Governance dispute between University of Queensland and student union boils over

A dispute between the University of Queensland (UQ) and its student union has reached a boiling point, with the university applying for a transition plan due to governance concerns.

The University of Queensland Union (UQU) has accused the university of attempting to interfere with funding allocated to the union due to its positions on social and political issues.

Under federal legislation, higher education providers can charge students a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) to support services and amenities for students, with a portion allocated to student-led organisations.

When universities believe student-led organisations are failing to comply with legislative governance requirements, they can apply for the organisation to be granted time to fulfil those requirements in the form of a transition plan.

The union has alleged in a "Hands Off Our Union" social media campaign that UQ is attempting to override UQU's independence by withholding funding.

"The University of Queensland is holding your student fees for ransom by threatening to withhold funding so they can dictate how we run our student union," a petition on social media read.

"Our job is to be a body where students can come together and organise to defend our rights against the university, and fight for progressive reforms against the government. That's exactly why the university administration is threatening our funding.

"They want us to be passive, apolitical, and unable to express any opposition to their agenda."

University points to governance concerns

A UQ spokesperson told the ABC the university had not proposed cuts to UQU funding.

Federal legislation requires universities to allocate at least 40 per cent of SSAF money to student-led organisations, with UQU receiving a total of $9.2 million in 2025.

In its SSAF Allocation Report for 2025, UQ noted it had assessed that the union had failed to fulfil a legislative requirement for "corporate governance policies and procedures established and adhered to".

The same report noted UQ had submitted a transition plan application to the Department of Education for approval on June 29.

A spokesperson for the education department confirmed UQ's application had been received.

UQ is required to ensure that any student-led organisation receiving SSAF funding meets the governance requirements detailed in section 20 of the Higher Education Support (Student Services, Amenities, Representation and Advocacy) Guidelines 2022 (SSARA).

Transition plans can be sought if universities believe their allocation of 40 per cent of SSAF funding to student-led organisations does not comply with the above guidelines.

"The purpose of a SSAF transition plan is to provide a framework though which providers can meet their legislative requirements," the education department spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for UQ said its application for a transition plan involved the university working with the union to introduce improved governance standards, with funding remaining in the hands of students.

The spokesperson said recommendations had been made to the union and if approved by the department, the transition plan would see the university and union work in collaboration.

Funding should 'remain in student hands'

The spokesperson for UQ said the university had a legislative responsibility to ensure SSAF funding "is governed appropriately".

"To support the union to meet the government requirements, the university has put forward recommendations for the union to consider.

"The university has not proposed any cuts to the UQU funding."

The spokesperson did not confirm what those recommendations were, or what governance concerns they held.

In a press release, UQU president Alyssa Roser said "student money should remain in student hands".

"The university wants to keep this quiet and to prevent the student body from having any say or control over this process," Ms Roser said.

"An independent student union cannot properly hold a university to account if the university can use its funding relationship to influence how the union operates."

The UQ spokesperson said the university supported "lawful free speech".

"We remain committed to working constructively with the UQU in the interests of all students."

UQU's most recent publicly available annual budget is from 2024, and it has not published meeting minutes since May last year.

The clash between UQ and the student union comes as UQ staff walked off the job on Tuesday in relation to a separate pay dispute.

UQU's student executive leadership team declined to answer specific questions.