MULS Q&A Guide 2024/25 by Macquarie University Law Society

2024/25 ELECTION

CANDIDATE GUIDE

The following guide presents the individual candidates for positions on the 2024/5 MULS Board.

Each candidate proﬁle contains:

1. Candidate’s Name

2. Candidate’s Photo

3. Candidate’s Statement of Intention

Pursuant to s 9 of the Election Regulations, the candidates have been grouped by the positions for which they are nominating and alphabetically ordered by surname.

Question Period

Ask nominees any questions you might have here

● Monday 14th October 2024, 9am - Question period opens

● Wednesday, 16th October 2024, 5 pm - Question period closes

Voting Period:

● Monday, 21st October 2024, 9am - Polls open

● Wednesday, 23rd October 2024, 5pm - Polls close

Voting will take place on iLearn.

PRESIDENT

RACHEL DUONG

QUESTION 1

In your candidate statement you mention that one of your commitments is to strengthen the reputation of Macquarie Law School and students with sponsors, universities and professionals. Would you be able to expand on how you will achieve this with clear references to realistic steps you intend to take?

Reputation of Macquarie Law School Students

To strengthen the reputation of Macquarie University Law School Students with sponsor law firms and commercial firms, I will set up a meeting with Professor Lise Barry, Dean at the Macquarie Law School at the start of my tenure. In this meeting, I will ascertain the vision for students graduating from our law school and align MULS’ offerings with the skills and experience for the vision. For example, if students should develop practical skills to become effective lawyers through our law school, I will work with the Marketing and Competitions Vice-Presidents to increase the awareness of our competitions for more students to comfortably apply and develop practical legal skills.

Reputation of Macquarie Law School

The President of MULS represents Macquarie Law School at all events and meetings with stakeholders including firms, universities, site providers and professional events. The President should be someone that students trust to confidently act in the best interest of our law society and more broadly, the students at Macquarie Law School. I will ensure that my communication with law firms, commercial firms, universities and other stakeholders is professional and reflects interests of students and our society.

I will utilise my stakeholder management skills including project management, communication, strategy and problem-solving to plan events months in advance, proactively ensuring event success and meeting stakeholder expectations.

I have already taken the liberty to show that Macquarie Law Students are attractive to employers at professional events by:

Showcasing the talent of Macquarie Law students through my successful participation in clerkship events this year.

· Receiving exclusive invitations to be part of mentoring events with business executives.

Invitations to speak at various university professional events.

I’m committed to continuing representing our Law School and you, as a student who is personable, articulate, and ambitious.

QUESTION 2

The President is needless to say the person that the Board and Executive Council look to and rely on for advice, guidance and direction. However, objectively speaking, you have not yet had the beneﬁt of guiding and leading an individual portfolio on MULS as a Board member. Given that the President’s role is a considerable step above this by virtue of being responsible for guiding and leading the entire board and its ten portfolios, could you kindly elaborate on how you would approach leading the society and provide meaningful guidance to all ten MULS portfolios as President in the coming year?

Experience or tenure on the Board alone does not reﬂect quality of leadership. Determining the capability to guide and lead the Board and ten portfolios based on the small scope of MULS experience is short sighted. The capability to successfully lead the Board and Executive Council comes from real-world applications outside of university experience. I have managed teams and individuals through many leadership positions including:

Team Trainer;

· Team Leader; Assistant Supervisor; Assistant Manager; and Managing my own team in my business.

In each of these positions, the success of my leadership determined staﬀ members’ experiences, team culture and organisational success.

Leading the Society

My approach to leading the society will be to take full accountability for the success of each Board member, Executive Council member and portfolio. The responsibility of the President lies in achieving a positive experience for each member whilst ensuring that portfolio objectives are met.

My leadership style is to empower those I lead to conﬁdently and

competently make strategic decisions. I do this through helping individuals develop the skills necessary to perform tasks central to the success of their role. I will also get to know each Board member and Executive Council member to understand interests, vision, strengths and weaknesses. Through understanding members, I will tailor how I lead each individual to successfully achieve goals in and out of their portfolio and facilitate a collaborative team environment.

I will tailor my decision-making approach based on time frames and communicate this approach to the Board and Executive Council. My decision making will be impartial, strategic, based on facts and will always be in the best interest of the law society.

All my communication will be tailored, clear, concise and transparent to minimise misunderstanding. I will always engage in active listening to ensure the Board and Executive Council feel heard and understood to ensure consistent, eﬀective collaboration and problem-solving.

Guidance to MULS Portfolios

I understand that each of the ten MULS portfolios serves a unique purpose within the society and recognise that a one-size-ﬁts-all approach to guidance will not be eﬀective. The balance of support and autonomy is key to fostering success across all portfolios.

· My ﬁrst step as President will be to understand the individual goals, challenges and needs of each portfolio, so I can provide tailored guidance throughout the year that aligns with the portfolio’s objectives.

· I will foster collaboration and communication between portfolios by building and maintaining rapport in the Board to maximise the support and strength of each portfolio.

I will empower Board members to take ownership of their portfolios. I will also give each Board member the space to make decisions, whilst developing members’ skills to successfully operate in their role and grow in their leadership of Executive Members.

QUESTION 3

In your candidate statement, you note that you were successful in navigating the clerkship process this year. However, this means that you will have to work full time throughout the summer holidays at the ﬁrm you are undergoing a clerkship at whilst also running your own business as mentioned in your candidate statement. As the President’s time commitment states ‘30-40 hours per week’ in the election guide, how will you reassure the 2025 Board & Executive Council that you will be able to fully commit to the consistently onerous Presidential duties and properly serve the

interests of MULS and external stakeholders in light of your extensive personal commitments?

Approaching the President’s role as just a time commitment misses the heart of leadership. It is not just about putting in hours but being eﬀective at organising and prioritising tasks for your team. With my strong organisation and clear priorities well before 2025 commences, the Board will be able to proactively plan for events and navigate any challenges that arise over the year with greater ease.

Reassurance to the 2025 Board and Executive Council

My business is mostly autonomous, with my role being to oversee business operations and support my team and clients.

Presidential Duties over the Summer

I am prepared for the commitment to Presidential duties by taking time oﬀ in November before my clerkship at KWM. I will dedicate this period to setting up the society for the upcoming year. I plan to:

Introduce myself to other law societies to foster good intervarsity relationships for the year

Meet with Professor Lise Barry to discuss her vision for law school graduates

Manage and complete board handovers

Elect the Executive Council and notify the Executive of outcomes

· Meet with Board and Executive Council Members individually to understand goals and objectives

· Determine shared Board vision and objectives for MULS

Plan a preliminary MULS calendar with the Board

Discuss the 2025 marketing strategy with the Marketing Vice-President

Plan potential sponsorship meetings with the Career Engagement

Vice-President

· Prepare Board members for budget planning with the Treasurer

With the above organised in November, the Board and Executive Council will have the required direction to implement their respective activities from December to mid-February. The well-established systems will then allow me to take an oversight and support function throughout my clerkship.

Presidential Duties over 2025

Presidential duties extend throughout 2025, so availability for the long-term commitment is also necessary. I have completed most of the units for my

degree, which allows me to ﬁnish my ﬁnal year at a part-time study load. A part-time study load, compared to the full-time study load of 30-40 hours per week, will give me the capacity to focus on presidential duties over the full year.

Historically, June to August has been a quiet period for some portfolios due to Presidents and Vice-Presidents engaging primarily in clerkship related interviews and networking sessions. I will be available during this time, allowing me to use these months to actively strengthen the engagement of MULS moving into semester 2.

QUESTION 4

Imagine it’s May of next year, a notoriously busy time for the Careers Portfolio, as you are deep into organising the Clerkship Fair and related presentations. You have a scheduled meeting with the Careers Vice-President the night before the event to discuss critical logistics. However, you suddenly receive an urgent call from the Competitions Vice-President regarding a signiﬁcant conﬂict: a request for an appeal from competitors in a major competition. This appeal must be resolved that night, as the results for progression to the Semi-Finals will be announced the following day, and further delays could jeopardise the entire competition.

Meanwhile, the Careers Vice-President has made it clear that the logistics of the Clerkship Fair must take precedence. Given the competing demands from both Vice-Presidents, outline the strategic steps you would take to navigate this situation. Considering the challenges inherent in such scenarios, which are common for a President to face, please detail the steps you would take to manage these competing priorities and explain the rationale behind your chosen approach.

Balancing Competing Priorities Through Eﬀective Leadership

In situations like this, where multiple urgent issues arise simultaneously, eﬀective leadership requires clear communication, swift decision-making, and prioritisation. The key to managing competing priorities is to assess the urgency of each task and take an approach that ensures all critical issues are addressed in a timely and organised manner, while keeping all parties informed. By focusing on time-sensitive matters ﬁrst and maintaining transparency throughout the process, I can ensure that both portfolios receive the attention they require without compromising the quality of either event.

Strategic Steps to Navigate and Manage Competing Priorities

1. Clarify the central issues

Firstly, I would engage with both the Careers Vice-President and Competitions Vice-President separately to clarify the central issues. This would involve understanding the speciﬁc logistics required for the Clerkship Fair and competition appeal details. By gathering this information, I can make informed decisions based on the urgency and signiﬁcance of each matter.

2. Assess Time Sensitivity

Next, I would evaluate the time sensitivity of both issues. The appeal for the competition requires immediate attention since the results will be announced the following day, while the Clerkship Fair, occurring later that night, allows for some ﬂexibility. Recognising this time sensitivity helps prioritise the tasks eﬀectively.

3. Communicate Prioritisation

I would then communicate my plan to each Vice-President, clearly outlining the order in which I will address the tasks. Specifically, I would explain that I will first resolve the competitions conflict before turning my attention to the logistics of the Careers Fair. This transparency helps manage expectations and fosters cooperation.

4. Delegate Interim Steps

To ensure progress continues in the Careers portfolio while I address the competitions issue, I would discuss next steps with the Careers Vice-President. I would encourage them to start on preliminary logistics, which can be done in parallel to my focus on the urgent appeal.

5. Review Competition Rules

In addressing the competitions conﬂict, I would review the competition rules with the Competitions Vice-President to ensure clarity and fairness in the decision-making process. I would seek their input on how best to enforce these rules, reinforcing the need for impartiality in our approach.

6. Decide on Competition Outcome

After considering the details and consulting with the Competitions Vice-President, I would make a decision regarding the appeal and request that they communicate this outcome to the competitors. This ensures that the participants are informed promptly, maintaining the integrity of the competition and reducing uncertainty.

7. Re-engage with the Careers Vice-President

Once the competitions conﬂict is resolved, I would return my focus to the Careers Vice-President to review the progress made on the Clerkship Fair

logistics. This would involve ﬁnalising details and addressing any remaining concerns to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Lastly, strategic planning and an open line of communication between Vice-Presidents are required to effectively coordinate and maximise events and minimise conflicts. At the start of my tenure, I will make sure to strengthen the collaboration and communication between Vice-Presidents of all ten portfolios and co-design a yearly activation calendar. This calendar will ensure that major events like the Clerkship Fair are finalised well in advance. By outlining key events and deadlines, Vice-Presidents and I can anticipate and address potential conflicts early, reducing the likelihood of competing last-minute issues.

QUESTION 5

As outlined in the Election Guide, if you are elected President, you will need to make rapid, decisive decisions and cannot aﬀord to be reactive. At the start of your tenure, all Vice-Presidents will be working on their key initiatives and events, often collaborating across Portfolios to maximise impact.

Now, imagine a situation where the Social Justice Vice-President and the Education Vice-President had initially agreed to collaborate on a major, high-profile event that has already been heavily promoted and is critical to both Portfolios’ success. However, due to a significant miscommunication, their relationship has completely broken down—they are refusing to speak to each other. Time-sensitive deadlines for the event’s preparation are fast approaching, and you suddenly find yourself in the position of mediator, while simultaneously balancing your own presidential responsibilities. To complicate matters, the Social Justice Vice-President is adamant about sticking to a specific theme for the event and is unwilling to compromise. Meanwhile, the Education Vice-President is equally firm, refusing to adjust the agenda they had originally planned.

Critical decisions must be made within the next 48 hours concerning logistics, sponsorship agreements, and ﬁnal approvals for marketing materials.

With limited time, both Vice-Presidents refusing to communicate, and the added possibility of needing to take a more hands-on role yourself, how would you immediately intervene to resolve this conﬂict, ensure the event proceeds smoothly, and manage the mounting stress of the situation without compromising the event’s quality or success?

Resolution of Conﬂict in a 48-hour Period

In situations where conﬂicts arise that require immediate intervention due to

their significance and time constraints, a leader must be prepared to make decisive choices on behalf of their team, without waiting for consensus. This contrasts with conflicts where there is more time to plan, gather input, and ensure that team members are satisfied with a compromise.

Given the urgency of the current situation, I would communicate to the Vice-Presidents that I will be adopting the more immediate decision-making approach to resolve the conﬂict. My priority would be to address the issue eﬃciently, ensuring that the event proceeds smoothly and maintains a high standard of quality. At the same time, I would focus on laying the groundwork for improved collaboration between the Vice-Presidents moving forward, fostering a more constructive relationship for future initiatives.

Steps to Immediate Intervene and Resolve the Conﬂict

1. Speak to Each Vice-President Separately

First, I would engage with both the Social Justice Vice-President and the Education Vice-President individually to understand their perspectives. In this step, I would actively listen and ascertain both sides of the story, as the truth often lies somewhere in the middle. By doing this, I can gain insights into the root of the miscommunication and the key issues aﬀecting their collaboration.

2.

Make

a Judgement Call

After gathering information from both Vice-Presidents, I would make a judgment call regarding the next steps. Given the time-sensitive nature of the situation, it is crucial to act quickly. I would assess each Vice-Presidents concerns and evaluate the feasibility of their positions to determine a path forward that aligns with the event’s objectives.

3.

Find

a Middle Ground

Next, I would work to develop a position that addresses the speciﬁc needs of both portfolios regarding the event. I recognise the importance of this collaboration, so would invent a solution that incorporates elements from both the Social Justice and Education Vice-President agendas.

Once I’ve formulated a position, where necessary, I would sense-check it with other Board members and then implement the decision assertively. With only 48 hours to go, it’s vital to ensure everyone understands that I am accountable for the event's success, and decisive action is required to move forward.

4. Repair the Relationship

Finally, I would put plans in place to help repair the working relationship between the two Vice-Presidents. This could involve facilitating a joint debrieﬁng session post-event where we can discuss what went wrong, what could be improved, and how to enhance collaboration moving forward. Encouraging open dialogue and emphasising the shared goals of both portfolios will be crucial in rebuilding trust and a collaborative environment in the future.

This approach requires the need for quick action and a long-term view of enhancing teamwork and communication.

ZACHARY HAYNES

QUESTION 1

Being President is a signiﬁcant commitment that demands not only a considerable amount of time but also can take a mental and emotional toll. What gives you the conﬁdence to undertake this responsibility, and what strategies or safeguards do you have in place to manage stress and prevent burnout?

Conﬁdence to undertake the role of President

The overriding reason that gives me the confidence to undertake the role of President is due to my gratitude toward what MULS has provided me throughout my law school career and thus has fostered a genuine passion to give back to MULS. As I am entering into my 5th and final year of law school, I have had the benefit of reflecting on my time at Macquarie University and MULS which began in 2022 in my second year when I first involved myself with MULS in the negotiations competition. Since then, I have made plenty of friends and connections within MULS and first-hand experienced the rewards that involving oneself with MULS can bring such as building up one’s leadership skills from all the way back in 2023 when I took on the role of an Executive Officer of Competitions (Professional Skills) and then moved into the role of Secretary in 2024.

Thus, my gratitude for the experiences MULS has provided me over my law school career both professionally and personally is the dominant reason that gives me the conﬁdence to run for the role of President and undertake the role’s responsibilities. By doing so, I can give eﬀect to my goal of giving back by playing an active role in contributing to MULS and the wider Macquarie Law community to ensure that the opportunities I was fortunate enough to experience and grow from over the years are available to anyone who wishes to take them.

Furthermore, another added aspect of what gives me conﬁdence to run for President is my background on the MULS Board as Secretary. From undertaking an onerous role as the Secretary which consistently requires around 20-25 hours

per week, I have learnt the crucial skills of time management along with conflict resolution from having to work alongside the President quite often to actively engage with conflict and follow through with a resolution. I have had to make quick and accurate decisions over a plethora of MULS issues and thus, have developed a competence and useful familiarity to advise on MULS decisions which I believe translates directly into making decisions and thus gives me confidence to undertake the role of President.

Continuing on, from having to balance both roles of Acting President and Secretary for 3 months, I was pushed to the extent that I now know that I possess the mental stamina to balance both roles and thus, my conﬁdence has further been built to be able to take the next step and undertake the role of President.

Another smaller aspect that has built my confidence to run for President is from extensively discussing and informing myself about the role of President throughout the year when working with the President. As already mentioned, the Secretary works quite closely with the President and thus throughout formal and informal conversations over the past year, I have sporadically asked questions about the role of President and first-hand seen what needs to be done and the sacrifices that need to be made. I believe that I have asked almost everything that I can about the role of President to properly understand the role and confidently put my name forward to undertake the Presidential responsibilities.

Strategies and safeguards to manage stress and prevent burnout

- Setting clear expectations and boundaries at the start of my term as President

This is a particularly salient strategy as when expectations and boundaries are not adequately communicated at the beginning of the term, confusion can arise as how to proceed in certain situations. From this, people can create their own expectations in their minds and can impose these on others and from this, unnecessary conﬂict can arise. Unnecessary conﬂict most certainly causes stress and can catalyse burnout. Thus, to manage stress and prevent burnout, I

intend to hold everyone on the Board and Executive Council to the same standard, and this standard is:

- Discharge of your duties properly to the best of your abilities

- Treat other Board and Executive Council members with genuine respect

- If problems arise, either take it upon yourself to resolve it or clearly and promptly communicate the issue to the appropriate parties to give notice of the issue and ask for support and guidance

These three expectations will guide my leadership strategy of MULS and be set very clear at the outset in Executive and Board inductions. I believe that this strategy will assist in managing stress and potential burnout.

When it comes to boundaries, boundaries can mean limits you set with how people can interact with you, but there are also boundaries that you must maintain within yourself when serving on the MULS Board that I believe are important to address To further colour what I mean by this, I want you to think of yourself as two separate beings:

1. Your personal self

2. Your professional self

The reason why I say this is because it is vital to remember not to blur the boundaries between your personal and professional self. Doing so whilst undergoing the immensely time consuming and emotionally demanding role of President or any Board role for that matter will almost surely result in burnout before one’s term is over.

This mindset comes in extremely useful when faced with internal conﬂict within the Board and Executive Council as people may be following you up on things, or asking you questions that you may not have the answer to. In these situations, it’s very easy to fall into the thinking process that someone is ‘having a go’ at you and in these circumstances, people often subconsciously take such perceived criticism personally.

Thus, I personally have taken on the view that if someone is questioning you about something MULS related, they are speaking to you in your professional capacity as distinct from your personal capacity. As the President is likely to encounter conﬂict and not make everyone happy with every single decision or viewpoint they hold, I think it is absolutely necessary for a President or any Board member to hold the view that their actions on MULS and discussions, disagreements and criticism about their actions are separate from their personal selves and are more directed at your professional self. This mindset I believe will serve as a safeguard against unnecessary stress and potential burnout.

Furthermore on the topic of setting boundaries to protect wellbeing and manage stress eﬀectively, whilst I anticipate that there will be urgent situations on MULS that may require the occasional late night 11pm call, I will communicate from the start of my term that unless the situation is so desperately urgent that such a call is warranted, that there is no place to talk about professional MULS business at such a late time so as to cause detriment to people’s sleep schedules or personal lives.

It is my hope through doing this that the seed for a Board and Executive Council culture of respect for personal boundaries can be planted and grown throughout the year. By doing so, I believe this will assist with not only managing my own personal stress levels but also everyone else’s stress levels on the Board and Executive Council.

- Actively reaching out to checkup on each individual Vice-President on a regular basis

Another strategy I intend to act upon to manage stress and burnout is to make it a practice to regularly check in with board members as to how they are faring with the management of their portfolio. I believe that it is important for the President to know what the society is up to and how each individual is going with managing their responsibilities whilst also extending a helping hand to support them if they require. As every person can be diﬀerent, we thus cannot expect every single person to be someone that will instantly reach out the moment they need assistance.

Obviously, there will be last minute unforeseen problems that will arise that will have to be dealt with that cannot be caught earlier on due to their unexpected nature, but there are equally problems that can be identiﬁed earlier to stop them from brewing into bigger issues that can potentially mature and come out at the wrong time.

Read overall, I believe that proactively reaching out to board members on a regular basis will lay the foundation for open lines of communication which can foster a culture of support and communication, and from creating such a culture, will naturally act as a safeguard against stress and burnout when we are all open with each other to communicate our thoughts and issues relating to MULS.

- Always refreshing my understanding of what is going on with MULS each week to ensure that I can mentally prepare and anticipate what is going to happen

It is quite common for each board on MULS to have a ‘Master Calendar’ where board members can upload the dates of their events to the calendar to give everyone an idea of what will be going on in the foreseeable future. I intend to make full use of this idea and encourage board members to actively update a shared ‘Master Calendar’ to create an easy to reference guide of what events are happening and help each board member to consciously plan their initiatives with respect to the dates of other events.

With this implemented, I intend on my own accord to update myself by referencing to the ‘Master Calendar’ each week to refresh in my mind what events and initiatives that MULS is doing. I believe that through removing the anxiety of the unknown as much as possible, I will be able to manage my stress better, be able to make better decisions and be able to approach more situations with a calm and collected mindset.

- Take short bouts of leave when the work demands from MULS are quieter

This was a strategy used by a couple of board members this year and something I always thought was a good idea after a massive bout of work. These board members would send an email to the board outlining that they would be on leave for a couple of days and would eﬀectively block out MULS for a short period of time.

Whilst it does seem quite cliche to ‘take a break’ to deal with stress and burnout, it really does work. I anticipate that my duties as President will certainly be busy but will have its high and low periods of demand, and thus if I feel that burnout feeling slowing building up, I would be more than open to taking a short break in appropriate periods of time.

QUESTION 2

How would you implement your ideas regarding the graduate fair and competitions? I understand that the execution will ultimately be at the discretion of the respective Vice Presidents rather than the President.

I understand that when it comes to executing portfolio speciﬁc initiatives, the discretion ultimately belongs to the respective Vice President of the portfolio of relevance. However, this is not to say that genuine suggestions cannot be taken onboard by another Board member. Furthermore, there is more that can be done to implement my ideas beyond simply suggesting them to a board member that I will expand upon below.

Graduate Careers Fair

Before I state my idea, I would like to ﬁrst and foremost say that I fully understand and recognise the immense demand placed on the Vice-President (Career Engagement) during the summer holidays and ﬁrst semester in the lead up to the clerkship fair and other sponsorship related initiatives. Thus, I do not intend to overload the responsibilities of the Vice-President (Career Engagement) and make them fully responsible for my idea of a Graduate Careers Fair.

Rather, the way I will implement my idea of a Graduate Careers Fair will be to introduce by way of a constitutional amendment a new board role titled ‘Vice-President (Public Interest Careers)’ The purpose of the role of ‘Vice-President (Public Interest Careers)’ is twofold:

1. To collaborate with the Vice-President (Career Engagement) to hold a Graduate Careers Fair (in semester 2)

2. To plan and execute a Public Interest Careers Fair (in semester 2)

Whilst this is subject to the proper procedure of constitutional amendments as outlined in the MULS constitution, if this position is passed and ratiﬁed, it will diversify the careers portfolio and allow for a formal expansion of the reach of MULS to external stakeholders and thus, deliver on my vision to innovate new opportunities and expand on existing initiatives to ensure that MULS can provide beneﬁts to ALL law students.

There are currently many organisations that typically only oﬀer graduate positions such as government agencies (Legal Aid, ASIC, ACCC, Fair Work Commission etc…) or even some community legal centres (some do oﬀer limited intern roles). I feel that these organisations are excluded from the student eye without a Graduate Careers Fair. Thus, I believe that if there was another board position to formally address other career opportunities such as graduate roles or other alternative lines of legal work such as public interest based careers, this would allow MULS’s initiatives to appeal to a wider range of law students such as 5th year students more focused on graduate opportunities rather than summer clerkships or law students who want a graduate role in a non-commercial law capacity.

Furthermore, there currently exists in the careers portfolio a role called ‘Executive Oﬃcer (Public Interest Careers)’. Their responsibility as outlined in the MULS constitution is to organise public interest seminars and events and assist the careers portfolio with their initiatives. However, over the years, I have unfortunately seen this role be under-utilised as there is no appropriate avenue for it to concretely deliver on its responsibilities to execute on public interest related events. However, I believe with a Vice-President (Public Interest Careers) to lead them, they can begin to be properly utilised within MULS toward the

purpose of their role which is to advance public interest careers through related events.

So, to sum up this point, I will catalyse the implementation a Graduate Careers Fair through creating a new board role called ‘Vice-President (Public Interest Careers)’ by way of constitutional amendment. This new role will be responsible for collaborating with the Vice-President (Career Engagement) to deliver on the Graduate Career’s Fair and executing along with the Executive Oﬃcer (Public Interest Careers) a Public Interest Careers Fair.

Competitions

The approach when it comes to implementing my ideas of restructuring competitions will have to take a diﬀerent approach than above for the Graduate Careers Fair. When it comes to implementing my competitions ideas, this will take a more of an advocating approach where I will make my ideas apparent to the next Competitions VP about my concerns and ideas for improvement. Speciﬁcally, I intend to restructure the Negotiations Competitions by splitting it into the ‘Junior Negotiations Competition’ and the ‘Senior Negotiations Competition’.

To give an overview of some of the competitions MULS offers, MULS offers competitions that are targeted at junior competitors such as the ‘Junior Client Interview’ competition and the ‘Foundations of Law’ Moot. These competitions are designed specifically to introduce new competitors to the competitions atmosphere and nurture their talent within a conducive environment with the hopes that they return and compete in more competitions in the future.

However, the Negotiations competition is a competition that is open to any law student. Thus, from competing in the competition in 2022, convening the competition in 2023 as an Executive Oﬃcer of Competitions (Professional Skills) and judging rounds of the competition in 2023 & 2024, I have seen time and time again mismatched opponents where you could have an experienced team of 5th year students going against 1st year students in their ﬁrst semester of law school. Having such an environment I believe discourages younger students from ever participating in competitions again as I have seen many 1st years who

are very eager to compete and then never return to competitions ever again after performing as you would expect an inexperienced competitor to against seasoned competitors in the later stages of their degree.

Whilst as the President I have no discretion to eﬀect this change, I can certainly do my absolute best to advocate for this split of the Negotiations competition to expand upon an existing competition and make MULS competitions a more enjoyable experience for ALL law students.

QUESTION 3

In your candidate statement, you referenced your temporary role as Acting President for MULS, describing it as a unique experience. While this may have provided some insight into the demands of the presidency, do you believe that a short-term, interim position is truly suﬃcient to understand the complexities and long-term challenges of leading an organisation like MULS?

To put it simply, there will always be a diﬃculty in truly understanding the complexities and long-term challenges of leading MULS as the President until you are actually in the role full time. However, that is not to say that there is nothing you can do to at least get closer to understanding these complexities and long-term challenges.

I do not rely simply on my interim role as Acting President to then put forward the proposition that I now fully understand the complexities and long-term challenges of leading an organisation like MULS, rather, I believe that when considered holistically, my experiences I have had have through being both the Secretary and Acting President have gotten me the closest I can possibly get to truly understanding the complexities and long term challenges of leading MULS as the President. I will expand on these experiences I allude to below.

As the Secretary of MULS for the past year, I have extensively worked with the President to approach many diﬀerent issues throughout the year. Through this, I have gotten to understand what the President’s responsibilities are and have even assisted with this through resolving disputes and providing advice for a multitude of situations.

From this, I have understood the kinds of issues that can ‘pop up’ out of nowhere and how to deal with urgent issues that need a quick, accurate and decisive response. For example, when I was Secretary, there were some unforeseen issues with multiple competitions that required on multiple occasions the President, myself, the competitions VP and the executive oﬃcer running the competition to jump on a call the night before a competition round to discuss a fair and reasonable way the competition could go forward given the circumstances. This insight into what it meant to truly be involved in ‘crisis management’ as Secretary whilst also navigating the complexity of diﬀerent sets of MULS rules such as the competitions appeal rules will be experiences and developed knowledge I will rely on when leading an organisation like MULS as President.

Whilst being Acting President was only an interim period, I respectfully put forward that there is not much other direct experience on the MULS Board that can help you to understand the complexities and long term challenges of leading MULS as the President other than being the President elect or being Acting President. Through this interim role, I had to continue managing internal disputes within MULS that required me to be the sole advisor to one of the Vice-Presidents relating to an internal dispute that was on foot. I also was approached by other Vice-Presidents asking to discuss and clarify event logistics which required a ﬁrm understanding of how their event was running. Furthermore, as all emails that were sent to the MULS President’s email were redirected to me during my time as Acting President, I had to manage relationships with external stakeholders and communicate with them to forward their requests to the appropriate MULS department to progress their requests. Thus, from the aforementioned experiences as Acting President and Secretary, I posit that I have gotten myself the closest I can possibly get to truly understanding the complex scope of leading MULS in the President’s role.

However, to further answer the question proposed and illustrate to a greater extent what I have learnt about the complexities and long term challenges of leading an organisation like MULS through my experiences as Secretary and Acting President, I will list below what I currently understand and think about these issues.

Complexities

- Understanding the proper procedure of MULS’s internal operations

To give you insight into the complexity of MULS and its internal operations, below is a list of the current active MULS documents that bind and guide the conduct of the Executive Council:

• MULS Constitution

• (Soon to be ratiﬁed) Macquarie University MULS Student Groups Terms of Reference

• MULS Election Regulations

• MULS Competitions Appeals and Forfeiture Policy

• Multiple other competition speciﬁc rule books

• MULS Executive Administration Guide Policy

• MULS Meeting Strike Policy

• MULS Equity Policy

• MULS Email Policy

• MULS Social Media Policy

• MULS Style Guide

• MULS Instagram Guide

Whilst it may seem quite formal, when you are on the board and putting forward a view of how an oﬃcial process within MULS should proceed, it needs to be backed up with a relevant section of the MULS Constitution or through reference to the MULS policies or pursuant to a strong reasonable precedent from a past Board which generally can be found in the email archives which date back to 2012.

Thus, from being the Secretary and being required as part of my duties to review these policies each year, constantly seeing how the constitution can be improved and applying the MULS constitution when discussing MULS business on the board, slowly but surely, an understanding of the underlying complexity of how MULS operates begins to develop within oneself. It is this understanding of the complexity of MULS that I have developed that is a necessary requirement of any President when advising the board or making decisions.

- The status of MULS

MULS is more than just a student society. Whilst MULS was established in 1975, in 2012, MULS gained charitable status as a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC). Thus, we do not just owe obligations to Macquarie University as an affiliate student society but also a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the society and its members by virtue of MULS’s status as a charitable organisation. This requires an understanding of basic duties such as making sure we do not derive a ‘personal benefit’ through our dealings as MULS Executive Council Members, as this contravenes the point of a charity which is that all profits must go towards the specific charitable purpose it is registered under which in MULS’s case is the ‘Advancement of Education’.

This ‘personal beneﬁt’ duty is just one of many little aspects of MULS that must be understood for a President to properly make decisions and lead MULS. From being exposed to multiple opportunities to learn about the diﬀerent duties owed by a Board member towards MULS, I believe I have further deepened my knowledge about the complexity of MULS and what it takes to lead the organisation in the future.

- Navigating interpersonal relationships on MULS

This is a very relevant point to raise when discussing the complexities of MULS Whilst we do have concrete documents and oﬃcial processes, ultimately, MULS is a 11 person board and a 39 person Executive Council, and thus the MULS that you really deal with on a day-to-day basis are the people that make up the Executive Council.

To properly lead MULS as the President, you must be able to deal fairly and equitably with the people you work with throughout the year which has its numerous complexities. I understand that the President will often be faced with diﬀering opinions that all make relevant points and all have their own separate and interconnected interests they are advocating for. Through seeing various situations like these play out over the past year and being actively

involved in some, I assert that I have developed a good amount of knowledge relating to balancing diﬀerent relationships and interests on MULS that will assist me in being a President that understands a little bit more about this particular complexity of leading MULS

Long Term Challenges

- Expanding the capacity of the Executive Council to connect with more external stakeholders

In my opinion, it would be a shame to see MULS stagnate in its output of initiatives and stick to the same initiatives without constantly thinking of ways to expand or do things diﬀerently to keep up with the times. Thus, a long-term challenge that faces MULS is constantly thinking of appropriate ways to expand the capacity of the Executive Council to increase the output and/or quality of initiatives it produces to not only enhance the MULS experience but to also develop and expand upon relationships with more external stakeholders. This is part of the reason why I proposed in my aforementioned second question to create the position of Vice-President (Public Interest Careers) to catalyse the output of more initiatives from MULS.

- Maintaining our good reputation with the Law School and Student Groups

This is a particular challenge to be aware of. It is a fact that the board and thus face of MULS changes each year, and with it comes diﬀerent people and personalities. Whilst major issues have generally not arisen in previous years, it is still vital to remember that one deﬁciently performing board can sully the reputation of MULS with key university entities such as the Law School and Student Groups and damage strong relationships that have been built over decades from which we derive and require constant support from to execute MULS’s initiatives.

As the President who is pursuant to the MULS Constitution, accountable to all members of the society, is thus the person that will shoulder the blame in the

event things go wrong. With this in mind, it is vital that the President is vigilant and has the long-term goals of MULS in their mind when making decisions in their term so as to not sacrifice long term reward for short term gain Depending on the decisions and changes a President makes, it is very possible that their decisions of how the society operates will have flow on effects to future MULS boards.

For example, if a President for a particular year were to refuse to properly cooperate with the law school or student groups for planning society events or not give proper attention to complying with university policies for approving events and initiatives, the future Executive Council would inherit the distrust and disdain of the university towards MULS and have to endure the bitter fruit of expected repercussions such as unnecessary increased oversight or even restrictions on certain events. Thus, to secure MULS’s long term standing, it is vital that the President has not only the current Executive Council in their mind when making decisions but also take into consideration the interests of subsequent Executive Councils down the track.

- Maintaining a healthy Board and Executive Council culture

Another long-term challenge that faces each President and the Board is maintaining a healthy culture within the Executive Council. Speaking towards concrete and actionable steps, as the President of MULS, I intend to promote a healthy Executive Council culture through consistently holding more Executive Council social events throughout the year to bring MULS together more often.

In my opinion, being on the MULS Executive Council should not just be limited to discharging of your constitutional duties but also an opportunity to make friends and meet new people as honestly speaking, these people you work with on MULS and generally around you at law school will most likely end up in the same industry upon graduation, and widening your network and personal social connections during law school can really help later on in your future career.

I also intend to encourage each portfolio to have their own social events where possible to build up a stronger community within each portfolio.

This is because if you are an Executive Officer in a specific portfolio, the majority of your communications will be with your respective Vice-President and other Executive Officers in your portfolio. Whilst it is great to have professional communication within the portfolio, I believe there also needs to be a balance of sociality within the portfolios wherever possible.

QUESTION 4

Imagine it’s May of next year, a notoriously busy time for the Careers Portfolio, as you are deep into organising the Clerkship Fair and related presentations. You have a scheduled meeting with the Careers Vice-President the night before the event to discuss critical logistics. However, you suddenly receive an urgent call from the Competitions Vice- President regarding a signiﬁcant conﬂict: a request for an appeal from competitors in a major competition. This appeal must be resolved that night, as the results for progression to the Semi-Finals will be announced the following day, and further delays could jeopardise the entire competition.

Step 1: Communicate to both VP’s about the situation I have been confronted with

It is a basic courtesy in these urgent situations to keep every interested party in the loop of what is going on with their situation and your surrounding circumstances. I would communicate to both VP’s in this situation where I would tell the VP (Career Engagement) that I will have to prioritise the situation aﬀecting the VP (Competitions) to discuss a way forward re the appeal before discussing the critical logistics of the clerkship fair.

To justify my decision to prioritise the VP (Competitions) situation over the VP (Career Engagement) situation, we must consider the context of the circumstances. Currently, the situation is that it is the night before the

clerkship fair and thus, it is reasonable to assume that the VP (Career Engagement) by this time already has in place the majority of the arrangements for the clerkship fair given that it is the biggest event that the careers portfolio puts on. I believe that the topic alluded to in the question about ‘critical logistics’ would be something that in a worst case scenario, could be discussed the morning of the following day, and this would leave enough time to action these ‘critical logistics’ throughout the day as the clerkship fair usually begins around 6-7pm.

Further, delving deeper into the competitions issue, it is clear that the issue needs a decision to be made tonight so that a position can be promptly communicated the competitors the following morning to stop the delay of the competition. Having speciﬁcally dealt with these issues as the Secretary this year, I fully understand the demand for a rapid response to appeals to avoid prejudicing other innocent competitors where round results or a question may be released later than usual for a knockout ﬁnals round of a competition.

Step 2: Ask the VP (Career Engagement) to draft a document outlining the critical logistical issues and their opinion on what should be done with respect to each issue

Whilst I will be on a call with the VP (Competitions) ﬁrst, to ensure that the VP (Career Engagement) can still concretely progress their situation in some form, I would ask the VP (Career Engagement) to draft a document outlining all the critical logistical issues that were going to be discussed in our scheduled meeting and their opinion on how each issue should progress.

This document will give the VP (Career Engagement) the opportunity to think about the issues and write down their opinions about how to move forward ﬁrst and allow for myself as the President to have a quick document to review and consider before having a call with the VP (Career Engagement). This will result in an expedient call that is more productive in ﬂeshing out a way forward on each critical logistical issue due to the drafted document providing an avenue towards a clear common understanding of the issues before the call.

Step 3: Calling the Vice-President (Competitions) & relevant Executive Oﬃcer of Competitions running the aﬄicted competition

Keeping in mind the VP (Career Engagement) that is waiting, my call with the VP (Competitions) will be to the point and focus on the clear steps that need to be taken to come to a conclusion. It is important to note that it is vital to include the relevant Executive Officer of Competitions in charge of running the competition in this call as the Executive Officer of Competitions running a competition is required to be physically present at the venue where the competition is taking place if the rounds are in person, and thus would likely have more relevant information experienced first-hand to share about the event.

Step

4: Outlining the Situation

The call with the VP (Competitions) and the relevant Executive Oﬃcer of Competitions will begin with a discussion of the overview of the situation that will come from the relevant Executive Oﬃcer of Competitions. The VP (Competitions) will add anything more to what they know about the situation.

Step 5: Approaching other relevant parties (Optional/Dependent)

On a separate note, whilst the question proposed is not speciﬁc towards what the appeal is about, I will still say that if it was an appeal relating to the substantive round portion of the competition and a judge witnessed this part of the competition that is being appealed, then I would take the initiative to reach out to the judge and gather their opinion on what happened during the competition.

Step 6: Applying the relevant rules and policies towards the situation

Back to the call, after the explanation of the status of the situation, we will use this common understanding of the situation at hand and proceed to deeply analyse the relevant rules of the competition and the MULS Competitions Appeals and Forfeiture Policy for the relevant sections that apply to the situation. These sections will be the proper procedure for progressing an appeal, whether the speciﬁc issue that is being appealed is something that can be validly

appealed (as depending on the competition, there do exist restrictions and sometimes quite a narrow avenue of appeal), and any prescribed solution or penalty in the rules or policies toward the speciﬁc situation.

From applying the objective criteria of the relevant MULS policies and procedures towards the situation, we will be able to come up with an appropriate solution

Step 7: Collectively draft an email outlining our decision and reasoning

Now for the most important part of the call. We will now take the call to zoom and together with a shared screen, draft an email outlining our decision to the competitors that are appealing. This email must be meticulously speciﬁc and clear as to how we came to the conclusion with clear reference to the rulebook and relevant MULS policies. Any document that is relied upon must also be attached in the email.

Step 8: Call with the Vice-President (Career Engagement)

Depending on how long the Competitions call took, I will then review and consider the document that I asked the VP (Career Engagement) to draft outlining the critical logistical issues and their opinion on how each issue should progress.

Following this, I will then get on a call with the VP (Career Engagement) either after the Competitions call at night or the morning after to discuss the issues at hand. Following this call and to support the VP (Career Engagement) on the biggest day of their portfolio holding the clerkship fair and pursuant to my inherent leadership duties as President, I will dedicate my time to action any changes or additions to the logistics of the clerkship fair to ensure that the event runs smoothly.

QUESTION 5

Now, imagine a situation where the Social Justice Vice-President and the Education Vice- President had initially agreed to collaborate on a major, high-profile event that has already been heavily promoted and is critical to both Portfolios’ success. However, due to a significant miscommunication, their relationship has completely broken down—they are refusing to speak to each other. Time-sensitive deadlines for the event’s preparation are fast approaching, and you suddenly find yourself in the position of mediator, while simultaneously balancing your own presidential responsibilities. To complicate matters, the Social Justice Vice-President is adamant about sticking to a specific theme for the event and is unwilling to compromise. Meanwhile, the Education Vice-President is equally firm, refusing to adjust the agenda they had originally planned.

Critical decisions must be made within the next 48 hours concerning logistics, sponsorship agreements, and ﬁnal approvals for marketing materials.

Step 1:

Approaching both VP’s individually and reminding the both of them of the common interest they both have which is to advance the interests of MULS and thus, this needs to be prioritised over the interests of their personal positions

As both of the VP’s are currently refusing to speak to each other, the ﬁrst step to get them both to the table is through personal conversations with them. In each conversation, I will empathise with them over the detriment the miscommunication has caused and recognise each of their positions. However,

following this, I will make very clear whose interests should be regarded as the priority in this situation.

The interests that are paramount are the interests of MULS, and this is something that should never be forgotten when carrying out your duties as a Board or Executive Council Member. As a Board or Executive Council member, we serve something bigger than ourselves, but allowing inﬂexible personal interests to intervene with the output of the initiatives of MULS potentially erodes the quality of a MULS event. It is clear that the show MUST go on given its high-proﬁle nature, the fact that it has already been heavily promoted and the fact that sponsors would likely be involved in such an event.

As it is clear in this scenario that there are competing personal interests, it is crucial that we look a little deeper to the underlying common interest both disputing parties possess, which is for the event to run smoothly and to deliver on the educational opportunity this event promises.

Step 2: Organise a zoom call or if possible, an in-person meeting

After reminding both parties of their common interests and how much is riding on this event. I would strongly aﬃrm that as they are collaborating on this event, they must at least try to rebuild the relationship between themselves.

Furthermore, given the fact that we have 48 hours to make critical decisions relating to this event, this conversation cannot appropriately be had over text or email, and thus I would organise a zoom call or an emergency in-person meeting if all parties are available.

Step 3: Focusing on generating a solution that is guided by an objective criteria

Another key approach that must be applied to appropriately resolve this dispute is for us to focus on generating a solution that is guided by an objective criteria. By doing so, we remove the possibility of a party feeling like a decision has been made on the basis of favouritism and thus not aﬀording fairness to all parties.

Regarding what can be judged as an objective criteria in this situation, I believe that considering the fact that this event has already been heavily promoted, that it is reasonable to assume that there has been some marketing and explanation in the marketing about what the event entails. Thus, I believe that the contents of the promotions already marketed to the public should serve as the objective criteria that will be operated oﬀ when coming to a solution as the general way the event plays out cannot be so far detached from what we have already told the public.

Thus, any solution generated must reasonably stem from the objective current promotional materials that have been presented to the general public.

Step 4: Solution Generation

1st potential solution

The only reason why we are in this harsh situation is due to a lack of open communication which ultimately led to miscommunication. The theme and agenda drafted by both VP’s were eﬀectively done on their own accord and thus, I believe the best and fairest possible way to move forward is to set aside what they have done and use this meeting to start fresh and work together to create an appropriate theme and agenda using the promotional material as an objective guide to come to a reasonably expected theme and agenda for the event.

This solution I believe is the best possible outcome as it takes away the products of miscommunication, that being the theme drafted by the VP (Social Justice) and agenda drafted by the VP (Education) and provides an opportunity for the VP’s to collaborate and thus gives eﬀect to the spirit of the event which is for it to be a product of cross-portfolio collaboration

As the President who must facilitate this conversation, the way I would approach building up this solution is to encourage both VP’s to focus on the less contentious topics ﬁrst to allow for a ﬂow of agreeance to begin on the simple topics. From building rapport this way, it naturally will make the process of deciding the more contentious parts of the event smoother.

2nd potential solution

It is important to remember that we cannot expect all disputes resolve amicably on ﬁrst try.

However, we must keep in mind that this is an urgent situation, the event has been promoted heavily and sponsors will most likely be involved, so both major stakeholders would be the law students and the sponsoring firms that would benefit from the event. If in the situation where the event is facing a complete collapse due to the differences of opinion and refusal to cooperate, given that the event must go on, a last resort solution is that the planning of the event can be split up into two halves where each VP receives complete autonomy over how their half of the event will run which however must still stay reasonably within the theme of the promotional materials.

I put forward this solution as it is true that relationships take time to build, and the fact that we have 48 hours to rebuild a relationship that has broken down to get an event back on track does not give us much opportunity to take our time to slowly build up a working relationship. It really does depend on the people involved, however, in crises such as this, you may be forced to make decisions that might not solve the personal problem long term but at least gets the event over the line in the short term.

Final comments on situation

This sort of breakdown in relationships between portfolios cannot go unaddressed. Such a significant occurrence of two VP’s refusing to talk to each other when they have specifically an event that they need to collaborate on is reflective of deeper issues that go beyond the surface level disputes that we can see.

Important points that I would action as President to respond to the aftermath of this situation are:

- Gently reminding the Board and Executive Council at their next respective meetings the importance of open communication

- Regularly checking up on both conﬂicting VP’s to see how they are faring and ask if there is anything I can do to assist post event

- In any situation in the future where there is cross-portfolio collaboration, as the President, I will take an active role in asking the relevant collaborating VP’s how everything is going with their initiative and clarifying if they have spoken to each other recently regarding their planned initiative

SECRETARY

DIAKO NABAVI

QUESTION 1

You mentioned in your statement that you wish to empower and provide opportunities to boost our member's careers and passions. However, notably the secretary position is a largely administrative role. This includes writing meeting minutes, managing room bookings, and handling various notices to ensure they are eﬀectively implemented. This includes largely focusing on the internal functions of the society, i.e. writing meeting minutes, managing room bookings and other miscellaneous notices are eﬀectively implemented. How would you go about your goals through the Secretary position?

Running a society cannot be effectively achieved where each portfolio runs independently and in isolation, so all around teamwork is necessary to achieve our collective goals. I understand that the secretary position is a largely administrative role whereby my primary duties will pertain to the effective internal operations of the society. This means attending to everything from meeting minutes, room bookings, notices, and ensuring compliance with our legal obligations as a charity as per the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (‘ACNC’). However, my experience as the President of the Business Society means that I am familiar with the administrative tasks relating to the University, faculty, and a society. Moreover, working for the CEO of Etymon Projects meant that I attended to administrative tasks in a large company,

including ensuring legal compliance with Commonwealth Laws. Therefore, I can complete my tasks successfully and eﬀectively, allowing me to provide assistance, where requested, to other portfolios. Thus, common goals of empowerment and opportunity and more easily achieved.

QUESTION 2

To instill further conﬁdence in voters and the future Executive Council pursuant to your absence of prior experience serving on the MULS Executive Council, could you please outline your detailed personal understanding of the role of the MULS Secretary and how your experiences will allow you to meet the role’s expectations and responsibilities?

Despite my absence of prior experience on the MULS Executive Council, I am uniquely positioned to fulﬁl my role due to my prior experience in governance elsewhere. As partly addressed in Question 1, my understanding of the role of the secretary is to:

· attend to all administrative matters of the society;

· serve as chairperson on all board meetings;

· ensure compliance with the ACNC; provide assistance to other portfolios when requested;

· recording meeting minutes;

· liaising with stakeholders; and

· resolving conﬂicts.

I can meet these requirement as I have previously been the President of the Business Society, where I had to address the entire administrative tasks of a society from the ground up due to our previous President being unable to

perform the role. This included writing our Terms of Reference, creating relevant policies, liaising with the University, bank and external sponsors to regain relationships and effective operations. Moreover, this processed included conflict resolution whereby I employed informal and formal processes to reach a reasonable outcome which was agreeable for all stakeholders and beneficial for the society. Thus, I will work to further deepen my understanding of the role and ensure I meet all the accompanying expectations and responsibilities.

QUESTION 3

Your candidate statement displays a strong interest for ﬁnances. Why have you chosen to run for Secretary as opposed to a role such as Treasurer or Events which deals more directly with ﬁnances/organisation?

Though I have some skills in ﬁnance, my main experience lies in governance and leaderships of organisations. I have previous experience as the Director of Events for MUBS, however I felt that it is time I progressed onto something new and apply the skills and knowledge I have gained to achieve success for the society as a whole rather than a single portfolio. I can bring together my experience as the President of MUBS, working for the CEO of Etymon Projects, representing Macquarie Law in national law competitions, and utilising my connections to industry professionals, company executives, and jurists. Thus, I can beneﬁt the society at large rather than an individual portfolio.

QUESTION 4

You have not served as an Executive Oﬃcer of MULS during your time at Macquarie. How will you convince the 2020 Board that you are prepared for the role of Secretary? Given that you have not been directly involved with MULS before, how will you instil conﬁdence in the Membership that

you possess the necessary skills and understanding of MULS to perform the duties of Secretary competently and diligently?

Despite not having served as an Executive Oﬃce of MULS before, I am prepared for the secretary role as I have extensive experience with governance and administration. My time as the President of MUBS makes me familiar with internal requirements relating to the University, and my time working for the CEO of Etymon Projects taught me how to manage an organisations obligations to external stakeholders and compliance with legal authorities. I will perform the duties of Secretary competently and diligently through open communication, reference to other experienced MULS board members, and clarity in all actions and decisions.

QUESTION 5

As Secretary, you are responsible for handling disciplinary matters. Imagine receiving a phone call at 8 a.m. from one of MULS's most important sponsors, expressing deep concern and disappointment over the behaviour of an Executive Oﬃcer and a former Board Member at a Grand Final event. Both individuals were reportedly intoxicated and acted inappropriately. The sponsor hints that their continued support of MULS may be at risk if this matter is not addressed satisfactorily.

You are aware that both individuals involved are highly regarded within MULS and have strong personal relationships with other members of the Executive. With the reputational damage, sponsor relationship, and internal dynamics at stake, how would you approach this situation? How would you ensure that you maintain impartiality, manage potential fallout

within the team, and handle the sponsor's concerns swiftly and eﬀectively, all while preserving the integrity of MULS?

The Equity Policy of MULS (‘Equity Policy’) and the MQ Student Code of Conduct provide guidance as to handling a disciplinary matter. The equity policy calls ﬁrst for a conversation with the secretary or president (Equity Policy Part E, A.1.), and a subsequent informal conversation with those involved (Equity Policy Part E, A.2.). Then, the secretary and president may decide as to whether a further mediation session, or sanctions, is required (Equity Policy Part E, A.3.). The matter may also be referred to the University’s Student Conduct Committee where the conduct was a breach of the Student Code of Conduct. Finally, the secretary and president may refer the matter to the board, where board members (who do not have a conﬂict of interest) may resolve to dismiss the relevant individual (MULS Constitution r 21).

In this matter, the Equity Policy (at Part D, A.1.) provides for the Zero Tolerance Policy of MULS towards intoxication. First, the former board member, not being a current member of the MULS management committees, may have sanctions imposed to the extent that the individual is banned from attendance at future events. The executive oﬃcer may have the same sanction imposed however further disciplinary actions are open to the board. This includes a dismissal by a special resolution of the board—where the executive oﬃcer will have the opportunity to make submissions to their defence. In the case of both individuals, the incident may be referred to the University and may result in a range of disciplinary action including a suspension.

Throughout this process the sponsor will be kept updated and informed regarding all decisions of MULS and will have the opportunity to address any

concerns directly with the secretary or president. This is to minimise reputational damage and maintain the sponsor relationship as any incident will be handled swiftly and eﬀectively, accounting for the concerns of the parties involved. Clarity and open communication will be vital in maintaining internal dynamics of the society whereby the situation, process, and decision will be made clear to the MULS management committee. I will maintain impartiality by ensuring all relevant procedures are adhered to, providing the parties involved with an equal opportunity to address the concerns, and in the case of a conﬂict of interest, refer the matter to the president or another board member, removing myself as the decision maker.

TREASURER

REESE HARVEY

QUESTION 1

You mentioned you are studying Applied Finance. Do you think this would help you in your position as Treasurer? If so how so?

My Applied Finance degree has equipped me with practical and analytical skills that will be invaluable to fulﬁl my obligations as Treasurer. One of the key tools used by MULS is Xero (accounting software), which I am well-acquainted with - thanks to my Applied Finance units. My capabilities have been formally recognised, where I was awarded a HD in a Xero assignment.

Through discussions with the current Treasurer, I have learned that many of the day-to-day tasks, such as ﬁling and organizing transactions and ensuring the accounts are up to date, are tasks I am already familiar with. Additionally, I am conﬁdent in my ability to quickly learn other responsibilities, such as responding to reimbursement requests, during the handover process.

Moreover, my degree places a strong emphasis on economics, which involves policy considerations and cost-beneﬁt analyses. This aspect of my education has trained me to better make informed value judgments, a skill that is crucial for the role of Treasurer. Another signiﬁcant responsibility of the Treasurer is organizing and restructuring portfolios’ budgets. My approach to these tasks will be informed by a critical mindset, using historical trends to make future projections. This will help the board maximize MULS’ initiatives for 2025.

I find the mathematical side of my Applied Finance degree very engaging. While not everyone may share this sentiment, I truly enjoy my calculus. This passion for mathematics has taught me the importance of meticulousness. In finance, even a minor error can lead to significant consequences, so attention to detail is paramount. It is evident that this attention to detail is central to the role of Treasurer. I understand the significant responsibility that comes with this position, and I do not take it lightly. I am fully committed to ensuring that I perform my duties with the utmost accuracy and diligence.

QUESTION 2

In your Candidate Guide, you mentioned that you served as an Executive Oﬃcer (Publicity) within the Marketing Portfolio this year. How do you plan to address the gap in ﬁnancial experience and reassure the Board that you are fully prepared for the responsibilities of Treasurer?

Fortunately, I have been able to establish strong connections with the current MULS oﬃcers over the past year. This has allowed me to have extensive discussions with portfolios that frequently interact with the treasurer, and more recently, with the current oﬃce bearer herself.

Importantly, the budgeting for 2025 is not at the sole discretion of the Treasurer.

Section 15.3 of the MULS constitution clearly states that it is the Board’s power (as a whole) to make all decisions regarding budgeting, regulatory approval of events and initiatives, and investment of MULS’ funds, as aﬃrmed by section 23.3(h) of the Constitution. My role as Publicity Executive required me to liase with other portfolios, create plans and make compromises. The performance of

events and initiatives from this year will be indicative of the best budgeting decisions for MULS moving into 2025.

I recognise the importance of ensuring MULS creates relevant social and practical benefits for its members. These are constantly evolving (i.e., equity scheme), and I do not intend to compromise these solely in pursuit of MULS’ financial standing. Notably, as MULS is a not-for-profit organisation, my objectives exceed a sole focus on profit. I intend to help achieve a balance through discussions with the board to determine (a) financial viability and reasonableness of the initiatives, and (b) an assessment of their importance. This will allow MULS to remain financially stable and continue to produce high-quality initiatives.

While the financial knowledge required of the Treasurer is not a pre-requisite for this role, I have gained relevant experience through my previous role and external work. Accounting units in my Applied Finance degree have allowed me to practice filing transactions and updating accounts in Xero (MULS’ elected accounting software). I also have experience organizing financial statements and helping to prepare BAS reports for Jojeni Developments

Although I did not experience other aspects of the Treasurer’s duties, such as budgeting meetings and dealing with our external financial commitments, my involvement with MULS, particularly towards the end of this year, has given me significant insight into the financial aspects of our initiatives. This includes working closely with portfolios that require the most funding, such as events.

Over time I have developed a unique perspective regarding the success of and overall engagement with initiatives, which I can build upon in 2025.

Furthermore, after discussions with the present Treasurer, it has become evident that all of these skills can be learned (or refined, in my case) during the handover process. I am confident that my ability to hold the office of Treasurer will not be impacted by any initial inexperience.

QUESTION 3

In your candidate statement, you highlight your ability to balance extracurricular activities, such as being on the MULS Executive Council and involved in MULS competitions, while also maintaining employment and pursuing hobbies. However, the role of Treasurer entails a signiﬁcant time commitment and demands quick response times. What strategies do you plan to implement to eﬀectively manage all of these responsibilities?

I have always embraced new experiences and challenges without hesitation. I appreciate the importance of balancing multiple responsibilities, particularly in a demanding role like Treasurer. My experience on the MULS Executive Council and involvement in various competitions have equipped me with eﬀective time management strategies that I am eager to apply.

First, my role as Publicity Executive taught me the value of proactive communication. Regularly checking and responding to emails has been crucial to ensure timely execution of tasks. I will extend this practice by setting aside speciﬁc times throughout the week dedicated to managing communications, prioritizing any urgent matters. Currently, I frequently check my Publicity email throughout the day; this will not be a major adjustment for me. While it may

seem simple, failing to perform this regularly can cause signiﬁcant issues, as emphasised by the current oﬃce-bearer.

Additionally, I've learned to adjust my commitments eﬀectively. Whenever I take on a new responsibility, I evaluate my existing obligations and make necessary adjustments. This proactive approach has always allowed me to maintain my academic performance and engage fully in extracurricular activities. My involvement in the Marketing subcommittee (2023) and role as Publicity Executive (2024) over the past two years have reﬁned my dedication to MULS. This candidacy serves as testament to my extended commitment into 2025.

To further enhance my time management, I will implement weekly check-ins. These will serve to assess my progress, prioritize tasks for the upcoming week, and allocate speciﬁc time blocks for key responsibilities (i.e., preparing ﬁnancial reports or addressing reimbursement requests). By marking important deadlines on my calendar at the outset of my tenure, I can anticipate busy periods and plan accordingly.

Ultimately, my education is my top priority, and I am committed to ensuring that my role as Treasurer complements my studies rather than detracts from them. I recognize the impact my organization and responsiveness can have on my peers, and I am dedicated to fostering a collaborative and eﬃcient environment within MULS.

QUESTION 4

You receive an urgent email from an Executive Officer requesting reimbursement for $700 in expenses related to an event. Upon reviewing the budget, you realise there is no provision for this amount, and the expenditure appears unapproved. When you consult the Vice-President, they respond with a vague comment: "I thought you’d just reimburse them." Later that evening, the Executive Officer calls you, emotionally stating that if they do not receive the $700 reimbursement immediately, they will be unable to pay their car registration that week, adding a layer of personal financial pressure to the situation.

Given the significant amount involved, the absence of budgetary approval, and the personal appeal from the Executive Officer, how would you handle this situation while upholding your responsibility to the MULS’ financial integrity, maintaining your working relationships, and addressing the officer's urgent need?

In this situation, it’s crucial to uphold the ﬁnancial integrity of MULS while also addressing the immediate needs of the Executive Oﬃcer. My approach would be twofold: ensuring adherence to our budgeting processes and maintaining open communication.

First, I would carefully explain to the Executive Officer that, while I understand the urgency and personal financial pressure they’re experiencing, the reimbursement request for $700 is not currently approved in the budget. It’s essential for all officers to follow the established procedures to ensure transparency and accountability in our financial dealings.

To prevent similar situations in the future, I believe we need to emphasise clearer communication regarding reimbursement protocols. Establishing a straightforward approval process - perhaps a checklist for budget approvals,

would help all officers understand whether expenses are eligible for reimbursement, and ensure they are approved in advance. This both safeguard MULS’ finances and cultivate better planning among Executive Officers (and board).

Additionally, I would contact the Vice-President to clarify expectations around budget management and reimbursement approvals, emphasizing the importance of clear communication in our roles. After consulting the Vice-President, it may be appropriate to consider passing an urgent Board Motion so that the Executive Oﬃcer can potentially be reimbursed. If this is not passed, other avenues must be considered.

It would not be appropriate for me to personally authorize the reimbursement in this instance. Ultimately, approvals of unauthorised transactions may create an incorrect understanding of what expenses are to be reimbursed, which could lead to reimbursement requests for transactions that have personal beneﬁts. In this circumstance, other avenues of support might include directing them to available resources, such as Student Groups. This could aid or provide guidance for their immediate ﬁnancial concerns.

Ultimately, maintaining our financial integrity is paramount. However, I also recognize the importance of empathy and support to ensure the wellbeing of my fellow officers. I have been supported by Vice-Presidents and other Executive officers in MULS over the past two years, of which I have benefitted tremendously from. I actively try to support other MULS officers and intend to continue this practice into 2025. By ensuring everyone is aware of the processes in place, we can help prevent such urgent situations in the future.

VICE-PRESIDENT (EDUCATION)

ALISON CHEN

QUESTION 1

One of the biggest events for the Education portfolio is the First Year Afternoon Tea. What is your vision for this event in 2025?

My vision for first year morning tea is to provide a relaxed and casual environment for first year students where they can meet their peers and make new friends. The event would be mostly up to the students to talk to each other, and I believe the main role of MULS should be to facilitate this and provide students with an opportunity to meet other first years without being overly involved or making the event rigid and structured.

In saying this, I plan to organise team games and icebreakers for students, but learning from my own experiences I think it’s essential for the success of the event that we leave time for students to chat organically instead of just participating in activities. It is important to strike a balance between facilitating student interactions and forcing them, which could lead to an awkward and stiﬂed environment, contrary to the goals of the event.

QUESTION 2

With the heightened focus on enhancing first-year engagement within the Education Portfolio, what innovative, long-term strategies would you implement to deeply integrate MULS into the first-year experience, especially considering the diverse needs and expectations of a large cohort with varying levels of prior engagement? How would you ensure that these initiatives not only captivate first-years initially but also sustain their involvement throughout the year, while balancing the constraints of

limited resources, competing priorities across portfolios, and the challenge of reaching disengaged or underrepresented groups within the cohort?

It can be difficult to sustain the involvement and interest of first years throughout the year, particularly given the limited resources of the Education portfolio. In order to combat this, I would consider reaching out to the Events portfolio and discussing the viability of holding more first-year focused events throughout the year.

I believe MULS is already deeply integrated with the ﬁrst year experience through events such as First Year Law Camp, however I can acknowledge that this can be exclusionary as it has historically been an 18+ event which involves partying and can isolate younger students as well as non-drinkers. In order to be more inclusive and reach underrepresented groups, ideally, I would have a full subcommittee including a diversity representative who can work with myself and the events team to create more inclusive events such as trivia nights, bowling, etc. and space them throughout the year to maintain student interest.

QUESTION 3

You mention your experience as a Social Events Executive and your involvement in education portfolio events like O-Week and the First Year Morning Tea. How would you apply the event-planning skills you've gained to ensure the successful execution of both traditional and new education initiatives?

My prior experience has prepared me for this role in three main ways; I have gained an understanding of what activities students enjoy, a familiarity with university event planning protocols, and an understanding of how to work with MULS’ budgetary constraints.

In 2024 I helped organise First Year Law Camp and attended as a volunteer. This provided me with a solid understanding of what incoming students are looking to gain out of MULS events as well as the types of activities and ice-breakers which students enjoy the most. Additionally, my experience has prepared me for this role by providing me with an understanding of university policies and student groups’ constraints around events and how to navigate them. I

understand our safety and risk obligations and will be able to meet them without issue. Another skill I have learnt from my previous role is how to work with MULS budget constraints. I have a solid understanding of the costs involved in event planning, including catering and activities and will be able to work around any ﬁnancial constraints.

QUESTION 4

You mention that law school can be particularly difficult for first-generation law students. How would you tailor your initiatives to address the specific needs of this group, and how would you measure the success of your efforts in supporting their unique challenges?

The main way I hope to improve the experience of first generation law students is through the buddy program. This program would aim to partner first year students with older peers in order to fill the gap for students without friends or family in the legal profession. The purpose of this is to provide them with guidance, since there are very few opportunities for younger students to meet and interact with older peers. This initiative would hope to create ongoing mentorship over the course of an individual’s university studies as well as industry connections for the future. It would be difficult to measure the success of this program, but I believe older students can offer invaluable insights to demystify law school for individuals without friends and family to help them.

QUESTION 5

Imagine as Vice-President of Education, you’ve successfully implemented two essential initiatives: the expanded textbook equity scheme and the ﬁrst-year mentorship buddy program. These programs are particularly crucial for economically disadvantaged and ﬁrst-generation students.

However, just before the start of Week 6, the executive officer responsible for managing the textbook equity scheme unexpectedly resigns due to burnout, leaving the program without critical support. At the same time, the production of the "Justified" podcast episode—set to explore alternative career pathways in law—has encountered significant delays, as the Careers Portfolio now urgently requires your assistance to meet

promotional commitments made to a major sponsoring ﬁrm that is eager to see the episode go live.

The urgency of the situation presents a dilemma: failing to continue the textbook equity scheme could deprive many students of vital resources for their studies, while postponing the podcast episode could damage the reputation of both the Education and Careers Portfolios, as well as jeopardise the relationship with the sponsoring ﬁrm.

How would you navigate this situation? What factors would you consider in deciding which initiative takes priority?

I would be reluctant to prioritise one initiative over the other, given they are both extremely important in different ways. Although the absence of the campus experience officer would be difficult, with the help of the education subcommittee and careers portfolio I believe both initiatives can still be carried out effectively without compromise.

In this situation, myself and the education subcommittee would step in to run the textbook scheme. If need be, I would prioritise this over the production of the podcast because textbooks are an essential resource for students, and the longer individuals go without access to fundamental course materials the more academic disadvantage they will face. Although it is important to keep a good relationship with ﬁrms, the fundamental purpose of MULS is to support law students so this should take priority.

In saying this, I recognise that MULS has an obligation to meet our promises to sponsors. Although this is a diﬃcult situation, with adequate time management I believe it is possible to meet both deadlines. However, if this is not possible, I would still choose to prioritise the textbook equity scheme, and ask the Careers portfolio for extra assistance given the collaborative nature of this project. In exchange, I would pull more weight for future episodes of the podcast and take over during their busy periods in the spirit of teamwork.

VICE-PRESIDENT (SOCIAL JUSTICE)

SASKIA GERAGHTY

QUESTION 1

Given that law students have varied interests—some aligned with social justice and others with corporate law—how do you plan to balance these diﬀerent perspectives within the Social Justice Portfolio? How would you ensure that the initiatives you promote resonate with the entire student body?

People study law for a variety of reasons, some wish to be practising lawyers, others wish to use their knowledge for advocacy or other avenues. Rather than attempting to ensure that each particular initiative resonates with every individual member of the student body, I would like to run a range of events that cover diﬀerent Social Justice issues.

For example, in one Semester we could run our International Women’s Day Panel on the experience and evolution of women in the legal profession, and a workshop on the process of law reform. Then in the next semester, we could run an information session with criminal lawyers and youth workers on factors that contribute to recidivism and what can be done to mitigate some of these factors and a City2Surf team that raises money for the Inner City Legal Centre.

My approach to running a series of events that resonate with the entire student body is to Listen, Include and Enact.

1. Listen

As representatives of the student body, it is essential that we hear from the students that we represent in regards to what issues they are passionate about.

As outlined in my candidate statement, I intend to continue running panel discussions with legal experts on social justice issues and how these intersect with the law. The Q&A section of the panels are great opportunities to hear from students about issues that matter to them and concerns that they have.

Additionally, I intend to maintain an open forum on the MULS Social Justice Instagram page for students to suggest initiatives that they would like to see run.

2. Include

Once we have heard what issues students would like to explore, we will include them in the process of brainstorming and planning the event - as the goal is to support and encourage more law students to use our education and passion to enact positive change.

The second part of inclusion is to host at least one initiative each semester that deals with an issue of global concern, such as Live Below the Line, or initiatives that give students freedom to choose their cause such as the City2Surf that students would still be able to undertake as part of the MULS team.

3. Enact

The ﬁnal step is to enact. As Vice-President, I would like to utilise MULS resources to the best of my ability to see these initiatives through to fruition. Given that the Constitution allows for a Social Justice Sub-Committee, I believe that our Portfolio has the capacity to become one of the most active within MULS. I ﬁnd that Social Justice attracts people who are passionate and willing to put in the work for what they believe in and I am excited to form and work with a team that will create events that engage a large portion of the student body.

QUESTION 2

Social justice topics can be polarising. How would you approach discussions or events where there might be disagreement or opposition to the views presented? What strategies would you use to foster constructive dialogue and ensure a respectful environment?

I believe that having diﬃcult conversations help to challenge how we think and it is beneﬁcial to learn how to defend and adapt your opinions through intellectual and constructive discussions.

I believe that it is important to approach discussions and events where there may be disagreement or opposition to the views presented with caution and open-mindedness. There is value in having diﬃcult conversations and challenging the way that we think and it is beneﬁcial to learn how to defend and adapt our stance through intellectual and constructive discussions. However, a line must be drawn when the actions or remarks of any individual at our events

make people feel personally targeted, unsafe or uncomfortable.

In order to facilitate positive discourse around topics that may be polarising, I will open events with a preluding statement about what the topic is and why it is important. This statement will include any trigger warnings that may be relevant as well as set out standards of behaviour and respect that align with the MULS Equity Policy. If relevant to the event, we will also enforce Chatham house Rules.

Our approach to any panel discussions that we have run in the past has been to provide a range of perspectives on the topic from diﬀerent speakers so that we are not projecting bias onto the discussion and are able to facilitate a holistic examination of the topic from academic, practising and expert lenses.

By implementing these strategies, we are able to create an environment where constructive dialogue can ﬂourish, even in the face of disagreement.

QUESTION 3

You mentioned collaborating with other portfolios to enhance the impact of social justice initiatives. Can you provide a concrete example of how you would foster these collaborations and what you believe the beneﬁts would be for the Social Justice Portfolio and the broader student community?

Fostering Collaborations

I would love to work with the Events Portfolio and the Education Portfolio next year on diﬀerent events. In regards to how I would foster these collaborations, 23.5(e) of the MULS Constitution already has set out a formal relationship between the Social Justice Portfolio and the Education Portfolio in regard to assisting in ‘the stimulation of debate about topical law student issues’ and the ‘promotion of health and wellbeing initiatives’. As the Executive Oﬃcer (Campus Experience) is part of the Education portfolio, I believe a large-scale campus event such as the Social Justice Trivia Night or a World’s Greatest Shave event would be heaps of fun and engage more of our student population with MULS.

Beneﬁts for the Social Justice Portfolio

Collaborating with other portfolios means that we have more minds and hands behind curating and executing events that will engage the student population. When portfolios join together and support each other’s events, it creates a positive environment and encourages more students to turn up and participate in our events. Rather than a team of three Executives promoting a panel to their friends, we would have our three execs, the sub-committee, and two other portfolios rallying behind an initiative, talking to their friends about it and

cross-marketing the event. Rather than only attracting a smaller niche of students, collaboration makes our events more inclusive.

Beneﬁts for the Broader Student Community

The more people we have putting time and energy into an event, the better the product will be. By working with the Events and Education portfolios, the Social Justice Portfolio can take our events outside of the Law Building and bring them to the People. Collaboration results in high quality, larger scale, new and exciting events that will have students refreshing the MULS page to see when the next event is.

QUESTION 4

You mentioned a desire to create an inclusive space for law students passionate about social justice. Can you elaborate on how you would assess the current inclusivity of the Social Justice Portfolio and what speciﬁc measures you would implement to enhance it further?

Currently, the Social Justice Portfolio operates as a tight-knit team of three, planning and executing events. Our initiatives have had great support from members of the Board and Executive who come out to help us set up events and engage with panel discussions which has been amazing. Our events are open to all students, staﬀ and members of the public who are interested in the topics and in this way- we are one of the most inclusive portfolios.

To enhance the inclusivity of the Social Justice Portfolio further, I would love to engage more with our appointed Sub-Committee and utilise them more in the planning and execution of events as well as managing and maintaining our social media presence.

I propose that a member of the Social Justice Subcommittee manage the @mulssocialjustice Instagram account, posting volunteer opportunities, upcoming events, relevant current aﬀair updates and regular student polls. These measures will help the wider student body recognise the presence of the portfolio, have their say on initiatives that we run and engage more with Social Justice Issues that aﬀect them and others.

I would like to have regular fortnightly (or monthly) meetings within the Social Justice Portfolio (Sub-Committee inclusive) at the UBAR that any student can attend and collaborate with the team. This will facilitate a sense of community within the portfolio and allow us to connect with the student body in an environment which is informal, social and constructive. As I intend to run more

regular events, these meetings will largely be planning and allocating tasks to members so we can execute these events in a collaborative and eﬃcient way.

My hope is that closer collaboration with the Sub-Committee, an increased social media presence and regular open meetings will make the Social Justice Portfolio an inclusive place for all law students that are passionate about social justice to engage and be heard.

QUESTION 5

Imagine you are running for the position of Vice-President (Social Justice) at your university, and a social justice issue that is particularly meaningful to you—such as environmental justice—has recently gained prominence. This issue encompasses the disproportionate impact of environmental degradation on marginalised communities and raises important legal questions regarding regulatory frameworks, land use, and access to clean resources.

If you are elected as Vice-President (Social Justice), how would you address the issue of environmental justice in relation to the law?

As a representative of the student body, it is not my prerogative to allocate MULS resources to an issue if only I am passionate about it. My ﬁrst step would be to consult with my team, and decide whether this cause is in the interest of the student body to pursue.

Upon getting the green light, my approach would be to raise awareness and educate people about the issue. I envision a social media campaign with guest speakers including local government oﬃcials, environmental activists, Indigenous Elders and environmental law experts who can shed light on the causes and impacts of environmental degradation on our local and global communities. These experts may also be able to speak about what we can do as individuals to minimise our carbon footprint and produce less waste.

If this online campaign engages the student body, it would be a great opportunity to then build on this to facilitate a petition or written submission to our local government, calling for a reallocation of resources to managing and preventing environmental degradation within the community.

JULES GOBRAN

Question 1: What speciﬁc initiatives/events/ideas do you intend to execute upon if elected the Vice-President (Social Justice)?

● Guest Panels: I aim to host panels with barristers and solicitors on critical social justice topics such issues around human rights, featuring inﬂuential ﬁgures like Hon. Michael Kirby and Kate Eastman.

● Cocktail Evenings: I plan to organise informal cocktail evenings at Zephyr, utilising my connections at Hyatt Regency to create a relaxed environment for open discussions on social justice.

Question 2: What speciﬁc experiences in the Social Justice sphere do you possess that distinguish you from other candidates?

· Personal Background: As the child of Egyptian refugees, I am deeply committed to human rights and anti-discrimination advocacy.

Active Community Engagement: I advocate for marginalised individuals at Marrickville Legal Centre and led an under-18 women’s

football team to the grand ﬁnals, promoting social awareness through sport.

Previous MULS Experience: As Director of Competitions at MULS, I organised events addressing inequality and discrimination.

Question 3: You mentioned your passion for sports in your statement. How do you see this passion correlating with the aims and responsibilities of the Social Justice portfolio?

● Host Awareness Events: I will organise themed sports days focused on discrimination and gender equality, collaborating with other universities to maximise impact and collaboration

● Collaborate with Clubs: I aim to partner with Sydney Football Club and MinterEllison through the Moriarty Foundation to integrate social justice education into sporting events.

Question 4: You outlined discrimination, education, and human rights as primary issues you wish to address. How do you plan to prioritise these issues within the context of MULS? Which one do you believe requires immediate attention and why?

My focus on discrimination and human rights addresses pressing global issues, including racial injustice, gender inequality, and refugee rights. Through targeted workshops, panels, and inclusive sporting events, I will raise awareness and equip students to challenge these injustices within our community.

Question 5: Imagine you are running for the position of Vice-President (Social Justice) at your university, and a social justice issue that is particularly meaningful to you—such as environmental justice—has recently gained prominence. This issue encompasses the disproportionate impact of environmental degradation on marginalised communities and raises important legal questions regarding regulatory frameworks, land use, and access to clean resources.

If you are elected as Vice-President (Social Justice), how would you address the issue of environmental justice in relation to the law?

I will focus on environmental justice by:

● Hosting Expert Panels: Engaging local experts on pollution and Indigenous land rights, including environmental and legal professionals.

● Raising Awareness: Launching campaigns highlighting the unequal impact of environmental degradation on marginalised communities through social media and MULS competition questions.

● Community Clean-Up Events: Promoting stewardship by increasing student participation in initiatives like Clean Up Australia Day.

RAYANNE SABRA

QUESTION 1

What speciﬁc initiatives/events/ideas do you intend to execute upon if elected the Vice-President (Social Justice)?

If elected Vice-President (Social Justice), I will advocate initiatives that empower women in law and business to overcome gender barriers and rise to leadership roles. An example of a key event will be the “EmpowerHER”

Networking Brunch Series, where women professionals share their journeys, discuss challenges, and provide strategies to navigate male-dominated industries. This series aims to equip participants with tools to advance in their careers and build mentorship networks. I will seek to collaborate with the Women Entering Business Society to attract inspiring speakers and sponsors, further strengthening this initiative. Additionally, I would plan to host a “Conﬁdence in Courtroom & Leadership Skills” Workshop, focusing on essential skills like public speaking, negotiation, and courtroom advocacy. Featuring female alumni and practising lawyers as trainers, this workshop will foster conﬁdence and competence in future female leaders within the legal sector.

Supporting students of colour and promoting diversity within the legal profession is another area I will prioritise. To achieve this, I will organise a “Diverse Futures” Careers Fair that connects POC students with law ﬁrms and businesses that actively support diversity and inclusion. The event will feature one-on-one resume consultations with recruiters and networking sessions with diverse legal professionals to foster meaningful career connections. Additionally,

I will launch a social media campaign called “#OurStories”, which will spotlight the journeys of POC students and alumni in law. Partnering with the MULS Social Justice media channels, this campaign will aim to increase visibility and inspire students by showcasing success stories and strategies for overcoming systemic barriers.

In recognition of the importance of Indigenous voices in the legal space, I plan to host an “Indigenous Rights & Legal Reform” Conference. This event will bring together Indigenous legal professionals and students to discuss reforms that impact Indigenous communities and highlight student-led research on justice initiatives. Complementing the conference, I will organise a “Law and Reconciliation” Workshop designed to foster collaboration between Indigenous and non-indigenous participants. This workshop will explore how legal professionals can contribute to reconciliation by developing mock legal policies aligned with Indigenous justice principles. To engage a broader student body, I will also introduce a social media series titled “Through Indigenous Eyes – Stories that Matter,” recommending ﬁlms and documentaries like Incarceration Nation to encourage reﬂection on justice, equity, and reconciliation issues.

An important goal is to foster a supportive environment for Muslim students within the legal community. I propose hosting a “Muslims in Law” Panel featuring Muslim legal professionals who will share insights in balancing faith with the demands of the legal ﬁeld. This event will create space for discussion around religious accommodation, cultural sensitivity, and representation in the workplace. In addition, I plan to organise a “Community Iftar & Networking Night” during Ramadan, seeking to collaborate with the Macquarie University Muslim Students’ Association, bringing together students, legal professionals, and allies for networking and dialogue. These initiatives will promote greater

understanding and provide Muslim students with mentorship, supporting networks, and tools to excel in their careers while staying true to their values. These initiatives will collectively create spaces for empowerment, dialogue, and meaningful change, ensuring that all students – regardless of gender, race, or cultural background – have the opportunity to thrive in the legal profession.

QUESTION 2

What is your vision for the social justice portfolio in 2025?

In 2025, I envision the MULS Social Justice portfolio as a vibrant, inclusive, and impactful hub that empowers students to engage with pressing social issues, advocate diversity, and drive meaningful change. The portfolio will prioritise representation by amplifying marginalised voices, oﬀering targeted mentorship for underrepresented groups, and embedding cultural competency across all initiatives. It will provide opportunities for hands-on advocacy and real-world legal experiences through long-term partnerships with community organisations and legal services. Additionally, the portfolio will foster mental health awareness, recognising well-being as a key component of social justice. Students will be at the heart of the portfolio through leadership opportunities and student-led campaigns, ensuring the portfolio remains responsive to emerging challenges. Ultimately, the Social Justice portfolio will cultivate compassionate future lawyers equipped with the knowledge, empathy, and leadership skills to make a lasting impact within MULS, the university, and society at large.

QUESTION 3

How have your experiences in the Foundations of Law Mooting Competition and the Women Entering Business Society speciﬁcally prepared you for the challenges you might face as Vice President (Social Justice)?

Participating in the Foundations of Law Mooting Competition has sharpened my ability to think critically, articulate arguments under pressure, and respond eﬀectively to challenging questions – skills essential for advocating social justice issues. Mooting also strengthened my research capabilities and taught me the importance of precision, which will help me craft well-informed initiatives and navigate complex social justice topics. Additionally, teamwork and collaboration were integral to the competition, equipping me with the ability to work cohesively with diverse stakeholders to drive change.

Through my involvement in the Women Entering Business Society, I developed strong communication and networking skills by engaging with professionals and peers in meaningful discussions. The panels I attended provided insights into overcoming systemic barriers, inspiring me to adopt inclusive leadership strategies. These experiences have prepared me to foster a sense of belonging and representation within MULS, ensuring that the voices of marginalised communities are ampliﬁed. Balancing multiple commitments in both activities has enhanced my time management and resilience, skills I will rely on to eﬀectively manage the demands of the Vice President (Social Justice) role.

QUESTION 4

You emphasised the importance of love, compassion, and respect in your leadership approach. How would you foster these values among the student body, particularly

in discussions that may involve disagreement or diﬀering perspectives on social justice issues?

To foster love, compassion, and respect among the student body, especially during discussions involving disagreement or diﬀering perspectives on social justice issues, I would create safe, structured spaces for dialogue that encourage empathy and active listening. This could include facilitated discussions and restorative conversations where students are invited to share their views without fear of judgment. I would emphasise the importance of listening to understand rather than to respond, encouraging students to engage with opposing perspectives with an open mind.

Workshops on respectful communication would help students develop skills like empathy, self-regulation, and mindful expression during diﬃcult conversations. I would also establish community guidelines at the beginning of events, reinforcing values such as respect, kindness, and inclusion.

Finally, leading by example is essential – I would model compassion and respect in my own interactions, especially when facilitating or mediating challenging conversations. By prioritising empathy, understanding, and respect, I aim to create a student community where diverse perspectives are celebrated, and social justice discussions become opportunities for growth and connection.

QUESTION 5

disproportionate impact of environmental degradation on marginalised communities and raises important legal questions regarding regulatory frameworks, land use, and access to clean resources.

If you are elected as Vice-President (Social Justice), how would you address the issue of environmental justice in relation to the law?

If elected Vice-President (Social Justice), I would address environmental justice by focusing on how environmental harm disproportionately impacts marginalised communities, using education, advocacy, and collaboration to drive meaningful action. I would organise seminars, panels, and workshops featuring experts, activists, and leaders to explore legal frameworks, land rights, and access to clean resources. These events would give students a deeper understanding of environmental law and equip them to critically engage with issues like pollution regulation, sustainable land use, and native title.

In addition, awareness campaigns would highlight real-world examples of environmental injustice, focusing on aﬀected communities and mobilising students through advocacy eﬀorts, such as public petitions, letter-writing campaigns, and submissions to policy inquiries. Collaboration with environmental organisations and legal services would allow students to volunteer on pro bono projects tackling environmental challenges while promoting indigenous-led conservation practices. This multi-faceted approach would ensure that MULS plays an active role in addressing environmental justice, empowering students to become future legal professionals who advocate for both equity and sustainability in their careers.

VICE-PRESIDENT (CAREER ENGAGEMENT)

JORDAN LAU

QUESTION 1

What elements of your own career will make you suitable for the role of Vice-President (Career Engagement)?

With respect of my own career, I believe the following three experiences would enhance my suitability as the Vice-President (Career Engagement):

Experience in diﬀerent practice areas

During my junior legal career I have been incredibly fortunate to experience a wide range of practice areas and have gained exposure to a variety of different matters, both transactional litigious. These areas mainly include Commercial Litigation, Restructuring and Insolvency, Corporate and Insurance. The inherent value in experiencing different practice areas manifests in a variety of ways including planning events surrounding specific practice areas, recommending initiatives to sponsors which match their major practice areas, and providing guidance to younger law students on the nature of work in different areas.

While their primary responsibilities lie in managing sponsor relationships and planning career-related events, one often overlooked aspect of the role is that a Careers VP should be available and willing to answer general careers from Macquarie students. Although I have been in the role of Vice-President (Publications) I have had opportunities to give advice to junior students on this topic, including in conversations at MULS events and as part of the student panel during the 2024 O-Week. I believe students with a wide variety of experiences are better positioned to give accurate advice, which is why I would be open and conﬁdent to discuss career options with junior students in this role.

Additionally, this knowledge will further aid me in MULS pursuits that are outside of the Careers Portfolio, including in the assistance of drafting the

Clerkship Guide with thee Publications Portfolio and the hosting of careers-adjacent events with the Education Portfolio in O-Week.

Involvement in networking and professional development events

Throughout my professional career I have attended a variety of networking events, both through MULS and through employers, which has informed my knowledge of the features which comprise a successful corporate event. The environment, registration, catering and time of day all contribute heavily to the success of a networking event. I plan to employ these observations in the Careers events that will be run in 2025, and push for a move to have Semester 1 events model corporate networking events to prepare students for the type of business development work they may be partaking in, in their legal career. This also holds the dual beneﬁt of producing more professional events that encourage sponsor involvement.

Time Management

While time management is a broad skill which can be drawn from a number of experiences, the past year on the MULS Board has taught me speciﬁcally how to manage my time between part-time work, a Vice-President position and other commitments including two competitions throughout the year. As a Vice-President, it is imperative that you are able to be readily available for portfolio initiatives, Board meetings and ad-hoc emails, which is something I have learnt to balance with work - often when they may coincide. I am therefore far more comfortable with the prospect of entering another Board position as the transition period will be far more smoother than moving from Executive Oﬃcer to Vice-President.

Many of the attributes that I have listed are attributes which I share with many other Macquarie Law students, though I believe this is a point of value. A Vice-President should be representative of the broader cohort, so that I am typically planning events in a way that is consistent with the expectations of the cohort with their best interest at heart.

QUESTION

You mentioned in your statement that you wish to 'future proof' MULS establishing partnerships that will support MULS even after your tenure. How would you go about this?

The reference to ‘future proofing’ in my candidate statement refers to my objective in 2025 to establish new and sustainable partnerships which can be carried through to later years. This will primarily be achieved during the sponsorship process in January-February, wherein I will expand the scope of MULS outreach to incorporate a range of new international law firms, as well as diverse careers law firms. This will be supported by a series of new diverse-careers focussed information sessions in Semester 2, which I endeavour to establish as an annual event that sponsors can continually become involved with.

Additionally, in order to establish a continuing relationship with the sponsor, I aim for each sponsor to be sent a report in review at the end of their event which summarises the engagement the event had, potential testimonials from students and marketing material such as photos and videos. By summarising the success of each event, MULS will have positive results to show for in 2026 which will encourage the maintenance of sponsorship. It is imperative for sponsors to see the value in which they are paying for.

QUESTION 3

In 2024, the Career Engagement team successfully held the flagship Clerkship Fair off-campus for the first time. If the Clerkship Fair was to return to campus in 2025, what specific strategies would you implement to manage external stakeholders' expectations and ensure a smooth transition back to an on-campus format? Additionally, how would you plan to adapt the event layout and experience to suit the MKB building’s facilities?

The MULS Clerkship Fair is the ﬂagship event of the Careers Portfolio and combines a number of our historical sponsors to engage with students and provide insights into the opportunities available at their ﬁrms.

Managing external stakeholders expectations

Deﬁning value - While sponsor expectations is an important point of consideration when planning an event, holding the Clerkship Fair holds many

positive outcomes which would need to be highlighted prior to them purchasing a ‘Clerkship Fair’ package. Pertinently, holding Clerkship Fair at campus removed any limitations on head-count for the night, which means sponsors will have access to a wider range of talented students of whom may be interested in pursuing early careers or clerkship opportunities with them. A crucial selling point for MULS items is exposure, where an external Clerkship Fair has a head-count limitation of less than a single-year cohort, a campus Clerkship Fair could expose ﬁrms to more than double the amount of students. In 2024, sponsors such as Ashurst’s Jo Dean noted her satisfaction with “amazing attendance” at the 7pm Ashurst presentation in the Michael Kirby Building. If this satisfaction was extended to all of MULS’ corporate sponsors, we would be establishing a strong precedent for drawing wide participation in events.

Organising transport options -

The main deficiency of holding a Clerkship Fair on campus is the inconvenience of the location of Macquarie Park. In easing any transport issues that may arise, MULS will ensure that personalised transportation options are given to sponsors which include the most appropriate station from their office and the transport duration so that they can expect when they will need to leave the city to attend. Sponsors will also be given the option to reserve a parking space on campus if they choose to drive, and have any firm merchandise, posters and promotional material couriered to campus to avoid sponsors carrying it on public transport.

Adaptation of the event layout

While the Clerkshio Fair is typically held in a wide, open space, the Michael Kirby Building oﬀers a dynamic, active space wherein students will be encouraged to explore diﬀerent options on multiple levels of the building.

Adaptation of firm pitches - Due to the nature of some Clerkship Fair spaces, the ‘Pitch’ section of evening (where firms give brief speeches about the opportunities available at their firms) is often awkwardly positioned with firm stalls blocking the line of vision to the stage. An on-campus Clerkship Fair would allow the firm pitches to take place in the new Michael Kirby Moot Court, which allows a stage and seating for firms to give pitches unobstructed.

Adaptation of sponsorship packages - This event layout also gives the opportunity for the Careers team to oﬀer diﬀerent pricing points for Clerkship

Fair packages, where first floor spaces would be more affordable than spaces which are near doorways and command higher foot-traffic. This gives smaller sponsors an opportunity to enter the Clerkship Fair, where the otherwise standard prices may not have held sufficient value for them to be worthwhile.

QUESTION 4

A major sponsor reaches out to you at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday, urgently requesting to hold a firm presentation on Monday morning—the only remaining date available for their team. However, you’ve already committed that time slot to another firm, and both firms are high-profile sponsors. Additionally, the university has strict venue availability policies, making it difficult to reschedule either event without considerable notice. How would you manage this situation, balancing the expectations of both sponsors, maintaining strong relationships, and ensuring a positive outcome without compromising the integrity of the event?

In this difficult situation, I believe the most appropriate response would be to contact the firm and respectfully inform them of the conflict, and advise that it will not be possible to host the event at that time.

Although it is important to maintain positive relationships with ﬁrms and sponsors, this cannot happen at the expense of another ﬁrm who has booked in advance and followed proper procedure. Flexibility is key, but only where it is conceivably possible.

Further, I would not host an event on short notice, given a disorganised and poorly presented event would be detrimental to firm relationships and the reputation of MULS. Unfortunately, sufficient marketing would be able to be released before Monday morning which may lead to a lack of attendance at the event which may disappoint them further. Although failing to host the event would disappoint this sponsor, it is preferable to reschedule the event or refund the firm than to compromise the integrity of the event by hosting it at an improper location.

However, before outright cancelling the event, I would attempt to contact a ﬁrm representative and communicate my concerns. This way, we can express our reasons for refusing to hold their event and discuss potential solutions. If they

are willing to host the event at their firm for example, or willing to push the event back to Monday afternoon, it may be possible to promote the event within the MULS community by way of an email blast and achieve sufficient attendance. In any event, it is vital to ensure open communication with firms and sponsors in order for them to understand our perspective and reasons for cancellation to maintain a strong relationship.

QUESTION 5

As the Careers Vice-President, you represent multiple sponsors that MULS has secured and maintained. It is your responsibility to ensure that each Vice-President of the respective Portfolios is informed about the initiatives and events sponsored by these ﬁrms, as well as to communicate deadlines and expectations. However, it is common for sponsors to have high demands that require your attention.

Imagine that a long-time sponsor has requested that an episode of the Justified podcast, an education initiative, be recorded in April instead of the originally planned July. This sponsor has contributed a significant amount of funding and is one of MULS's most valuable long-term supporters, making their request quite persistent and expecting it to be filmed in April with no room for adjustment or further negotiation.

However, April is an exceptionally busy period for the Education Vice-President, who is currently organising a major sponsored event that requires substantial time and eﬀort. The Education Vice-President is unaware of the sponsor’s request, and you understand that their team is already at capacity due to the demands of this new event.

How would you navigate this situation, balancing the need to maintain a positive relationship with the long-term sponsor while ensuring that the Justiﬁed episode is recorded within the requested April timeframe, without overwhelming the Education Vice-President's team?

While a situation where a sponsor requests a signiﬁcant change of date following a sponsorship meeting is rare, it is imperative that sponsors are accommodated, especially where they are providing signiﬁcant support for MULS.

One of the primary attributes of the MULS team is the propensity for collaboration between portfolio’s, and the consistent goodwill it has demonstrated where Executive Oﬃcers and Board members frequently oﬀer to assist each other in unprecedented busy periods. In this complex scenario, it is evident that the needs of this particular sponsor must be addressed to maintain a positive working relationship.

In noting that the Education team is already at capacity due to their new event in April, the most suitable course of action would be the following timeline of production:

1. Preliminary discussion with the Education Vice-President - In a high-pressure scenario such as the above, early communication is crucial to establishing expectations and ensuring the sponsor is alerted of any potential changes as soon as possible. A preliminary discussion with the Education Vice-President would include notifying them of the request by the sponsor, as well as determining their team's capacity and vision for the initiative.

2. Determine the scope of the initiative - The Justiﬁed podcast is a series of interviews MULS runs with various industry stakeholders and is published on Spotify. It is recorded in a range of formats including in-person and on Zoom, and often involves the Careers Vice-President or another MULS Executive interviewing a sponsor on a particular topic (e.g. Clerkship advice, Commercial law).

3. Determine Careers teams’ capacity - In the spirit of collaboration and open assistance, I would then reach out to the Careers Executive team to determine their capacity and propensity to assist on the initiative in April. Although preparation for the careers ‘Mad May’ is underway during April, this team would not be as busy as the Education portfolio during this time. The Careers team comprises four Executive Oﬃcers (Corporate Careers x2, Public Interest Careers, Sponsorship) excluding the Vice-President, of which may be able to assist with either planning questions for or hosting the Justiﬁed episode.

4. Contact the sponsor - Assuming that the sponsor had been previously notiﬁed that the Justiﬁed podcast would be undertaken by the Education portfolio, they should then be updated that the majority of the organisation would now be completed by the Careers team to ensure they

are holistically aware of the progress of their sponsored item. As the Justiﬁed podcast has often featured the Careers Vice-President as the host in previous years, this is unlikely to be an issue for the sponsor.

5. Brief correspondence with the Education team - After identifying an appropriate Careers team member who may be of assistance for this initiative, email correspondence should be issued to the Education Vice-President regarding: a) the projected timeline of recording and publishing; b) the questions which will be asked during the podcast and; c) the format which the podcast will be recorded in. As the Education Vice-President has limited time during April, this summarised email will allow them to ensure that the initiative is progressing similar to how they had planned, and gives them the opportunity to raise any issues.

6. Recording and posting of the podcast episode - The podcast episode may then be recorded under the supervision of the Careers Vice-President and sent to the Education Vice-President for approval before publishing in April.

Avoiding issues with sponsor expectations

However, principally I do not believe that open communication should only arise when there are issues to be resolved. In the planning and organisation of sponsor relationships, it is imperative that MULS communicate accurate expectations to sponsors, as over-promising in sponsor meetings can often lead to disappointment if an event cannot be delivered on the date promised. To avoid this issue entirely, I will create a comprehensive list of each portfolio’s capacity prior to a sponsor meeting and request a date range in which they are comfortable planning and delivering each individual event. By doing this, it will ensure that in a meeting with a sponsor, I am able to oﬀer them accurate time frames of when MULS events can occur while also being ﬂexible and providing them with a range of options based on the relevant board members’ capacity.

Similarly, following conﬁrmation of a MULS initiative being sponsored, a sponsorship tracker will be shared with the Board so each Board member is aware of which of their initiatives are sponsored, and when the sponsor expects this initiative to be produced. Early notice is key to driving quality planning and open lines of communication. While sponsors are incredibly important to the functioning of the law society, my primary goal is to foster a supportive

environment which allows Board members to produce high-value initiatives in collaboration with our industry partners.

DUNG NGHI (YOONG) TRAN

QUESTION 1: What has been your biggest success in MULS to date that makes you a good candidate for Competitions VP?

One of my biggest successes in MULS has been organising and managing the 2024 MULS x Beatty Hughes & Associates Environmental Law Moot. Although my role as the 2024 External Professional Skills Executive Oﬃcer does not typically include managing advocacy competitions, I was asked by Heidi Huggett, the External Advocacy Executive Oﬃcer, to assist with the moot to lessen her workload. Despite not having managed advocacy competitions before, I was able to apply my skills from professional skills competitions and my own experience as an avid mooter.

This competition allowed me to interact with more student law societies from other universities, her Honourable Justice Sandra Duggan and her associate Kim Khong, as well as Jennifer Hughes, a partner from Beatty Hughes & Associates. I also handled logistical tasks, such as securing a courtroom in the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales, which was an incredible opportunity to contribute to the competition's success.

The experience was not without challenges. Unexpected complications arose, but with the support of the Acting Vice-Presidents of Competitions, Mikaela Marino and Zachary Haynes, I was able to resolve issues eﬃciently and ensure the competition remained fair for all participants. This experience gave me a holistic understanding of both advocacy and professional skills competitions, from organising logistics to liaising with judges and sponsors. It taught me how to manage multiple parties, plan strategically, and adjust to challenges as they arise.

This success shows not only my organisational abilities but also my willingness to take on additional responsibilities, collaborate across teams, and ensure that

competitions run smoothly. These qualities make me well-suited for the Vice-President of Competitions role.

QUESTION 2: The jump from Executive Oﬃcer to the Board is a signiﬁcant shift in responsibility, can you please elaborate on the skills you are equipped with that will allow you to handle the role of Vice-President (Competitions)?

Transitioning from Executive Oﬃcer to Vice-President of Competitions requires a shift not only in responsibility but also in the level of leadership and strategic oversight. My experience as the 2024 External Professional Skills Executive Oﬃcer has equipped me with critical skills in organisation, delegation, and communication that will be invaluable in this expanded role.

Firstly, managing multiple competitions as Executive Oﬃcer has developed my ability to coordinate complex logistics, liaise with external stakeholders, and ensure that all participants are fully supported. I have been directly involved in overseeing several professional skills competitions and an advocacy competition, where I learned how to set realistic goals, establish contingency plans, and ensure that each competition runs smoothly from start to ﬁnish.

Secondly, my role as a personal assistant has given me extensive experience in balancing high-stakes tasks and ensuring that multiple projects are executed simultaneously. I have frequently handled sensitive information and made important decisions under tight deadlines, demonstrating my ability to manage stress and act with sound judgment. These skills will be essential as Vice-President, where overseeing a wide array of competitions requires maintaining clear communication and ensuring that each team member is aligned with the overall goals of MULS.

Lastly, the Vice-President role involves managing people. Having successfully collaborated with my fellow Executive Oﬃcers and members of the Competitions Portfolio, I understand the importance of supporting team members while holding them accountable for their tasks. My experience in building rapport and fostering a collaborative environment will enable me to guide the team eﬀectively, ensuring we deliver high-quality competitions throughout the year.

This combination of operational experience, leadership, and communication makes me conﬁdent that I can meet the heightened responsibilities of Vice-President of Competitions.

QUESTION 3: The Vice President of Competitions requires quite a lot of commitment with multiple competitions running through the semester and during mid-semester breaks. How would you intend to balance the responsibilities of your position alongside study and work?

Balancing the duties of Vice-President with study and work commitments is something I am well-equipped to handle, thanks to my strong time management and organisational skills. I have always prided myself on my ability to juggle multiple responsibilities eﬀectively without sacriﬁcing the quality of my work.

In my role as a personal assistant, I have developed a structured approach to managing time, often coordinating multiple schedules and meeting tight deadlines. This experience has taught me how to prioritise urgent tasks, break down large projects into manageable steps, and keep everything running efficiently. Additionally, my remote work arrangement offers flexibility, allowing me to adjust my schedule as necessary to meet the demands of the Vice-President role, especially during peak competition periods or when critical deadlines approach.

I also organise my university classes in a way that will maximise my availability for MULS. By consolidating my tutorials into one or two days each week, I free up the rest of my time to focus on my responsibilities within MULS. Although I understand that academic schedules may sometimes change, I have consistently maintained high academic performance while managing multiple commitments, such as competing in moots and organising external professional skills competitions.

Moreover, I believe in being proactive and creating clear, structured plans well in advance. For example, during competition season, I would develop detailed timelines and delegate responsibilities to my team eﬀectively to ensure that no single person is overwhelmed. By doing so, I will be able to balance my personal, academic, and MULS duties without compromising any of them.

In short, my experience in time management, combined with a ﬂexible and strategic approach to my commitments, ensures that I will be able to handle the demanding responsibilities of the Vice-President of Competitions.

QUESTION 4: As part of the Competitions Portfolio, you oversee eight Executive Officers and manage over a dozen competitions in a single semester. It's common for multiple semi-finals and grand finals to occur within the same week—and even on the same evening.

Imagine you are currently attending a semi-final of Moot Competition 1, where everything is running smoothly, and your presence is essential. However, during this time, you receive an urgent call from the executive officer responsible for another competition, Competition 2, which is taking place simultaneously. They inform you that there has been an incident involving unprofessional behaviour from one of the competitors, which has upset another competitor and led to a significant delay. The judges for Competition 2 are becoming increasingly impatient, as they cannot wait indefinitely to resolve the issue before heading home for the evening. It becomes clear to you that the issue in Competition 2 must be addressed immediately.

Meanwhile, you are also tasked with assisting the executive oﬃcer in Competition 1, who is overwhelmed and unable to manage additional responsibilities at this critical moment.

How would you navigate this challenging situation? What immediate steps would you take to address the crisis in Competition 2 while ensuring the smooth operation of Moot Competition 1?

My ﬁrst step would be to evaluate the severity of the issue in Competition 2 and how urgently it requires my direct involvement. Since I would already be managing multiple competitions simultaneously as Vice-President, preparation and delegation would be key to handling such challenges.

I would have a system in place to ensure that each competition has a reliable and empowered Executive Oﬃcer to handle routine issues independently.

However, if the incident in Competition 2 involves unprofessional behaviour that has upset a competitor and delayed proceedings, my immediate action would be to contact the Executive Oﬃcer in charge of Competition 2. I would assess the situation, advise them on how to de-escalate it, and ensure the competitor’s concerns are addressed promptly.

At the same time, I would notify the judges in Competition 2 of the situation to manage their expectations and reassure them that the issue is being resolved as quickly as possible while maintaining the reputation and image of MULS. If necessary and possible, I would delegate someone trusted, such as another Executive Oﬃcer within the Competitions Portfolio or a fellow Board member, to represent me temporarily in Competition 1 to ensure it continues running smoothly.

Ultimately, my strategy would involve balancing delegation and personal involvement, ensuring both competitions remain fair and on track. By relying on pre-established contingency plans and eﬀective communication with all parties involved, I can mitigate delays and maintain the integrity of both events.

QUESTION 5: As part of your role in overseeing internal competitions and external intervarsity collaborations, you are tasked with coordinating efforts among multiple universities to organise a significant intervarsity competition. Imagine a scenario where six universities have agreed to collaborate, with each institution assigned specific responsibilities: University 1 is handling logistics, University 2 is managing communications, and so forth.

However, as the competition date approaches, University 3 unexpectedly informs you that they can no longer fulﬁl their commitment due to unforeseen circumstances. They also express disagreement regarding the responsibilities they were initially assigned. This development places additional burdens on MULS, as you now must redistribute the tasks and manage the increased workload.

In this challenging situation, how would you respond? What steps would you take, alongside the relevant executive oﬃcer, to address the breakdown in collaboration?

When University 3 unexpectedly informs me that they can no longer fulﬁl their assigned responsibilities for an intervarsity competition, my ﬁrst step would be to acknowledge the situation and ensure that MULS is prepared to take on the additional responsibilities if necessary. The key to successfully navigating this challenge would be clear communication, collaboration, and decisive action.

Firstly, I would immediately reach out to University 3 to better understand their reasons for stepping down and to explore any alternative ways they might still contribute. In some cases, their involvement may be reduced rather than eliminated altogether, which could lighten the impact on the rest of the collaboration. However, if University 3 is unable to continue, I would quickly convene a meeting with the other universities, including MULS’ relevant Executive Officers, such as the External Professional Skills Executive Officer and/or External Advocacy Executive Officer, to reassign tasks in a way that ensures the competition runs smoothly.

I would propose redistributing University 3’s tasks among the remaining universities, ensuring that no single university is overburdened. For tasks that cannot be taken on by other universities, I would evaluate MULS’ internal resources, identifying which responsibilities could be absorbed by our own Executive Oﬃcers within the Competitions Portfolio.

Additionally, I would ensure that communication between all universities remains transparent and open. This could involve setting up regular check-ins to ensure that progress is being made and addressing any further concerns that arise. I would also develop contingency plans in case further unexpected circumstances aﬀect other universities.

By taking a proactive and solution-oriented approach, I would ensure that the competition remains on track, even with the loss of a key partner, and that all remaining universities are supported through the transition.

EMILIA PRICE

QUESTION 1

To instill further conﬁdence in voters and the future Executive Council pursuant to your absence of prior experience serving on the MULS Executive Council, could you please outline your detailed personal understanding of the role and responsibilities of VicePresident (Publications) and how your experiences will allow you to meet the role’s expectations and responsibilities?

My personal understanding of the role of Vice-President (Publications) is that you are essentially the coordinator of the Publications branch of MULS. This mainly involves three main tasks throughout the year, but also encompasses adjacent activities that may be needed for outsourcing and distribution My understanding of these three main tasks are as follows The first is coordinating the publication of three guides throughout your tenure This involves a coordinated approach with the Editor, the external designer, and potentially other branches of MULS and external contractors in order to secure the most informative and engaging publication possible. In addition, it will be my role to ensure any stylistic features, as well as the content, adheres to the MULS Style Guide in order to write most effectively and appropriately for our audience The second main task will be working with the Editor-in-Chief and other subcommittee members to publish the Brief and the Brief Online This will also involve ensuring they have adhered to the Style Guide, and can also potentially include contributing to the writing myself The final task will be working in tandem with the Marketing brand in order to help further elevate the MULS brand through online publications Again, this will mean ensuring that any online publications and posts will adhere to the Style Guide and are in line with the objectives of MULS The main responsibilities that I believe the Vice-President will need are the ability to stick to timelines, a strict adherence to the Style Guide for an appropriate and consistent product, and the ability to liaise effectively between MULS branches to ensure a coordinated approach. I believe my previous experience working as a Client Service Officer at the Downing Centre will help me immensely in this regard My job at the Downing Centre Local and District courts has entailed liaising with the lawyers, Magistrates, Judges, other courts and correctional facilities in order to ensure the Court runs smoothly and efficiently every day Being organised and professional is of the utmost importance, and has meant that I have had to learn the art of prioritisation and sticking strictly to deadlines (and the planning involved in meeting these deadlines) in order to ensure that criminal matters do not encounter issues that leave people stranded in custody The high stakes involved in this has meant that I take organisation extremely seriously, and I believe will help me meet the high expectations and responsibilities of the role.

QUESTION 2

Do you intend to bring anything new to the role of Vice-President (Publications)?

I think all my predecessors have done a wonderful job! I hope to continue their good work by continuously ensuring the same amazingly high standard of publications I believe the unique attributes I would bring to this position do have to do with my role in writing and photographing in a bunch of fashion/art magazines previously, in tandem with my history in freelance cinematography My history in cinematography especially has really made me a stickler for detail In editing footage and creating effects, even the slightest error can make an effect or transition look unprofessional Especially during hard cinematography effects, I go through my transitions millisecond by millisecond to ensure that the product looks as clean as possible While it may be time-consuming at the time (I think I’ve once got to 55 saved drafts for a 3 second transition!), I know that I will feel disappointed with the end product if I publish it and I believe it doesn’t look as polished as I wanted it to. I believe this will translate well to a Publications sphere, as I believe my attention to detail will ensure that I can develop a cohesive vision to create an end product that the entire Publications branch can be proud to distribute In addition, in my role this year, I would really love to work with the Marketing branch for more social media

marketing I believe that the place in which MULS truly reaches students the most eﬀectively nowadays is online via social media, and so would love to capitalise on this in a coordinated way

QUESTION 3

The Publication’s team gets tasked to write a large quantity of careers focused and sponsored content for ﬁrms You mentioned you have experience writing in magazines, do you believe this experience could translate into creating professional publications that ﬁrms would like?

I definitely believe this experience will translate into professional publications, especially when combined with my background in working (and writing) in law. All the magazines I have written for have catered to different target audiences, and writing to the audience is always my top priority while writing or contracting people to contribute to the publications While the majority of my articles have catered more towards a fashion/art crowd previously, I have also written articles tailored to a more “professional” audience, especially in the areas of interviewing for Push Magazine and writing about intersectional physical health/spiritual health in Record Magazine I also work in the legal field at the Downing Centre, where you are liaising on behalf of the Court itself and therefore must maintain the highest degree of professionalism in your writing This means that, while I believe in definitely keeping one's writing style consistent to who they are, I know that ultimately these publications are written on behalf of MULS for MULS members and stakeholders. This will lead me to tailoring my writing, while maintaining the skills I have learnt across all publications and jobs, to more professional publications that firms will consume and like

QUESTION 4

Imagine the following scenario: At the start of the year, you secured a printing company to produce the annual Clerkship Guide, one of the most important publications from the Publications Team The guide has been sponsored by multiple prominent law ﬁrms, all of whom have provided testimonials, materials, and funding for its production You adhered to the necessary deadlines, and the printing company was set to deliver 250 hard copies of the guide one week before the Clerkship Fair, where the guide will be distributed. However, on the Monday of that same week just three days before the Clerkship Fair you receive an unexpected notiﬁcation from the printing company. They inform you that, due to unforeseen circumstances, they will no longer be able to print the guides on time and have completely withdrawn from the job With no printed guides, and sponsors expecting hard copies to be distributed at the event, you face an urgent, high-stakes dilemma Compounding the challenge, the budget allocated for printing is already tight, based on the original quote from the now-unavailable printer, leaving limited room to outsource the job at short notice The reputation of both the Clerkship Fair and MULS is at risk, especially as your sponsors have made substantial contributions and expect high visibility at this event How would you manage this time-sensitive crisis?

The first course of action for me would be to communicate quickly to the Executive Team about what is happening to ensure transparency I would also like to communicate the issue to the stakeholders in order to be transparent with them as well, but would seek the Executive Team’s advice on how to approach this issue first Next, I would contact every possible printer business in Sydney (or even further abroad) in order to find a last minute replacement to print This would mean investigating through previous contacts that MULS have contracted, every contact I may have available from my other publications I’ve been involved with, and potentially through many of my friends who work in publishing It may also be of help to contact people in bigger newspaper publications (such as local newspaper publishers) to see who they would recommend going to in the scenario that this would have happened to them I also know that smaller boutique magazine publishers such as SPOTPRESS in Marrickville usually take 24-48 hours to print hard copy magazine-esque publications, so contacting boutique publishers also may be an option However, I know that this would all come with increased costs due to the boutique and last-minute nature of it This is where I would try to negotiate with the Executive Team to see if any emergency budget negotiations can be made to accommodate the additional costs in printing While this might not be possible, it would be worth trying to have a coordinated approach with any other branches in order to reallocate the Budget to cover the increased costs while we wait for a refund to be offered by the company that pulled out While this is all a hypothetical, I hope that regardless of the situation, I would maintain communication and transparency about what is going on and what is being done to remedy the situation, with all stakeholders leading up to the event.

QUESTION 5

In managing a publication team, conﬂicts can arise between team members regarding creative direction or editorial decisions How would you approach resolving such conﬂicts while ensuring that all voices are heard and maintaining a cohesive vision for the Publication?

In the scenario that any issues over creative or editorial decisions arise, the first point of contact to consider will be the MULS Style Guide If any decision involves a clear violation, or even an inconsistency, with the Style Guide, it will need to be replaced with a more consistent editorial or creative decision regardless of its artistic value However, in the scenario in which different styles arise, I believe autonomy between creatives can still be maintained while maintaining a cohesive vision for the Publication I think it would be important to have an honest open forum about where the differences lie, and why the parties have chosen a particular style to run with This might expose misguided notions as to who we are writing for and/or the purposes that we are writing for, and can be easily remedied by looking specifically at either the brief given, previous publications, or even seeking advice from different branches and the Executive Team. It would be my role to remind both parties the audience and purposes in which we are writing for, and to try and adjudicate to find a middle ground that still serves the objectives of what we are writing for I think it would be important to develop a revised cohesive vision together, and to try and reconcile the different styles as best as possible without having to escalate the matter

TARA PHIMSIPASOM

QUESTION 1

Being a Vice-President (Marketing) requires a substantial understanding of the MULS community. How have you been an active member of the MULS community?

I actively participate in all of the opportunities that MULS oﬀers to engage with the community and enrich my university experience In addition to my contributions to the Executive council including as Executive Oﬃcer (Publicity) and the marketing subcommittee:

I have attended MULS events run by multiple portfolios, including: Competitions Exhibitions.

- Multiple clerkship presentations

- Social events such as, First year law camp, Trivia and bowling night, SOS drinks, Law cruises, and Law balls.

- I also make an eﬀort to visit initiatives such as the therapy dogs for mental health week and the welcome back lunches.

I have enjoyed a heavy involvement with MULS competitions such as:

- Moot competitions and demonstrations for open days, as well as special Macquarie Law access programs

- Client interviewing competition.

- Volunteer witness for witness examinations.

All of these participations have instilled an immense understanding of how the MULS community reacts to various marketing techniques, and I will use these observations to action eﬀective marketing strategies that enhance our vibrant community.

QUESTION 2

As there is always a huge demand on the marketing portfolio to produce marketing for the initiatives of the Executive Council, what ideas or approaches do you have to improve the output of the marketing portfolio to be able to more eﬃciently serve the needs of the Executive Council?

I truly appreciate that behind every marketing request, there is a hard-laboured initiative from another portfolio. This is why I have some ideas focussed on reassuring members of the Executive Council that their initiatives will be eﬀectively marketed.

Marketing Request Receipt

A concern that I have observed during my time in the Marketing Portfolio is that Executives feel like they've lost all control and reassurance once they have submitted their marketing request. A marketing request receipt will inform them that their request has been received, and that the marketing team is in the process of actioning it This will add a productive layer of communications to ease uncertainty.

Reformatted Marketing Request Form

Some deficiencies I have observed with the current marketing request form is that it is difficult to navigate and be notified of new or unseen requests. I have researched alternative software to google forms, including ‘Smartsheet’ and ‘Trello’ Both of these softwares will provide better notification of requests, and have more efficient organisation systems. This will result in a more dynamic marketing request process to more efficiently action the many marketing requests that we will receive

Marketing has a large inﬂuence on the success of other portfolio’s initiatives, therefore, I am committed to implementing these ideas to address such concerns of the Executive Council, and will be open to any additional input.

QUESTION 3

What key lessons have you learnt in your two years working in the marketing portfolio that you will apply if successfully elected to the role of Vice-President (Marketing)?

The lessons I have learned during my time in the marketing portfolio predominantly fall under two categories. Marketing Engagement Strategies

I have learned which times are most effective to release information on different platforms. Comparing levels of post interactions according to when it is released has taught me how to effectively communicate with the specific MULS audience I have additionally learned the optimal amount of posts to be scheduled for each day. I have found a balance between alertive marketing, so members are made aware of initiatives, but not diluting post interaction engagement or to cause irritation. As Vice-President (Marketing), I will integrate these insights into the marketing schedule to maximise the communication of useful information to MULS members

Collaborative Skills

I have been responsible for marketing the initiatives of other portfolios and have learned to incorporate feedback from the Executive Council, whilst using my discretion to align preferences with existing marketing strategies. As Vice-President (Marketing), I will continue to ensure that the marketing preferences of the Executive Council are heavily considered, and will use my discretion to ensure that they enhance the overall marketing strategy.

QUESTION 4

Based on your long standing experience in the Marketing Portfolio, could you elaborate on the insights and strategies you intend to carry forward and apply in your role as the 2024 Vice-President (Marketing)?

My previous positions in the Marketing Portfolio have provided me with valuable insights that have informed my commitment to carry forward the following marketing strategies and enhance their eﬀectiveness

Content diversiﬁcation The portfolio has introduced new marketing methods this year, and I intend to propel this innovative momentum. The TikTok and reel style content have increased the reach of MULS’ social media and expanding on this style will create more dynamic methods of communication and engagement. I will build upon this content style by introducing new types of videos and posts that supplement the information MULS already provides This will include ‘tips and tricks’ and guided explanations to help law students in navigating stages of their degree, and will present more collaborative opportunities between the marketing and other portfolios to ensure MULS members are receiving the information they want.

Linktree Improving this eﬃcient method of compiling all resources useful and relevant to MULS members.

Part of making MULS information more accessible, I plan to reformat the Linktree in a manner that is more organised and logical to assist the efficient access to information for MULS members. This will include, but is not limited to, categorisation of information according to portfolios, for example, all competitions registration forms in one folder This will make navigating the many resources MULS has to offer much more efficient for MULS members

The Marketing Schedule

This has been an extremely productive strategy used in the Marketing Portfolio as it is accessible by the whole portfolio to ensure eﬀective communication between the team It additionally provides a good indication and check of what is realistic and most eﬀective when scheduling marketing requests, therefore, I will be advancing this approach.

Merchandise To promote and enhance the sense of community I will work to improve the eﬃciency of distributing new merchandise, designed with the input of MULS members Merchandise will be extended to include more aﬀordable options such as water bottles or notebooks, to spread MULS pride at a lower cost.

QUESTION 5

As the Marketing Vice-President, your role requires you to maintain a delicate balance between managing the overall Marketing Portfolio and addressing the various marketing requests from all other Portfolios, including the Vice-President and executive oﬃcers. Each Portfolio is aware of the necessary notice required to schedule a marketing post on all MULS social media platforms. However, you ﬁnd yourself in a challenging situation. A competition executive has adhered to all notice requirements, and their post is scheduled for Thursday. At the same time, the Events Vice-President urgently calls you,

requesting a post for their ﬁrst major event to go live that same Thursday. Due to an oversight, their team failed to submit the request on time. Additionally, the Careers Portfolio has submitted an urgent request, prompted by a sponsor, for a marketing post to promote their program on Thursday as well. With a limited number of social media post slots available each day—and additional posts already scheduled for Thursday—how would you manage this situation while maintaining the integrity of the marketing schedule for the Vice-Presidents and executives who have adhered to the required notice procedures?

I deeply appreciate organised marketing requests, and whilst I would typically prioritise such requests, this circumstance presents conﬂicting interests with factors that have wider ﬁnancial and reputational consequences for MULS

Marketing usually has 2 time slots for posts each day, being in the morning and evening This is to maintain member engagement without diluting post interactions, hence why I would not schedule all of the posts for the same day.

My ﬁrst step would be to have a conversation with the Competition Executive who adhered to the notice procedures, to understand if there is leniency with the scheduling of their request

I have observed through my experience that competitions marketing requests do not provide a strict deadline as scheduling is within the discretion of the Marketing Portfolio. Therefore, I would conﬁrm with the Executive that it is suﬃcient to schedule the competitions post on the Friday morning, and as a gesture of gratitude, I would provide them with additional marketing for their post, including supplementary Instagram stories or an evening post

Careers Post

Sponsored careers marketing takes high priority due to their ﬁnancial and reputational implications on MULS and its members. This deadline is typically predetermined by the sponsor with the Careers Portfolio, and because of the importance to maintain external relationships, the careers post will be scheduled for Thursday morning, even though it is unideal that they did not adhere to notice requirements This way, the sponsor will be online throughout the day and can have conﬁdence that their post has been published.

Events Post

Promoting the Events Portfolio’s ﬁrst major event of the year is vital as it sets the tone for those to come Because this event generates excitement and fosters community engagement, the post will be scheduled for Thursday night as this is when I have

observed most member interactions on our social media, which will maximise the reach of the post.

With this outcome, each post will have been scheduled to maximise its purpose amongst a quite conﬂicting situation

GABRIEL STORGATO

QUESTION 1

Your candidate statement outlined various events and networking opportunities which often falls into the responsibility of other portfolios, how do you think this translates into the duties of Vice-President (Marketing).

While the task of event organisation and networking may often be delegated to alternative portfolios, experience and understanding of such tasks are integral components in the preparation, and more importantly the actioning, of a successful marketing strategy. I believe my extensive experience with publicity work, event management, and personal branding will be invaluable in driving the Law Society’s visibility, engagement and proﬁle building.

In order for a marketing strategist to perform effectively within their role, I believe that the combination of experience within portfolios publicity, event management, and personal branding, I am confident in my ability to effectively contribute to the Vice-President (Marketing) role. I will work closely with other

portfolios to ensure that events and networking opportunities align with the organization's overall marketing goals and contribute to its success. The understanding of the duties and responsibilities undertaken by alternative portfolios is essential for the MULS Vice-President of Marketing to conceptualise, reiterate and disperse a shared vision of the Student body, with the careful care and direction of the board.

QUESTION 2

You emphasise in your statement that you have experience in event management. How is this skill transferrable to the role of Vice-President (Marketing)? Do you have any experience in implementing marketing strategies aside from your own "personal brand"?

My time at a ‘BigLaw’ firm has equipped me with first-hand experience in organising and managing high-profile PR campaigns. In the past 6 months alone, I have successfully coordinated interviews with journalists from publications such as the Australian Financial Review, BenchTV and Lawyers Weekly, essential to my strategic development plan of personal profile building and business development. This experience has equipped me with the skills to effectively communicate with communications and journalism directories, working

collaboratively to secure valuable media coverage, in order to achieve a goal in publicising a service/business, through the lens of a profession and organisation, to garner clientele and an increase in revenue.

Additionally, my involvement in organisation with team events demonstrates my ability to plan and execute successful social and networking functions. These have been in collaboration with venues including:

- ‘Tiﬀany and Co.’ Penthouse;

- Customs House; and

- The Crown Casino Ballroom.

These events not only enhance team morale but also provide opportunities for networking and building relationships to foster a sense of community between individuals, teams, and corporations.

Furthermore, my experience with marketing, PR mechanisms, and networking has provided a plethora of benefits in terms of ability to provide broader offerings in terms of outsourcing of marketing strategies, and resources utilised within large corporations for the purposes of business development. I note that my experience on the committee of the Youth Affairs Coalition and my membership to Young Australians in International Affairs is further evidence of

my ability to transfer marketing knowledge to established advisory boards. This further provides dividends in terms of my ability to liaise with professional marketing teams in large corporations to prompt novel marketing practices to be implemented into the Macquarie University Law Society.

QUESTION 3

With this being your ﬁrst position within MULS, what initiatives do you plan to keep or change to better enhance the delivery of the marketing strategy?

I'm eager to contribute to the organisation's success by implementing innovative marketing strategies. While I'm familiar with the Law Society's current marketing eﬀorts, I believe there is room for improvement and growth.

1. Partnerships and Collaborations: Building partnerships with other organizations, both within and outside the university, can provide valuable resources and opportunities for cross-promotion. I aim to explore potential collaborations with law firms, industry associations, and other student groups to expand our reach and offer more benefits to our members.

2. Merchandising and Branding: To enhance brand recognition and generate revenue, I propose expanding our merchandising oﬀerings. By

designing and selling branded apparel, accessories, and other items, we can create a sense of community and provide tangible reminders of membership. Additionally, I would like to explore the possibility of rebranding the Society to reﬂect its current values, mission, and aspirations. A refreshed brand identity can help us attract new members and position ourselves as a modern and dynamic organization.

3. Brand Identity: I aim to elevate the Society's brand within the legal community and beyond. This involves developing a strong brand identity, consistent messaging, and a positive reputation. By focusing on strategic PR initiatives, thought leadership, and community engagement, we can position the Society, internally and externally, as focussed on internal member engagement as a society which fosters connection and genuine, long-term friendship between peers.

4. Student-Centric Marketing: I believe it's essential to involve students in the development and execution of our marketing initiatives. By creating opportunities for students to contribute to content creation, event planning, and social media campaigns, we can foster a sense of ownership and ensure that our marketing eﬀorts align with the needs and interests of our membership.

5. Alumni Engagement: Alumni are valuable assets to the Society, and their support can signiﬁcantly enhance our reputation and fundraising eﬀorts. I

propose implementing strategies to strengthen our connection with alumni, such as organizing networking events, mentorship programs, and alumni newsletters.

6. Social Media Amplification: While the Society likely has an existing social media presence, I aim to expand our reach and engagement through strategic content creation and paid advertising. By utilizing targeted advertising and collaborating with influencers within the legal community, we can increase brand awareness and attract new members. By implementing these initiatives, I believe we can significantly enhance the delivery of the marketing strategy and position the Macquarie University Law Society as a leading organization within the legal community.

QUESTION 4

Being a Vice-President (Marketing) requires a substantial understanding of the MULS community. How have you been an active member of the MULS community?

I have been an active member of the law student community since my ﬁrst year at Macquarie University in 2023. My involvement has included:

1. Social Participation: I have actively participated in MULS social events, such as law balls and inter-university networking functions. These events

have allowed me to connect with fellow students, build relationships, and foster a sense of community.

2. Student Organisations: I have been involved in other student organizations within the university, such as the Law Students' Society and the Writing Society. Furthermore, I am a regular participant within the Ski Society. These experiences have provided me with valuable leadership and teamwork skills, which are essential for success in a board role of a student organisation.

3. Volunteer Work: I have volunteered for various legal aid organizations and community initiatives, and am presently on the committee of The Australian Youth Aﬀairs Coalition, and an active member of the Young Australians in International Aﬀairs. This has allowed me to give back to the community and gain a deeper understanding of the legal profession's impact on society.

Through these experiences, I have gained a deep understanding of the MULS community and its diverse membership. I believe that my involvement in various aspects of student life has equipped me with the necessary skills and knowledge

to eﬀectively represent and advocate for the interests of MULS members as Vice-President (Marketing).

QUESTION 5

However, you ﬁnd yourself in a challenging situation. A competition executive has adhered to all notice requirements, and their post is scheduled for Thursday. At the same time, the Events Vice-President urgently calls you, requesting a post for their

ﬁrst major event to go live that same Thursday. Due to an oversight, their team failed to submit the request on time. Additionally, the Careers Portfolio has submitted an urgent request, prompted by a sponsor, for a marketing post to promote their program on Thursday as well.

With a limited number of social media post slots available each day—and additional posts already scheduled for Thursday—how would you manage this situation while

maintaining the integrity of the marketing schedule for the Vice-Presidents and executives who have adhered to the required notice procedures?

By prioritising requests based on urgency, impact, and prior commitment, and by fostering open communication and collaboration, I believe it is possible to manage this challenging situation while maintaining the integrity of the marketing schedule for all Portfolios. In this hypothetical scenario, I would approach the situation strategically and prioritise requests based on several factors:

1. Urgency and impact - I would assess the level of urgency associated with each request and consider the potential impact of delaying or cancelling the post. Requests related to time-sensitive events, such as competitions or career opportunities, would likely take precedence.

2. Prior Commitment - I would honour the prior commitments made to Portfolios that have adhered to the required notice procedures. These Portfolios have demonstrated respect for the marketing schedule and should be given priority.

3. Collaboration and Compromise - I would engage in open and transparent communication with the Events and Careers Vice-Presidents to explore potential solutions, such as combining their messages into a single post or rescheduling one of the requests.

4. Emergency Post Slots - If necessary, I would identify emergency post slots within the marketing schedule that can be used for urgent requests. These slots could be allocated for unforeseen circumstances or time-sensitive initiatives.

5. Long-Term Planning - To prevent similar conﬂicts in the future, I would implement a more robust scheduling system that allows for ﬂexibility and contingency planning. This might involve creating a waiting list for urgent requests or exploring additional social media platforms to accommodate increased demand.

VICE-PRESIDENT (EVENTS)

VICE-PRESIDENT (JURIS

DOCTOR & POSTGRADUATE)

This position will be put forward for casual vacancy nominations from the ﬂoor at the 2024 MULS Annual General Meeting.