At its Annual Council Meeting (ACM) on 16th November, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) elected a highly capable, diverse team of postgraduate representatives to advocate for the needs of postgraduates in 2025.
“2025 is going to be a critical year for all postgraduates. It’s a Federal election year, with education on the agenda. This means it is the time for all postgraduate organisations to come together, pool their resources and capabilities to put postgrads at the top of the national conversation,” said Jesse Gardner-Russell, the incoming 2025 National President and 2024 Board Chair.
“2025 will see CAPA campaigning on the key issues for all postgraduate students. This means fighting for an increase in the HDR stipend. This means fighting for paid placements for all our professional entry coursework students and against the international student caps.”
“This work will only be possible thanks to the commitment of our diligent and talented 2025 national team, and the continual support of our members and partners.”
“CAPA will work closely with our partners in the Group of Eight, Universities Australia, the Australian Council of Graduate Research, the National Union of Students, and the NSW International Student Representative Committee to ensure that a united voice for postgraduate students studying in Australia is recognised and heard,” said Richard Lee, 2024 National President and 2025 National Vice President.
“CAPA is well placed in 2025 to continue its 45-year history of improving the conditions for over 485,000 postgraduate students in Australia, including those pursuing coursework and research degrees. In 2024, we focused on improving the governance of CAPA so that we can operate as an effective, modern-day not-for-profit organisation committed to equity, advocacy, and independent representation, including our close collaboration with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association (NATSIPA),” said National Secretary, Viknash VM.
“The CAPA Board is proud to launch its 2025-2026 Strategic Plan to provide renewed focus and ambition to deliver outcomes for its members ahead of the 2025 Federal election.”
CAPA acknowledges that between late 2021 and the first half of 2024, that internal governance matters hindered the organisation’s ability to effectively deliver for the 485,000+ students CAPA represents. The 2024 Board, led by Jesse Gardner-Russell (Board Chair), Viknash VM (National Secretary), Richard Lee (National President), Yujia (Lucy) Zhang (National Vice President), Muhammad Rana, and Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer, has worked tirelessly throughout 2024 to address these issues, and resolve them ahead of the 2025 term.
| Name | Position | Institution |
| Jesse Gardner-Russell | National President | The University of Melbourne |
| Sharlene Leroy-Dyer | NATSIPA Appointee | The University of Melbourne |
| Vacant | Board Chair | |
| Viknash VM | Board Secretary | The University of Western Australia |
| Vacant | Board Treasurer | |
| Vivian Bai | Board Director | The University of Sydney |
| Mitchell Craig | Board Director | Curtin University |
| Amitabh Jeganathan | Board Director | The University of Western Australia |
Table 1. Board Directors for 2025
| Name | Position | Institution |
| Jesse Gardner-Russell | National President | The University of Melbourne |
| Richard Lee | Vice President | The University of Queensland |
| Sharlene Leroy-Dyer | NATSIPA Liaison Officer | The University of Melbourne |
| Taylor Broadbent | Media and Communications | The University of Melbourne |
| Weihong Liang | International Officer | The University of Sydney |
| Gemma Lucy Smart | Disabilities Officer | The University of Sydney |
| Maxim Jon Buckley | Policy and Research Officer | The University of Adelaide |
| Charlie Tran | Regional Officer | Griffith University |
| Vacant | Women’s Officer | |
| Vacant | Queer Officer |
Table 1. Elected National Representative Committee for 2025
ENDS
Jesse Gardner-Russell
National President | Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations Inc.
Level 1, 120 Clarendon St, Southbank, Victoria 3006
president@capa.edu.au | boardchair@capa.edu.au
