First published on 3 April 1925, Farrago is Australia's oldest student newspaper

Student newspaper

A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....

. Farrago is published by the Melbourne University Student Union.

Name

The term "farrago", , means a confused variety of miscellaneous things. It has been used e.g. by Edward Tylor in his Primitive culture. The name is included in the motto Quidquid agunt homines nostri farrago libelli est — whatever men do forms the motley subject of our page.

Organisation

Up to four editors

Editing

Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...

 are elected annually and hold the shared title of Media Officer in the University of Melbourne Student Union

University of Melbourne Student Union

The student union, one of several student organisations at the University of Melbourne, Australia, is divided into two parts. The University of Melbourne Student Union , incorporated as University of Melbourne Student Union, Inc. provides representation for students. The service provision arm is...

, with the Union Secretary being the legally defined publisher. The editorship has been highly politicised in the past, and election campaigns are vigorous. Archives of Farrago are available at the Student Union's Rowden White Library and in the basement of the Bailleu Library on campus.

The newspaper was founded by Brian Fitzpatrick

Brian Fitzpatrick (Australian author)

Brian Charles Fitzpatrick was an author, historian, journalist and one of the founders of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties....

 in 1925. Noteworthy editors in the past have included Geoffrey Blainey

Geoffrey Blainey

Geoffrey Norman Blainey AC , is a prominent Australian historian.Blainey was born in Melbourne and raised in a series of Victorian country towns before attending Wesley College and the University of Melbourne. While at university he was editor of Farrago, the newspaper of the University of...

, Amira Gust, Claude Forrell, Ian Robinson

Ian Robinson

Ian Robinson is President Emeritus of the Rationalist Society of Australia and immediate past Chairman of the Rationalist Association of Australia.-Biography:...

, Morag Fraser, Henry Rosenbloom, Garrie Hutchinson, Ross McPherson

Ross McPherson

Ross James McPherson is a former field hockey goalkeeper from New Zealand. He represented New Zealand at two Olympic Games, 1968 and 1972. He also played first-class cricket for Northern Districst in the Plunket Shield....

, Colin Golvan, Lindsay Tanner

Lindsay Tanner

Lindsay James Tanner is a former Australian member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Melbourne, Victoria, for the Australian Labor Party, having first won the seat at the 1993 federal election. He was a member of the Australian Government from 3 December 2007, serving as...

, Peter Russo

Peter Russo

Peter Russo is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1980s before finishing his career at St Kilda....

, Louise Carbines, Jim Brumby, Pete Steedman

Peter Steedman

Alan Peter Steedman was an Australian politician. At Melbourne University he edited Farrago, the Melbourne University Student Union paper. He also edited Lot's Wife at Monash University....

, Arnold Zable

Arnold Zable

Arnold Zable is an award winning Australian writer, storyteller, educator and human rights advocate, particularly in the area of migrant education. His writings focus primarily on migrant experience.-Life:...

, Kate Legge, Nicola Gobbo, Cathy Bale, Christos Tsiolkas

Christos Tsiolkas

-Biography:He was born and grew up in Melbourne and was educated at Blackburn High School and the University of Melbourne where he completed an Arts Degree in 1987. www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 2007-07-22. He edited the student newspaper Farrago in 1988....

 in 1988, and Nam Le

Nam Le (writer)

Nam Le is a Vietnamese-born Australian writer, who won the Dylan Thomas Prize for his book The Boat, a collection of short stories...

 in 2001.

Voluntary student unionism

The implementation of voluntary student unionism

Voluntary student unionism

Voluntary student unionism is a policy, notable in Australia, under which membership of – and payment of membership fees to – university student organisations is voluntary....

 in 2006 had a significant impact on the viability of student newspapers across Australia, compulsory student union

Students' union

A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...

membership fees having been the major source of income for most. “Christos Tsiolkas was editor in 1987, and he had a budget of $280,000; we have a budget of $58,000, and $55,000 of that will go on printing. We’re quite lucky, we’re a well-funded institution, and the University has provided transitional funding,” Farrago editor for 2009.