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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-07-06 Daily Xml
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Establishment of Adelaide University

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (14:24): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on the historic heads of agreement between University of Adelaide and UniSA?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:24): I thank the member for Elizabeth for his question. Let me be plain: we pursued this creation of a new university because we want more kids from Elizabeth going to university. In no small part, that has directly informed the structure of the government's policy. This policy has a genesis right back in 2018 and 2019, when the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia back then advised myself and the Deputy Premier that they were in favour of coming together because they had formed the view that it was in the best interests of those institutions and the state more broadly.

I found it incredibly disheartening that only months later and after being formally advised of that by the two then vice-chancellors, that that arrangement and the pursuit of that university had fallen apart, for reasons that still remain somewhat mysterious to this day. We won't go into that, but that was the genesis of the Deputy Premier and myself sitting down and formulating a policy that might recreate that moment to ensure that a new institution is indeed formed, if it is in the best interests of the state.

That led to our establishment of our policy around the university amalgamation commission and we were very grateful, coming into government, to receive advice from Adelaide University and the University of South Australia that they would be willing to sit down and engage amongst themselves. That precipitated the government making a decision to put on hold its commission in the event that an agreement should be reached. We are very, very enthusiastic—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned for a second time.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —to inform the house that there is now—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —not just a commitment to negotiate but an absolute policy and agreement between the two universities and the state government that in this state we should establish a brand-new university for the future. At the heart of the new university, there are multiple public policy objectives.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: One is to see a greater diversity and degree of equity—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morphett!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —in terms of student access to higher education in this state—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned for a final time.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —more kids with lower SES backgrounds, more kids from regional South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That's why we have a $100 million perpetual fund—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Schubert!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —that will be devoted specifically to that cause. The second, of course, is increasing the volume of R&D investment in our state.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: How do you know? You didn't even read the business case.

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is on a final warning.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: In South Australia, we are below the national average when it comes to R&D. There is 1.7 per cent of Australia's GDP allocated towards R&D. Overseas, in the OECD, that number is closer to 2.7 per cent. We have a long way to go in this country. If we are serious as a nation about improving labour productivity, the productivity of our economy as a whole, then R&D is central to that cause. This combined university, this new university, will be able to facilitate 13,000 extra students in our state, more kids getting educated—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —plus more international students, which will mean $500 million on a per annum basis being contributed to our economy. That allows for more investment in R&D. That is a good thing. This has been a moment—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Taylor!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —the state has been waiting for—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Florey!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —for 25-plus years.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: We now have the opportunity before us to make this happen.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Florey is warned!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: It has been the government's policy this year to do the big things, the bold things—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morphett!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —and the hard things, to make sure that the state is in the strongest possible position to capitalise on the economic opportunity of our time and to make sure that no kid is left behind. That's why we choose to bring this university together, and we look forward to hopefully the parliament endorsing it later this year.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hartley can depart under 137A for the remainder of question time.

The honourable member for Hartley having withdrawn from the chamber:

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