Grievance Debate

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:27): Today, the opposition asked some questions about the financial viability of Carnegie Mellon University. If we go back to 2004, we see a press release by a very excited first-term Premier telling the people of South Australia that he has brought the very first international university here to South Australia. We note the Premier, throughout his entire career as a politician, has liked to associate himself with the rich and famous and those with credibility, hoping that some of that will rub off on himself. So, it is no surprise that in that press release we see names such as Alexander Downer and Robert Champion de Crespigny being mentioned. Then it goes on to talk about Baroness Susan Greenfield, the Rt. Hon. Mike Moore and Margaret Jackson (the chair of Qantas). All these people, of course, are named in the Premier's press release about this exciting deed signing that he was boasting about at the time.

Of course, it was part of the plan of being re-elected in 2006 and, as we know, this government has a reputation of saying anything before an election and changing its mind afterwards. Of course, the Premier will throw those names back at us when we question the viability of the state's $43 million investment—so far. I encourage members to go to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet annual reports from 2005 through to the latest one, 2009 (of course, we do not have one later than 2009 tabled yet), where, on every occasion, they will see specific references to funding resources from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet to Carnegie Mellon University.

Let us have no doubt about it: this is the Premier's baby. The Premier has his DNA all over Carnegie Mellon. It is no wonder he is refusing to answer questions about Carnegie Mellon on the radio. When he is asked on talkback radio about Carnegie Mellon he talks about Cranfield University. When he is asked in parliament about Carnegie Mellon he talks about London university. The concerns that we have on this side of the house relate to the financial management of Carnegie Mellon under this Premier. Others came together to bring Carnegie Mellon to Adelaide. It is this Premier who managed it and, on the numbers that we have seen so far, it appears as though it is not working. The Premier was so desperate to protect his own reputation regarding Carnegie Mellon that he entered secret negotiations with Carnegie Mellon before the election. Carnegie Mellon said that it could not continue with these enrolments. Carnegie Mellon itself confirmed that there were only 110 enrolments this year.

In its latest report on South Australian university enrolments, the Department of Further Education and Training states that there have been only 40 commencements of students in 2009, 95 in total. The Dean of Carnegie Mellon has confirmed to media sources that there are, in fact, only 109 enrolments this year, I think. We have been advised that the midyear intake is now less than 20. That is unsustainable, for several reasons. We also note that Carnegie Mellon cannot offer its students permanent residency, and that is costing Carnegie Mellon opportunities with India, in particular. We also understand that Carnegie Mellon—which runs programs for government employees—does not, in fact, have accreditation with the Chinese Ministry of Education and Training.

Consequently, when Chinese students go back to China after graduating here at Carnegie Mellon—my understanding is that there have been only four who have graduated—their qualifications are not recognised by the Chinese government. How very disappointed were they, after spending $A65,000 to get a postgraduate degree in public policy, to find that they were not recognised by the Chinese government. This has been a comedy of errors, managed by the Premier. The Premier has his name all over the Carnegie Mellon project. He is desperate to prop it up, and that is why we saw secret deals done before the election to prop up Carnegie Mellon by another $3.8 million over four years.