HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-22 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

FLINDERS UNIVERSITY WATERMARK PROJECT

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (16:12): My grievance today is also about water, and I must say it is much more positive than the previous contribution. I had the opportunity yesterday to visit my old university and although I know as a politician that it is probably not appropriate to have a favourite university, Flinders does have some influence on me, having been a graduate from that campus.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to the registrar, Barbara Fergusson. One of the areas that we discussed was a proposal that Sir Eric Neal—the wonderful Chancellor of Flinders University who, I understand, is going to retire soon which is going to be very sad for South Australia and certainly for Flinders University—has been talking about for quite some time called Watermark. This is looking at Flinders University extending its hub of expertise with regard to the environment.

If supported, the Watermark proposal I am sure will become an iconic 7,200 square metre six-star Green Star building that will look at environmental education and research at Flinders. This is something that it already does in a very excellent fashion but it will bring together earth, social and health scientists in a new School of Environment and provide a new world-class national centre for groundwater research and training.

This will be established with funding of $30 million from the National Water Commission and the Australian Research Council. If it comes to fruition, it will extend Flinders University's position as a leading national environmental teaching and research institution. I should just note the Deputy Speaker's contribution to Flinders University. I think it would be one that is very much on the top of her list despite her different education, but Flinders University, for a number of us, has been very important in supporting great projects.

The two nationally unique identities, Flinders Centre for Airborne Research and the Flinders Centre for Science Education in the 21st Century along with Flinders Institute for Housing, Urban and Regional Research and the water environmental sustainability area, which of course looks at strategic research investment, will be located within Watermark.

In itself, I think that to have one brand name for all those august schools and institutions would be a big help in looking at these areas. The other plus side would be the collocation of this expertise in one building, which would create further internal and external collaboration opportunities between the disciplines, such as: public policy, law, engineering, education, biological science and business, and across research industry and government sectors.

The reason I say this is a positive contribution with regard to water is that the key research areas are: groundwater and hydrology, human health and the environment, terrestrial biodiversity, landscapes, marine science and aquaculture, environmental policy, and then looking at the social impact of all of that.

Through the development of problem-based criteria, this distinctive critical mass of multidisciplinary expertise will produce graduates with perspectives and skills required for the resolution of significant environmental challenges and the needs of the emerging green collar economy. The School of Environment currently teaches 350 domestic undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students, with 60 research students.

Watermark will enable the number of coursework students to double by 2014 and the number of research students to treble, including 60 in the NCGRT. In doing so, they will be able to extend their contribution to the green collar workforce in Australia and in the state, particularly in the southern region. There will also be four main undergraduate and five postgraduate courses, as well as masters and PhD courses. I am sure members will agree that this is a great opportunity for South Australia, and that the placement of such a project in the 63 hectares of vegetation will be a plus.

Time expired.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT