Illuminate was formed at a time when the Guild was controlled by our opposition, and it faced issues like lack of transparency, poor governance, and inaccessibility to regular students. Our goal was to reinvigorate the Guild, clean up its governance, promote transparency, and make it shine again—hence, "Illuminate." Since then, Illuminate candidates have consistently taken on representative roles, helping make the Guild brighter every year. From making Guild membership free, to creating equity collectives, and ensuring all meetings are public and live-streamed, we are committed to growing the Curtin Student Guild into one of Australia’s most powerful student unions.

The Guild is a student-run organisation, independent of the university, and its operations depend on the representatives elected by students. As an automatic Guild member, it is both your right and privilege to participate in this democratic process and ensure that those in power are acting in the best interests of you and your peers. The Curtin Student Guild receives a significant portion of its funding from the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF), with 50% of this collected from the university. This means that, as students, we all have a financial stake in the Guild. While the university doesn’t allow you to decide where your fees go, with the Guild, you do have a say. So, make your voice heard—vote from the 16th to the 19th of September on the Bentley campus!

Illuminate is a group of students independent from any external organisation or political party. While our values lean left-wing, most of our members are not part of any political party, and our focus is solely on improving university life for Curtin students. We don’t accept funding from political parties or figures, ensuring our decisions are made in the best interests of students. Our main opponents in this election are Reform Curtin, a group run by people affiliated with the conservative Liberal Party, and Left Action, who are affiliated with Socialist Alternative and run in elections across multiple universities in Australia. Unlike us, they are not independent of their national political organisation. There is also one Independent candidate, Amit Kunnath, who has strong affiliations with external political groups and is known for taking positions that lean more conservative. We encourage students to look closely at who is running and what their agendas are. And yes, even Shrek — great guy, but far too entangled with outside swamp interests to be truly independent. Illuminate works hard to keep the Curtin Student Guild free from external agendas that aren’t focused on Curtin students. Our commitment is to an independent, progressive Guild that fights only for you.