Published by Chiaki Chng 1462569.
Registered with the Returning Officer.

Independent Media is the political manifestation of the Media Collective, holding office in UMSU's Media Department for well over a decade. The party is committed to values of impartiality and independence, ensuring student media stays unaffiliated politically and represents the voice of the broader student population.

Published by Chiaki Chng 1462569.
Registered with the Returning Officer.

meet the councillors

Our Students’ Council candidates, Felicity, Lachie and Nathan, bring extensive experience in subediting, reviews/culture writing, graphic design, radio, video and photo production to amplify and fight for the media interests of the student body.

Published by Chiaki Chng 1462569.
Registered with the Returning Officer.

meet the OBs

Hi everyone! This is Maria, Ruby, Chiaki and Sabine, and together we are proud to be running as your 2026 Media Officers for Independent Media. With an innovative vision and emphasis on organisational expertise, we are eager to deliver a Media Department that provides a compelling voice for the student body.

Maria (she/her) is 2025’s News and Design manager, as well as Councillor for Independent Media, and wishes to continue her efforts in creating a space where student voice can thrive, by creating opportunities and learning spaces for students to meaningfully critique the systems that surround them.

Ruby (she/her) has managed the Reviews department for the past two years, curating and supplying media opportunities to the Farrago team. She aims to support advancement in student industry skills, enabling more opportunities to create, learn, and grow.

Chiaki (she/they) has volunteered as a staff writer, graphic designer and social media manager for Farrago throughout the past two years, and hopes to foster an enriching and exciting media hub that meaningfully serves the student body's interests.

Sabine (she/her) has contributed across a broad range of departments in her tenure at Farrago, including creative, reviews, news and non-fiction. She wishes to champion student voice and prioritise an environment of collaboration and increased student engagement in the department.

Published by Chiaki Chng 1462569.
Registered with the Returning Officer.

our policies

Running in the first year of Farrago's new century, Independent Media is committed to delivering broader student engagement and streamlined, effective publication through new media expansion, increased learning opportunities and structured timelines. Independent Media values creativity, cohesive collaboration and platforming student voice.This year, we have a clear vision for the department that is distilled into three key areas:

Social and video expansion:The times they are a-changing! While Farrago remains a print-based powerhouse, we want to increase the accessibility of student voice through an expansion of our social media pages to promote Farrago’s reach. This initiative encompasses a planned increase in video content across multiple social media platforms, bringing reviews and news to life and providing students with opportunities in broadcast skill-expansion.

Timely news and culture coverage:Aided by an expanded social media presence, we seek to ensure the timely publication of news and cultural events that you as students care about. Our recent live social media coverage of student protests allowed the student population to be kept abreast of important updates and events, an approach that we want to inject into our coverage of everyday issues and student culture.

Diversification of coverage:Currently, Farrago targets a very specific audience, but we want you to read more and relate more to pieces in our magazine. We plan to expand our horizons and branch into topics relating to sports, science, and economics, just to name a few. In order to see what appeals to University of Melbourne students the most, we plan to regularly poll the general student population, seeing where we can improve and who wants to get their voices out there.

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Published by Chiaki Chng 1462569.
Registered with the Returning Officer.