At the beginning of Semester 2, ANUSA announced a cut to ordinary events grant funding. Previously, clubs were eligible for grants of up to $8 per person attending an event, helping to cover a range of event expenses. However, this grant has now been reduced by 25 percent, down to $6 per person.

According to ANUSA’s Mid-Year Funding Report, $143,000 has already been spent on club funding from the total annual budget of $200,000, with ordinary event grants accounting for $124,000 of the spending. This represents an increase of 48.5 percent in total funding expenditure and a 43.8 percent rise in the number of grants approved in 2025 compared to 2024. 

While the data demonstrates a surge in club activities, reflecting their successes, it also raises concerns for Semester 2 budgeting. With 71 percent of the allocated budget already spent, clubs may be at risk of reaching the cap on grant funding by week 6 or 7 of the semester. 

To manage this, ANUSA has reduced the grant value from $8 to $6 instead of lowering the overall funding cap per club. This move is made in favour of implementing budget limitations for upcoming special events, or risking a decrease in the number of ordinary events hosted if the budget cap is reached prematurely. 

ANUSA’s Clubs Officer Harrison Oates has reassured students that this is a temporary solution, telling Woroni, “the reduction from $6 per-person per-event to $8 per-person per-event is a temporary measure to deal with unprecedented demand”.

Revised club regulations are being drafted with a focus on funding architecture, grant categories, and financial safeguards, with the aim to prevent future sudden changes. One of these drafted regulations requires that clubs be given a two weeks notice before any major decisions are put into consideration. 

Harrison has also passed the creation of the Sponsored Pool which allows external sponsorship and in-kind resources to be distributed among clubs. This will commence after the return of ANUSA’s staff member responsible for sponsorship.  

Clubs have reported that the funding cuts have affected events operations. They have had to rebudget for events, leading to reduced scopes. 

Oscar Woolford, former treasurer of ANU Board Games Society, told Woroni the cut significantly affected options for event catering stating, “Dominos pizza, which we can easily do for under $6 per-person BUT now this is practically the only way to go under $6 per-person”.