Elections

Part 5 of the La Trobe University Act 2009, the University’s Council (Elections) Statute 2016 and Council (Elections) Regulations 2016 require that elections be held to fill the Council and Board positions, as prescribed:

• Two members to be elected by and from the staff of the University for a term of three (3) years
• Two members to be elected by and from the students of the University for a term of one (1) year

Current elected representatives

The current Staff position on the La Trobe University Council is held by:

• Professor Raelene Wilding, Head of Department (Social Inquiry), School of Humanities and Social Sciences, for a term of 3 years commencing 13 September 2025 to 12 September 2028.

The current Student position on the La Trobe University Council is held by:

• Ansh Verma, a Bachelor of Business student for a term commencing 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Ansh was reelected for a term commencing 01 January 2026 to  31 December 2026.

Call for Nominations

Staff election to Council – New position

The University is now calling for nominations for the election of a professional staff member to the La Trobe University Council. The term of appointment will be from 29 May 2026 to 28 May  2029.

Eligible staff (see criteria below) are encouraged to consider standing for election to become a member of the University Council as this is an excellent opportunity to be involved in the decision-making process of the University.

If you would like to nominate, please complete the Council election staff online nomination form.

Student election to Council – New position

The University is now calling for nominations for the election of a postgraduate student to the La Trobe University Council. The term of appointment will be from 29 May 2026 to 31 December 2026.

Eligible students (see criteria below) are encouraged to consider standing for election to become a member of the University Council as this is an excellent opportunity to be involved in the decision-making process of the University.

If you would like to nominate, please complete the Council election student online nomination form.

The nomination period for both staff and students opens on Tuesday, 14 April, and closes at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, 29 April 2026. Any nominations received outside of this period will not be accepted.

Council

The Council is the governing body of the University with responsibility for the general direction and superintendence of the University and may exercise all the powers, functions and duties of the University, subject to the Act, the University Statutes and University Regulations.

In broad terms, Council appoints and monitors the performance of the Vice-Chancellor, approves the mission, direction and strategic plan of the University and oversees the management and performance of the University. The responsibilities, powers and functions of Council are set out in sections 8 and 9 of the Act.

Council comprises ex-officio members, government and council appointed members, and elected members.

All Council members must act in the interest of the whole University and in accordance with the requirements of the Council members rights and responsibilities document.

Staff and students considering nominating in the future for these positions are requested to read the following information:

Under the Regulations set out in section 31 – Prohibition on external campaign support, a candidate in an election must not use the money or any in-kind support of any other person or any organisation or other entity to support in any way the candidate’s election campaign.

For further information email the Council elections team.