The Melbourne Graduate April 2015 (Annual Report 2014)

Page 1

THE MELBOURNE GRADUATE Vol. 68 No. 1

April, 2015

Annual Report 2014-2015 The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc.

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Contents

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! Dr Seuss (1904 - 1991)

Annual Report of The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Incorporated Editorial: Shirley Ho, Eliah Castiello, Zac Matthews Printed by: City Copy

The President’s Message

4

The Chair of Council’s Message

5

The CEO/Head of College’s Message

6

2014 Councillor Attendance

8

Council Members

9

Governance and Nominations

10

Graduate Union Council Election

13

Membership and Marketing

17

Membership in 2014

42

Bequests and Donations

46

Our Resident Members

52

Graduate Union College Alumni

67

Buildings and Facilities

68

Meet the Team

72

Finance and Audit

82

Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2014

84

Independent Auditor’s Report

99

The Melbourne Graduate April 2015 – Volume 68, Number 1 Periodical Publication of The Graduate Union Print Post Approved PP337834/00022 Incorporated Association Registration Number A0023234B Corrigendum. Volume and Number errors since early 2011 have been corrected in the Melbourne Graduate periodicals held at The State Library of Victoria. graduateunionannualreport • 2

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The President’s Message It has been a privilege to have served the Graduate Union as your President over the last two years, and to be part of a team of dedicated and passionate people who are committed to preserving and enhancing Graduate House and The Graduate Union’s central roles in the lifelong education of graduates. 2014 marked the centenary of the first deployment of Australian troops to fight in the First World War. Young graduates from The University of Melbourne were sent overseas to fight. Just a little over three years earlier, our Association was founded on the 1st May, 1911 with the first Chairman being John Monash, who at that time was forty-six years of age, had an established private engineering practice and was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian Intelligence Corps. With the announcement of hostilities, John Monash and many other Members of the Association were granted leave from our Association, with many recorded as ‘serving in Egypt’ in our membership files. All contributions to the Association’s slim finances were made to the ‘patriotic funds’ which provided and distributed free comforts to the Australian ‘fit’ fighting men across all battle zones. John Monash went on to distinguish himself as the first Australian General in command of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. He was awarded a knighthood by King George V on the battlefield. Melbourne’s second University was named after Monash. We have achieved a great deal in our 104 year history and we have remained true to the principles of our founding members who were - like our membership now - graduates of all ages, disciplines and cultures. 2014 has seen us consolidate our governance, implement our strategic initiatives and maintain a sound financial position. Importantly also, our Resident Members have established a vibrant and cohesive Graduate House Student Group. They have focused on fellowship, inclusion and the development of networks that will be sustained beyond their time at the University of Melbourne. These impressive young students are the leaders and innovators of the future. Their collective energy and brain power will I am confident help to solve many global problems. The values of the Graduate Union and Graduate House include collegiality, social conscience and responsibility, intellectual challenge and contribution, life-long learning and fostering intercultural and interdisciplinary experiences. It is worth reflecting on these values. Sir John Monash is a great example to follow because he certainly lived these values and was a strong supporter on many community organisations after the war. All our members are invited to enjoy the hospitality and activities of Graduate House. May I wish you all good health, prosperity and every success for the future.

Major-General Professor Jeffrey V. Rosenfeld AM, OBE, KStJ President of The Graduate Union

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The Chair of Council’s Message This year marks the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta, sometimes referred to as “the Great Charter of the Liberties” which was agreed to on June 15, 1215 by King John of England. Drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, it has become one of the most celebrated documents in history conceiving ideas of freedom and liberty that today we take for granted. The Magna Carta has stood the test of time as an authority on the core principles of liberty and justice, principles that are fundamental to the operation of our society and the rule of law. Today the Magna Carta is seen as a cornerstone for human rights, democracy and free speech. The Graduate Union is a membership association that is built on an inclusive egalitarian tradition where graduates from Australia and around the world can Live, Learn and Meet. During the year your Council has made some important progress in advancing the priorities of our Strategic Plan in the areas of advancement, financial stability, college facilities, good governance and organisational development. A strategic direction for advancement and philanthropy has been developed and adopted by Council. We are now well underway to launch our Bequest Society this year and establish an advancement program. This important initiative acknowledges the valuable role of past benefactors in building our college and establishes how we may work together in recognising the importance of benefaction to build a secure future for our association. I am pleased to report that your Council successfully renegotiated our long term debt facilities to take advantage of historically low interest rates. This initiative has significantly reduced interest costs for our association and will enhance financial stability through improved projected surpluses that will provide for the establishment of a loan principal repayment program. Council has commenced the development of a master plan for the Leicester Street site and for an expanding collegiate program of education. We have largely concluded our governance reform, and enter now a period of growth, expansion and organisational development. We are establishing strong and sustained partnerships, and are proud to have celebrated recently a new reciprocal relationship with the Kelvin Club in Melbourne. Thank you to all Councillors and members of our subcommittees who have worked very well during the year to ensure that our Association continues to grow and prosper for the benefit of our Members. On behalf of the Council I thank also our CEO/Head of College, Dr Kerry Bennett, and our loyal team of staff for their dedication and service during the year. We all join to thank all our Members for their continued support and interest in the life of the Graduate Union that is our International Collegium.

Rhys Watson Chair of the Council of The Graduate Union

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The CEO/Head of College’s Message 2014 has been another very successful year with measurable progress against all indicators and the strategic priorities and key result areas of the 2013-2015 strategic plan. With respect to financial indicators, I refer Members to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December, 2014 at the end of this document to demonstrate that we achieved a small operating surplus and have retained a strong cash and asset position. Most encouragingly, refinancing to take advantage of the favourable interest rate environment was approved late 2014 and early in 2015 we signed off on a newly structured loan that allows for improved operating surpluses and potential to invest in growth strategies, as well as debt reduction. With respect to governance and compliance indicators, 2014 saw Members at Annual General Meeting adopting new Rules. Shortly thereafter, these Rules were approved by the Registrar of Incorporated Associations as being in accordance with the Victorian Associations Incorporation Reform Act (2012). Consequential amendments were made to our Regulations which were then adopted by Council in December. In addition to meeting all obligations at this state level, we met all requirements at the federal level as a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not for profits Commission (ACNC), particularly those relating to governance standards. Rounding off this period of reform, we continue both to develop new policies and to review existing policies and internal controls. At the operational level, high levels of productivity and quality control continued. Occupancy levels of our residential postgraduate college remained, on average, over 90%. More than 250 not-for-profit convenors booked over 1,000 meetings which saw nearly 21,000 delegates come in to Graduate House to progress their education, research, societal and government goals. Our membership numbers continued to show increases, albeit small, across all divisions, and our well-received GU Collegiate program showed an increase in attendance numbers when compared to the previous year. Significant advances in collegial activities have been because of another excellent cohort of Resident Members who over 2014 established the Graduate House Student Group, a supporting committee and an operational structure that allows for succession, and thus for the ever fluctuating residential population. The considered and constructive input from these Members has seen the completion of our new Resident Handbook, improvements to the checkin process, a range of activities designed to welcome new residents and to foster exercise and socialisation, and healthy changes to our menus. We have a strong team of College Tutors, as well as improved representation of Resident Members on the subcommittees of Council, specifically on the Membership and Marketing and the Buildings and Facilities committees. With respect to the strategic priority ‘Advancement and Major Projects’, and as flagged in the message from the Chair of Council, we have adopted a blueprint for a program of advancement which entails, in the first instance, improvements to our annual giving program and the establishment of a bequest society. We seek to recognise and honour appropriately major gifting and, through the development of Master Plans for our ‘place’, Graduate House, and our

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‘people’, The Graduate Union, to inspire potential benefactors with our purposes and vision in supporting education for graduates throughout their lifetimes. As we continue this phase of expansion and growth, we have assessed a number of potential major projects over 2014. In the process, we have laid the foundations for a more robust system of business development from idea generation and feasibility analysis to decision-making based on sound information. This has involved the construction of complex modelling tools to test, for example, our capacity to generate sufficient revenue, to manage costs and to provide services that are in accordance with our charter under different scenarios. It has also involved the compilation of a risk mitigation and management matrix in which key risk categories have been identified (e.g., market factors to income, expense exposure), described and rated; as well as improved descriptions and quantification of our ‘markets’ for membership, graduate college accommodation and meeting services. To stay competitive at international and national levels, The University of Melbourne has identified an urgent need to improve the total university experience. The Live, Learn, Meet approach of The Graduate Union assists in addressing this need. Many private student accommodation options do not provide sufficient inclusion and support, particularly for the ‘sole graduate’ students from regional Victoria, interstate or overseas. Conservatively, it is estimated that the number of graduates seeking college accommodation annually from 2015 will be between 2,000 and 5,500. Demand is thus anticipated to be greater than the number of graduate-specific college accommodation places, and though there has been significant growth in this sector, it is anticipated that the demand/supply ratio for our Graduate House type of accommodation will remain between 5:1 and 13:1. As an Association, we have always placed emphasis on past-graduates supporting postgraduates - ‘we are for graduates’. With an estimated 1,600-5,200 graduate students seeking but not securing college-like accommodation in this and the immediate future years, it is thus important for our Association to develop capacity to meet this growing need. We are thus planning for infrastructure expansion and growth, as well as for partnerships with stakeholders who share the same values for the support of graduates and for a positive life-changing experience while they reside here in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Following on from the 2013 Survey, we continued over 2014 to explore approaches to improve the membership experience, the visibility of our Association and our membership recruitment/ retention strategies. New membership divisions have been created for graduate students who are not residents of Graduate House, and for people requiring access to our facilities, particularly the car park, for a day. College tables - informal lunches with a faculty leader - have been introduced to our GU Collegiate programme. Our newly styled newsletter has been received positively, as has our Scholars Calendar. We have introduced a new feedback system and our membership management system has been completely overhauled. Marketing through our social media has been increased and soon we hope to release our new website. The staff here at Graduate House continue to inspire and to impress. I am most grateful also to all Members of our Council and the subcommittees who really do work tirelessly and robustly towards the best interests of our Members and this Association. I share also in the Chair’s extension of thanks to our Members, past, present and future, for making this such a vibrant, engaged and influential society.

Dr Kerry M B Bennett CEO and Head of College

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2014 Councillor Attendance

Council Members over 2014

Your Council works hard to sustain and grow our Association. Many of your Councillors attend The Graduate Union for meetings weekly and contribute much more than is indicated in the schedule of governance meetings from the 1st January to 31st December 2014, shown in the table below. The University of Melbourne also contributes significantly, and our gratitude is extended also to the Vice-Chancellor’s representatives on Council, Joanne Ligouris and Siôn Lutley, for their dedicated and professional service to governance and our Association. Elected Pagone, G T

Chair to July

Total

%

3

50

Council P A 4 3

Watson, R A J Chair from September 14 100 5 Kidston, C A Vice-Chair

5

M&M P A 4

4

11

85

7

6

Batrouney, J J

10

91

7

6

Cleghorn, A G

15

94

7

7

Cobbin, P E

10

63

7

4

Corcoran, V

8

80

7

7

3

1

Davis, R K

12

75

7

6

5

5

Fisher, G J Ryall, K F

15

94

7

7

15

88

7

7

Santalucia, L

14

88

7

6

Sparks, D N

14

88

7

6

Co-opted or Appointed Cowie, D G M from April

10

100

5

5

Wetherall, P J

2

100

1

1

Acting Chair July to September

from October

Vice Chancellor Representatives Ligouris, J

6

55

7

5

Lutley, S

7

58

7

4

M&M B&F G&N F&A P A

graduateunionannualreport • 8

5

4

B&F P A 2

2

4

3

4

4

2

1

4 5 5

1

5

F&A P A 3

2

2

4

4

2

2

4

1

4

4 2

2

2

1

2

1

2

2

2

2

1 4

5

G&N P A 2 0

1

3

5

3

5

4

5

4

5

5

3

3

1

1

Major General Professor Jeffrey V Rosenfeld am obe kstj President

Cr Kingsley Davis Chair of the Membership and Marketing Committee

Cr Rhys Watson Chair of Council

Cr Gaetano Pagone Chair of Council

from September to July

Cr Jennifer Cr Vivienne Batrouney qc Corcoran Chair of the Governance and Nomination Committee

Cr Cheryl Kidston Vice Chair of Council

Cr David Sparks Chair of the Building and Facilities Committee

Cr Leo Santalucia Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee

Cr Andre Cleghorn

Cr Glenda Fisher

Cr Phillip Cobbin

Vice Chancellor Representatives from The University of Melbourne

3

Membership and Marketing committee Buildings and Facilities committee Governance and Nominations committee Finance and Audit committee Possible number of meetings that could be attended Actual number attended from 1st January, 2014 to 31st December, 2014 Chair of Council to July or Chair of committee to June Chair of Council from September or Chair of committee from June Chair of committee for the whole of 2014

Cr Keith Ryall

Cr David Cowie

Cr Peter Wetherall

Cr Jo Ligouris

Cr Siôn Lutley

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Governance and Nominations New Rules Adopted By Members At the Annual General Meeting on the 29th May, 2014, Members of the Association resolved to approve adoption of new Graduate Union Rules and the repeal of the previous Statement of Purposes and Rules.

RULES of THE GRADUATE UNION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE INCORPORATED

The persons who from time to time are Members of the Association are an incorporated association by the name given in rule 1 of these Rules. Under section 46 of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012, these Rules are taken to constitute the terms of a contract between the Association and its Members.

The changes did not modify the underlying objectives or character of The Graduate Union. Rather, they have ensured that The Graduate Union meets its purposes more effectively, that the Rules align with the current practices of The Graduate Union and that the Association is in compliance with the Victorian Associations Incorporation Reform Act (2012).

Since 1990, for over twenty years, the previous Statement of Purposes and Rules had served our charitable, not-for-profit incorporated association well. The Graduate Union had grown significantly over this time, and now provides 114 college residential rooms for graduates, as well as graduate meeting and dining facilities and a graduate membership that is based across Australia and internationally. Revenue, expenditure and our asset base have all increased accordingly. Changes to the Rules of The Graduate Union were appropriate in 2014. Victorian state legislation for incorporated associations had undergone significant reform with a new Act (Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012) and new Model Rules. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) was established in 2012 and has regulatory authority over all charities and not-for-profits across the nation. While this Act remains, The Graduate Union must adhere to the new governance and reporting standards of the ACNC to maintain its charitable and not-for-profit status. In reviewing the increased business requirements of The Graduate Union and the changes to the regulatory environment, Council developed a set of Rules that it considers will support continued growth whilst sustaining the charitable and not-forprofit purposes of the Association. History and traditions have been respected. The changes ensure that The Graduate Union continues to serve its Members effectively and with good governance, while meeting the requirements of regulatory authorities.

graduateunionannualreport • 10

Graduate Union Members at the 102nd Annual General meeting.

Our Regulations The Graduate Union Regulations are an additional set of guides for good governance. Following adoption of the new Rules, work continued both on concluding the regulation development program and on making consequential amendments to ensure that the Regulations were compatible with the new Rules. Regulation 1.

Council Code of Conduct

Regulation 2.

Committees

Regulation 3.

Elections

Regulation 4.

Conduct of Governance Meetings

Regulation 5.

Conduct of General Meetings

REGULATIONS of THE GRADUATE UNION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE INCORPORATED

The persons who from time to time are Members of the Association are an incorporated association by the name given in rule 1 of the Rules of the Association. As provided by rule 46.3(b) of the Rules of the Association these regulations 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.

Regulation 6.

Supervision and Control of Members and Visitors.

Co-option and Appointment to Council The Graduate Union is proud of its foundations as an Association that is owned and run by Members and is committed to upholding the principles of democracy. The majority of Council Members are elected by the Members. Each year, (usually) a third of those elected retire and an election is held during the first few months to fill these positions. Should an elected Member retire before the conclusion of their elected term, a Member is co-opted to serve the balance of this vacated position. Mr David Cowie continued his second year of co-option over 2014. He had a positive experience of living at a University of Melbourne residential college in the 1980’s and observed first hand the sound contribution attending Australian universities made to the lives of the many he worked with while in Asia for seven years. Over a 30 year career he has worked in industries as diverse as Food, Construction Materials and Wines and Spirits in the UK, Asia and Australia in various financial and commercial roles. He has held directorship positions on joint venture boards in the commercial world; and is currently responsible for the financial management of Boral’s construction materials operations in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. While the role’s primary focus is financial, it covers a broad spectrum of strategic, risk management, property, facilities management, safety and legal aspects. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce, The University of Melbourne, a Masters of Business Administration, The Open University Business School, and is a Fellow of CPA Australia. In addition to his position on Council, David is a member of the Buildings and Facilities committee and the Finance and Audit committee.

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The 2014 adopted Rules provide also for up to three appointments to Council, each for a term of one year with the option of appointment for a further one year. Council thus advertised with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and formed a selection panel from the Governance and Nominations committee membership to interview the many candidates who applied. From this comprehensive process, Council invited Mr Peter Wetherall to Council. As explained by Peter, his interest in the role stemmed from a combination of his deep respect for the value of education and his personal experience as a resident of King’s College at the University of Queensland and of Balliol College at Oxford University in the UK as a Rhodes Scholar. He is committed to The Graduate Union maintaining and enhancing the finest traditions of college experience and fellowship for current and future students. Over a 32 year career, including seventeen years running Wallara Asset Management, Peter is one of Australia’s top investment executives. He has been a Director of the listed Australian United Investment Company since 2001 and is the Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee. He is a Board Member of the Royal District Nursing Service and is a member of the investment committees for the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and the Geelong Grammar Foundation. Peter holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) from The University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) from the University of Oxford. He has also undertaken the AICD course.

Graduate Union Council Election General Information A Notice of Election was forwarded to Members in late January calling for nominations to fill three positions on Council. A further vacancy has occurred because of the retirement of a Council Member. At the close of nominations on Tuesday, 7th April 2015, five valid nominations had been received. A poll will therefore be held, with voting closing at 4.00pm on Friday, 22nd May, 2015. A voting paper, a small yellow 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 have any privacy concerns, you may, having completed the declaration on the envelope addressed to the Returning Officer, enclose that envelope within a larger plain envelope and address it in the manner identical to that shown on the envelope addressed to the Returning Officer, before posting or delivering to the Returning Officer, as directed on the voting paper.

Candidate Information and Personal Statements Submitted by Candidates

The Governance and Nominations Committee

Candidates are listed here, and on the voting paper, in the order in which names were determined by lot in the presence of witnesses.

As specified in terms of reference in Regulation 2, the general role of the Governance and Nominations committee is to establish excellence in governance practice, to formulate and review policies and practices relating to the effectiveness of Council and of Council committees, and Council succession planning. On behalf of all members of this committee and of Council, I am very proud to report that the foundations for this excellence were established over 2014.

Cowie, David *Davis, Kingsley Green, John Kelleher, Mary Goodman, Karina

I extend gratitude to the many members of this committee who contributed to the comprehensive programme of governance reform that has been undertaken over several years. In particular, the Association is indebted to Ms Cheryl Kidston, the current Vice-Chair of Council, for having established the precursor to this committee, the Governance and Policy Review committee in 2011 and for her commitment to and perseverance with policy development, accountability and transparency, codes of conducts and, of course, the compilation of the new Rules and Regulations. I thank also committee members Phillip Cobbin, Kingsley Davis, Brendan Grabau and Leo Santalucia, as well as the secretariat, management and administration staff at Graduate House. Jennifer Batrouney QC 2014 Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee graduateunionannualreport • 12

The personal statements, which follow are in ballot paper order and have been standardised only by listing the surname first, followed by other names, 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 2014-15 and additional information supplied by candidates is available on the Graduate Union website www.graduatehouse.com.au. Three Members elected in this poll will have terms expiring in May 2018, and one will have a term expiring in 2017. Ronald G Ritchie Returning Officer

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Personal Statements from Candidates COWIE, David, BComm(Melb), MBA(OpenUni) Proposer – Rhys Albert John Watson Seconder – Leonardo Santalucia

GREEN, John, BEc(UniTas), LLB(Deakin) Proposer – Rhys Albert John Watson Seconder – David Norman Sparks

After a year as a co-opted Council member, the achievement I am most proud of is helping save the Graduate Union approximately $200,000 per annum in interest costs after assisting in renegotiating its banking facilities.

I was admitted to life membership of The Graduate Union in 2006. Over the past 10 years I have participated in activities conducted by The Graduate Union, including luncheons, twilight lectures, music recitals and social activities.

This contribution to improving the organisation’s financial health was made in the role of Vice Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.

I have more than 25 years’ experience as a senior university administrator, including 6 years as the Deputy University Secretary at The University of Melbourne. I have degrees in Law and Commerce, as well as being a qualified accountant and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Governance and Australian Institute of Company Directors.

I lived in a residential college while gaining a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne in the 1980s. There I gained an understanding of the importance of providing a friendly, collegial environment to support students’ academic achievement and personal growth. I have worked in financial and commercial roles for more than 30 years, for multinational companies in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom. I currently hold a senior financial role with Boral construction materials. I am a fellow of CPA Australia and hold a Master of Business Administration. *DAVIS, Kingsley, OAM, LLB(Melb) Proposer – Keith Francis Ryall Seconder – Rosemary Jane Maddick Barrister-at-Law. Council Member since September, 2011. Chairman of Membership and Marketing Committee since 2013. Member Remuneration Committee 2013-2014. Graduate Union member for 48 years. Director of National Trust of Australia (Victoria) 1999-2005. Extensive corporate governance experience on community boards. Involved in the drawing of the new Constitution of the National Trust in 2005 and in the drawing of the new Constitution of Scouts Australia (Victoria). Have been engaged in drafting the new Rules of the Association enacted in 2014, new Regulations for Council elections and new governance policies. The Membership and Marketing Committee has been focused on increasing the membership of the Association and providing the many academic and cultural activities for members. I will maintain these aspirations. I seek re-election because I believe I have the necessary skills and experience to contribute significantly to the present and long-term growth of the Graduate Union. graduateunionannualreport • 14

Personal Statements from Candidates

If elected, I would be keen to contribute to the Council’s engagement with the Graduate community, in particular ensuring that our global international collegium have both a rich and rewarding experience at Graduate House.

KELLEHER, Mary, BMus(Melb), DipEd(Melb), BEd(LaTrobe), GradDip(Curriculum Studies)(Melb) Proposer – David Norman Sparks Seconder – Keith Francis Ryall I am a Life Member and support fully the current directions of our Union and Graduate House for graduates in residence, in careers or caring roles, and into retirement. I bring to Council significant governance experience and am currently the Vice President of the Australian Asian Association of Victoria Inc. (AAA). Having worked for the Victorian government’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) for over 25 years, I have education networks in Melbourne, across Victoria, nationwide and internationally from having managed international delegations, study tours, fellowships, exchanges and employment of secondary educators. Prior to this I worked for over 20 years in secondary schools, as Head of Music and as a Deputy Principal. If elected to Council, I will serve to help continue the strong growth of this vibrant and important Association for graduates at all life stages, in all disciplines and from all parts of the world.

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Personal Statements from Candidates GOODMAN, Karina, BA(Hons)(Melb) Proposer – Barbara Anne Funder Seconder – Andre Gregory Cleghorn I have been a proud and active Life Member of the Graduate Union since 1998, and feel that I understand its history, aims and objectives. I spent many years on the Committee of the very successful social group, Graduate Links, helping to organise social events and activities, thus promoting membership and creating a vibrant Graduate Union. I have great communication and interpersonal skills honed over two decades work as a translator/interpreter and my frequent travels to the former USSR as an Archaeology student, whilst involvement with various committees of the Millinery Association of Australia and AAHIT, helping to organise millinery conventions and other events, has given me valuable experience in working on and with committees and for not-for-profit organisations. For many years I have been the Chairman and member of two Body Corporate Committees responsible for conducting property management on a larger scale, coupled with sound financial management.

Membership and Marketing A unique characteristic of The Graduate Union worldwide is our membership which is comprised of graduates from all universities in the world, and from all stages of the ‘graduate pathway’. Some have just graduated from a degree and may now be in postgraduate study either residing in our college (Graduate House) or at another university. Others are in various stages of their career - early, middle or late. Many graduates are in caring roles, either as parents or as relatives/friends of another who needs their support. Some have decided to return to study, to contribute as a volunteer or to enter semi or full retirement. Unlike other membership associations we are fortunate in being able to retain our numbers, have an active and engaged membership and to have a membership that is ever changing in its composition.

Membership As at 31st December, 2014, The Graduate Union had 2,055 Members as compared to 2,026 by the end of 2013. As shown in the bar graph below, the lower number of Life Members continues to reflect this period in our Association’s history where some of our older Members have passed away. The number of Members in other categories has remained relatively stable, with slight decreases in the number of Regular (nonresident), and slight increases in the number of Resident and Organisation Members. Not shown in this bar graph are the numbers of Members in the divisions of Honorary Life (n=19), Honorary (8) and Associate (6).

Comparison of the number of Members in each category by the close of years 2013 and 2014.

A total of 337 new Members was admitted to The Graduate Union in 2014 (as compared to 235 in 2013). The following bar graph represents the number of members who joined each month; and illustrates the semester fluctuation of new Resident Members joining predominantly before Semester One over our Australian summer months and before Semester Two in the winter months.

graduateunionannualreport • 16

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development opportunities. This new Non-Resident Student Graduate membership will provide membership of the new Graduate House GSA group (formed in 2014 by Resident Members), access and use of the car park at member rates, access to the dining and bar facilities of Graduate House at Loyalty Card member rates; and receipt of email notifications of functions/events. Members in this division will not be entitled to vote, or to receive notice of and attend annual general meetings.

The number of new Members admitted each month of 2013 (darker blue) and 2014 (lighter blue).

The bar graph below shows the number of new members according to division - the number of new Resident Members being 85% (as compared to 86% in 2013) of the total number of new Members. A 65% increase was seen in the number of non-resident Members, mainly in the division of regular Member.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE

ABOUT US

JOIN NOW

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

$50

We are for Graduates (not undergraduates)

Graduate House Membership is now only $50 annually for graduate students*. Fill out your details to receive a Membership Pack today!

• • • • • • • • •

FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY

About 2,000 people meet here each month to eat, socialise, discuss and attend conferences and seminars. They are all post-graduates, many studying at post-graduate level. Qr Code

lINks to our oNlINe

applICatIoN form

220 l e I C e s t e r s t r e e t , C a r l t o N 3053

Graduate House We

are for

aBN:55610664963

Graduates IarN: a0023234B

Come be part of an international collegium that fosters life-long education and supports academics and professionals world-wide.

Name Email Discipline and University

An International Society of Graduates Access to our Reciprocal Associations Discounted Event Attendance Discounted Meals and Drinks Affordable Carparking Networking Opportunities Meet other post-graduate students Membership looks good on the CV And More!

*Student must be currently studying and proof of student ID may be required.

Resident Members have been key to the distribution of the above flyers and marketing of this new division across their student graduate networks both here in Melbourne and internationally. The QR code (array of black and white squares) shown above can be read by mobile phone or tablet cameras to take potential new members to the membership form on our website. Daily Members Like other associations, such as Returned Services League (RSL) clubs, The Graduate Union is now offering a one-day (temporary) membership to allow visitors to use the car park at a new Daily Member rate, and to access the dining and bar facilities at nonmember rates.

The number of new Members admitted per division in 2013 (darker blue) and 2014 (lighter blue).

New Membership Divisions In accordance with rule 8.2(c), Council created two new membership divisions in 2014. One is to attract post-graduate students who are not residing in college. The other is for those seeking membership for a day. Not-resident Student Graduate Members In the heart of the ‘graduate precinct’, Graduate House is an ideal facility for use by the increasing number of graduate students who are enrolling both at The University of Melbourne and at RMIT. The University of Melbourne alone had 19,000 and 21,000 graduates enrolled in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and is predicted to have approximately 22,000 enrolled in 2015 and 2016. A number of residential University-affiliated colleges offer non-resident membership, primarily to allow access to tutorial programs but also to dining, social and career

graduateunionannualreport • 18

The car park at Graduate House is secure, accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, may be booked for variable periods of time, has the best car park rates in the Graduate Precinct (that is, the region city-side of Grattan Street) and has over fifty spaces. Intercom access is from Church Street to the east of Graduate House.

Website and Social Media Many newcomers to The Graduate Union learn about our services through our website and social media platforms. The website, our virtual ‘front door’ is divided into pages that inform visitors to the site about our organisation, the college accommodation, the meeting services, the schedule of our events and the many benefits of being a Member of our association. Over 2014 we have continued a process of redesign, the current website, having served us well for several years and like all things technology-based, is out of date. This is a major project being undertaken in parallel with significant and constant operational and governance changes. It is anticipated for completion by mid2015.

19 • graduateunionannualreport


To the left is an example of the Home page for the new website. The scrolldown sections include the latest news, forthcoming events, videos, publications and other highlighted pages. The main menu is at the top of each page of the website. Coupled with side menus on each page, users are able to navigate intuitively through the website. The new site will enable online membership applications, fee payments and renewals, feedback and contact, accommodation availability and applications for residency, merchandise purchasing, booking to attend GU Collegiate and other functions, and donations. Additionally we market through social media channels. As at the 31st December, 2014 the ‘statistics’ (i.e., number of followers or viewers, number of ‘likes’ or ‘shares’) was as follows, with increases since end 2013 shown as percentage values:

456 51%

128 28%

157

47

31%

124%

414 33%

4,713 78%

2014, like 2013, saw major revamps to the majority of The Graduate Union publications and marketing material. Many Members will have seen this change with the brand new design of our newsletter (below left), publication of the new Resident Student Handbook (below right) and design of our 2015 Scholars Calendar. The Graduate Union Newsletter - December

Resident Handbook Graduate House - the residential college of The Graduate Union

2015 Calendar GREAT MINDS

2014 1

graduateunionannualreport • 20

The Graduate Union Presents

College Tables Medicine, Dentistr y and Health Science

David Pledger

The

Monthly Luncheon with

David Pledger Collaborate or Perish: The End of The Specialist June 4th

12:00 Noon

Resident Members Non-Resident Memebrs General Public Concession

$10 $30 $40 $35

ABN 5561066496

220 Leicester Street. Carlton, 3053 (03) 9347 3428 admingh@graduatehouse.com.au www.graduatehouse.com.au

College Tables are informal collegial lunchtime discussions on a ‘grand challenge’ issue in a graduate school field. The next College Table is in the fields of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and will be held on September 5th.

In 20th C Europe the word ‘collaborate’ was associated with the traitorous practice of ‘working with the enemy’. This century, it has the more productive association of ‘working together’. As an artist whose practice is characterised by collaboration across artforms, sectors and oceans, his view is that those who have a deep understanding of collaboration as a principle of knowledge creation and communication can offer great benefits to future society. David Pledger will talk to these ideas and present work on a current artistic project, Running Man, working across neurology, cardiology, exercise physiology, sport, live performance and interactive technology.

The Graduate Union College Table discussion will be led by Professor Glen Bowes, Senior Associate Dean (Engagement), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne

David Pledger is an intermedia artist working within and between the performing, visual and media arts. His design and direction have received numerous nominations in theatre, dance and opera from the Victorian Green Room Awards. He is a recipient of the Sydney Myer Performing Arts Award and the Kenneth Myer Performing Arts Medal for his work as a director and actor in live performance. As a writer, he has been commissioned by Circe Films, SBS, cinemedia, Sydney Opera House, Playbox Theatre Centre, Theatreworks and through the Victoria Commissions and the Major Festivals Initiative.

Usual Dining Room prices apply

12 noon for 12:30pm

at Graduate House September 5th

Book online at www.graduatehouse.com.au, by phone 9347 3428, through email to admingh@graduatehouse.com.au or at the venue, 220 Leicester Street, Carlton.

IAR No. A0023234B

The team has also been busy in developing new poster and flyer designs for the marketing of Graduate Union run (GU Collegiate) functions. Many of you may have noticed the new Monthly Luncheon Series poster design that has stemmed into our Twilight Lecture speaker description poster as well. Others will have picked up on Graduate House’s new College Table poster designs. Hard copies of these flyers and posters are distributed widely within our facility, about universities and by our many Members in their workplace and social communities. We thank you for your continuing assistance with this vitally needed distribution function.

Meeting Services As a charity and not-for-profit, we pride ourselves as leaders in the provision of facilities that serve professional and academic development, and the advancement of education for the benefit of the community in all sectors. In this respect, we are honoured to offer meeting services to organisations and groups from the education, charitable, not-forprofit and government sectors. We are welcoming, affordable and professional. In 2014, The Graduate Union had 1,034 bookings for meetings and functions, an increase of 120 on the previous year. A total of 254 convenors booked with us and their events were attended by 20,932 delegates over the year. The bookings ranged from small groups to 150 people. These figures are exclusive of GU Collegiate events, governance meetings and individuals/groups frequenting the dining room and bar. The organisations range from alumni groups, schools/research units/faculties from various universities, to groups from the charitable and not-for-profit sectors to government departments at state and federal levels. One of the biggest groups to hold a workshop here was the Dental Health Services Group who were here every weekday over a week in May with a daily attendance exceeding 100 delegates. Another was the Chilean Study Tour group who held a ten-day workshop in October. Organised and hosted by UOM (University of Melbourne) Commercial, the group of principals from the Faculty of Education in Chile visited Melbourne to learn about the Australian education system.

21 • graduateunionannualreport


Principals from Chile

A significant booking in August was the full-day Scientific Forum held on 7th August to mark the retirement of Professor Graham Brown AM, Foundation Director of The Nossal Institute, attended by more than 100 people. Members may remember that Professor Brown spoke here in 2012 on the challenges for control and elimination of malaria. We wish Professor Brown a happy and fulfilling retirement.

Pictured to the left are our guests from Chile whose tour included visits to Bastow Institute, RMIT, Wesley College and a number of primary and secondary schools around Melbourne. Among the many subjects covered in their study program was Development and Standards for Principals, and Professional Development for Teachers.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Scientific Forum to mark the retirement of Professor Graham Brown AM.

Regular bookings include the Carlton-Parkville Probus group of between 60-80 people who meet here each month for a half-day morning meeting with about one third staying for lunch. The Carlton Rotary Club continues to hold their weekly lunch meetings here every Tuesday, as well as hosting Rotary District 9800 meetings, Heritage Cluster events, Changeover functions and their Board and committee meetings here. On the 7th October, they let their hair up in questionably ‘stylish” fashion as part of fund-raising Hat Day to help shine a light on mental illness in Australia. The Rotary Club Special Hat Day graduateunionannualreport • 22

The logos for some of the organisations that used our facilities in 2014 are shown on these two pages, and illustrate that we are assisting other not-for-profits with their charters also for the advancement of education for community benefit.

BELBIN

DAVID MORRIS CONSULTING

23 • graduateunionannualreport


Reunions and Anniversaries held here included the 1950 Graduates of the Faculty of Architecture, the Melba Group, the 1964 Graduates of Special Education, the Trinity College Pathway celebration, and the 1941 Medical Graduates. Our youngest graduation ceremony of 2014 was for Year 6 of the Carlton Garden Primary School!

The 1964 Special Education Graduates

Birthdays at Graduate House Some milestone birthday celebrations of our Life Members were also held here at Graduate House over 2014. We hope that you had a wonderful celebration.

AUSTRALIAN ASIAN ASSOCIATION

Happy Birthday Wal!

Happy Birthday Heather! Happy Birthday John!

RUSHALL CONSULTING GROUP

Happy Birthday Betna!

graduateunionannualreport • 24

Happy Birthday Pat!

Happy Birthday Geoff!

25 • graduateunionannualreport


GU Collegiate The 2014 GU Collegiate events continued to foster networking and social experiences as well as to promote learning and intellectual stimulation.

Life Regular Resident non Members Members Members Members Total

Events and Participation

22

19

-

19

60

9

2

1

7

19

32

25

-

18

75

College Table

3

-

2

9

14

Flu Vaccination Day

15

14

35

226

290

Welcome Summer/Autumn BBQ

7

8

43

5

63

GU Tastings and Twilight Lecture

16

16

2

8

42

The Summer BBQ held previously at the start of Semester One was scheduled in midMarch and termed ‘Welcome Summer/Autumn BBQ’. This was a huge and successful event that combined the Resident’s MaG (Meet and Greet), Friday Nights Drinks and the World’s Greatest Shave Day.

Reminiscing: Pre-1956 Graduates

3

3

2

3

11

23

12

2

8

45

College Table

2

2

2

10

16

Finance Seminar

2

3

-

6

11

The College Tables were introduced in 2014. For each of the six sessions, a guest speaker from a graduate school of The University of Melbourne spoke to their field of study discussing topical issues with Members over an informal lunch.

Day Trip to Healesville Sanctuary

2

1

10

1

14

37

21

3

18

79

College Table

2

5

2

7

16

Day trips were to Healesville Sanctuary and Sovereign Hill. Other Resident-Member focused activities included the popular Christmas in July and the inaugural GU Ball which attracted more than eighty people.

Annual General Meeting Dinner

29

31

7

8

75

The table opposite shows attendance rates according to membership category throughout the year for some of these events. It lists neither the Meet and Greets for Resident Members (1x per month, 50-120 people) nor the regular self-organising groups: Bridge Night (1x per week, 4-20 people), Friday Drinks and Dinner (1x per month, 10-20), Italian Conversation Dinner (1x per fortnight; 4-10) and the Women’s Forum (1x month; 6-20).

The Monthly Luncheons commenced in February, with a break in July due to the second semester and the last convened in November. Each had an eminent speaker who presented in their area of interest and expertise (see following pages). By popular demand, the Finance Seminars continued for another year in 2014, offering two sessions (one midday and one early evening) for each topic.

For 2014, there were approximately 140 GU Collegiate functions. For the 32 tabled opposite, the total attendance number was 1,676 for the year - 432 Life Members, 394 Regular and Associate Members, 305 Resident Members and 545 non-members. The average attendance was 52 (range 7-290).

February Monthly Luncheon Finance Seminar March Monthly Luncheon

April Monthly Luncheon

May Monthly Luncheon

March

April

May

June Monthly Luncheon

June

23

11

-

8

42

Residents’ Christmas in July

July

4

1

80

18

103

Finance Seminar

7

8

1

9

25

GU Tastings and Twilight Lecture

14

21

5

20

60

27

19

2

9

57

1

5

-

2

8

25

18

1

8

52

College Table

9

9

-

1

19

Day Trip to Sovereign Hill

-

-

6

7

13

GU Tastings and Twilight Lecture

4

16

10

8

38

Finance Seminar

4

1

-

2

7

24

18

-

9

51

College Table

7

5

2

1

15

The First GU Annual Ball

-

1

50

30

81

August Monthly Luncheon

August

College Table September Monthly Luncheon

October Monthly Luncheon

September

October

November Monthly Luncheon

November

17

27

1

10

55

Chairman’s Cocktail Party

December

42

36

14

34

126

20

36

22

16

94

Members’ Christmas Party

graduateunionannualreport • 26

February

27 • graduateunionannualreport


Culinary Section and the Bar

2014 Monthly Luncheons

Our in-house kitchen provides meals for the dining room, all catering for GU Collegiate functions and, as outlined in the previous section, a diverse range of catering options for the meeting services. Exclusive of the catering provided for meeting services outlined in the previous sections (for near 21,000 delegates), the total number of meals prepared in 2014 was, again, over 70,000, an average of just under 200 per day. Resident Member meals (seven breakfasts and five meals each week) comprise up to 94% of these meals, with the remaining meals being for a regular clientele of non-resident Members, nonmembers and Loyalty Card holders seen often in Graduate House.

5th February

Ms Susan Pascoe At the helm of the charity regulator on stormy seas

Susan Pascoe spoke on the December 2012 launched Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) of which she is the inaugural Commissioner. The ACNC is the independent national regulator of some 60,000 charities that contribute crucially to our civil society. Established to maintain, protect and enhance public trust and confidence in the sector through increased accountability and transparency, Susan explained that much work was continuing to reach agreements with the federal, state and territory governments to streamline reporting requirements, and to continue to move past ten years of inquiries.

5th March

Professor Ross Garnaut How are we managing the dog days? Architects and friends who graduated in the 1950s

Mid-Autumn Festival

College Table with Professor Tom Kvan

President Rosenfeld addressing the AGM Dinner

Positing that Australia is heading from two decades of ‘salad days’ to ‘dog days’ of major economic challenges, Professor Garnaut proposed a national blueprint and a Reform Era to counter monopolies and oligopolies that are poorly regulated, protected from competition and extortionate; and to implement tax, environmental, social welfare and industrial reforms. He called on individuals and organisations, with governments, to share a deliberate and consistent cultural change to restraint and fiscal responsibility and away from the individualism and material gain that is heading us into the forced austerity seen across Europe.

2nd April

Ms Kelly Gellatly University Art Museums: A unique position, a great contribution

Trinity College Pathway Celebration

graduateunionannualreport • 28

Christmas for those who celebrate mid-year

Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art, Kelly explained that the now 20,000 strong collection is said to have begun in 1881 with the commissioned portrait of Sir Redmund Barry, the first Vice Chancellor. Significant donations and bequests in the 1900s included those from Dr Ewing, Mrs Fox, Mr Courtauld, Mr Bunny, Dr Adam, Mr Lindsay and Mr Macgeorge. Housed from 1972 in the John Medley Building, the Museum had a number of homes before its present day location on Swanston Street. It comprises major holdings of Australian, European and international indigenous art, as well as archaeological artefacts.

29 • graduateunionannualreport


2014 Monthly Luncheons 7th May

3rd September

Ethics and the choice of career

The Printed Word’s Bright Future

Professor Peter Singer AC In explaining the concept of effective altruism, Professor Singer pointed to a past student who chose a Wall Street career to increase his financial capacity to donate, to occupy a position that might otherwise be occupied by a ‘wolf’, and to fund positions and needed charitable programs through his significant gifting model. To support this growing social movement, Peter asked that we explore our characters and strengths in directing our career choices not only to involvement at the grass roots level in a charity or not for profit but also to positions that could lead to greater wealth for redistribution and thus wider benefit.

Mary Dalmau Director /General Manager of Reader’s Feast in iconic Georges on Collins, Mary spoke on the printed book and bookstores in our digital world. Quoting Allan Kornblum, the printed book continues to remain more accessible on any income level, than any other form of information Mary, pointed to the ‘dedication’ that books afford through inscriptions or author autographs. Bookstores offer a physical environment of socialisation and discovery. In matching people with books, the store is a forum for ideas and conversations. Quoting Mark Slouka, Mary agreed with the need to refocus our attention on the significance and value of our physical rather than our virtual environments.

4th June

1st October

Collaborate or Perish: The end of the Specialist

Technology enhancement - a full role for the elderly

Mr David Pledger In 20th century Europe the word ‘collaborate’ was associated with the traitorous practice of ‘working with the enemy’. This century it has the more productive association of ‘working together’. As a cross-sector dramaturgist who collaborates across art forms, disciplines and oceans, David’s view is that those who implement collaboration as a principle of knowledge creation and communication benefit society. Through travel, technology and communication, civic structures have become inter-dependant and with a degree of inter-connectivity and cross-pollination of thought and practice that is unrivalled in humanity’s history.

Professor Marcus Wigan Professor Wigan spoke to in-house robots, sensor houses that ‘know’ when to communicate with help agencies when something untoward has occurred, and body-attached global positioning systems (GPS) and micro-cameras that assist in locating wanderers. Developed by youth and little consultation with likely users (the majority of whom are aged >55 years), Marcus called for seniors to insist on involvement in governance, financing, research and manufacturing roles where they can participate in stakeholder engagement, identify and develop solutions, evaluate and test prototypes and ensure technologies that are appropriate for real older humans.

6th August

12th November

Research and Science: You never know where it will take you

AMA Victoria - What this organisation does and my role as CEO

Professor David de Kretser AC To show how research can shift serendipitously, Professor de Kretser outlined how a ‘failed’ experiment led from endocrinology to a natural, nontoxic and biological protein as a potential therapeutic. Finding spikes first in activin and then in follistatin levels after induced inflammation, and poorer prognoses when high activin levels continued unabated by follistatin’s influence in decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, his team has launched into the development of follistatin as a therapeutic for any condition that has an inflammatory response. David urged government and industry to support its manufacturing in and for Australia.

graduateunionannualreport • 30

2014 Monthly Luncheons

Frances Mirabelli The Australian Medical Association (AMA) Victoria, founded in 1846 as the Port Phillip Medical Association, now represents all state-registered doctors and medical students. Recent submissions to state and federal government have been many: the supply/use of the drug ‘ice’, alcohol promotion reductions, task substitution, guidelines for blood borne diseased practitioners, the GP co-payment, the healthcare and expenditure senate enquiry, the nationwide increase in self-harm and suicide and Advanced Care Planning. Frances concluded with the importance of her CEO role in supporting the AMA Victoria’s pillars of advocacy for doctors, patients and the community.

31 • graduateunionannualreport


Women’s Forum

Women’s Forum

The Women’s Forum involves female graduates coming together once a month to discuss current affairs, social history and contemporary society. Each Forum lasts about ninety minutes with the conversation oft continuing over a dining room lunch. Topics are suggested by the group in advance and notified in the Monthly Newsletter. They are prompted by points arising at the Forums which merit further consideration or open up a new line of thought. Below are some of the notes from each Forum.

17th September The values of contemporary society Standards of behaviour deemed acceptable before are gradually challenged and while new standards are refreshing for some, they make others feel uncomfortable and insecure. The changing of values is inevitable and we can aim to manage this change effectively by working to retain the best standards while resisting elements that are potentially destructive.

19th February What’s in a name? Name is a basic phenomenon in life which gives

everything and everyone a recognised identity. Addressing someone by name or title implies empathy or respect and in other situations, the name may become an adjective related to behaviour, personality or physical characteristics.

19th March Distinguishing between ‘alliance’ and ‘reliance’: at what stage (and why)

can one become the other? Reliance is subjective and may not always be convenient while an ‘alliance’ usually forms for mutual benefit when partners each contribute something valuable when they come together.

16th April What is happiness - an achievable goal or misleading myth? It is generally

agreed that the term ‘happy’ is one of the most used and abused words in our vocabulary. It would seem more helpful if the focus were to be on contentment, harmony and belonging to build the resilience needed to deal effectively with the inevitable unhappy times each of us may encounter.

21st May Does life have a ‘use by’ date? Individual choice for ‘end of life’ is vital, and

the decisions about advanced care directives should be made while one is still healthy. The end of life medical expenses can be considerable but should not be resented. No one should be made to feel as if they are a commodity.

18th June Music matters Music is important and would be difficult to live without. It

provides a connection to the past and continues to eternity. It affects emotions and promotes bonding, and can be stirring and encouraging. Music has been shown to be beneficial in healthcare and improves the lives for children in hospitals.

16th July Belief of abstract concept Abstract concepts, such as fear or happiness, are

nearly always related to one’s personal experience. As such, the significance of each differs across individuals. One of life’s most valuable gifts is the ability to conceptualise. This helps us to make sense of our own realities, gain insights into different realities and to understand diversity.

20th August Loyalty cards: beneficial or burden Loyalty depends on context, quality and perceived benefits. Companies now offer many inducements to be loyal and there are schemes with pros and cons that are worth considering.

graduateunionannualreport • 32

17th October The dilemma of the modern woman Each generation of women will find different obstacles. Changes will depend greatly on personal attitudes and the ability of individuals to accept the complementary roles of both genders rather than to compete for superiority. Continued positive progress will depend on the education of both boys and girls during the impressionable years within households and the community, and through exposure to fitting role models in workplaces. 19th November Success - the journey or the destination? Success has many meanings. It can be having a purpose in life. There are many types of journeys to success such as a sporting achievement or recognition in an academic achievement. Everyone has a different starting point and realising the value of this will help in our own journeys to success. Maybe we should concern ourselves more with the happiness of the pursuit than the pursuit of happiness. 19th December End-of-year session to share laughter Our coming together for a good laugh and some reminiscing. The Women’s Forum is free and for women of any age and life stage. It begins 10.00am to 10.30am on the scheduled third Wednesday of each month from February to December and is convened usually in the Anderson Room.

The Graduate Union thanks the many women, and particularly Anne Mulholland, who continue the traditions of this long standing Graduate House Forum.

33 • graduateunionannualreport


College Tables

College Tables

2014 saw the introduction of College Tables held on the first Fridays of the two semester months. These informal collegial discussions over lunch were on topical issues relating to a graduate school field. Thanks are extended to our distinguished guest speakers.

7th March

1st August

Architecture, Building and Planning; and Engineering

Land and Environment

The Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne,

Academic, Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne,

Professor Tom Kvan

Dr Christopher Weston

4th April

5th September

Arts and Education

Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science

Head of the School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne,

Senior Associate Dean (Engagement), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences,

Professor Rachel Fensham

Professor Glenn Bowes

2nd May

3rd October

Business and Economics

Science

Dean of Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne,

Dean of the Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne,

Professor Paul Kofman

Professor Karen Day

2nd May

Law Dean of Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne,

Professor Carolyn Evans

graduateunionannualreport • 34

The Graduate Union thanks our inaugural College Table guests for their generosity of time and expertise and for enabling robust and interesting discussions.

2015 College Tables The 2015 College Tables will continue to be informal collegial lunch-time discussions on a ‘grand challenge’ issue in a graduate school field; and to bring together graduates in all disciplines and of all life stages, from post-graduate students to those in careers or caring roles, and those in retirement. For upcoming College Tables please refer to our Monthly Newsletter, or go online at www.graduatehouse.com.au.

35 • graduateunionannualreport


2014 GU Tastings and Twilight Lectures

We thank Members for supporting our local food and wine industry by attending GU Tastings provided free of charge by the following generous groups before and after the Twilight Lectures.

19th March

Dr Robyn Arianrhod Mathematical Love Stories

A mathematician and writer, Dr Arianrhod was drawn to mathematics as an elegant language. Referring to Isaac Newton and Einstein, who found new ways of describing the world through the language of mathematics, Robyn introduced us to two self-taught women mathematicians who spread Newton’s ideas throughout the world - Émilie Du Châtelet (1706-1749), a high society French mathematician, physicist and author during the Age of Enlightenment; and Mary Somerville (1780-1872), a Scottish science writer and polymath who was nominated jointly as the first female member of the Royal Astronomical Society.

23rd July

Professor Jeffrey Rosenfeld AM OBE CStJ Being a Brain Surgeon: What is it like?

PIAN

T E

GRA

M

S

Beginning with the unassailable note that neurosurgery is not easy, Jeffrey explained that although neurosurgery is a privileged role which can change lives, not all lives can be saved. Neurosurgeons hold peoples’ lives in their hands. The slightest move in the wrong direction while operating on a person’s brain can lead to paralysis. Inspired by Harvey Williams Cushing and Sir Hugh William Bell Cairns, Jeffrey explained his most famous neurosurgical ‘invention’ for children with major epileptic seizures and his keen interest in developing neurosurgery units and expertise in the developing world, and, of course, in Australia.

E S T A

17th September

Native American, Red Horse Storytelling, Singing and Dancing

Together with his wife, Natalia Rivera, Red Horse took the audience through a journey of story telling, dancing, singing and flute playing. We learnt how to interpret the different phases of a hunting dance, and about the legend of the turtle who wanted to fly and who was fortunate to have ‘Mr Wind’ assist him in re-grouping his shell pieces after he had fallen. The flute was haunting, rich and with a deep tone, and Red Horse’s dances were energetic, vibrant and tribal.

graduateunionannualreport • 36

Prancing Horse ES TATE

37 • graduateunionannualreport


2014 Finance Seminars Peter Clark DCA Advisors 27th February

It’s costly to put your head in the sand

Wills, bequests, superannuation planning and aged care planning were the topics covered in the first 2014 seminar. Peter advised on the importance of making a will at any age, on estate assets that are subject to Capital Gains Tax and on the importance of making tax deductible Peter Clark (left) with Daniel Bozyk donations during one’s lifetime so they go to worthy causes of one’s choosing, and because funds distributed to a charity from an estate are not tax deductible.

10th April

Preparing to fund aged care

Peter explained that more than 3.5 million Australians will require aged care and support over the next 40 years. Of over 2,700 aged care facilities, 76% are high care, 24% are low care and 67% are not-for-profit. Permanent admissions in 2011-2012 numbered 120,000 with occupancy of 98%. The average new bond is $390,000, with nearly 11% of bonds being over $550,000. In preparing for this commitment, Peter stressed the importance of early consultation with financial advisors to review the current cash flow and investments, family home options, asset selling impacts on the age pension, strategies for pension maximisation and aged care charge/fee minimisation, Centrelink options, estate planning and capacity for tax offsets.

17th July

Tax for seniors - What do you need to know?

Outlining the rebate income thresholds for Seniors and Pensioners Tax Offsets (SAPTO), Peter advised of the July 2014 changes including the Medicare Levy increase and a Temporary Budget Repair Levy (until 2017) on taxable income above $180K; and suggested strategies for beneficial tax concessions which included: (a) retaining some investments or income sources in personal names to use effective tax free thresholds and to increase liquidity and freedom of lifestyle; (b) placing investments in such structures as trusts or superannuation for other tax concessions; and (c) selling off assets in smaller parcels over a number of years to use tax free thresholds over more years and to avoid having large gains that are not realised and for which inheritors will pay tax.

25th September

Risks and Pitfalls with Wealth Creation

Stating the obvious, finances must be managed so that savings last for that unknown number of life years. At some stage, even the most apathetic individual will thus need to start planning, keeping up to date with rules and laws around superannuation, retirement incomes, aged care and estates and determining goals that no one else knows better! With the right help, self-managed super funds (SMSFs) can be administered easily, but are not for everyone as there is an increasing range of compliance tasks, trustee responsibilities, sole purpose tests, related party assets and leasing that are increasing the bureaucratic burden and the risk of errors. The Graduate Union extends gratitude to Peter and DCA Advisors for providing freely of their time and expertise to deliver this excellent series of finance seminars in 2013 and 2014.

graduateunionannualreport • 38

Fund-raising and Benefactions Working Party The Fund-raising and Benefactions Working Party was established in 2013 to define and implement a systematic, strategic and best-practice approach to raising major funds through bequests, fund-raising, donations, sponsorship, grants and other endowment sources. The members of this FAB Working Party over 2014 were our President, Jeffrey Rosenfeld, immediate past Chair of Council, David Sparks (Chair of the Working Party), Chair of Council, Rhys Watson, Vivienne Corcoran, Siôn Lutley and Fausto Marasco. The working party met regularly over 2014, identifying and giving priority to endowment targets and to donor acknowledgement and gift receiving policies. Following a review by an external consultant late in the year, the working party has been working towards a Culture of Philanthropy involving the establishment of a bequest society and a foundation, together with improvements to the annual giving program and the construction of an on-line Graduate House Crowd Funding site.

Membership and Marketing Committee As specified in the terms of reference, the general role of the Membership and Management committee is to oversee the maintenance and growth of the Association’s membership, and the development and promotion of new or improved programs or services. More specifically, the committee: • advises 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; • advises Council on marketing and communications strategies to increase Member numbers and Member participation; • reviews the fees, charges and conditions for membership and recommends any changes for adoption by Council; • monitors Member satisfaction with the Association’s services and facilities; • oversees the management of significant awards to, and recognitions of, Members and staff; • oversees advancement initiatives such as benefaction, sponsorship and fund-raising; • reviews and recommends to Council any updates to policies relating to the conduct of Members; and • reviews membership applications in accordance with the Association’s membership policy. Throughout this very productive year, it has been a pleasure to work with the dedicated and knowledgeable members of the Membership and Marketing committee who in 2014 were Keith Ryall (Vice Chair), David Sparks, Siôn Lutley, Vivienne Corcoran and Andre Cleghorn, Rhys Watson, Peter Wetherall, Candice Tan and Rosie Maddick. My gratitude is extended also to the excellent staff teams who support the many and diverse membership services diligently and professionally, and with a friendly, welcoming and caring manner - our CEO/Head of College, Hospitality Manager and Guest Services team, our Membership Relations Officer, our Development Manager, our Systems Development Manager and the Publications and Social Media team.

Cr Kingsley Davis Chair of the Membership and Marketing Committee

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College Garb

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Vest and Merino Pullover

GU Ties

Both available in black, the vest and pullover have The Graduate Union logo embroidered on the left chest. The pullover is 100% merino wool (260 gsm), breathable, eco-friendly and wicks moisture. It has a 1/4 zip at the front and raglan sleeves. The vest is a wool blend V-neck perfect for over a business shirt.

The GU Tie has Graduate Union colours, and “Victory” interspersed in a diagonal fashion with our reds and whites. This new version of the tie was redesigned by popular demand in 2014. It is now worn proudly by many Graduate Union Members, and looks good with almost any coloured shirt or suit but we cannot attest to success with individual tastes!

Men’s and Women’s Polos

GU Scarves

These classic Polos have a modern smart casual fit and are made from quality poly cotton jersey fabric making them very easy to wash and dry. They come in navy with a white trim detail on the collar and cuffs, and The Graduate Union logo embroidered on the left chest.

The Graduate Union Winter Scarf is made from 100% pure wool. It is black with red and white stripes and black tassels. “Victory“ is embroidered on each end. This scarf is keeping many of us warm and fashionable for the approaching winter months.

Cap

Shopping Bag

Available in grey, this lightweight durable grey-coloured cap is ecofriendly, made from 100% recycled products. It wicks moisture and is machine washable.

Graduate Union now has an environmentally friendly shopping bag made of strong, washable cloth. This bag doubles as an excellent solution for the time poor gift-wrapper.

T-shirt and Hoodie

Other Merchandise

With different cuts for males and females, the t-shirt and hoodie are grey coloured with The Graduate Union printed on the front left. The polyester/ cotton hoodie has a soft, thick fleecy lining and warm pouch pocket. The versatile easy-to-wear, easy-to-care t-shirt is made from 100% premium cotton and has a round crew neck.

Aside from our regular merchandise offers of centenary pens, mugs, Keep Cups and purse holder/hanger, we also now offer cards for special events and suggest placing your orders early for our Christmas cards.

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Membership in 2014 New Members We extend a warm welcome to the new Members of our Association. Life Members

Mr Andrew Eric Clarkson Dr Sharon Lierse Dr George Morstyn Mr John Murphy Ms Kim Starkey

Regular Members

Mr Koray Akkaya Mr John Chu Mr Philip Cormie Mr David George Mein Cowie Dr Mary Rossanna Downie Mr Tonnou Ghothane Dr Brendan Grabau Mr Ben Green Assoc Professor Jeremy John Hammond Mr Robert Heaton Mr Peter Thomas Hogan Professor Brian Howe Ms Kathryn Beverly Jenkin Ms Mary Kane Dr Eugenie Kayak Ms Nilufar Khundakar Mr Zefan Liu Mr Patrick Gerard Love Mr Mark Lucas Mr Fausto Marasco Justice Chris Maxwell Mr Peter McDonald Mr Vincent John Mirabelli Mr Stephen Polesel Mr John Price Mr Rhys Roberts Dr Nola Rushford Mr John Gillyatt Shaw Mrs Dorothy Skewes Dr Patricia G Smith Dr Massoud Sofi Mr Jim Sonnemann Mr William James Stewart Mr Paul Robert Tyrer Mr Peter John Wetherall Professor Marcus Wigan Mrs Elizabeth Williams Professor Robert E Wood

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Organisation Members

Arts Access Victoria Brockoff Program CRC for Spatial Information Human Resources, The University of Melbourne Leukaemia Foundation The Australian Market and Social Research Society

Resident members

Ms Hawra Abdul Abbas Mr Daniel Abell Dr Farrah Ahmed Ms Soohyun (Julia) Ahn Mr David Allinson Dr Mohammed Al-Omary Mrs Maryam Alqassab Mr Meshaal Al-Saffar Professor Zilfalil Alwi Professor Samantha Amar Ms Enakshi Ambani Mr David Angdi Mr Johanan Aow Dr Muhemmed Ashraf Arain Mr Abraham Arief Ms Shruti Arya Ms Sonia Aujla Ms Genevieve Auld Mrs Anja Bauer Dr Abdel Ali Belaidi Ms Celine Berni Professor Zilfali Bin Alwi Mr Abdulah Halim Fikri Bin Hashim Dr Michael Bird Ms Natalia Bliznina Professor Timo Boppart Miss Liliana Bray Ms Cynthia Brown Mrs Marisel Bruqueta Dr Ruth Buchanan Dr John Campbell Dr Iris Chan Ms Carys (Xi Wen) Chan Mr Julian Charry Ms Trassanee Chatmethakul Ms Chiao-Ju Chen Ms Jiangmen Chen Ms Abby Chen

Mr George Cheng Mr Ming Yu Chia Mrs Maria Thorning Christensen Mrs Jin Chun Ms Sophie Clark Ms Stacey Coenders Mr Pasquale Comberiati Ms Sandra Coutts Mrs Marie Creighton Professor Pedro Crous Ms Joanna Cull Ms Elizabeth Dale Mr Dennis Danipog Mr Heshan Dantanarayana Mr Nima Davari Farid Mr Paul Dickin Ms Maria Theresia Martina Dijkstra Ms Karina Natasia Djoenaedi Mr Masakazu Doi Mr Jakub Dvorsky Ms Claudine Evans Ms Chunxiang Fan Mr Gyorgy Feher Mr Xacobe Fernandez Garcia Mr Nicholas Fisk Ms Becky Focht Ms Claude Fortin Mr Patricio Garcia Ms Aida Garcia Rodriguez Mrs Sabine Gietzen Mrs Samantha Gillard Dr Stefano Givlieri Mr Igor Gontcharov Mr Jedrzej Gorski Ms Roberta Grant Miss Ashley Gray Miss Charlene Greenwood Dr Christoph Grohmann Mr Russell Guckert Dr Veena Gullipalli Ms Ping Guo Dr Shweta Gupta Dr Katharine Gupta Dr Line Hagner Nielsen Dr Mohamed Hagras Mr Jonathan Hall Mr Florian Hanke Mr Yaoqin He Mr Daniel Heath Ms Claire Heffernan Professor Remko Helms Mr Albert Herrero Mr Harry Holland Mr Ryotaro Horii Mr Qing Huang

Mr Bram Hunnekens Mr Christopher Hunter Dr Shaik Hussein Mr Napolean Imperial Mr Stuart Irvine Ms Angela James Ms Cheryln James-Ayadory Ms Hanin Jildeh Dr Henry Jones Miss Jessica Charlotte Joy Dr Amna Kamal Mrs Baljit Kaur Ms Sarah Kavanagh Ms Hima Kavuri Dr Michael Kearney Dr Erfan Khondoker Dr Steven Kim Mr David (Eun Kwong) Kim Ms Minjee Kim Dr Vicky Koh Dr Florence Kok Dr Junko Kosaka Dr Johan Koskinen Professor Dino Kritsiotis Mr Daniel Kruse Professor Sergei Kuzenko Mr Bowei Lai Mr Ulrich Laitenberger Ms Chinouk Lambrechts Mr Jong Jin Lee Professor Madeleine Leonard Mr Changyi Li Mr Ke Li Ms Clara Lienicke Mrs Michael Lim Ms Xingyang Lin Mr Gerrit Lindeque Mr Donzheng Liu Ms Qin Liu Mr Lance Lochner Mr Oliver Lovell Professor John Lowe Professor Yi Lu Ms Melissa Lucas Ms Stephanie Lui Dr Craig Lundy Mr Patrick MacDevitt Dr Dolly Mackinnon Mr Dean Magee Mrs Andreanne Malacket Mr Imran Malik Mr David March Miss Cara Maritz Ms Kristina Markova Mr Alan Masa

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Ms Colleen Matthews Mr Christopher McEwan Mr Alexander McFayden Mr Daniel McNaughtan Mr Kunal Mehta Mrs Dalila Meziani Ms Tamara Milder Mr Andrew Milne Ms Patricia Miranda Mr Fahad Mirza Mr Mahmoud Mohamed Ms Claudia Moreira Ms Helen Myers Dr Ghulam Nawrozi Mr Moritz Nazarenus Professor Dragan Nesic Ms Janice Ng Miss Michelle Ng Dr Viet Nguyen Mr Cong Minh Vu Nguyen Dr Chau Kim Nguyen Professor Bernard Nienhuis Dr Lindsay Oades Mr Gareth Ogilvie Dr Babatunde Ogunfowora Mr Sung Suk Oh Dr Christian Ollivier Mr Christian Olsen Professor Francisco Olucha-Bordonau Ms Deborah Ong Ms Khin Htwee Oo Dr Mark Oxley Mr Samuel Parker Ms Renee Pasqualino Dr Dilan Patel Mr Manuel Pavon Garcia Ms Catharine Pearce Ms Kate Pedersen Professor Stephen Peterson Mr Thanh Quang Minh Pham Dr Anthony Pickering Dr Joana Pinheiro Dr Alana Piper Ms Alice Pirlot Ms Margaret Pope Dr Min Qi Mr Tyson Retz Mr James Roach Miss Nicole Robb Mrs Anna Ryan Dr Ayesha Salim Ms Alexia Sandano Ms Ikroop Sandhu Ms Tessa Satherley Ms Arunadevi Sathiaseelan graduateunionannualreport • 44

Mr Ayato Sawa Mr Sangram Sawant Ms Roberta Scarpone Ms Maria Schoeberl Miss Bernadette Scutella Miss Saba Shaffakat Dr Reza Shahmohammadi Ms Aruna Shanmugham Ms Shirley Shao Ms Diksha Sharma Mrs Upasana Sharma Mr Chuan Shi Ms Jenny Shing Miss Parisa Shiran Mr Shengwen Shu Dr Guy Sinclair Ms Adaeba Sinclair-Blakemore Mr Manpreet Singh Dr Pallavi Sinha Dr Stuart So Dr Mohammad Sohail Professor Toni Spassov Miss Jennifer Stables Mr Mark Staker Mr Riyan Stephan Mr Hanno Stremmel Ms Andreia Tarelho Ms Rofan Teo Mr Jean-philippe Tetienne Mrs Ashvin Thambyah Miss Michelle Tie Dr Jonathan Tran Professor John Trowsdale Mr Hisashi Tsubone Mr Wai Kin Tsui Dr Manan Vaishnav Ms Annelies Van De Ven Ms Kathy Van Oevelen Mr Willem Van Onsem Professor Fabia Vecoso Mr Marco Velasques Ruiz Mr Ramesh Velpula Mrs Helga Wagner Mrs Elizabeth Wallace Mr Jesper Wallin Mr Haoqu Wang Mr Mark Warren Ms Tamara Watson Mr Colin White Ms Dinali Naomi Wickramanayake Mr Michael Williams Dr Nicholas Witte Mr Julian Woermann Ms Wakiuru Wohoro Mr Jia Jun Woo

Miss Emmeline Wu Ms Sandy Yang Ms Wenjin Yang Mr Andrew Yeap Mr Owen Yi Ms Wan Hui Yip Mr Jason Ong Miss Jingyao Yu Mr Will Yue Dr Mohamed Zayed Mr Jianran Zhang Mr Chen Zhao Ms Emma Zheng Mr Zhihong Zheng Mr Danny Zou Ms Marissa Zwan

Valete Our condolences are extended to families and friends. Mr John Russell Baxter, 1958 Mr Paul Baxter, 2005 Mrs Ida Margaret Benson, 1974 Professor Eric Hewstone Carman, 1980 Mrs Anne Cassidy, 1984 Mr Leonard Joseph Coysh, 2011 Mr Laurence Samuel Denton, 1954 Dr Eva Gizella Eden AM, 1964 Miss Margaret Edmondson, 1977 Miss Betty Rosina Elliott, 1962 Dr Susan Esdaile, 1965 Mr Norman William Gamble, 1950 Dr Robert (Bob) William Gibson, 1961 Mr John Arthur Goodwin, 1957 Mr Gordon Franklin Hattam, 1975 Mr Brian Bernard Joseph Hoy, 1950 Mrs Elin Johnston, 1981 Mr Peter Roland Kenley, 1949 Mr Bruce Harold Lawson, 1975 Mr John Alexander Macdonald, 1950 Mrs Marjorie Jean Murphy, 1955 Associate Professor Harold Charles Richards AM, 2010 Mr Hugh Thomson Rogers, 1959 Mr Henry Joseph Rosengren, 1951 Mr John Ferguson Ross, 1962 Dr Geoffrey William Sinclair, 1973 Mr Ralph Edward Skilbeck, 1983 The Reverend Julian Roy Slatterie, 1963 Mr Brian John Talbot, 1953 Dr Bertram Sutherland Vanrenen, 1954 Professor Emeritus Evan James Williams, 1964

Congratulations to the Order of Australia Recipients The Honourable Dr Barry Owen Jones, AO for eminent service to the community as a leading intellectual in Australian public life, through contributions to scientific, heritage, musical, medical, political and public health organisations, and to the Australian Parliament. Dr James Allan Mawdsley for service to community health. Dr Andrew David Pattison for services to medicine as a general practitioner. Dr Gary Raymond Speck for significant service to medicine as an orthopaedic surgeon, and to professional organisations. Professor Jennifer Kay Zimmer for significant service to the visual arts as an administrator, academic and publisher. Ms Evelyn Margaret Field for service to the community, particularly through anti-school and workplace bullying initiatives.

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Bequests and Donations The Graduate Union derives its current strength and vigour from the loyalty, service and generosity of our many Members since our foundation in 1911. Because of this we have now: • buildings and facilities where graduates of all ages, disciplines, life stages and cultures come to ‘live, learn and meet’; • an active international collegium of Members; and • the place where thousands meet each year for academia, research and social good. We are continuing our proud history of benefaction and a strong culture of recognising and acknowledging our benefactors.

Dr Thomas R A Davey

Stella Langford

Sir William Johnston

The generous bequest from Dr Ron Davey was put towards the repair of the terrace roofs, now known as the Davey Lofts.

Her generous gift enabled the purchase of terraces, the street frontages of which remain at the Stella Langford Wing of apartments, a car park and meeting facilities.

This library, named in honour of Sir William Johnston, our second President, has been enjoyed by generations of postgraduate scholars from all parts of the globe.

Sir Ian Potter

Sidney Myer

M V Anderson

Phillip Law

William (Bill) Berry

The Ian Potter Room is a wellfrequented meeting room, so named to honour a large donation from The Ian Potter Foundation in 1987 to refurbish the dining area, at that time on the ground floor of the terraces.

Following a banquet at Menzies Hotel in 1926, sponsored by our Association, Mr Sidney Myer bestowed a large endowment which secured the future of our Monthly Luncheons which continue to this day.

Naming of the M V Anderson Room, an elegant and comfortable Member-only area, is in recognition of this renowned accountant and philanthropist’s contribution of leadership and 
significant gifts.

A major bequest from this famous Antarctic explorer enabled many building works and was acknowledged with the naming of the Phillip Law Members’ Lounge late 2012.

The Gladstone Terraces from 222 to 234 Leicester Street are known as the William Berry Wing in honour of the founder of our residential college - the eleventh affiliated to The University of Melbourne.

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Barbara Funder and Heather Kudeviita were appointed in 2004 to administer a trust established by William Berry to preserve and maintain our historic terraces - the first stage of our current college.

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Donations and Bequests in 2014 In 2014, donations and bequests were received from the following generous supporters. Thank you.

Marjorie Hewlett Atkinson

Neil Taylor

Professor Cochrane and Margaret Schofield OAM

The ground floor rooms of the Stella Langford Wing are named to acknowledge the generous donations from Marjorie Hewlett Atkinson for her great aunt Annie Hewlett, from past Chair of Council, Neil Taylor, and from Life Members Fiona and Andrew Cochrane for their parents, Professor Donald Cochrane and Margaret Schofield OAM.

Future Vision We look to continue our pivotal roles in nurturing the many early career graduates who stay in our college each year, supporting the many incareer academics, professionals and retired Members of The Graduate Union who live and work all over the world, as well as continuing to be a hub of networking for the thousands of people who visit our beloved ‘Graduate House’ each year.

Frank Leslie Stillwell

Friends of the University of Melbourne Charitable Trust

A 1963 bequest from this famous petrologist, after whom the mineral Stillwellite is named, was put to the Stillwell Room, initially the common room in the terraces, and now a meeting room in the main building.

The Trust was established for the purpose of receiving from UK-based donors who wish to support The University of Melbourne. Each year, Dr Elizabeth Shaw sends donations for the upkeep of the Stillwell Room named in honour of her ancestors.

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Mr Stanton Charles Archer Mr Leonard Harold Bailey Mr John Edward Brearley Mr Douglas Albert Brooke Mr Thomas Colin Lyall Brown Miss Elizabeth Mary Butt Mr Albert Leslie Campain Ms Elizabeth Carvosso Mrs Diana Mary Cherry Mrs Margaret Anne Dean Dr Mary Rossanna Downie Miss Joan Forrest Eltham Mr Kurt H Eppinger Mr Frank Ford Miss Beryl Ida Green Dr James Stuart Guest Mr Charles Harkin Mr Harry Holland Rear Admiral Anthony Lancaster Hunt Miss Betty Joan Cathles Keay

Mr Brian Eric Krahnert Mr Ken Lewis Mr Richard William Manuell Mrs Mary Margaret Maslen Mr Kenneth Charles Mawson OAM Mr David McFarlane Mrs Anne Mulholland Mr Edward William Muntz Dr Lazaros Papadopoulos Mr Clarence John Kendall Pawsey Ms Tessa Satherley Mrs Elizabeth Irma Sevior Professor Richard Fairfax Southby Ms Bethia Campbell Stevenson Dr Rodney David Taft Dr Bernadette Taylor Dr Geoffrey Norman Vaughan AO Mr Gavan Woinarski Mr Danny Zou

Over 2015, please join and help us to establish a Bequest Society of past and future benefactors who have made, or who will be making, significant gifts in their wills to the Association. Through this Society, we want to thank people now and to honour them for supporting the future, growth and vibrancy of our ‘House’ and of our ‘Union’. Through their example, members of this society will cultivate and model a ‘culture’ of giving during their lifetimes.

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JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

Welcome to College

Finance Information Seminar Don’t put your head in the sand, it can be costly

College Table Architecture and Engineering Flu Vaccination Day

Monthly Luncheon with Ms Susan Pascoe AM

APRIL

MAY

College Table Arts and Education

College Table Business and Economics; and Law Monthly Luncheon with Professor Peter Singer

Finance Information Seminar Preparing to fund aged care

Monthly Luncheon with David Pledger

GU Tastings and Twilight Lecture with Dr Robyn Arianrhod Monthly Luncheon with Professor Ross Garnaut AO

Annual General Meeting

Day trip to Healesville Sanctuary

JUNE

Welcome Summer/Autumn BBQ

Monthly Luncheon with Ms Kelly Gellatly

JULY Mid-year Residents’ Christmas in July Finance Information Seminar Taxation Strategies for Seniors

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

College Table Land and Environment

Monthly Luncheon with Mary Dalmau

Monthly Luncheon with Professor Marcus Wigan

Monthly Luncheon with Professor David de Kretser AC

College Table Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science

College Table Science The First Annual GraduateHouse Ball

The Graduate Union Open Day

NOVEMBER Monthly Luncheon with Ms Frances Mirabelli

Day trip to Ballarat

DECEMBER

GU Tastings and Twilight Lecture with Red Horse

Chairman’s Cocktail Party

Finance Information Seminar Risk and Pitfalls with Wealth Creation

Members’ Christmas Party


Our Resident Members The In-House International Collegium This world map shows a 2014 snapshot of the numbers of in-college Resident Members from each country. It demonstrates that Graduate House is one of the most international residential colleges in the world. Many residents are the only person in college from their country and the only person in college from a particular academic discipline. The experience of being able to converse daily with this group of developing world leaders in their fields is not repeated when our Resident Members leave college. The friendships and professional networks formed here stay with them for life throughout their ‘graduate pathways’. This unique college environment also provides the foundations of significant global initiatives - post-graduates from different countries and with expertise in different fields are likely to exert intelligent and collective influence in the future. It is thus intended that collegial activities at Graduate House will soon include training for teaming that can be sustained and grow into international programmes that benefit from innovation, collaboration and understanding, real action and the energy that our membership of graduates will apply.

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6

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Our Resident Members SHIAU CHING WONG As one born and raised in Singapore, I have often been asked about my research interests in the civil societies of Hong Kong and Taiwan. This passion was founded on years of watching Taiwanese news programs on cable television back home in Singapore, and a research paper I wrote on Taiwan’s democracy movement during the martial law period from 1949 to 1987. I was extremely inspired by the perseverance put in by the “Tangwai” opposition movement activists who gave up their comfortable lives and successful professional careers to fight for democratic reforms and freedom of expression, while facing risks of arrests and prosecution by the authoritarian government. While preparing my research proposal for application to the PhD research program, I read about Hong Kong’s annual pro-democracy demonstration on 1 July, and was amazed by the halfmillion turnout on 1 July 2003 which successfully deterred the government’s decision to implement Article 23, a legislation perceived widely as one which curtailed civil freedoms. This sparked my interest in Hong Kongers’ fight for democratic participation and I was motivated to do a comparative study of the social movements in both societies. It was a dream come true when I was accepted by The University of Melbourne with scholarships to cover my fees and most of my living expenses. I spent my first year in Melbourne shaping up my research proposal and selected my main case studies – the anti-National Education movement in Hong Kong and antimedia monopoly movement in Taiwan, which both occurred in the second half of 2012. I remember spending my days in Graduate House’s Johnston Library doing my readings and getting distracted by the Facebook updates of the protests. I developed my fieldwork plan to spend a total of five months in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where I met and interviewed activists and journalists, had long chats with locals about their political perspectives, and participated in protests, forums and even a training camp for student activists. It was a very fruitful period; I made valuable personal connections, and was enriched by what my informants shared during our interactions. I collected many touching accounts of their personal experiences at protest events, especially stories of the moral and material support given by the public. I wish I could write every of these down in my dissertation, but that would probably be another research project altogether!

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Film poster image is courtesy of Torne Films Ltd

I caught the documentary “Lessons in Dissent” when I was doing my fieldwork in Hong Kong last June and was quite moved by the passion put in by the writer-director Matthew Torne in making this film. As a non-commercial project, funding was mainly from Hong Kongers and Matthew used the deposit he had saved up for a house in the UK to raise money. The film has been shown in Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Prague and various cities in the US. I am part of a group of Australia-based volunteers (consisting of academics and students) who are bringing this film to screen in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Sydney. The Melbourne screening on 10 March 2015 was the first time the film featured in Australia and this event was made possible by sponsorship from the Screen and Cultural Studies Program, School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne, with support from the Research Unit in Public Cultures. The documentary’s Chinese title, 未夠秤 (which reads as “mei gau ching” in Cantonese, the most widely-used language in Hong Kong), means ‘not of age’. As this intentionallyironic title suggests, this documentary set in 2012, the year of the Chief Executive and Legislative Council elections, and anti-National Education movement, centres on two key characters, Joshua Wong who was 15, and Ma Zai, 17, who were under the legal adult age of 18. However their youth and risk of prosecution have not stopped them from being involved in social and political protests.

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The film charts the rise of Joshua Wong (a runner-up in Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2014) and Scholarism, the group that became a media darling and which led 120,000 protesters in one of Hong Kong’s biggest social movements to pressure the government to withdraw the implementation of National Education, a doctrinal-style of education designed to instil patriotism towards China. In contrast, Ma Jai works behind the scenes for the League of Social Democrats (LSD), a social democratic political party, where he does such menial work as setting and packing up promotional booths for the party. As Torne’s film aims to show, the two different forms of activism have been important in keeping Hong Kong’s fight for democracy alive. Following the protagonists through their daily lives and activities, the documentary presents key facets of Hong Kong’s pro-democratic activist scene, from political radio broadcasts to televised public debates, to the 4th June and 1st July mass rallies, complete with huge colourful banners and the mobile booths of political parties, and the provocative repertoire of LSD’s prolific veteran politician, “Long Hair” Leung KwokHung. The documentary, though lengthy in some parts, flows relatively seamlessly. Though the seven lessons of dissent are likely to be partly forgotten by the audience at the end, the key message is nevertheless driven home: growing concerns about Hong Kong’s political future are making the youth step out of the path of political apathy which their parents (and most of Hong Kong’s population) are known for. Lessons in Dissent offers a good picture for previously uninvolved audiences to understand the motivations behind the youths’ decision to put aside their otherwise carefree lives to toil night and day planning protests and canvassing for support, attending back-toback interviews (in Wong’s case), and facing pepper spray, public reprimand, and arrest. Most importantly, the film gives a good contextual lesson for those seeking to understand the roots of the recent Umbrella protests, and the background of some of the key activists involved.

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While working closely with Associate Professor Fran Martin from the School of Culture and Communication on the logistics of the event, I also roped in Wai Kin Tsui, a resident of Graduate House, now Graphic Designer of the Graduate House Student Committee, to help with the publicity of the event. Wai Kin designed a publicity flyer to promote the screening, and we made two trips round the campus to put up the colour posters. Graduate House also gave its generous support by publicising the event to the residents and guests. The screening attracted around 40 local and international academics and students in attendance, which was a modest success given it was held on a Tuesday afternoon, when many interested individuals were still held up in classes and meetings. The postscreening discussion was held with Matthew Torne and Avery Ng, an activist featured in the film, via video-conferencing. The audience was engaged with a lively discussion on democracy in Hong Kong, youth activism and political engagement with social media, and the director’s next project on stories from the Umbrella movement. The feedback on the film collected from some of the audience we spoke to was positive. Through the screening project, I am glad to have brought the story of Hong Kong to the audiences here, and hope this can generate more international concerns to the citizens’ ongoing fight for political freedom. Shiau Ching Wong is undertaking her research doctoral studies with the School of Culture and Communication at The University of Melbourne. Her research thesis, based on the anti-National Education movement in Hong Kong and anti-media monopoly movement in Taiwan, investigates the activists’ tactical engagement with social media and mainstream media, and their mutual interactions, in order to reassess the symbiotic movementmedia relationship. Shiau Ching has been a Resident Member of Graduate House since July 2012, and is found often in the Johnston Library struggling with her thesis writing. Images for the screening are courtesy of Philippa Riley.

The School of Culture and Communication is hosting the Minor Culture Conference 1st to 3rd December, 2015 with a postgraduate day workshop on 30th November. Place, identity, marginality, cultural policy and sustainability of cultures in the Asia-Pacific region will be explored.

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Our Resident Members DR STUART SO

I was born and raised in Hong Kong. With a strong interest in mathematics and technology, I studied engineering and graduated from City University of Hong Kong majoring in Electronic Engineering. In my final year project, I was involved in a regional infrastructure revamping project with a British telecommunication carrier. After graduation, I practised as an Information Technology (IT) professional and then I earned my Master of IT Management and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Macquarie University. Due to a growing interest in academic research, I completed a doctorate later on at Macquarie University with a focus on Lean Thinking and Business Modelling. This research has led to high impact publications, which helped me make a smooth career transition to academia. I am delighted that my research has been recognised by the Best Paper Award at the 2010 IEEE Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM) Conference, where my work was made known to some 1,000 attendees from around the world.

Pursuing research excellence I began my research career in the field of System Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University specialising in logistics engineering and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. I worked closely with the logistics services and retail industry with a special interest in bridging the gap between academic and industry problem solving. My research focused on process optimisation and I was involved in the projects involving unmanned technology and real-time inventory management. As my research interest shifted to operations management in the business domain; I took up a Research Fellowship at The City University of Hong Kong for two years to expand my research horizons and develop a continuing partnership with The International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) group. IMSS is a research project that has been conducted by a global academic network since 1992 and its survey results have become one of my valuable resources for doing empirical research. graduateunionannualreport • 58

After completion of my research fellowship, I came to Australia in 2012 working on behavioural sustainability with faculty members of the University of Queensland. I was awarded best paper in the 2012 Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) Conference for recognising the advancement made on this emerging topic. In 2014, I was awarded scholarships from The University of Melbourne to carry on my sustainability research in the manufacturing domain. After a year of hard work, my research is taking shaping with the model and necessary data in-place. Another aspect of my current work is in helping to review manuscripts for academic conferences and refereed journals from time to time as a contribution to the academic community. I received a best stream reviewer award in the 2014 ANZAM Conference in the Technology, Innovation and Supply Chain Management stream for the recognition of providing insightful critical comments to authors. My current research includes supply chain management, sustainability and technology management. I have published over thirty research articles with sixteen of these in refereed journals which are listed in the ABDC (Australia Business Dean Council) journal quality list established and used by the business schools in Australia. Besides following the national practice, it is imperative for authors to keep track of citations of their articles. The citation impact of my research articles is measured by Google Scholar Metrics as they provide an easy way for authors to quickly gauge the visibility and influence of recent articles in scholarly publications by quantifying both the usage and impact of the cited work. Two metrics are frequently used: (a) simple citation count, and (b) h-index. According to the London School of Economics (LSE), professors in the social sciences area had average h-indices ranging from 2.8 (in law) to 7.6 (in economics). On average across the disciplines, a full professor in the social sciences had an h-index of 4.9, whereas a senior lecturer had an h-index of 2.2. These are important benchmark figures for excelling in my research work.

Getting the research back to the business community My research largely involves the use of business modelling with the aim of helping decision-makers and practicing managers develop a better understanding of their business environment. It helps form an empirical basis for making sound decisions and strategy formulation. My current thesis is entitled ‘Fostering manufacturing sustainability with environmental, health and safety management: a multilevel approach‘. The research studies the practice of manufacturing sustainability from the human perspective on environment, safety and wellbeing by using the data obtained

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from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Global Competitiveness Manufacturing Practices and Performance (GMRG) survey project. It aims to facilitate the adoption of this emerging practice and to generate high-impact publications.

At the United Nations 2005 World Summit it was stressed that upholding sustainability requires the reconciliation of environmental, social and economic demands – i.e., the 'triple bottom line (TBL)' - for serving as a common ground for numerous sustainability standards and certification systems in recent years. Sustainability has been a global topic and is widely considered an important issue facing the manufacturing industries, particularly the high-tech manufacturers, which have a high awareness of maintaining competitiveness while being sustainable. The pressures arise from internal stakeholders such as employees as well as external stakeholders such as customers, shareholders, trading partners, and governments. My research develops comprehensive business models to study the influence of motivational drivers of adopting sustainability on the resulting operational performance. The research outputs aimed at helping manufacturing firms formulate sustainability strategies will be promoted to the industry through the members of the GMRG and IMSS research projects. In addition, it is equally important to promote the research to the academic community in the hope of getting an opportunity to carry on this research after my PhD. Therefore, seeking funding for attending conferences and joining professional societies (to maintain a strong connection with industry) is crucial. The Graduate House Research Scholarship can offer a valuable opportunity to meet these objectives. This is the major reason for me to choose Graduate House. Besides, it is also an enjoyable experience to have insightful conversations with the researchers and academics in the Graduate House community.

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Our College Tutors In 2014, Graduate House continued the 2013 launched Tutor Program so that others could continue to benefit from the expertise, qualifications, experience and skills of our Resident Members who are from all disciplines, all countries and cultures, and all life stages. This program is unique. Yes, it offers tutorials in college (like other residential colleges) but these are to learners who are based outside the college walls. Some of these learners are similar to those at other colleges - that is, undergraduates enrolled in university courses. However, our out-reach with this program is more broad. This is because we adhere to our founding objects to bring the Life and Thought of the University and of the Community into more direct relation with each other. Chanchal Chandramouli Language Support: Malay and Tamil Subjects: Genetics, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Physiology (cardiac)

Rachel Davies Language Support: English and French Subject: Political Science to advanced levels

Weijin Wang Language Support: Mandarin Subjects: Marketing, Management, Tourism and Hospitality

Tessa Satherley Language Support: Advanced English Subjects: Physics and the Arts, Academic writing

Riyan Stephan Language Support: English Subjects: Mathematics and Communication Engineering (Electronics)

Emmeline Wu Language Support: Mandarin

Rofan Teo Language Support: English Subject: Arts

Jingyao Yu Language Support: English and Mandarin Subjects: Mathematics and Business Management

Ping Guo Language Support: English and Mandarin. Subjects: Advertising and Communication

Oliver Lovell Language Support: Mandarin Subject: Mathematics

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Cecilia Liando Language Support: Indonesian Subjects: Reading, Writing, Speaking, ILTS, English Translation, Business, Academic Writing

Pravan Siriwardena Language Support: Latin Subjects: Reading, Writing, English Translation.

Enakshi Ambani Language Support: English Reading, Writing, Speaking, ILTS, Academic Writing

Joana Pinheir Language Support: Italian, German Listening, Reading, Writing.

David Alchin Language Support: English Subjects: Physiology, Immunology, Pathology, Infectious Diseases/ Microbiology, Medical Sciences

Thomas Morton Language Support: English Subjects: Music, Science

Bernadette Scutella Language Support: Italian Reading, Writing, Speaking, ILTS, Academic Writing

Shaik Muhammad Irfaan Language Support: English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia Reading, Writing, Speaking, ILTS, Academic Writing

Haoqu Wang Language Support: Mandarin Subjects: Mathematics, Engineering and Business Management

Bernice Carrick Language Support: English Subjects: Law and Legal Studies

Alexander McFayden Language Support: English Subjects: Mathematics, Reading, Writing, Speaking, ILTS, Academic Writing

Marissa Zwan Language Support: English, Dutch Subjects: Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience

Dolly Hoang Subjects: Mathematics, Science and Biology Chemistry

Wei Yang Tai Subjects: Mathematics, Engineering and Science

Shirley Shao Language Support: Mandarin Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening

Annelise Van de Ven Language Support: French, Latin, Dutch Subject: History, Anthropology, Art History

Louise Sonneveld Language Support: English Subjects: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Academic Writing, Proof Reading

Laura Gallardo Language Support: English Subjects: Biology, Anatomy, Psychiatry

Hamish Wishart Language Support: English Subject: Biology

Stephanie Liu Language Support: Mandarin Subjects: Mathematics, Science

Hawra Abdul Abbas Language Support: Arabic Subjects: Arabic, Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking

Renee Pasqualino Language Support: English Subject: Science, Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking, English Translation, Academic Writing, Proof Writing

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The Resident Members of the 2014 Tutor Team have assisted greatly in further developing this still relatively new program. Having understood the Association’s purpose of advancing education, they have been instrumental in providing opportunities for learning. The Graduate Union is grateful for their commitment to this collegial endeavour. We are confident that the Members and others who read our Melbourne Graduate will acknowledge and appreciate this contribution, and that our 2014 tutors will have benefited from the challenges of this experience and from the networking and career development support that will ensue.

The Graduate Union thanks all members of the 2014 College Tutor Team

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Graduate House Research Scholarship

Graduate House Student Group (GHSG) The Graduate House Student Group formed in September 2014 with Resident Members on the first Committee shown below. It became a constituted affiliated member of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) of The University of Melbourne. This affiliation brings benefits to GHSG, including opportunities to network with other post-graduate student groups, to apply for funding, to provide representation of post-graduate matters and to gain training.

The 2014 Graduate House Research Scholarship was awarded to Chanchal Chandramouli for her research on Sex differences and renin-angiotensin system in the diabetic heart. Chanchal used the funds to attend conferences over 2014 and present her results. Ms Chandramouli is currently undertaking her doctoral studies in cardiac physiology which she began in 2013.

Graduate House Bursaries

Annelies Van de Ven President

Chieh-Yu (Jai) Chen Vice President

Rebecca Young Treasurer

Mattias Björnmalm Events Coordinator

Bursaries were awarded to support coursework studies of Resident Members (from left to right) Dr Viet Nguyen (Doctor of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences), Thomas Morton (Doctor of Optometry, Graduate School of Science), Tim Everson (Doctor of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences) and Rachel Davies (Law, Juris Doctor, Law School).

The National Student Leadership Forum In August 2014, Resident members Mattias Bjornmalm and Annelies Van de Ven represented The Graduate Union at The National Student Leadership Forum on faith and values in Canberra.

Candice Tan Publicity Coordinator

Tim Everson Sports Coordinator

Sophie Clark Secretary

Tessa Satherley Secretary

The GHSG committee is comprised of Resident Members in positions that include a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Events Coordinator, Sports Coordinator, Publicity Coordinator and Annual Ball Coordinator. It has established a succession process to ensure its continuation with the ever-changing population of Graduate House, and has already contributed immeasurably to a new way for collegiate life by arranging events, welcoming new residents and helping them to arrange their own activities which in 2014 included movie and trivia nights, baking sessions, weekend potluck dinners, soccer in the park, table tennis and badminton competitions, and first aid tutorials with demonstrations on cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

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Hailing from Belgium and holding a Master of Arts (Ancient History and Archaeology, University of St Andrews), Annelies is undertaking a Middle Eastern Studies doctorate at The University of Melbourne. She is an outstanding contributor to college life as the inaugural President of the Graduate House Resident Group and as a GSA liaison. Mattias holds a Master of Science in Engineering Nanoscience from Lund University, Sweden and is undertaking doctoral studies in biomolecular nanoscience at The University of Melbourne. He is one of our three Duty Residents and has been working tirelessly to establish a sustainable model for the Graduate House College Groups and to provide free first aid training to other Resident Members.

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Graduate House Ball Graduate House held its inaugural ball on Friday, 17th October, 2014. The theme of ‘Wonka Wonderland’ attracted attendees with a confusion of costumes, or confused costumed attendees. The night began with ‘Mad Hatter’ pre-drinks in the Anderson Room, shifting later to ‘Wonderland’ (otherwise known as the Stillwell Room), a magical place with balloons, dazzling streamers, finger food, a photo booth and mountains of candy. From flowing majestic dresses to bright purple top hats, everyone was in high spirits and showed off energetic moves on the dance floor, drank gin and cucumber cocktails by the bar, or got their face colourfully painted. Prizes were awarded to the King and Queen of the Ball and for the Best Dressed before the music and dancing continued late into the night. The Graduate Union thanks the members of the 2014 Graduate House Student Group who all worked tirelessly to make the night a success, as well as Julia Melanson on music! Candice Tan’s review article in the November Monthly Newsletter is the source of inspiration for this abbreviated version.

Graduate Union College Alumni Our college was officially opened in 1962 with seven residential rooms in the newly refurbished Gladstone Terraces. Three years later there were 24 rooms and by 1971, there was a total of 54 rooms in the now-named William Berry Wing. In 2005 we gained over 50 rooms through construction of the middle main building and since the opening of the Stella Langford Wing in 2010, we now have 114 college accommodation rooms. The Graduate Union College Alumni (GUCA) brings past residents together. Our college alumni, numbering well over 10,000, are located around the world. Together they represent the best, the brightest and the most successful, elevating the standing of our college and our association in the international graduate community. With our alumni’s engagement and participation, we have for all graduates of all ages and countries, advice, service, financial support, recruitment of new members and ambassadorial representation. Networking and participation opportunities help with placements, career development, employment and business referrals. GUCA allows alumni to revisit and reflect upon their times here at Graduate House, and to explore how this period in college influenced their ‘graduate pathway’. With involved college alumni, we are well placed to preserve traditions and our rich college history while planning and preparing for the college’s future. We are very grateful for the volunteer work of Prisci Skaria and Penelope Gilbert for their updating of the digital records for all past residents from 2008. Additionally, Penelope made good progress with the task of scanning into our GUCA database photographs of past residents recorded in the earliest Melbourne Graduate periodicals and our newsletters. This is just one step in this large task of completing our GUCA database. Much research remains to be undertaken to gain sufficient and comprehensive information so that we can establish and improve contact. If you are a past resident reading this Melbourne Graduate, please get back in touch. Similarly, volunteer support from past residents is also welcomed to assist us in completing this database entry task. We hope also that our alumni across the world will self-organise to establish their own regional GUCA networks and help us with this mission for alumni to stay connected and involved.

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Buildings and Facilities

2014 Projects The major projects completed by the Building Services team over 2014 include significant capital improvements to our buildings and facilities. They have been to address our environmental impact, to ensure safety and comfort and to improve the quality of our residential, meeting room and public space facilities. These enhancements mean that we are well-positioned to continue to attract graduates to Graduate House for college accommodation, meeting services and GU Collegiate functions. Kitchen in the Terraces

Graduate House, located in the heart of the graduate precinct, extends from number 210 Leicester Street in Carlton, just beside the Melbourne Business School, to number 234 on the corner with Grattan Street. It has three wings: • the William Berry Wing of terraces (222-234), with the Johnston Library, the MV Anderson Room, the Resident Members’ kitchen, dining area and games room, the offices of The Graduate Union and 45 residential rooms; • the ‘main building’ (216-220), for which a major donor for naming rights is sought, with 59 residential rooms, the main kitchen, the dining area and Phillip Law Members’ Lounge, our reception foyer and two meeting spaces; and • the Stella Langford Wing (210-214), with ten self-contained apartments, a secure multilevel car park and three ground floor meeting spaces.

Occupancy For 2014, the average occupancy rate was 90.96% as compared to 93.60% in 2013. As shown in this bar graph, the months from February to November had average occupancy rates of 89.60% and above, with August and September having the highest average rates (99.21% and 98.74%, respectively). Though the average occupancy rate for January was 20.94% lower than that for January 2013, the rate in December 2014 was 8.01% higher than that in December 2013 and is attributed to improved marketing to and networking with conference and summer school organisers.

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As indicated in last year’s Annual Report, the kitchen on the ground floor of the terraces has been used by our Resident Members since 2005 for the preparation of daily lunches and weekend meals, and for food storage. Given the large number now in-house - up to 120 per night - it was imperative to improve this facility. A much needed and major refurbishment was thus initiated late 2013 and was completed early 2014. The Residents’ Kitchen now has a new exhaust and stainless steel canopy, two new stove tops and ovens, a commercial dishwasher, stainless steel splash backs, two more sinks, a new hot water unit and a storage and bench preparation areas. The kitchen and adjoining preparation room have been re-plastered and repainted, and there is coving at the juncture of the floor and walls.

Refrigeration Units in the Main Building In conjunction with the kitchen refurbishment, 58 refrigeration units were installed in the residential rooms of the main building, freeing up much-needed space for food storage in the shared refrigerators for those residing in the terraces. Each unit is housed in a custommade cabinet placed beneath or alongside the desk of each room. Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) free and environmentally friendly, these units operate noiselessly and without vibration. Main Kitchen

Saying farewell to an oven that had served the kitchen well, but that had decided to retire, the main kitchen now has a new OES-6.20 Convotherm combination convection oven with programmable controls and automatic adjustments of moisture levels during cooking based on the food cooked. It has some interesting methods for alerting our chefs of cooking completion, with the train sound in particular worrying us all that perhaps the underground rail loop and a station at the university went ahead after all.

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Davey Lofts

Buildings and Facilities Committee As specified in the terms of reference, the general role of the Buildings and Facilities committee is to monitor and review policies and practices relating to the development and management of The Graduate Union’s buildings and facilities. More specifically, the committee:

As indicated in last year’s Annual Report, the generous bequest from Dr T Ronald A Davey was put towards a major upgrade to the terrace roofs, now named the Davey Lofts (above). The majority of this work was undertaken late in 2013 and the project was completed in 2014. The project involved the replacement of all box (rain) gutters, waterproofing and re-rendering. Access ladders and eight harness points were also installed to ensure safe access to the roofs.

Asset Register Over 2014, data entry to the new asset management system was completed. Photographs of all assets, together with details, were incorporated progressively and a system for listing and categorising assets according to type, location or value was developed, together with a schedule for depreciation and for replacement. Pictured are examples from our art collection. To the right is an original sparsely coloured map of ‘Canterbrigia’ (Cambridge), with Latin text and figures, by an unidentified cartographer. Below left is QUAE GENUS turned out of a house which he mistakes for his own and below right is QUAE GENUS engaged with jovial friends : Or...Who sings best by Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), a leading caricaturist of Georgian England.

• oversees the development of a master plan (physical infrastructure) for any future expansion of The Graduate Union’s buildings and facilities; • oversees the development of plans for upgrading specific buildings, parts of buildings or facilities; • reviews the fees, charges and conditions for the use of college residential rooms and facilities and recommends any changes for adoption by the Council; • monitors the implementation of approved capital expenditure; • monitors and ensures timely maintenance of all buildings and facilities; • establishes, reviews and updates operational risk management policies and monitors their application; and • reviews the optimal use of buildings and facilities and recommends to Council any changes thought desirable or necessary. It has been a productive and busy year for this committee and I thank committee members Andre Cleghorn (who Chaired this committee for the first half of the year), Rhys Watson (Vice Chair), David Cowie, Glenda Fisher, Robert Heaton, Cheryl Kidston, Jo Ligouris and the two Resident Member Representatives, Huiting Wang and Tom Morton. A big thank you is given to the staff who continued to work hard all through 2014 to deliver quality services and quality improvements. These include our CEO/ Head of College, Operations Manager, Accommodation Manager, the Building Services team and the Housekeeping team, as well as the staff who undertake secretariat, administrative, contracting and human resource, financial and database management functions. If appointed to this committee for 2015/2016, I look forward to working with a similar team over the coming year and to consulting further with our many Member cohorts about the future of our buildings and facilities. Cr David Sparks Chair of the Buildings and Facilities Committee

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Meet the Team

Hospitality, Guest Services and Culinary staff

The Graduate Union has three main operational divisions, one to manage the college accommodation, another for membership and meeting services and the third to undertake all of the back-end administrative and management functions. Here we show the faces, names and position titles for the hard-working, customer-service oriented and friendly members of The Graduate Union operational team. On behalf of the Members, The Graduate Union thanks them for their service to our Association.

Office Staff

Daniel Clark Operations Manager

Jaimy Skaria Development Manager

Alex Skaria Systems Development Manager

Diana Bachman Accommodation Manager

Priya Rajoo Membership Relations Officer

Punam Kunwar Finance Systems Officer

Shirley Ho Editorial Coordinator

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Eliah Castiello Editorial Officer

Zac Matthews Graphic Designer

Renji Harold Web and Social Media Officer

Rosie Ellul Hospitality Manager

Bill Mihelakis Functions and Guest Services Manager

Marwa Tantawy Functions and Guest Services Manager

Sujata Manandhar Guest Services Staff

Aneesh Haridas Guest Services Staff

Mason Terret Guest Services Staff

Penelope Gilbert Guest Services Staff

Connor Hadley Guest Services Staff

Basma Tantawy Co-Head Chef Culinary Section

Nelson Hu Co-Head Chef Culinary Section

Keith Turney Trainee Chef

Pieter Schols Chef

Draga Jeftic Kitchen Services Staff

Natasha Sedman Kitchen Services Staff

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Staff News

Building Services and Housekeeping Staff

Graduate House reopened on the 6th January, 2014. Returning residents were checking in after the Christmas and New Year break; as were new and regular delegates from various organisations. High occupancy, dining room bookings, conferences, meetings and accommodation meant it was already another busy year at Graduate House.

Anne Ladkins Head Housekeeper

George Jaksic Building Services Manager

Sheila Bevan Housekeeping Staff

Scott Nelson Building Services Officer

Desrei Love Housekeeping Staff

Manuel Labaki Building Services Officer

Stana Stojanovic Housekeeping Staff

David Bilcock Building Services Officer

At the front desk, Accommodation Manager, Diana Bachman faced another challenging year in trying to fit in as many accommodation requests as possible. Even though we have extended the evening reception hours to 7.00pm, to suit the Residents returning from day classes, the front desk is still the busiest in the morning. Many Residents Members are up and ready to deal with their college matters before breakfast. In the front office, we have Finance Systems Officer Punam Kunwar and Membership Relations Officer Priya Rajoo who both assist the front desk when it becomes busy. Having recently graduated with a Masters of Professional Accounting, Punam is now undertaking all administration relating to finance systems and the reporting of income and expenditure, as well as coordinating arrangements with our many reciprocal associations worldwide. Priya shifts between coordinating GU Collegiate functions and managing all membership related matters, attending also the Membership and Marketing Committee meetings. Filling in the role of Development Manager is Jaimy Skaria who took over the position left vacant by Rhonda Lu in July. We wish Rhonda all the best in her future plans. Besides secretariat function duties for Council and its committees and working parties, and in between providing support to the CEO/Head of College, Jaimy also assists in the documentation of schedules and procedures and attends Council meetings. Following the successful switch to the Windows-based system on .Net technology in division modules created by Alex Skaria, staff members welcomed the tremendous ease

Housekeepers Sheila, Anne and Anna with Helga (AKA Daniel)

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Zac and Jaimy serving cakes at the Twilight Lecture

Renji, Zac, Kerry and Eliah all ready for the first GU Ball in October

Alex looking after GU Merchandise at the Twilight Lecture

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Like Sujata, Guest Services staff Aneesh Haridas also helps out in the office using his newly acquired Masters degree in International Business. Also assisting the APD team is Guest Services staff member, Mason Terrett, who is in his final year of studies in Geospatial Sciences at RMIT. We welcomed Penelope Gilbert and Connor Hadley to the Guest Services team. Penelope had volunteered earlier in the year to update our GUCA records, and has also assisted in the kitchen.

Keith cheering on as staff members Nelson, Diana and Marwa promote the sausage sizzle on GU Open Day

Zac, Diana, Anne and Scotty at the GU Ball.

that the software has provided in 2014. Alex continues to provide in-house technical support in all divisions while also managing system support for our website, our social media channels and for our information and communication requirements. In August, we welcomed new staff Renji Harold to the Publications and Social media team. In his role as Web and Social Media Officer, Renji keeps our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media channels up to date, as well as our website. Renji is in his second year of a Masters degree in Information Technology at The University of Melbourne. Editorial Coordinator Shirley Ho continues to look after all aspects of mailout, publications and printing materials alongside team members Eliah Castiello and Zac Matthews. We congratulate Eliah who graduated recently with a Bachelor in Social Sciences: Legal and Dispute and Zac who obtained a Bachelor of Communication Design in December. The publication team continue to work on producing the annual calendar, Monthly Newsletters, the Annual Report and the Melbourne Graduate periodicals, as well as all flyers for GU Collegiate functions. The Residents handbook has now been completed and has been in circulation to all Residents since December 2014.

Co-Head Chefs Nelson Hu and Basma Tantawy enjoyed another busy year in the Culinary Section of Graduate House, meeting the catering needs of conference attendees and guests using our facilities, as well as providing meals for the Resident Members. Nelson continues to prepare the weekday breakfast and earlier daytime catering, and is constantly introducing new menu items in his role as the “Asian Cuisine Chef ”. Basma brings expertise and culinary skills in the form of Middle Eastern cuisine and delicious desserts, covering the remainder of the week-days, as well as weekend breakfasts and functions. Both contribute greatly to the sumptuous menu at our special functions, including our Monthly Luncheons. Pieter Schols and Keith Turney both work on a casual basis and have contributed significantly to our talented kitchen team. Continuing her role assisting with kitchen duties is Draga Jeftic and we welcomed also to the team Natasha Sedman. Working on alternate shifts, both Draga and Natasha both play a big role in looking after Resident Members who have requested late dinners after having attended evening lectures and meetings. We said goodbye to Woody Ti-Jui Wu, who worked with us from January till August before returning home. We wish him the very best in the future. The Building Services team, headed by George Jaksic, has had another very busy twelve months looking after the many daily repairs and maintenance, while also undertaking all major refurbishment works as noted in the Buildings and Facilities Report. The team also includes Building Services Officers Manuel Labaki, who joined in July, and David Bilcock, who replaced Scott Nelson. Scott left us to pursue studies in Youth Work and we wish him all the very best - he will be a wonderful youth worker.

Overlooking all areas is Operations Manager Daniel Clark who ensures our building facilities from the kitchen to the carpark, our contracts and our financial systems keep running as they ought. Hospitality Manager, Rosie Ellul enjoyed another busy year with bookings for APD (Academic and Professional Development) meetings. Rosie and her team continues to provide great service to meeting, seminar and conference delegates. Function and Guest Services Managers, Marwa Tantawy and Bill Mihelakis are instrumental in producing the incredible amount of positive feedback following each event. They fulfil duties in flexible shifts, from early morning to evening and over weekends, to accommodate the needs of facilitators and delegates at Graduate House. They do so while ensuring the smooth running of the bar and dining room. The team also comprises Sujata Manandhar who continues her role in Guest Services on a casual basis, shifting in 2015 to work also in the office.

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Renji and George at a table tennis game refereed by Alex

Staff singing carols at the Members Christmas Party in December

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Everyone will agree that Graduate House has at its core a certain ambience and pleasant atmosphere. No one deserves more thanks for maintaining our positive environment than our dedicated Housekeeping team. Head housekeeper Anne Ladkins sets high standards along with Sheila Bevans, Stana Stojanovic and Desrei Love, who joined the team following the departure of Anna Condello who retired in June. The girls work tirelessly in keeping the residential rooms, toilets and bathrooms clean and tidy. This team goes out of their way to get to know our Resident Members. They provide much appreciated chats, advice and friendly shoulders to new residents who may be homesick especially those who have left home for the first time.

The Wedding of Punam Kunwar and Prakash Thapa We congratulate our dear Punam, who went home to Kathmandu, Nepal in February 2015 to marry Prakash Thapa. If you think he looks familiar, it’s because Prakash used to work on a casual basis as a Guest Services staff member. The four-day wedding ceremony was a huge social event which showcased the extraordinary communal values of the Nepali people. All relatives of both the bride and the bridegroom were invited. In fact, it can be said that nearly the whole neighbourhood participated. Understandably, preparation for the wedding had begun many months prior! The wedding itself was held on the 10th February 2015. Assembling at the groom’s place, the male kin and clan entourage of the groom head to the bride’s house for this main event. Unlike in Australia, the women on the groom’s side do not go to the wedding. They remain at home, celebrating with relatives and friends and preparing to welcome the new bride into their home.

Punam Kunwar and Prakash Thapa

Following the Graha Shanti ceremony, the groom’s large procession (Janti) made its way to Punam’s family home. Along the way a Panche Baja band played the Punam and her proud Mother five traditional Nepalese instruments: a Dholaki (two sided drum), Tyamko (a small kettle drum), Sahanai (a short pipe), Jhurma (cymbals) and a Narsiha (long curved wide-mouthed horn).

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Punam’s family welcomed the Janti with a great banquet that began with appetisers (Nepali pizza, momo dumplings, vegetable tempura, marinated peanuts and chicken roast) and then continued with rice, meat and curry dishes (yellow lentils, green vegetables, goat meat curry, fried fish, rajma beans), salads, relishes and dessert (a black forest cake and lal mohan deep fried sweets), as well as many beverages. Besides the families of the bride and groom, there were approximately 350 people in attendance. Dressed in traditional outfits with a splendour of colourful accessories, Punam and Prakesh were treated like queen and king for the day. In addition to the traditional application of much make-up, Punam wore temporary tattoos (Mehndi) and a lot of very heavy gold jewellery. The main rituals of the wedding day included the Swayambhar, where floral garlands were exchanged after Punam’s parents officially ‘gave away’ their daughter (Kanyadan) to the groom. The Mandap ceremonies followed, where the newlyweds pledged to keep their union for seven lives by tying a symbolic knot and walking together around a sacred conflagration of fire seven times. After this, Prakash put a mark of red-vermilion powder called Sindur on Punam’s forehead and placed red glass beaded necklaces (Potes) around his new bride’s neck. These signify the bride as a married women, differentiating her status from that of an unmarried girl, and are worn for sixteen days. The wedding party from the bride’s family then bid farewell to Punam - obviously quite an emotional time for Mum and Dad - and watched the groom’s party return home with the bride. The next day was for the reception with Prakesh’s family hosting about 400 guests. The day again has many rituals including a major gift giving ceremony where the bride’s family gives jewellery, clothes and money to the groom’s family. Singing, dancing, entertainment and much celebration continued late into the evening with the bride and groom then returning to Punam’s family for one night and then to the groom’s family for the next, again with many more gifts for the groom’s family. Though we were very happy to welcome Punam and Prakesh back to Australia, we know that they both miss home terribly. Graduate House extends its very best wishes for a long and happy married life to our newlyweds.

A rickshaw photo shoot.

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The wedding of Sujata manandhar and Bishal Gauli Congratulations are also extended to our wonderful Sujata who returned to Nepal to marry long time sweetheart, Bishal Gauli. Most will recognise Bishal who used to work in the culinary section from 2007 until 2012. Bishal returned to Graduate House recently to help out during the extremely busy month of November 2014. A very happy Sujata once told us, “It is lucky to find a best friend. It is even luckier to have your best friend as your husband.” After meeting in college eight years ago, Sujata and Bishal’s friendship continued to grow and in early 2015 that happy union led to their marriage, held on the 14th February. As with most traditional marriages in South Asia, preparations begin well before the wedding day. Beginning on the 12th February with the traditional engagement ceremony, approximately 50 family members and close friends of both the bride and bridegroom congregated at Sujata’s family home in Kathmandu to mark the beginning of two weeks of wedding rituals. During this ceremony, Bishal and his family formally asked the bride’s family for Sujata’s hand in marriage. Having a confirmed ‘yes’, the formal details of the days to follow were then finalised, including the size and composition of the groom’s procession, the schedule of proceedings and the itinerary for the wedding day. The wedding ceremony, which Members may already have noted coincided with Valentine’s Day, began with the groom’s Janti procession to the bride’s home. On arrival, rituals and blessings were performed to congratulate and bless the couple who were ceremoniously decorated in traditional Nepalese attire, traditional head wear, jewellery, other accessories, such as colourful garlands, and Mehndi (henna hand painting). The main ritual was Kanyadaan, where Sujata was formally ‘gifted’ away by her family members to the groom. This was followed by the Sindur ceremony where Bishal put

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vermilion on his bride’s forehead to indicate her new position as his wife. A magnificent feast was then held for the relatives and close friends of the wedding party. The day long wedding ceremony ended with the bride and groom departing for Bishal’s hometown in Chitwan, five hours away by car, with Sujata’s sister and aunt. On arrival, the new bride was warmly welcomed by her husband’s mother and sister. The couple were then blessed by all family members and relatives who had come together to celebrate the union. The next day, the wedding reception held in Chitwan was attended by approximately 400 relatives and friends. As this was virtually the first public appearance of the couple together as man and wife, the reception involved many opportunities for the new bride to become acquainted with her husband’s family and relatives; and for Sujata be officially accepted and represented as an important member of her new family.

Sujata’s hands (on top of Bishal’s) with Henna hand painting, an art commonly used on new brides in South Asia.

On the fourth day, the 18th February, another grand reception was held at Kathmandu, again hosted by Sujata’s family. At this wedding party, family members and friends were among the huge gathering of approximately 600 guests who came together to celebrate. Sujata and Bishal received gifts and blessings from family members, relatives and friends in attendance. There was an array of excellent food, good music and non-stop dancing to round up the wedding reception.

The bride in colourful traditional attire for the wedding.

Bishal and Sujata at the bride’s home

After a brief rest day following the wedding reception in Chitwan, Sujata and Bishal made their journey back to Sujata’s home in Kathmandu for another ceremony. New groom Bishal was welcomed with a great feast by his new in-laws. Bishal exchanged betel nuts and gifts with Sujata’s family members. This is a ritual usually performed after the wedding at the home of the groom’s in laws.

Sujata and Bishal on their wedding day

We are very glad to have them now back safe and sound in Australia and wish Bishal and Sujata a happy married life. Our fond regards are sent also to Sujata’s beautiful grandmother who visited us here in Australia in 2014.

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Finance and Audit Finance and Audit Committee

The Finance and Audit Committee supports the Council of the Graduate Union by monitoring and reviewing the policies and practices relating to the sourcing, management, control and auditing of the Association’s finances, as well as the management of financial risk. More specifically, the subcommittee is to: • monitor the continuing longer term financial viability of the Association; • advise Council on the protection of The Association’s charitable status; • monitor the management of The Association’s trust fund; • monitor The Association’s monthly financial reports, identifying any significant variations from budget and directing appropriate corrective action in collaboration with other relevant subcommittees; • monitor the management of financial risk, including the adequacy of internal systems of risk identification and risk treatment; • establish, review and recommend to the Council any changes necessary to The Association’s corporate risk framework; • review the draft annual budget and recommend the budget to Council for approval; • advise Council on any matter relating to present or future debt; • ensure statutory accounts comply with relevant reporting standards; • liaise with the external auditor throughout the period of the audit and facilitate finalisation of the Audit Report; and • review the annual external auditor’s report and ensure that management responds in a timely way to recommendations made therein.

Policy Development Initiatives

In 2014, as part of the continuing focus on governance and internal financial controls, Council and all subcommittees of Council took the opportunity to finalise their respective terms of reference (composition, roles and responsibilities and delegated authorities). With the new Rules adopted by Members at the 2014 Annual General Meeting (29th May, 2015), consequential amendments were made also to the Regulations which include each sub-committee’s terms of reference. Policies developed through the Finance and Audit Committee and adopted by Council in 2014 included those on Entitlements and Expenses for Governing Body Members and Pricing. Additionally, a comprehensive Risk Mitigation and Management analysis was undertaken on the key risk categories of Market Factors to Income, Expense Exposure, Environmental Factors, Building and Plant, Legal and Compliance, Governance and Leadership, Health and Safety, Values, Ethics and Culture, External Relations and Quality. Risks in each of these categories were further assessed to determine causes, preventative measures, monitoring approaches and corrective actions. As indicated in Note 15. Events After the Balance Sheet Date in the following Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2014, a new five year loan facility was agreed with the National Australia Bank in March 2015. This decision by Council was the result of advice received from the Finance and Audit committee which had been overseeing the comprehensive research and financial modelling of the costs/benefits of refinancing in light of the economic outlook and the decreasing interest rates. The new loan facility gives The Graduate Union potential for principal reductions, whilst still providing the flexibility to redraw additional loan funds, as required, to the facility limit. graduateunionannualreport • 82

Financial Performance For the year ending 31 December 2014, the Graduate Union incurred a small surplus of $18,551 which compares favourably with the slight loss incurred in 2013 of $2,848. Operating revenue in 2014 (of $3,170 million) was marginally higher (0.47%) than that in 2013 (of $3.155 million), with Accommodation and Catering again being the dominant sources of income. Total operating expenses for the year (of $3.166M) were approximately 1.85% lower than those in 2013 (of $3.226 million), with the increases in repairs and maintenance, communications and rates and government expenses being offset somewhat by reductions to employment, interest and bank fee, catering, legal and insurance expenses. Capital Reserves (cash and cash equivalents) totalled $1.01 million at the end of 2014, and the Association’s total Property Plant and Equipment were valued in our books at just over $22.730 million.

Capital Expenditure A total of $81,051 was committed and spent on capital works at the Graduate Union. The major projects for the year being: (a) relocation and upgrades of the fire panel; (b) conclusion of the installation of small refrigeration units in the main building residential rooms; (c) major refurbishment of the residents’ kitchen; and (d) replacement of the ‘Combi Oven’ in the main kitchen. These works were funded from our capital reserves.

Operating Income

A breakdown of operating income is shown in the pie chart to the left. Revenue from donations and bequests is not illustrated. I thank the members of the committee for 2014 Peter Clark (Vice Chair to May), David Cowie (Vice Chair from May), Phillip Cobbin, Glenda Fisher, Keith Ryall and Peter Wetherall – as well as our accountant, Kay Gulenc, our auditor, Tony Law, and the finance management and administration team. Cr Leo Santalucia Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee

83 • graduateunionannualreport


The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963

IARN: A0023234B

for the year ended 31 December 2014

FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014

CONTENTS Page

The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. Incorporated Association Registration Number (IARN): A0023234B Australian Business Number (ABN): 55 610 664 963

Council Report

1

Statement of Comprehensive Income

2

Statement of Financial Position

3

Statement of Changes in Equity

4

Statement of Cash Flows

5

Notes to the Financial Statements

6

Statement by Councillors

13

Independent Audit Report

14

Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2014

graduateunionannualreport • 84

85 • graduateunionannualreport


The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

ABN: 55 610 664 963

ABN: 55 610 664 963

IARN: A0023234B

IARN: A0023234B

Council Report

Statement of Comprehensive Income

for the year ended 31 December 2014

for the year ended 31 December 2014

Your Councillors submit the financial report of the Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. for the financial year ended 31 December 2014. Council Members The names of Council Members throughout the year and at the date of this report are: President – Major General Professor Jeffrey V Rosenfeld AM OBE KStJ Chairperson - Hon Justice T G Pagone (to July 2014) Chairperson – Ms C A Kidston (from July to September 2014) Chairperson – Mr R A J Watson (from September 2014) Vice-Chairperson – Ms C A Kidston Ex-officio and nominees of the Vice-Chancellor of The University of Melbourne Ms J Ligouris Mr S Lutley Members Mrs J J Batrouney QC Mr A G Cleghorn Dr P E Cobbin Mrs V Corcoran Mr D G M Cowie (from April 2014) Mr R K Davis Mrs G J Fisher Ms C A Kidston Hon Justice T G Pagone (to July 2014) Mr K Ryall Mr L Santalucia Mr D N Sparks M Mr R A J Watson (from September 2014) Mr P J Wetherall (from October 2014)

Note 2(a) 2(b)

Revenue Donations Employment expenses Interest and bank fees Catering expenses Repairs and maintenance Communications expenses Professional fees Utilities expenses Legal expenses Depreciation Rates and government taxes Insurance expenses Scholarship

2014 $

2013 $

3,169,553 15,603 (1,504,148) (566,952) (492,507) (226,005) (141,988) (49,711) (80,178) (2,805) (28,084) (36,545) (32,682) (5,000)

3,154,774 68,512 (1,511,789) (573,736) (517,551) (208,666) (124,745) (74,384) (86,140) (20,283) (32,109) (28,697) (43,034) (5,000)

Surplus / (deficit) for the year

18,551

(2,848)

Total Comprehensive Income for the year

18,551

(2,848)

Councillors’ Remuneration The Councillors of the Association have received no benefits during the financial year for the performance of their duties as members of Council. Principal Activities The principal activities during the financial year were the operation of a residential college affiliated with The University of Melbourne and the provision of facilities for members of the Association to enjoy educational, social and intellectual activities. Significant Changes No significant change in the nature of these activities occurred during the year. Operating result The surplus from activities for the financial year amounted to $18,551 Signed in accordance with a resolution of the members of the Council:

...............................................

...............................................

Mr R A J Watson - Chairperson

Ms C A Kidston - Vice Chairperson

Dated this second day of the month of April in the year 2015.

graduateunionannualreport • 86

3

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements 4

87 • graduateunionannualreport


The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

ABN: 55 610 664 963

ABN: 55 610 664 963

IARN: A0023234B

IARN: A0023234B

Statement of Financial Position

Statement of Changes in Equity

as at 31 December 2014

for the year ended 31 December 2014 Note

2014 $

2013 $

ASSETS

2014

CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents Trade and other receivables Inventories Prepayments

5 6 7

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS NON-CURRENT ASSETS Property, plant and equipment

8

TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS TOTAL ASSETS

1,008,380 23,012 31,696 152,600

1,060,172 31,583 23,421 166,480

1,215,688

1,281,656

22,729,988

22,635,074

22,729,988

22,635,074

23,945,676

23,916,730

LIABILITIES 9 10

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Borrowings

11

367,944 140,109

384,577 123,468

508,053

508,045

7,000,000

7,000,000

TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

7,000,000

7,000,000

TOTAL LIABILITIES

7,508,053

7,508,045

NET ASSETS

16,437,623

16,408,685

14,520,338

14,494,348

1,917,285

1,914,337

16,437,623

16,408,685

EQUITY Reserves Retained earnings TOTAL EQUITY

Total Reserves

Reserves

$

$

$

Balance at 1 January 2014 Surplus/(Deficit) from ordinary activities and donations

1,914,337 13,869,777 571,831

$

2,948

0

10,993

0

0

15,387

Transfers to/(from) reserves Balance at 31 December 2014

1,917,285 13,869,777 598,211

Retained Earnings

39,282

2,958

150

4,460

0

15,603

18,551

(5,000)

0

10,387

10,387

39,432

2,418

10,500 14,494,348 16,408,685

10,500 14,520,338 16,437,623

Total Reserves

Reserves

$

$

$

Total Equity $

Revaluation Building Residents’ Bursaries Stillwell Reserve Reserve Assistance Reserve Collection Reserve Balance at 1 January 2013 Surplus/(Deficit) from ordinary activities and donations Transfers to/(from) reserves Balance at 31 December 2013

a.

1,985,697 13,869,777 508,047

38,784

3,728

10,500 14,430,836 16,416,533

(71,360)

0

63,784

498

4,230

0

68,512

(2,848)

0

0

0

0

(5,000)

0

(5,000)

(5,000)

1,914,337 13,869,777 571,831

39,282

2,958

10,500 14,494,348 16,408,685

The Residents’ Fund in the 2014 Reserves is the name adopted by Council in 2014 for the Residents’ Assistance Reserve shown in the 2013 Reserves.

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements

5

6

graduateunionannualreport • 88

Total Equity

Revaluation Building Residents’ Bursaries Stillwell a Reserve Reserve Fund Reserve Collection

2013

CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade and other payables Provisions

Retained Earnings

89 • graduateunionannualreport


The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

ABN: 55 610 664 963

ABN: 55 610 664 963

IARN: A0023234B

Statement of Cash Flows

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 December 2014

for the year ended 31 December 2014 2014

2013

3,008,173 107,714 29,115 (3,139,494)

2,820,889 84,005 76,630 (3,176,517)

5,508

(194,993)

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Property rentals Interest received Funds expended on development and renovations Funds expended on asset purchases

35,589 30,109 (81,051) (41,947)

39,403 33,603 (131,663) (18,177)

Net cash used in investing activities

(57,300)

(76,834)

(51,792) 1,060,172

(271,827) 1,331,999

1,008,380

1,060,172

Note CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Receipts from accommodation and catering Receipts from subscriptions Donations and other income Payments to suppliers and employees Net cash provided by operating activities

$

14

Net increase / (decrease) in cash held Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of financial year Cash and cash equivalents at end of financial year

5

$

IARN: A0023234B

The Financial Statements cover The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. as an individual entity incorporated in Victoria under the Associatio n s Incorporation Re form Act 2012 ( Vic) . 1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (a)

Basis of Preparation The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. has elected to early adopt the pronouncements AASB 1053 Application of Tiers of Australian Accounting Standards and AASB 2010--2 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from Reduced Disclosure Requirements to the annual reporting period beginning 1 January 2012. The Financial Statements are general purpose financial statements that have been prepared in accordance with the Australian Accounting Standards, Australian Accounting Interpretations, 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 Benefit 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. Increases in the carrying amount arising on revaluation of land and buildings are credited to a revaluation reserve in equity. Decreases that offset previous increases of the same asset are charged against the revaluation reserves directly in equity. Capital Improvements Capital improvements are measured at cost. Increase and decreases in the carrying amount upon revaluation of land and buildings are offset to the revaluation reserve in equity.

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements

graduateunionannualreport • 90

7

8

91 • graduateunionannualreport


The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

ABN: 55 610 664 963

ABN: 55 610 664 963

IARN: A0023234B

IARN: A0023234B

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

for the year ended 31 December 2014

for the year ended 31 December 2014 (i)

Asset Revaluations

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.

The freehold land and buildings are as per independent valuation by Thomson Maloney and Partners Pty Ltd trading as Charter Keck Cramer as at 31 December 2011. Plant and Equipment

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.

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.

(j)

The depreciation rates used range from 5% to 37.5% based on the type of asset. (d)

Inventories

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.

Depreciation The depreciable amount of all fixed assets is depreciated on a straight line basis over the asset’s useful life commencing from the time the asset is held ready for use.

Impairment of Assets

(k)

Comparative Figures When required by Accounting Standards, comparative figures have been adjusted to conform to changes in presentation for the current financial year.

Inventories which consist of beverages, food products and merchandise are measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value. (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.

graduateunionannualreport • 92

9

10

93 • graduateunionannualreport


The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

ABN: 55 610 664 963

ABN: 55 610 664 963

IARN: A0023234B

IARN: A0023234B

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

for the year ended 31 December 2014

for the year ended 31 December 2014 2014 $

2

4

5

1,815,689 1,166,940 107,714 30,109 35,589 13,512

1,840,952 1,143,693 84,005 33,603 39,403 13,118

Total Revenue

3,169,553

3,154,774

10,993 4,610

63,784 4,728

15,603

68,512

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

260,524

258,816

260,524

258,816

9,600 0

10,909 0

9,600

10,909

Trade and Other Receivables CURRENT Accounts receivable

graduateunionannualreport • 94

8

Inventories CURRENT Beverages, food products and merchandise - at cost

Property, Plant and Equipment Freehold land at independent valuation as at 31 December 2011 Freehold buildings and improvements at independent valuation as at 31 December 2011 The carrying value will be reviewed based upon an independent valuation in calendar year 2015 Capital improvements - at cost

Plant and equipment - at cost Accumulated depreciation

Total Property, Plant and Equipment

1,500 291,977 714,903

1,350 109,293 949,529

1,008,380

1,060,172

Capital Improvement

Property

11

Balance at 1 January 2013

31,583

23,012

31,583

31,696

23,421

31,696

23,421

12,100,000

12,100,000

9,900,000

9,900,000

22,000,000

22,000,000

566,665

485,614

566,665

485,614

642,916 (479,593)

600,969 (451,509)

163,323

149,460

22,729,988

22,635,074

$

Plant and Equipment

Total

$

$

22,000,000

353,951

163,392

22,517,343

Additions

0

131,663

18,177

149,840

Disposals

0

0

0

0

Depreciation expense

0

0

(32,109)

(32,109)

Revaluation increment /(decrement)

0

0

0

0

22,000,000

485,614

149,460

22,635,074

Additions

0

81,051

41,947

122,998

Disposals

0

0

0

0

Depreciation expense

0

0

(28,084)

(28,084)

Revaluation increment /(decrement)

0

0

0

0

22,000,000

566,665

163,323

22,729,988

Balance at 31 December 2013

23,012

$

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.

$

Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash on hand Cash at bank Term deposits (includes donations and bequests)

2013

$

7

The interest rates on short-term deposits varied from 2.7% to 3.48% (2013 – 2.5% to 3.65%). Maturity ranges were from 30 to 90 days. 6

2014

$

Revenue and Other Income Revenue from Continuing Operations 2(a) Revenue - Accommodation - Catering - Subscriptions - Interest received - Property rentals - Other income

2(b) Donations - Donations - Building - Donations - Other

3

2013

Carrying amount at 31 December 2014

12

95 • graduateunionannualreport


The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc.

ABN: 55 610 664 963

ABN: 55 610 664 963

IARN: A0023234B

IARN: A0023234B

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

for the year ended 31 December 2014

for the year ended 31 December 2014 2014 $

9

10

11

Trade and Other Payables CURRENT Unsecured liabilities Trade payables Accruals Net GST payable Prepaid accommodation and bonds

2013

$

14 37,497 51,974 9,873 268,600

88,404 53,038 14,255 228,880

367,944

384,577

Cash Flow Information Reconciliation of Cash Flow from Operations with Surplus/(Deficit) Surplus/(Deficit) for the year Depreciation 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

Provisions CURRENT Employee benefits

Borrowings Secured Liabilities - Commercial bill - Commercial bill

140,109

123,468

140,109

123,468

1,000,000 6,000,000

1,000,000 6,000,000

7,000,000

7,000,000

The commercial bills are interest only.

15

The commercial bills are secured over freehold land, buildings and improvements at 216-220 and 222-228 Leicester Street, Carlton (refer to Note 15).

2013 $

18,551 28,084

(2,828) 32,109

(14,176) (43,592) 16,641

(51,422) (198,301) 25,449

5,508

(194,993)

Events After the Balance Sheet Date In March 2015 the existing commercial bills were re-financed through a new loan facility for a period of five years. This facility allows for principal reductions at the discretion of The Graduate Union. The decision to terminate the original loan was made in light of the current low interest rates. Except for any financial impact of the matter referred to in Note 12 above, 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.

16

The commercial bills have been classified as a non-current liability as the conditions specified in AASB101 have been met. It is the intention of Council to continue with a $7M plus long-term facility.

12

2014

$

Trusts The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Incorporated is not a trustee of any trust at the date of this report, except for the Residents’ Assistance Reserve and the Bursaries Reserve (See Statement of Changes in Equity). Funds associated with these reserves are deposited separately with the National Australia Bank.

Contingent Liabilities At 31 December 2014 the Association had contingent liabilities in relation to payroll tax and land tax of $215,931. This arose as a result of a State Revenue Office (SRO) review of the exempt status of the Association. An assessment for the years 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2012 was issued on 7 February 2013. Further assessments were received in respect of the years ended 30 June 2013 and 2014 amounting to $49,569 and $43,876 respectively (included in the above amount). The original objection lodged with the SRO (10 February 2012) was disallowed by the SRO on 15 July 2014. Council determined to refer the matter to the Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal for review of the decision. No hearing date has been set at the time of signing by Council of these Financial Statements.

13

Capital Commitments At 31 December 2014 the Association had no outstanding capital commitments.

graduateunionannualreport • 96

13

14

97 • graduateunionannualreport


The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963

A. L. Law, FCA 10 Bennett Street, Balwyn, VIC 3103 Phone 9817 4472, Mobile 0417 013 395 ABN 45 614 724 892

IARN: A0023234B

Statement by Councillors

Chartered Accountants

for the year ended 31 December 2014

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE GRADUATE UNION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE INCORPORATED

In the opinion of the Council: 1.

2.

the Financial Report, as set out on pages 2 to 12, presents a true and fair view of the financial position of The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. as at 31 December 2014 and its performance for the year ended on that date in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards (including Australian Accounting Interpretations) of the Australian Accounting Standards Board. At the date of this Statement, there are reasonable grounds to believe that The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due.

This Statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the Council and is signed for and on behalf of the Council by:

...................................................

..........................................................

Mr R A J Watson - Chairperson

Ms C A Kidston - Vice Chairperson

Dated this second day of the month of April in the year 2015.

Report on the Financial Report I have audited the accompanying financial report of The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Incorporated, (the association), which comprises the statement of financial position as at 31 December 2014, the Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity and Statement of Cash Flows for the year then ended, notes comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information, and the statement by Councillors. Councillors’ Responsibility for the Financial Report The Councillors of the association are responsible for the preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Act 2012 (ACNC Act) and the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) and for such internal control as the Councillors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view and is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. Auditor’s Responsibility My responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on my audit. I conducted my audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. Those standards require that I comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement. An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the association’s preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the association’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the Councillors, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report. I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my audit opinion. Opinion In my opinion, the financial report of The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Incorporated is in accordance with Division 60 of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Act 2012 and the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic), including: (a) (b)

Name: Address: Dated this: graduateunionannualreport • 98

15

giving a true and fair view of the association’s financial position as at 31 December 2014, and of its financial performance and cash flows for the year ended on that date; and complying with Australian Accounting Standards and Division 60 of the Australian Charities and Notfor-Profits Commission Regulation 2013.

Anthony L. Law Registered Company Auditor 10 Bennett Street, Balwyn, Victoria, 3103 st 1 day of April 2015 Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation

99 • graduateunionannualreport


Australian Business Number: 55610664963 Incorporated Association Registration Number: A0023234B 220 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia Telephone: +61 (0)3 9347 3428 Facsimile: +61 (0)3 9347 9981 www.graduatehouse.com.au admingh@graduatehouse.com.au

graduateunionannualreport • 100


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