CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:49): My question is to the Premier. Did the Premier, or his department, begin negotiations for additional bailout funding with the Carnegie Mellon University to prevent the university announcing a pullout from Adelaide prior to the state election on the understanding that they would be granted additional funding after the election, should Labor win? The Premier told the parliament on 17 June 2008 that the funding for Carnegie Mellon would be capped at $19.5 million and would cease in 2010. The opposition has been advised, however, that the head of the Premier's Carnegie Mellon Unit was approached for more funding by representatives of Carnegie Mellon before the election.

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:50): Everyone would know that Carnegie Mellon University, along with University College London, which was also established in Adelaide, are two of the world's great universities. University College London, for instance—

Mr Pisoni: Talk about Carnegie Mellon. That's what you did last time on the radio.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Pisoni: You're asked about Carnegie Mellon and you talk about some other college.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: 'Some other college'—University College London is rated number four in the world, after Harvard, Cambridge and Yale. For the first time in nearly 200 years that it has gone anywhere else in the world it's to Adelaide.

Mr Pisoni: Talk about the Adelaide office.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: And of course, Carnegie Mellon. Alexander Downer, Robert de Crespigny, the Economic Development Board—we commissioned some distinguished leaders in universities to point us to which would be the best fit for South Australia. What we saw with landing Carnegie Mellon here is a commitment by Carnegie Mellon for the long haul, and that has been confirmed by its president, Jerry Cohen.