At the meeting, held at Melbourne University last Friday, Australia's peak body for Liberal clubs on university campuses across Australia unanimously elected an all-male executive board for 2017-18. No positions were contested.

In a speech following the vote, new president Xavier Boffa said attendees should go home with their heads held high after "putting the good of our movement over our individual self-interest" in the election.

“This is an executive that represents everyone, and there’s been great pains taken to make this happen," he can be heard saying in a recording provided to BuzzFeed News.



“It’s also important to point out that it’s fully the intention of this new executive to reach out and include both Tasmania and Queensland [inaudible] and there’ll be more announced in the coming days and weeks about that. This needs to be a truly national federation, and everyone needs to be included."

The executive consists of six core positions, along with seven representatives from each state and territory (bar the Northern Territory, which does not have a Liberal club affiliated to the ALSF).

Boffa, who is also the president of the Melbourne University Liberal Club, fell under scrutiny earlier this year when Fairfax Media reported he had sent a message to a female club member saying she would not be invited to an event because "a couple of the guys were a bit uncomfortable about inviting a chick".



Boffa confirmed to Fairfax Media he had made the comment at the time.