Zac Morris is driven by a personal ethos to make the world a better place, and leads by example by stepping up to advocate for and support others, both within the Jewish community as well as the broader student community.
Zac developed his leadership skills as a Fellow in the Susan Wakil Fellowship in 2020, a leadership program for young changemakers. He has applied these skills in myriad contexts to mentor and support students to thrive. Zac is currently studying Politics Philosophy Economics (PPE) Law, and was the founding co-President of the UNSW PPE Society, which he established to bring together the cohort of this newly established degree, and to collaborate with staff to develop the degree and its reputation. In this role, Zac designed a Work-Integrated Learning scheme for disadvantaged PPE students, working with stakeholders to establish ESG consulting internships across leading private sector firms. He also served as the Disabilities Officer on the UNSW Student Representative Council, where he fostered an inclusive environment to assist and advocate for these students. After doing a university assignment on the adverse impact of gambling, Zac took the initiative to draft and present a policy paper on gambling advertising reform to the Minister for Communications and secured the Minister’s undertaking to implement his recommendations.
Zac currently serves as Chair of the UNSW Student Leadership Team, and as Undergraduate Representative on the UNSW Academic Board. In his role on the Academic Board, Zac has succeeded in advocating for the wellbeing of students, by successfully leading the campaign within the University Leadership Team to amend a longstanding policy to expedite assessment extensions for vulnerable students encountering difficulties in their studies. He is currently working with the university leadership and relevant MPs on a discrimination prevention strategy for UNSW.
In 2022, Zac accompanied young political leaders on an Australia-Israel Mission, building positive relationships with leaders across the political spectrum, particularly with respect to fostering their understanding of and empathy towards Israel and its political context.
Zac is a vocal representative for combatting antisemitism at university, being featured in the ABC’s 7.30 Report focussing on antisemitism on campus in August 2023. He was instrumental in facilitating Young Labor’s adoption of the IHRA definition of Antisemitism, and continues to work towards the adoption thereof by the UNSW Student Representative Council. Zac has been appointed as AUJS Federal Vice President for 2024, to allow him to continue his passionate advocacy for all Jewish students across Australia to be able to freely express their Jewish identity without fear of antisemitism.
His leadership, commitment to driving positive change, and advocacy on a broad range of issues in the Jewish and wider community make Zac a truly deserving nominee for this award.