# Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) is the peak representative body for postgraduate students in Australia. CAPA's members are 33 postgraduate associations and the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association (NATSIPA). CAPA provides member associations with representation to the Federal government, and peak bodies such as the Australian Research Council and Universities Australia, on issues affecting postgraduate students in Australia. In 2017, Australia had over 400,000 postgraduate students, representing one quarter of all tertiary students in Australia.
Recognising the dual roles of many postgraduate students, CAPA works in collaboration with the National Union of Students where matters impact on all students (such as voluntary student unionism and funding for higher education), and with the National Tertiary Education Union regarding issues of employment in the tertiary education sector, particularly on the casualisation of the academic workforce.
CAPA has an office located at the NTEU National office in Melbourne, Victoria. Its Annual Council Meeting (ACM), where organisational issues and policy directives are decided, is hosted by a different constituent organisation each year.

## History

CAPA was founded in 1979 by a coalition of ten postgraduate organisations in order to protest taxation on postgraduate research scholarships. Historically, CAPA has been concerned with lobbying around fees on postgraduate degrees.
In 1998, a separate organisation, the National Indigenous Postgraduate Association (NIPA) was formed within CAPA. This association became the National Indigenous Postgraduate Association Aboriginal Corporation (NIPAAC) in 1999, and was later restructured as the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association (NATSIPA) in 2015.

## Structure

CAPA consists of elected representatives who sit on the Board and the National Representative Council. Board Directors are elected with terms of 2 years, and are the governing committee under the Association Incorporation Reform Act. Whereas, the National Representative Committee are elected with terms of 1 year and execute CAPA's representative and advocacy functions. Elections are held at the Annual Council Meeting by the membership, which is held in November or December.

### 2025 National Representative Committee

| Position | Name | University Campus |
| National President | Jesse Gardner-Russell | The University of Melbourne |
| Vice President | Richard Lee | The University of Queensland |
| Media & Communications Officer | Taylor Broadbent | The University of Melbourne |
| NATSIPA Liaison Officer | Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer | The University of Melbourne |
| Policy and Research Advisor | Maxim Jon Buckley | The University of Adelaide |
| International Officer | Weihong Liang | The University of Sydney |
| Women's Officer | Vacant | - |
| Queer Officer | Vacant | - |
| Disabilities Officer | Gemma Lucy Smart | The University of Sydney |
| Regional Officer | Charlie Tran | Griffith University |

### 2025 Board of directors

| Position | Name | Term | Membership | University Campus |
| Board Chair | Vacant | | | |
| Board Secretary | Viknash VM | 2023–2025, 1st Term | Elected | The University of Western Australia |
| Board Treasurer | Vacant | | | |
| Board Member | Vivian Bai | 2025–2026, 1st Term | Elected | The University of Sydney |
| Board Member | Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer | 2019 -2024, 3rd Term | Appointed by NATSIPA | The University of Melbourne |
| Board Member | Mitchell Craig | 2025–2026, 1st Term | Elected | Curtin University |
| Board Member | Amitabh Jeganathan | 2025–2026, 1st Term | Elected | The University of Western Australia |

## Past office bearers
### National Presidents

| Year | Name | University Campus |
| 1979 | Andrew Pik | |
| 1980 | Robert Biggins | |
| 1981 | Suw Hatherly | |
| 1982 | Russel Jacobs | Monash University |
| 1983 | Russel Jacobs | Monash University |
| 1983 | Hal Swerissen | Murdoch University |
| 1985 | Catherine Cuthbert | |
| 1985 | Anne Seitz | Monash Univerisity |
| 1986 | Anne Seitz | Monash Univerisity |
| 1987 | Anne Seitz | Monash Univerisity |
| 1988 | Tony Ryan | |
| 1989 | Monica Carroll to Katw le Strange | |
| 1990 | Paul Dworjanyn | The University of New South Wales |
| 1991 | Teresa Tjia | The University of Western Australia |
| 1992 | Teresa Tija | The University of Western Australia |
| 1993 | Shane Ostenfield | |
| 1994 | Oliver Simmonson | |
| 1995 | Simon van der Aa | University of Tasmania |
| 1996 | Danielle Brown | |
| 1997 | Danielle Brown to Bronwyn Fredericks | Queensland University of Technology |
| 1998 | Robert Jansen to Jill Thorpe | The Australian National University The University of Adelaide |
| 1999 | Tom Clark | Victoria University |
| 2000 | Bradley Smith | The University of Queensland |
| 2001 | John Byron | The University of Sydney |
| 2002 | Leisa Ridges | University of Wollongong |
| 2003 | Benjamin McKay | Charles Darwin University |
| 2004 | Stephen Horton | James Cook University |
| 2005 | Stephen Horton | James Cook University |
| 2006 | Jason Hart | University of Wollongong |
| 2007 | Nigel Palmer | Flinders University |
| 2008 | Nigel Palmer | Flinders University |
| 2009 | Nigel Palmer | Flinders University |
| 2010 | Tammi Jonas | The University of Melbourne |
| 2011 | John Nowakowski | The University of Sydney |
| 2012 | Chamonix Terblanche to Meghan Hopper | Curtin University Monash University |
| 2013 | Meghan Hopper | Monash University |
| 2014 | Meghan Hopper to Vino Rajandran | Monash University University of Tasmania |
| 2015 | Harry Rolf | University of Tasmania |
| 2016 | Jim Smith | The University of Melbourne |
| 2017 | Peter Derbyshire | The University of Western Australia |
| 2018 | Natasha Abrahams | Monash University |
| 2019 | Natasha Abrahams | Monash University |
| 2020 | Romana-Rea Begicivic | Curtin University |
| 2021 | Errol Phuah | Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2022 | Nidzam Shah Hussain | Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2023 | Nidzam Shah Hussain | Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2024 | Zunayed Mustafa (Resigned July 2024) to Yujia (Lucy) Zhang (Acting) to Richard Lee | Swinburne University of Technology The University of Melbourne The University of Queensland |

### Vice Presidents

Vice President :
| Year | Name | University Campus |
| 2019 - position created | Rachel Brisbane | Victoria University |
| 2020 | Bojana Klepac to Errol Phuah | Victoria University Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2021 | Adam Scorgie (resigned May 2021) | The University of Adelaide |
| 2022 | Muhammad Bilal Shaikh | Edith Cowan University |
| 2023 | Anumanthram Senthilkumar | Monash University |
| 2024 | Yujia (Lucy) Zhang | The University of Melbourne |
Vice President - National Operations Committee (Discontinued) :
| Year | Name |
| 1981 - position created | Russel Jacobs |
| 1982 | Mike Lawson |
| 1983 | Hal Swerissen |
| 1984 | Katherine Ingram |
| 1985 | Gary Baker |
| 1986 | William Renfrew |
| 1987 | Willian Renfrew |
| 1988 | Adele Milne to John Frame |
| 1989 | Kate le Strange to Tracy Cross |
| 1990 | - |
| 1991 | - |
| 1992 | - |
| 1993 | Oliver Simmonson |
| 1994 | Ramona Mitussis |
| 1995 | Danielle Brown |
| 1996 | Joe Brennan & Phil Reid |
| 1997 | Bronwyn Fredericks to Sali Bache |
| 1998 | Jill Thorpe to Tom Clark |
| 1999 | Steve Warren |
| 2000 | Harriet Baillie |
| 2001 | Angela Pratt |
| 2002 | Jasmina Brankovich |
| 2003 | Svetia Petkova |
| 2004 | Benjamin McKay |
| 2005 | - |
| 2006 | - |
| 2007 | - |
| 2008 | Katherine Barnsley |
| 2009 | Tammi Jonas |
| 2010 | - |
| 2011 | Philippa Hunter |
| 2012 | Harry Rolf |
| 2013 | Harry Rolf |
| 2014 | David Nowak |
| 2015 | Jim Smith |
| 2016 | Zhao (Joe) Lu |
| 2017 | Dylan Styles |
| 2018 | Anish Saini |
| 2019 - Discontinued | - |
Vice President - Equity (Discontinued) :
| Year | Name |
| 2009 - position created | Katherine Barnsley |
| 2010 | - |
| 2011 | Meghan Hopper |
| 2012 | Angelus Morningstar to Areti Metuamate |
| 2013 | Alex Chung |
| 2014 | Sadie Heckenberg & Vino Rajandran |
| 2015 | Mia Kwok |
| 2016 | Alyssa Shaw |
| 2017 | Vibol Hy |
| 2018 | Mick Fox |
| 2019 - Discontinued | - |

### National Secretary

General Secretary (National Secretary & Treasurer position merge in 2015)
National Secretary and Treasurer position un-merge in 2025 :
| Year | Name |
| 1980 - position created | Geoff Prince |
| 1981 | Paul Wormell |
| 1982 | Catherine Foley |
| 1983 | Rita Hermus |
| 1984 | Harold Thornton |
| 1985 | Brenda Biggs |
| 1986 | Paul Lewis & Rick Moore |
| 1987 | Steven Harvey |
| 1988 | David Albrecht |
| 1989 | Lorraine M Elliot |
| 1990 | Sue Weston |
| 1991 | Barbara Murray |
| 1992 | Barbara Murray |
| 1993 | Christine Beveridge |
| 1994 | Craig Meer |
| 1995 | Jane Fischer |
| 1996 | Paul Vince |
| 1997 | Steven Warren |
| 1998 | Steven Warren |
| 1999 | Alana Chinn |
| 2000 | Alana Clohesy |
| 2001 | Alister Air |
| 2002 | James Taylor |
| 2003 | Gavin Hazel |
| 2004 - | Gavin Hazel |
| 2005 - 2007 | - |
| 2008 - | Bronwyn Crowe |
| 2009 - | Bronwyn Crowe |
| 2010 - | - |
| 2011 - | Joseph Provenzano |
| 2012 | John Nowakowski |
| 2013 | James Searle |
| 2014 | Eduardo Jordan |
| 2015 | Andi Deane |
| 2016 | Peter Hurley |
| 2017 | Natasha Abrahams |
| 2018 | Dylan Styles |
| 2019 | Rachael Brisbane |
| 2020 | Bojana Klepac to Errol Phuah |
| 2021 | Saira Khan |
| 2022 | Nicholas O'Neill |
| 2023 | Muhammad Bilal Shaikh |
| 2024 | Simar Bedi (Resigned July 2024) |
| 2025 - Discontinued | |
Board Secretary :
| Year | Name | University Campus |
| 2019 - position created | May Majimbi | Curtin Unive |
| 2020 | Adam Scorgie | The University of Adelaide |
| 2021 | Nidzam Shah Hussain to Brinda Asarpota | Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2022 | Alan Wang | The University of Adelaide |
| 2023 | Alan Wang | The University of Adelaide |
| 2024 | Viknash VM | The University of Western Australia |

### Board Chair

Board Chair :
| Year | Name | University Campus |
| 2019 - position created | Peter Watson | |
| 2020 | Saira Khan | Griffith University |
| 2021 | Peter Watson to Nidzam Shah Hussain | Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2022 | Edward Satchell to Sharlene Leroy-Dyer | The University of Melbourne |
| 2023 | Radhik Rammohan to Muhammad Rana | Monash University Charles Sturt University |
| 2024 | Jesse Gardner-Russell | The University of Melbourne |

### Treasurer

Treasurer (discontinued 2015-2024) :
| Year | Name |
| 1981 - position created | Tim Dabbs |
| 1982 - | Ken Straham |
| 1983 - | Ken Straham |
| 1984 - | Elizabeth Kerr |
| 1985 - | Elizabeth Kerr |
| 1986 - | John Frame |
| 1987 - | John Frame |
| 1988 - | Timothy Littlejohn |
| 1989 - | Jane Murfett |
| 1990 - | Brian Jardine |
| 1991 - | David Smith |
| 1992 - | David Smith |
| 1993 - | David Smith |
| 1994 - | Richard Matejic |
| 1995 - | Ken Taylor |
| 1996 - | Andrew Grienke |
| 1997 - | Andrew Grienke |
| 1998 - | Andrew Woolf |
| 1999 - | Rod Jarman |
| 2000 - | Rod Jarman |
| 2001 - | David Coffman |
| 2002 - | David Coffman |
| 2003 - | Prem Legha |
| 2004 - | Kristen Thuy Hunyh |
| 2005 - 2007 | |
| 2008 - | Nick McCarthy |
| 2009 - | Melissa Lovell |
| 2010 - | |
| 2011 - | Pricilla Rogers |
| 2012 - | Adrian Soh |
| 2013 - | Sharangan Maheswaran |
| 2014 - | Arjuna Mohattala |
| 2015 - Discontinued |
| 2025 - Re-established as Board Treasurer | |

### Board of Directors

Board Directors :
| Year | Type | Name | University |
| 2019 - 2021 (Resigned September 2021) | Elected | Peter Watson | University of Western Australia |
| 2019 (Resigned July 2019) | Elected | Naomi Hastings | Western Sydney University |
| 2019 | Elected | Zyl Hovenga-Wauchope | The Australian National University |
| 2019 - 2021 | Elected | May Majimbi | Curtin University |
| 2019 - 2021 | Elected | Saira Khan | Griffith University |
| 2020 - 2020 | Elected | Adam Scorgie | The University of Adelaide |
| 2020 - 2021 | Elected | Nithin Reddy | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology |
| 2020 - 2021 | Elected | Aidan Cornelius-Bell | Flinders University |
| 2020 (August) - 2021 (Resigned November 2021) | Appointed | Jessica Lu | Monash University |
| 2020 (August) - 2021 (Resigned September 2021) | Appointed | Tiana Bastow | The University of Adelaide |
| 2020 (August) - 2021 (Resigned November 2021) | Appointed | Brinda Asarpota | Curtin University |
| 2021 (Resigned September 2021) | Elected | Jeremy Waite | The University of Melbourne |
| 2021 | Elected | Nidzam Shah Hussain | Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2021 - 2022 | Elected | Simran Kaur | Griffith University |
| 2022 - 2023 | Appointed | Shriya Henry | Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2022 - 2023 | Appointed | Karan Mehta | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology |
| 2022 - 2023 | Appointed | Alan Wang | Deakin University |
| 2022 - 2023 | Appointed | Vineet Prabhakar | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology |
| 2022 (Resigned September 2022) | Elected | Edward Satchell | The University of South Australia |
| 2023 (Resigned July 2023) | Elected | Radhik Rammohan | Monash University |
| 2023 - 2024 | Elected | Muhammad Rana | Charles Sturt University |
| 2024 | Elected | Jesse Gardner-Russell | The University of Melbourne |
| 2024 (Resigned July 2024) | Elected | Kishaun Thiruvelcham | Swinburne University of Technology |
| 2024 - Present | Elected | Viknash VM | University of Western Australia |

### International Officer

International Officer :
| 2019 | Devendra Singh |
| 2020 | Devendra Singh |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | Vacant |
| 2023 | Hameed Mohammad |
| 2024 | Vacant |

### Executive and Research Officer - Policy and Research Officer

Executive and Research Officer - Policy and Research Officer :
| 1982 - position created | Marion Zaunbrecher |
| 1983 | Linda Barwick |
| 1984 | Jan Macintyre |
| 1985 - 1994 | |
| 1995 | Mark Frankland |
| 1996 | Mark Frankland |
| 1997 | Mark Frankland |
| 1998 | Mark Frankland |
| 1999 | Mark Frankland |
| 2000 | Mark Frankland |
| 2001 | Mark Frankland & Karen Mann & Hilary Pearse |
| 2002 - 2010 | |
| 2011 - re-introduced as Policy & Research Advisor | Tammi Jonas |
| 2012 | Meghan Hopper |
| 2013 | Angelus Morningstar |
| 2014 | Sharangan Maheswaran |
| 2015 | Peter Derbyshire |
| 2016 | Vikraman Selvaraja |
| 2017 | Simon Burnett |
| 2018 | Simon Burnett |
| 2019 | Owen Miles |
| 2020 | Errol Phuah |
| 2021 | Eve Walker (resigned May 2021) |
| 2022 | Vacant |
| 2023 | Vacant |
| 2024 | Saad Masood (Resigned July 2024) |

### Media & Communications Officer

Media & Communications Officer :
| 2015 - position created | Caitlin Bruty |
| 2016 | Natasha Abrahams |
| 2017 | Damilola ayeni |
| 2018 | Zoe Tulip |
| 2019 | Zoe Tulip |
| 2020 | Anushka Kapoor |
| 2021 | Anushka Kapoor |
| 2022 | Vacant |
| 2023 | Vacant |
| 2024 | Jordan Di Natale (Resigned July 2024) |

## Notable People

Below is a non-exhaustive list of some notable former executives and their achievements.
* Prof. Bronwyn Fredericks FAHA - 1997 National President, current Deputy Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) at The University of Queensland..
* Prof. Barry Judge - 1994 Indigenous Peoples Liaison Officer, current Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) at the University of Melbourne.