Candidate’s financial statements have been submitted, revealing that Nick Douros has committed $360 out of pocket on Activate, a single student donated $150 to Howard Maclean’s campaign, and that Stand Apart is entirely funded by the ANU Liberal Club.
Activate convener Nick Douros is willing to spend more than any other individual in this election. The General Representative and NUS Delegate candidate is budgeting $360 from his own pocket on the campaign, with other candidates giving $20 each. So far Activate has spent $308.36 on sponsored facebook posts.
Howard Maclean’s campaign has been entirely funded by a single donation from ANU student Alex Merrick. Merrick, who has no formal involvement in ANUSA, gave independent General Secretary candidate Howard Maclean $150 – the maximum allowable independent expenditure under the election regulations. Merrick told Observer he actually had no strong preference for Maclean, compared to the “other equally Olympian candidates”. His donation, he said, was out of a sense of fairness – Maclean is “running as an independent”, Merrick explained, and he wanted to “maximise [Maclean’s] presence against the major tickets”. When asked why he gave such an unprecedented amount, Merrick cited his “human frailty, impulsivity, moral hypocrisy and attempt at atonement for past sins”.
Stand Apart’s financial statements also revealed much about their campaign – the ticket received $450 (their entire campaign funding source) from the ANU Liberals. The financial statements also revealed Liberal Club President Ramon Bouckaert is instrumental in organising the ticket – Bouckaert provided the graphic and web design, and has provided his own server to host their website.
Major tickets Lift and Shake Up have taken the more traditional route of splitting campaign funds between all candidates, according to the importance of the position. The ANUSA funding regulations strictly limit campaign expenditure – tickets are allowed to spend $50 per person for the first ten ticket members, and $25 for each extra member afterwards. Independents are allowed to spend $150 overall.
Chifley Meadows has become the stopping point for most candidates, including Presidential candidates Cameron Allan and Eleanor Kay. This was fairly expected; it’s the thoroughfare from Daley Road and Law to the Pop-Up. However, several tickets tried other options – notably, Lift set up camp outside the Unilodge-side entrance to Copland. But no thoroughfare seemed as popular or successful as the Meadows, and candidates migrated there throughout the day. The most dogged campaigner so far has been Shake Up’s Cameron Allan: Rather than waiting in a single spot, Allan is meeting candidates at Hancock Bridge and follow them all the way up the path.
Voting in the ANUSA election closes 4PM on Thursday the 24th.
