designs before demolition and construction. The IPCG is chaired by the Chairperson of Council and has three other representatives from Council — Cr Lim, Cr Rogers and Cr Santalucia. Expert disciplinary support is being provided also from Member Natalie Gray, a town planner of major projects, who has been overseeing the master planning of the Association since 2015, Mr Ted Gallagher (of Gallagher Jeffs) who brings significant experience in the management of projects of this type and major size, and Mr David Pitt, who brings finance and capital raising experience, particularly from his time as Chief Financial Officer at Monash University. We thank Meaghan Weekes, one of the original members of the IPCG, who was then with Perpetual Trustees, for her expert advice on capital fundraising. The intent is for the IPCG (with, as required, changes in composition as the project progresses) to meet monthly throughout the next few years and until this project is completed as intended — that is, a ‘case study’ building that is “creating energy and cleaning air”, with a dynamic ever-changing façade emblematic of Graduate House, that is low maintenance and enduring, and that incorporates new technologies and adapts to privacy constraints and solar impacts.
UTown® at NUS
apartments and with ready-access to a wide range of facilities (a supermarket, childcare, sporting facilities, playgrounds, etc.). Over the last ten years, specifically for the student population, NUS has constructed University Town — known as UTown®, where now, some 4,100 people work and live, this includes UTown® Residence, a facility for graduate students, which houses up to 1,700 residents organised into four-bedroom and married-couple apartments. This is more than three times the number of graduate-specific college rooms at The University of Melbourne (estimated to be less than 500). UTown® also includes four undergraduate residential colleges, each of which was visited — Tembusu College, Cinnamon College, the College of Alice and Peter Tan and Residential College 4 — and each of which has a Rector and a Master as well as specific collegiate learning and social programs, much like the traditional undergraduate colleges at The University of Melbourne.
Stage 2 Research was undertaken in 2018 towards the development of preliminary concepts for Stage 2 of the G-House Master Plan. This included an intensive three-day field trip to Singapore by the CEO/Head of College and Natalie Gray who were privileged to be hosted by representatives from university accommodation providers, membership and professional development associations and university departments. The National University of Singapore (NUS) provided the host residence — Kent Vale Apartments — and immersion in a vibrant community of academics living on the campus in single-room to family-sized
The Hive at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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Another visit was to Yale-NUS College, a collaboration between Yale University and NUS, established in 2011 as the first liberal arts college in Singapore and located north-east of UTown®. Uniquely, this college provides a full four-year residential academic program across three college wings (Saga, Elm and Cendana) housing 1,000 students. Architectural and design inspirations were also provided by visits to many other institutions, including the NUS Society, INSEAD, Nanyang Technological University (Nanyang Executive Centre, NTU Alumni Club), Singapore Management University and the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
Off-Site Acquisition
In October 2018, a further 18 off-site apartments were acquired in one line, expanding the total of off-site apartments to 31. These new units are on the third, fourth and fifth floors of 24 Barkly Place (also known as Global House), which is in the block bounded by Leicester, Queensbury, Bouverie and Pelham streets just south of Graduate House. The design of these apartments is similar to that of the Barry Street apartments, with each having an ensuite, a kitchenette, bed, desk and storage spaces. Refurbishment commenced late 2018 and will continue into 2019, with each room to have basic repairs, to be restocked and to have new carpets, and some to be subject to more extensive bathroom and/or kitchen improvements.
Parkville Rail Station
As outlined in our 2016 report, Council has determined to purchase suitable properties in locations beyond the Leicester Street facility in accordance with an Off-Site Acquisition Policy in which is stipulated criteria to be met, particularly in addressing the purposes and needs of the Association and in falling within certain geographical, quality and financial parameters. The first of these off-site acquisitions was in 2016 — 13 apartments at 50 Barry Street. This has proved to be successful, 2018 was the first year when all apartments were available for a full 12 months. These apartments are a popular choice for those who seek to live away from (but near to) the Leicester Street Graduate House facility, while also joining a graduate-specific community, participating in a wide range of collegial activities, and enjoying the benefits of housekeeping, college-catering and timely maintenance. A/C
STUDY BEDROOM
KITCHEN
An apartment in Barkly Place
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BATH
Concept Design of the Parkville Station Plaza
The Melbourne Metro Rail Project involves the construction of two nine-kilometre-long underground rail tunnels from South Kensington station through North Melbourne, Parkville, State Library and Town Hall stations to Anzac Station in South Yarra. Following diversion of underground services (telecommunications, water, sewerage, gas and electricity) — under the Leicester Street pavement — Grattan Street (from Leicester Street to Royal Parade) was closed on 21st February 2018. The site thence became a major construction site bounded by sound barriers and other protective fences. Parkville Station will be under Grattan Street from west of the Leicester Street T-intersection to west of Royal Parade. Exits from the station to The University of Melbourne will be on the north side of Grattan Street — one opposite Barry Street and another at the Royal Parade corner. Exits near the western end will be to Royal Melbourne Hospital and, on the southern side of Grattan Street, to the Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
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Association’s history (from 1911) and future (incorporating the terrace redevelopment designs) on a panel (5m wide by 2m high) on the hoardings of the Grattan Street gantries. Passersby will thus learn a little more about our ‘hidden’ Carlton gem, engaging also with visual stories from others in the precinct.
Stages of Piling: 1. setting up the rig; 2. drilling; 3. steel reinforcement; 4. concrete pouring with tremie pipe.
The station ‘box’ will be 30-metres wide, 270-metres long and 30-metres deep (the equivalent of 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools). It is being built using a cut and cover technique. From May to November 2018 the large rectangular (open cut) structure was created by drilling holes into the ground using an auger and inserting prefabricated steel reinforcement cages followed by pouring concrete into each hole to form piles. Approximately 500 piles now form the outside walls of the station box. The next phase is the excavation of more than 200,000 cubic metres of earth from inside the station box. This began early December 2018 and will continue in 2019. Once excavated to a depth of three metres, a deck (roof) will be installed to minimise noise and dust impacts while excavation continues underneath. 60-70 trucks per day will remove soil/rock to 15 metres, with cranes being used beyond this depth to bring the soil and rocks up to the trucks for removal. The Association has been meeting fortnightly with representatives from the Cross Yarra Partnership (Lendlease, John Holland, Bouygues Construction, Capella Capital), the main contractor engaged mid-2017 to build the stations and tunnels from 2018 to 2025-2026. Consultation has been on a variety of topics relating to current and anticipated construction activities, and the obvious impacts (air quality, noise, vibration, etc.) on Graduate House and Resident Members. Vibration, property movement and noise level monitoring equipment has been installed at Graduate House to assist in the assessment of these impacts. Additionally, the Association has been participating in the Metro Tunnel Creative Program Storytelling Project which will result in illustrations of the
A view of the construction in University Square
Reimagining University Square The above photograph was taken in December 2018 from the top floor of The University of Melbourne Law School. It shows the large amount of work being undertaken by Melbourne City Council to ‘reimagine’ University Square. Graduate House can be seen to the north-east (upper right). To the north of the square is seen one of the gantries for the Parkville Station works. In May 2018 the City of Melbourne closed the west side of Leicester Street, restricting traffic to that travelling northbound only. As can be seen above, this has enabled the removal of the western side of the bitumen road in preparation for its replacement with more parkland and green space. The below image is from MCC’s website and illustrates the view from high above our terraces looking south-west (the Law School is shown in the upper left corner). It illustrates the intent for a
Artist's render of the Reimagined University Square
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
basketball court just across from the terraces, as well as for an urban canopied forest (250 climateappropriate trees are anticipated to be planted) and a range of other activity plazas. The design also includes areas to capture stormwater and to generate solar energy.
Major Projects, Repairs and Maintenance The Association has also been undertaking necessary major projects and continuing its general repairs and maintenance programs.
Central wing lift The lift in the four-storey central wing was installed in 2005. After 13 years, it was thus breaking down with increasing frequency, and repairs were becoming complex and delayed because out-ofdate parts were increasingly difficult to find. The lift was thus closed for two weeks in January 2018 for the undertaking of major repairs, the installation of updated part replacements and rewiring to enable card-only access.
rooms. Cards can be made inactive instantly and economically, in-order to prevent nefarious use, if lost or stolen. In 2019 the second phase of this project will involve the installation of energy saving switches, as well as card-access systems in other doors (e.g., to the offices and storerooms).
Carpets Using 100% of the funds raised from the 2017 Annual Appeal, the carpets of the ground floor of the central wing were replaced early in 2018. We thank all who contributed so generously to this Annual Appeal and thus to the much-needed replacement of increasingly worn carpet with a floor covering that has a vibrant and warm design in the well-used main dining room, foyer, Ian Potter Room and Stillwell Room.
Card access system Following a comprehensive research and analysis phase, it was decided in 2017 to install a full Wi‑Fienabled Salto swipe card access system for all residential rooms. The first phase of this project was completed late 2017 with new cabling installed in all three wings of the Leicester Street building. The Barry Street and Barkly Place apartments already had card-access systems in place. This project was undertaken over six weeks in May and June 2018. It involved the installation of an electronic lock system in place of a key lock in the entry door to each residential room, as well as in corridor entry doors and for the central wing lift. Each of these locks is now connected via Wi-Fi to a central control system. This means that our Accommodation Officers are able to code swipe access cards at reception specific to
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New carpet in the Dining Room
Air conditioners in the Barry Street apartments The major refurbishment of the 13 Barry Street apartments early in 2017 was exclusive of the installation of air conditioners. This was because research needed to be undertaken to ensure selection of appropriately small and efficient units, to meet Owners Corporation requirements and to prepare the small balconies (e.g., with waterproofing) and walls for installation. Following this research and preparation period, energy-sapping wall heaters were removed from each apartment and reverse-cycle air-conditioners were installed in October 2018.
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Kitchen equipment replacement This project involved replacement of ageing equipment in the main industrial kitchen in the central wing. With 300-400 meals prepared every day, it is essential to have all major kitchen equipment units working efficiently and without constant breakdowns. 2018 thus saw an ongoing program of replacements, including a new Convotherm Combination Oven, Washtech pass-through dishwasher, a deep freezer and additional fridge space, cooktops and grills, as well as corresponding adjustments to existing structures (e.g., benches).
Window soundproofing The soundproofing of windows in the terrace wing had been expedited to counter the noisy and dusty early works along Leicester Street in 2017 for both the Parkville Station and the Reimagining University Square works.
capital expenditure budget. Projects that are thus envisaged for 2019 include the installation of information technology hardware in the offices, a refurbishment of the courtyard, replacement of lino floors in the central wing residential rooms with tiles, replacement of the central wing hot water units and the completion of the later phases of projects outlined above. In conclusion, I thank the members of the Buildings and Facilities subcommittee for 2018 — Mr Robert Heaton (Co-Vice-Chairperson), Mr David Sparks (Co‑ViceChairperson), Cr David Cowie, Mr Nouman Daud Sharif, Mr Avi Gandhi (to June), Cr Martin McCurry (from June), Cr Vince Mirabelli (to June), Cr Simon Waters (from September), Cr Rhys Watson and Ms Ligia Veliz (to September). I extend particular gratitude and appreciation to the dedicated management group and to the accommodation, housekeeping, building services and culinary teams who make Graduate House a welcoming and vibrant home and gathering place.
Cr Mary R Kelleher Chairperson of the Buildings and Facilities subcommittee
Early 2018 saw extension of this sound-proofing to the ground floor windows of the central wing, with the installation of Magnetite inner secondary windows and frames.
Audiovisual equipment system upgrade
Planning for 2019 Planning for 2019 projects began in the early months of 2018 and continued throughout the remainder of the year to ensure a comprehensive multi-disciplinary consultative process across a number of the subcommittees, as well as the quantification and timely entry to the draft 2019
Lift Lobby
Hall
Studio Apartment
Lift Lobby
Hall
Studio Apartment
Lift Lobby
Hall
Studio Apartment
Lift Lobby
Hall
Studio Apartment
Lift Lobby
Hall
Studio Apartment
Lift Lobby
Hall
Studio Apartment
Lift Lobby
Hall
Studio Apartment
Lift Lobby
Hall
Studio Apartment
Public Lane
Lift Lobby
213-217 Grattan Street
Meeting
Office
Lift Lobby
Leicester Street
Undertaken in December 2018, this project involved re-cabling of the network to install HDMI ports and replacement of four of the five data projectors to models with improved HD qualities. These changes have improved significantly the experience for presenters and facilitators who are now able both to ‘plug-in’ to the system without adaptors and have projections that are clear and of the highest visual and sound quality.
Dashed line indicates lift core behind
SITE BOUNDARY
SITE BOUNDARY
The data projectors and audiovisual network in the ground floor meeting and function spaces of the southern (Stella Langford) wing were not HDMI compliant. However, the demand for this grade of connection to laptops had been increasing exponentially.
Meeting
Lift Lobby
Gym / Bins / Laundry / Staff Amenities
University Square Underground Car Park
Gym / Building Services / Store
Parking
Parking
Parking
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
Our Team CEO/Head of College Dr Kerry Bennett Operations Manager Daniel Clark
Finance and Human Resources
Executive Assistant to CEO Parisa Shiran
Finance Systems Officer Punam Kunwar, Zaneta Subrata
Development and Analysis
Business Development Analyst
Advancement and Fundraising
Analyst Programmer Niraj Bohra
Jaimy Skaria-Jose, Alice Widdowson
GU Collegiate/ Membership
Membership Relations Officer Priya Rajoo
Page 68 | Volume 72, Number 1
Advancement Officer Sunil Lakshmanasinghe, Natasha Sedman
Crowdfunding Officer Rebecca Abraham
Publications
Editorial Coordinator Shirley Ho
Content Writer Ken Chau, Angela Perez
Graphic Designer Michael Chau
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Hospitality
Accommodation
Accommodation Officer
Hospitality Manager
Victor Das, Sujata Manandhar, Puay Boon (Pei) Ng, Anne-Katrin Sterling
Rosie Ellul
Guest Services Staff James Cole-Sinclair, Ramy El-Maghraby, Connor Hadley, Amna Khan, Sushmita Manandhar, Olivia Pititto, Amity Stafford
Functions and Guest Services Managers Bill Mihelakis, Marwa Tantawy
The Culinary Team Head Chef Nelson Hu, Basma Tantawy
Chef Jessie Tai, Keith Turney
Housekeeping
Kitchen Services Staff Mehmet Celik, Bishal Gauli, Nabin Gautam, Draga Jeftic, Xiaoguang Sun
Building Services
Head Housekeeper Anne Ladkins
Housekeeping Staff
Building Services Officer
Sabina Maharjan Singh, Jacquelin McGregor, Sarojini Sahai, Stana Stojanovic
Leonardo Gonzales, Manuel Labaki
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 69
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Finance and Audit Finance and Audit subcommittee As set out in regulation 31.2, the roles and responsibilities of the Finance and Audit subcommittee are to: (a)
monitor and review policies and practices relating to the sourcing, management, control and auditing of the Association’s finances, and the management of financial risk;
(b)
monitor the continuing longer-term financial viability of the Association;
(c)
advise Council on the protection of the Association’s charitable status;
(d)
monitor the management of funds of the Association’s trusts;
(e)
monitor the Association’s monthly financial reports, identifying any significant variations from budget and in collaboration with relevant subcommittees direct appropriate corrective action;
(f)
monitor the mitigation and management of risk which applies to finance and audit, including the adequacy of internal systems of risk identification and risk treatment;
(g)
establish, review and recommend to Council any changes necessary to the corporate risk framework of the Association;
(h)
review the draft annual budget and recommend the budget to Council for approval;
(i)
advise Council on any matter relating to present or future debt;
(j)
ensure statutory accounts comply with relevant reporting standards;
(k)
liaise with the external auditor throughout the period of the audit and facilitate finalisation of the Audit Report; and
(l)
review the annual external auditor’s report and ensure that management responds in a timely way to recommendations made therein.
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Policy and Internal Financial Controls In 2018 the Finance and Audit subcommittee continued to develop and review relevant policies. The Surplus and Operating Reserve Policy was developed to guide the Association’s approach to achieving surpluses and to building and maintaining an adequate level of unrestricted designated reserves to support the Association’s day-to-day operations in the event of unforeseen shortfalls. The Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Status Policy was developed to ensure that Council regularly reviews and takes appropriate actions to preserve the Association’s DGR status. In conjunction with the Governance and Nominations subcommittee, an Auditor Appointment Policy was developed to provide for the appointment of a suitably qualified and experienced individual to undertake the annual independent audit of the Association’s finances, and for auditor rotation. Revisions were made to the Financial Delegations Policy for the allocation of donation and bequest funds to the externally managed Endowment Investment Fund established early in 2018 and following the development of an Endowment Management Policy in 2017. The Investment Policy was replaced by the Operating Accessible Reserve Management Policy to provide for the gaining of earnings on surplus operational funds. The Finance and Audit subcommittee continued oversight of key risk categories. For Market Factors to Income, assessment was of such risks as the value of the Australian dollar, domestic and international graduate needs, market demand for the Association’s services, other providers of student accommodation and of academic and professional development meetings, non-resident membership numbers, university enrolment numbers and the funding of charities and not-for-profits. For Expense Exposure, consideration was of the market value of land and properties, the costs of borrowing, import and export costs, employment costs, insurance, charitable status, the ability to sustain and to grow, costs for utilities, services and consumables, obligations to workers and independent contractors, taxation and capital expenditure. Measures to
The Graduate Union Annual Report
monitor, prevent, mitigate and manage the risks are outlined and reviewed regularly.
reported separately with the negative market value movement leading to a negative return of $16,233.
Financing
Total operating expenses of $3.820M were higher than in 2017 ($3.580M), with increases across the majority of expense items being offset by slightly lower Rates and Government Taxes and Catering expenses.
The Association has loan facilities with two finance providers. Opened in 2016, the National Australia Bank (NAB) loan is a five-year facility with limit of $7.3 million (M) and interest-only fixed and variable (floating) components. Interest costs for this facility in 2018 were $226,055. Bank Australia has provided finance for the acquisition of the 13 apartments on the seventh floor at 50 Barry Street (November 2016), and of the 18 apartments at 24 Barkly Place (October 2018) to a total of $4.4M. Both loan structures have been set with fixed and variable components and a set interest and principal reduction payment schedule.
Auditor At the annual General Meeting held on 31st May 2018, Mr Sam Claringbold of JTP Assurance was re‑appointed as the auditor for the independent audit of the year ending 31st December 2018.
Financial Performance For the year ending 31st December 2018, The Graduate Union achieved a surplus of $1,330,194. Operating revenue in 2018 of $3.739M was $190,998 (5.4%) higher ($3.548M in 2017), with the dominant sources of income being Accommodation and Catering, increasing by 10.4% and decreasing by 2.1%, respectively, compared to 2017. Donation revenue was 30.3% greater than in 2017. Investment Income revenue is
Catering $1,320,730 — 35.3%
Accommodation $2,228,758 — 59.6%
Cash flow from Operating Activities was $241,328 in 2018, $182,839 greater than in 2017. The negative Cash Flows from Investing Activities of $2,984,590 and from Financing Activities of $2,725,664 reflect predominantly the acquisition of (and borrowings for) the 18 bedsits in Barkly Place. Cash and Cash Equivalents by year end had decreased by $17,598 to $116,556. The Association’s total Property, Plant and Equipment were valued at $39.544M in 2018, an increase in value of $9,331,809 (30.9%) compared to 2017 ($30,816,932). Total Equity increased by $6,871,220 (31.9%).
Operating Income A breakdown of operating income is shown in the pie chart below. Revenue from donations and bequests of $387,637 (compared to $297,401 in 2017) is not illustrated. I thank the members of the subcommittee for 2018 — Leo Santalucia (Co-Vice Chairperson), Viv Nguyen (Co-Vice Chairperson until May), Rhys Watson (Co-Vice Chairperson from June), Phillip Cobbin, Bosi Fan (from June), Ahmed Farooq (from June), John Green (from June), Hong Muan Lim (from June), Gaetano (Tony) Pagone and Keith Ryall, as well as our accountant, Kay Gulenc, our auditor, Sam Claringbold, and the dedicated and hardworking management and operations team.
Cr David Cowie Chairperson of the Finance and Audit subcommittee
Subscriptions $116,492 — 3.1%
Property Rental and Other Income $73,043 — 2.0%
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc. Incorporated Association Registration Number (IARN): A0023234B Australian Business Number (ABN): 55 610 664 963
Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2018
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The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
for the year ended 31 December 2018
FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018
CONTENTS Page Report from Council Members
3
Statement of Comprehensive Income
4
Statement of Financial Position
5
Statement of Changes in Equity
6
Statement of Cash Flows
7
Notes to the Financial Statements
8
Statement by Council Members
15
Independent Audit Report
16
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The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended 31 December 2018 Note 2(a) 2(b) 2(c)
Revenue Donations Investment revenue Employment expenses Catering expenses Interest and bank fees Repairs and maintenance Depreciation (including buildings) Communications expenses Utilities expenses Rates and government taxes Professional fees Insurance expenses Scholarship Legal expenses
2018 $
2017 $
3,739,023 387,637 (16,233) (1,786,594) (548,003) (387,537) (385,114) (214,850) (128,001) (126,233) (85,756) (105,523) (31,068) (12,947) (8,252)
3,548,025 297,401 3,915 (1,710,709) (560,224) (367,849) (332,942) (172,897) (118,046) (114,833) (98,585) (58,521) (28,839) (10,365) (6,258)
290,549
269,273
Other comprehensive income Gain / (loss) on revaluation of buildings
1,039,645
156,168
Total other comprehensive income
1,039,645
156,168
Total comprehensive income for the year
1,330,194
425,441
Surplus / (deficit) for the year
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements 4
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The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Statement of Financial Position as at 31 December 2018 Note
2018 $
2017 $
ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents
5
116,556
134,154
Trade and other receivables
6
61,522
34,522
Inventories
7
46,527
51,648
119,246
86,653
611,577
297,401
955,428
604,378
39,544,363
30,212,554
TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS
39,544,363
30,212,554
TOTAL ASSETS
40,499,791
30,816,932
Prepayments Investments
8
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS NON-CURRENT ASSETS Property, plant and equipment
9
LIABILITIES CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade and other payables
10
540,485
475,376
Provisions
11
238,812
217,946
Borrowings
12
268,135
138,045
1,047,432
831,367
11,016,252
8,420,678
TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES
11,016,252
8,420,678
TOTAL LIABILITIES
12,063,684
9,252,045
NET ASSETS
28,436,107
21,564,887
26,670,268
19,701,960
1,765,839
1,862,927
28,436,107
21,564,887
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Borrowings
12
EQUITY Reserves Retained earnings TOTAL EQUITY
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements 5
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 77
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Statement of Changes in Equity for the year ended 31 December 2018
2018
Retained Earnings
Total Reserves
Reserves $
$
$
Revaluation Building Residents’ General Reserve and Fund Reserve Capital Reserve Balance at 1 January 2018
Total Equity $
Stillwell Collection
1,862,927
18,695,110
924,373
30,477
41,500
(97,088)
0
364,611
23,026
0
0
387,637
290,549
Transfers to / (from) reserves
0
6,592,731
0
(12,060)
0
0 6,580,671
6,580,671
Balance at 31 December 2018
1,765,839
25,287,841 1,288,984
41,443
41,500
Surplus / (Deficit) from ordinary activities and donations
2017
Retained Earnings
10,500 26,670,268 28,436,107
Total Reserves
Reserves $
$
$
Revaluation Building Residents’ General Reserve and Fund Reserve Capital Reserve Balance at 1 January 2017
10,500 19,701,960 21,564,887
Total Equity $
Stillwell Collection
1,891,055
18,538,942
638,032
40,312
30,970
(28,128)
0
286,341
530
10,530
0
297,401
269,273
Transfers to / (from) reserves
0
156,168
0
(10,365)
0
0
145,803
145,803
Balance at 31 December 2017
1,862,927
18,695,110
924,373
30,477
41,500
Surplus / (Deficit) from ordinary activities and donations
10,500 19,258,756 21,149,811
10,500 19,701,960 21,564,887
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements 6
Page 78 | Volume 72, Number 1
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 December 2018 2018
Note
$
2017 $
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Receipts from accommodation and catering
3,554,823
3,368,605
116,492
116,641
19,456
15,467
(359,934)
(340,719)
(3,089,509)
(3,101,505)
241,328
58,489
Property rentals
53,587
48,364
Interest received
2,271
3,915
13,511
0
(323,408)
(107,037)
(2,730,551)
(14,174)
(2,984,590)
(68,932)
(53,144)
(157,535)
2,778,808
125,000
2,725,664
(32,535)
Net increase / (decrease) in cash held
(17,598)
(42,978)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of financial year
134,154
177,132
116,556
134,154
Receipts from subscriptions Other income Interest paid Payments to suppliers and employees Net cash provided by operating activities
15
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Managed funds income Funds expended on development and renovations Funds expended on asset purchases Net cash used in investing activities
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Repayments Funds drawn down Net cash used in financing activities
Cash and cash equivalents at end of financial year
5
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements 7
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 79
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2018 The Financial Statements cover The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. as an individual entity incorporated in Victoria under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic). 1
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (a)
Basis of Preparation The Financial Statements are general purpose financial statements that have been prepared in accordance with the Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements, the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) and the requirements of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (ACNC Act). Australian Accounting Standards set out accounting policies that the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) has concluded would result in a financial report containing relevant and reliable information about transactions, events and conditions. Material accounting policies adopted in the preparation of this financial report are presented below and have been consistently applied unless otherwise stated. The Financial Statements have been prepared on an accruals basis and are based on historical costs, modified, where applicable, by the measurement at fair value of selected non-current assets, financial assets and financial liabilities.
(b)
Income Tax Tax effect accounting has not been applied as the Association is exempt from Income Tax under Section 50-B of the Income Tax Assessment Act, 1997 (Cth). The Association has also been endorsed as a tax concession charity for Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Fringe Benefits Tax by the Australian Taxation Office.
(c)
Property, Plant and Equipment Each class of property, plant and equipment is carried at cost or fair values as indicated, minus, where applicable, any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Freehold Land and Buildings Freehold land and buildings are shown at their fair value (being the amount for which an asset could be exchanged between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transaction) based on periodic valuations by external independent valuers. Capital Improvements Capital improvements are measured at cost. Increase and decreases in the carrying amount upon revaluation of land are offset to the revaluation reserve in equity. Increase and decreases in the carrying amount upon revaluation of buildings are offset to the Statement of Comprehensive Income. Asset Revaluations An independent valuation of the buildings is carried out every three to four years. In the interim years the Council Members review the carrying amount of the buildings as at balance date. Plant and Equipment Plant and equipment are measured on the cost basis, less depreciation and impairment losses. The carrying amount of plant and equipment is reviewed annually to ensure that it is not in excess of the recoverable amount from these assets. Depreciation The depreciable amount of all fixed assets (excluding Heritage Buildings - refer to Note 9) is depreciated on a straight line basis over the asset’s useful life commencing from the time the asset is held ready for use. The depreciation rates used range from 2.5% to 37.5% based on the type of asset.
(d)
Inventories Inventories which consist of beverages, food products and merchandise are measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value. 8
Page 80 | Volume 72, Number 1
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2018 (e)
Employee Benefits Provision is made for the Association's liability for employee benefits arising from services rendered by employees to the end of the reporting period.
(f)
Revenue and Other Income Revenue from accommodation is recognised upon the delivery of services to residents. Revenue from catering is accounted for on an accruals basis. Interest revenue is recognised on a proportional basis taking into account the interest rates applicable to the financial assets. All revenue is stated net of the amount of GST.
(g)
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Revenues, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of GST, except where the amount of GST incurred is not recoverable from the Tax Office. In these circumstances the GST is recognised as part of the cost of acquisition of the asset or as part of an item of the expense. Receivables and payables in the Statement of Financial Position are shown inclusive of GST. Cash flows are presented in the Statement of Cash Flows on a gross basis, except for the GST component of investing and financing activities, which are disclosed as operating cash flows.
(h)
Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts.
(i)
Impairment of Assets At the end of each reporting period, the Association reviews the carrying values of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have been impaired. If such an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset, being the higher of the asset's fair value less costs to sell and value in use, is compared to the asset's carrying value. Any excess of the asset's carrying value over its recoverable amount is expensed to the Statement of Comprehensive Income. Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the Association estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.
(j)
Provisions Provisions are recognised when the Association has a legal or constructive obligation, as a result of past events, for which it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will result and that outflow can be reliably measured.
(k)
Investment Portfolio Revaluations A market valuation report is obtained for the managed investment portfolio at balance date. Net movement in the value of the underlying assets is recorded in the Statement of Comprehensive Income.
(l)
Comparative Figures When required by Accounting Standards, comparative figures have been adjusted to conform to changes in presentation for the current financial year. AASB 108 - Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors During the current year the Association reviewed the reporting of donations following the decision to invest these funds in a managed investment portfolio. The review of these standards has impacted the recognition, measurement and disclosure of certain transactions. The following is an explanation of the impact the adoption of these standards and interpretations has had on the financial statements of The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. AASB 107 – Statement of Cash Flows - Disclosure impact The standard defines cash equivalents as funds held for the purpose of meeting short term commitments rather than for investment or other purposes. An investment qualifies as a cash equivalent when it has a short maturity (3 months or less). Based on this definition the managed investment portfolio does not form part of the Statement of Cash Flows. 9
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 81
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2018 2018 $
2
2,228,758 1,320,730 116,492 53,587 19,456
2,018,020 1,349,533 116,641 48,364 15,467
Total Revenue
3,739,023
3,548,025
364,611 23,026
240,218 57,183
387,637
297,401
13,416 2,271 95 (32,015)
0 3,915 0 0
(16,233)
3,915
295,242
282,805
295,242
282,805
11,550 0
11,000 0
11,550
11,000
1,500 82,453 32,603
1,500 78,940 53,714
116,556
134,154
2(c) Investment Income - Managed fund income - Interest received - Commission rebate - Market value movement
4
5
$
Revenue and Other Income Revenue from Continuing Operations 2(a) Revenue - Accommodation - Catering - Subscriptions - Property rentals - Other income 2(b) Donations - Donations - Building - Donations – Other
3
2017
Key Management Personnel Compensation The totals of remuneration paid to key management personnel of the Association during the year are as follows: - Short-term employee benefits
Auditor’s Remuneration Remuneration of the auditor of the Association for: - Auditing or reviewing the Financial Statements - Other services
Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash on hand Cash at bank Cash management accounts
10
Page 82 | Volume 72, Number 1
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2018 2018
2017
$
6
7
Trade and Other Receivables CURRENT Accounts receivable
$
61,522
34,522
61,522
34,522
46,527
51,648
46,527
51,648
Macquarie investment fund
643,592
0
Movement in carrying amounts
(32,015)
0
0
297,401
611,577
297,401
Inventories CURRENT Beverages, food products and merchandise - at cost
8
Investments at Cost
Cash management accounts Carrying amount at 31 December 2018
Movement in the carrying amounts for each class of financial investment between the beginning and the end of the financial year. Managed Funds
Term Deposits
$
Balance at 1 January 2018 Additions
Carrying amount at 31 December 2018
$
Total $
$
0
0
297,401
297,401
592,359
45,000
6,233
643,592
0
0
(297,401)
(297,401)
(32,015)
0
0
(32,015)
560,344
45,000
6,233
611,577
Transfer to Managed Funds Revaluation increment/(decrement)
Cash at Bank
The managed funds are revalued at 31 December each year based on listed market values. A revaluation decrease of $32,015 was recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended 31 December 2018 against income from the managed funds, interest received and commission rebate.
11
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 83
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2018
2018
2017
$
$
9 Property, Plant and Equipment Freehold land based on independent valuation as at 12 September 2018 Freehold land - at cost
27,463,576 21,300,000 356,902
300,400
27,820,478 21,600,400
Heritage building based on independent valuation as at 12 September 2018
1,267,970
1,306,030
1,267,970
1,306,030
Buildings based on independent valuation as at 12 September 2018
7,742,856
4,543,970
Buildings - at cost
2,192,399
1,890,709
9,935,255
6,434,679
Accumulated depreciation
(60,110)
(274,679)
9,875,145
6,160,000
60,110
274,679
9,935,255
6,434,679
0
389,627
0
389,627
Plant and equipment - at cost
1,117,374
1,030,392
Accumulated depreciation
(596,714)
(548,574)
520,660
481,818
Revaluation by Council Members as at 31 December 2018
Capital Improvements - at cost
Total Property, Plant and Equipment
39,544,363 30,212,554
12
Page 84 | Volume 72, Number 1
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2018 Movement in carrying amounts Movement in the carrying amounts for each class of property, plant and equipment between the beginning and the end of the financial year. Land $
Balance at 1 January 2017
Capital Plant and Improvement Equipment
Buildings $
$
$
Total $
21,600,400
7,728,587
377,556
253,708 29,960,251
Additions
0
12,122
107,293
149,617
269,032
Transfer to Plant & Equipment Account
0
0
(95,222)
95,222
0
Depreciation expense
0
(156,168)
0
(16,729)
(172,897)
Revaluation increment / (decrement)
0
156,168
0
0
156,168
21,600,400
7,740,709
389,627
356,902
2,131,270
74,471
81,195
2,643,838
Transfer to Buildings
0
464,098
(464,098)
0
0
Depreciation expense
0
(172,497)
0
(42,353)
(214,850)
5,863,176
1,039,645
0
0
6,902,821
27,820,478
11,203,225
0
Balance at 31 December 2017 Additions
Revaluation increment / (decrement) Carrying amount at 31 December 2018
481,818 30,212,554
520,660 39,544,363
The properties at 234 Leicester Street Carlton and Level 7, 50 Barry Street Carlton were valued 12 September 2018 for mortgage purposes by Bank Australia. The increase in the square metre value of 234 Leicester Street since the October 2015 valuation has been applied to the other properties in Leicester Street. Level 7, 50 Barry Street is as per the valuation. The Council Members reviewed the carrying amount of the buildings as at balance date and have determined the carrying amounts of the Leicester Street and Level 7,50 Barry Street is as per the 12 September 2018 valuation and the carrying amount for 24 Barkly Place is as per the purchase price. Based on the this, a revaluation increase of $1,039,645 was recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended 31 December 2018. 2018
2017
154,910 101,296 (12,717) 296,996
99,407 52,885 (6,247) 329,331
540,485
475,376
$
10 Trade and Other Payables CURRENT Unsecured liabilities Trade payables Accruals Net GST payable Prepaid accommodation and bonds
$
13
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 85
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2018 2018
2017
238,812
217,946
238,812
217,946
268,135
138,045
268,135
138,045
- NAB bank bill facility
6,904,603
6,500,000
- Bank Australia facility
4,111,649
1,920,678
11,016,252
8,420,678
$
11 Provisions CURRENT Employee benefits
$
12 Borrowings CURRENT - Bank Australia facility
NON CURRENT
NAB bank bill facility The facility has a limit of $7.3 million and is split between interest only fixed components and a variable component. The split as at 31 December 2018 is as follows: $2.5 million fixed interest to 28 February 2020 $1.5 million fixed interest to 30 April 2019 $1.0 million fixed interest to 28 February 2020 $2.3 million variable interest The facility is secured over freehold land, buildings and improvements at 216-220 and 222-228 Leicester Street, Carlton. Bank Australia facility 1 The loan is for $2,203,982 and is split between interest only fixed components and a variable component principal and interest. The loan is a 30-year facility. The split as at 31 December 2018 is as follows: $0.6319 million variable principal repayment and variable. $0.5226 million fixed interest and principal repayment to 28 November 2019 $1.0495 million fixed interest and principal repayment to 28 November 2021 The facility is secured over freehold land, buildings and improvements at Level 7, 50 Barry Street Carlton (13 apartments) and 234 Leicester Street, Carlton. Bank Australia facility 2 The loan is for $2,175,802 and is split between interest only fixed components and a variable component principal and interest. The loan is a 30-year facility. The split as at 31 December 2018 is as follows: $0.4350 million variable principal repayment and variable. $0.4351 million fixed interest and principal repayment to 5 October 2019 $0.4352 million fixed interest and principal repayment to 5 October 2020 $0.8705 million fixed interest and principal repayment to 5 October 2021 The facility is secured over freehold land, buildings and improvements at 24 Barkly Place (18 apartments), Level 7, 50 Barry Street Carlton (13 apartments) and 234 Leicester Street, Carlton.
14
Page 86 | Volume 72, Number 1
The Graduate Union Annual Report
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2018 13 Contingent Liabilities At 31 December 2018 the Association had no contingent liabilities. (2017: None)
14 Capital Commitments At 31 December 2018 the Association had outstanding capital commitments of $172,000 for updating audio visual equipment in the meeting rooms, refurbishment of central wing rooms, the installation of hot water units for the main building, an information technology hardware upgrade, a courtyard upgrade and the installation of energy saving devices to control room air conditioners. (2017: $232,986 for the recarpeting of the central wing ground floor, the sound-proofing of windows along Leicester Street, repairs to the central wing lift and the installation of the electronic card entry system). 2018 $
2017 $
15 Cash Flow Information Reconciliation of Cash Flow from Operations with Surplus / (Deficit) Surplus / (deficit) for the year
1,330,194
425,441
214,850
172,897
(1,007,630)
(156,168)
Depreciation Revaluation Income from investing activities Donations
(69,369)
(52,279)
(387,637)
(297,401)
472
636
139,582
(34,431)
20,866
(206)
241,328
58,489
Changes in assets and liabilities - decrease / (increase) in trade, other receivables and inventories - increase / (decrease) in trade payables, accruals and reserves - increase / (decrease) in employee benefits Net cash provided by operating activities
16 Events After the Balance Sheet Date There have been no matters or circumstances which have arisen since the end of the financial year which may significantly affect the operations of the Association, the results of those operations or the state of affairs of the Association in subsequent years.
17 Trusts The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. is a trustee of the following trust: The William Berry and Barbara Funder Postgraduate College Trust Fund.
15
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 87
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Page 88 | Volume 72, Number 1
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Volume 72, Number 1 | Page 89
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Page 90 | Volume 72, Number 1
THE GRADUATE UNION of The University of Melbourne
We are for Graduates
The Graduate Union Annual Report
Australian Business Number: 55 610 664 963 Incorporated Association Registration Number: A0023234B 220 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia Telephone: +61 (0) 3 9347 3428 Email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au Website: www.graduatehouse.com.au
Page 92 | Volume 72, Number 1