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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-26 Daily Xml
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA (MISCELLANEOUS) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 12 November 2008. Page 909.)

Mr PISONI (Unley) (17:55): This bill has been introduced to address changes to the act sought by the university council and agreed upon by that body. It also brings the University of South Australia Act into line with acts of South Australia's other universities. Importantly, the Liberal Party notes the broad support after consultation for these amendments from groups represented by the university's council.

The opposition is happy to support the bill as a contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the university's governance system, delivering greater streamlining of their council processes and providing a focused and businesslike approach and style. In this regard, the changes reflect the ethos of reform and greater efficiency in Australia's tertiary institutions fostered under the previous federal Liberal government. I am heartened to see that both the state and federal Labor governments are picking up on these themes of efficiency, accountability and greater focus on the issues of quality in decision making and leadership in education. The end result will hopefully be improved academic outcomes for students.

The dual objectives of achieving time-honoured high standards of academic achievement and more effective and viable operating practices at universities can, and should, be realised hand in hand. They are not mutually exclusive. Similarly, the university will retain its useful blend of both experts in their field and representatives of the affected interest groups, such as students, staff and the general community with the same proportional representation but in a more manageable and focused format.

The University of South Australia Act was first established in 1991, with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and the three South Australian College of Advanced Education campuses. Prior to that, its long education pedigree reaches back through the Adelaide Technical High School and the South Australian School of Mines and Industries merger in 1960, to origins in the earliest years of the colony and the establishment of the South Australian School of Art in 1856.

As the South Australian School of Art, or by other names it has been known as in the past 150 years—such as the School of Design and School of Arts and Crafts—it has blazed a trail for women in Australian education, appointing the first female teacher of painting, Elizabeth Armstrong, in 1892 and having a majority of talented female staff since. Well over half of the University of South Australia's employees overall are women.

In 2003, the university was named Employer of Choice for Women by the Australian government's Equal Opportunities in the Workplace Agency, and it has continued to receive the award since. The University of South Australia today also trains many of our young teachers. The first South Australian teacher training college, The Training School, was established in 1876—the year, incidentally, of Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Surrounded, outnumbered and running low on political ammunition to deal with the state's public school teachers, I imagine that the minister would be able to empathise with General Custer's situation at that time. The point is that, while the School of Education at UniSA continues the tradition of preparing high-quality teaching graduates, these graduates would like to be more appreciated by their employer—the state government—than is currently the case.

The university itself has produced thousands of graduates who have taken their knowledge into the South Australian community and, of course, far beyond, to contribute in a positive way in their chosen careers and, more generally, as educated world citizens.

Without doubt, many students from overseas who have studied at the university and have lived amongst us here, take back to their country of origin not only valuable qualifications, but a positive view of our state and fond memories of their time here. In this way, our educational institutions, such as the University of South Australia, project a contribution far beyond our borders and our shores, positively influencing our integration as a cog in the world community.

On that note, I would like to make mention of David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research, established in 2007, which will play an increasingly integral role in making possible the university's commitment to indigenous education and, in fact, in 1992, the university was the first in Australia to have a faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.

The broader effect of the work of the university in terms of the contribution of its graduates can be gauged by the long list of high achievers, some of whom are household names in South Australia such as the current chair of the Education Adelaide Board, Bill Spurr, and sporting hero Rachel Sporn. The opposition supports these amendments to the University of South Australia as an active contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the university's governance system in the hope that it assists the university in its ongoing role of producing quality graduates in the fields of business, education, arts and science, and a full range of endeavours for students to embark on their lives and careers.

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (18:01): I will not necessarily respond to some of the more provocative things that were raised by the honourable member but I do thank him in the main for his contribution. I think the debate on this bill has reflected again, in the main, the high degree of bipartisanship. It is an indication of the general recognition that the minor amendments to the University of South Australia Act 1990, which guides that outstanding learning and educational institution, will modernise the legislation and bring it more closely into line with legislation for other universities.

In concluding this debate, I highlight that the consultations conducted with all university staff and students to various members of parliament and their relevant student and education unions about particular aspects of the bill have generally focused on the amendment to the constitution of the university council and the reductions that were highlighted previously in my second reading explanation and again by the honourable member for Unley.

I am not intending to hold the house for any longer than need be but, in coming to the decision, it was certainly the strong view of the majority of university council members, and in particular the community council members who have extensive experience on business industry, community and government boards, that the smaller council will benefit the university.

Sir, you might be interested to know that nine other universities in Australia have similar or smaller numbers on their council or senate as that which is proposed in this amendment. Importantly, these changes maintain representational proportions, as was highlighted amongst community staff and student members. In commending the UniSA Council and its willingness to embrace change and to ensure the ongoing success of the university, I also thank the opposition for its support and our officers for their work that was undertaken in the preparation of this bill.

Bill read a second time and taken through its remaining stages.

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