Question Time

Flinders University

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): My question is to the Deputy Premier. Will the government consider establishing a research and equity fund for Flinders University?

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) (14:02): I welcome the question. It is a reasonable one in the context of the changes which are likely to be occurring with the university sector in South Australia over the next short while.

Obviously, much of the decision is in the hands of parliament and yet to be decided, but the honourable member's question is directed towards the proposition that there be an equity fund and also a research fund dedicated to the new university, should it be created, and whether in fact there ought to be a matching or equivalent offer for Flinders University.

I don't want to preclude any possible options but would share with the chamber some of the considerations that are currently in my mind on that matter. One is, of course, that the new university being formed from two existing universities is going to require a lot of effort and some reputational risk as the transition occurs, and therefore it's understandable they are looking for some support through that process from the state that will ultimately benefit, in my view, from the new institution.

Flinders University is not experiencing that and, indeed, might see some advantage for a short period of time at least in being able to get on with being Flinders University while the other two institutions are experiencing the merger process. It is also the case that Flinders University has been the beneficiary of direct grants from the state government, as have the other two institutions. We have never adopted an approach that if there is a grant that goes to one we need to match to the others.

That's not been necessary because in fact it all evens out on the basis that they are three very good institutions that perform different services and activities at different times that are of value to the state. I give as an example the $4 million that went to the Lion Zero Factory of the Future for Flinders University as part of our election commitments, which is about facilitating smaller manufacturing companies to be able to test methodologies and production innovation in order to participate in the defence supply chain.

That did not then precipitate an immediate question of, 'Well, will the other two universities get the same?' because that's not the relationship we have had. With those two caveats in place, that it's not of necessity that one does for one university what one does for the others, I would say on the other side how important it is that we have a strong university sector.

That is the ambition of the creation of a new university that will be larger and we expect more able to attract more international students to teach a wider range of domestic students and to undertake more research and attract that money to South Australia. While that proposition is very important, it sits within the necessity to have a very strong higher education sector, and that means making sure that Flinders maintains its role and indeed expands it as the other grows.

So that is very much on the mind of the government, as are the points made by the vice-chancellor, Colin Stirling, who presented to the committee and talked about the necessity to treat students of low socio-economic background fairly, that if they were to do a topic that was a course only offered at Flinders they would miss out on an opportunity, whereas if they did a different subject and therefore able to go to the new university they would have more access to the equity scheme.

All those factors are in play at present, and we continue to have discussions with Colin Stirling and with his chancellor, and we also look forward to whether this parliament does indeed decide to go forward with the creation of the new university later this year.