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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-05-25 Daily Xml
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Motions

Flinders University

The Hon. J.S. LEE (16:37): I move:

That this council—

1. Congratulates Flinders University for celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016;

2. Highlights the contributions made by Flinders University and its alumni throughout its 50-year history; and

3. Acknowledges the significant establishment and achievements of the University of South Australia, nationally and on the global stage.

I am delighted to rise today to move this motion, which congratulates Flinders University of South Australia on its 50th anniversary. Flinders University enjoys a strong reputation for its excellence in teaching and research. It has a longstanding commitment to enhancing educational opportunities for all and a proud record of community engagement over the last 50 years. As a whole, universities across Australia make a strong contribution to Australia's economic prosperity and social wellbeing. Universities have more than one million enrolled students. Universities in Australia employ over 100,000 staff. International education is Australia's largest service export.

Universities are significant contributors to the local communities, by providing local employment opportunities, research, industry collaboration, building vital infrastructure, and through local community and sporting grants. Australia's regional universities play a vital role in supporting regional economies. University research stimulates innovation and delivers solutions for economic, social and demographic challenges facing the nation, and the rate of return on publicly funded research is generally between 20 to 60 per cent.

As honourable members can see, universities are certainly a big contributor to South Australia. According to a study of Adelaide marketing material, South Australia is one of the only Australian states to have all its public universities listed in one or more of the three major international university ranking systems, with the University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of South Australia consistently being recognised for their academic excellence and providing a range of opportunities that equip students for jobs anywhere in the world. Flinders University is ranked number 46 in the world's top 150 universities under 50 years by Times Higher Education 2016, placing Flinders University in the top 2 per cent of universities worldwide.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Flinders University is the home of South Australia's Scientist of the Year 2012, 2013 and 2015. Some 90 per cent of research was rated world-class or above by ERA rankings 2015. It has over 100 partner institutions across 33 countries. There are nine offshore programs that are rated number one in Australia, across 11 international student barometer categories for international student experience.

South Australia ought to be very proud to have such a high ranking university in our state, and therefore it is very important to use this motion today to highlight Flinders University's achievements and put it on the public record for this parliament and for honourable members to acknowledge and recognise.

Since its establishment in 1966, Flinders University has made a significant impact for South Australia and for South Australians in innovative research, in high quality teaching and in community engagement. The university has led the way in providing access to higher education for individuals who did not traditionally aspire to university. Flinders University has attracted students from over 100 countries and its alumni have built careers and lives and reached communities across the world.

Flinders University's achievements are underpinned by a network of strong external links that have developed with its stakeholders and with the communities it serves. It is committed to being a university that is outwardly engaged, continuing to build supportive and valued relationships, which will be vital for the future.

I would like to place on record special thanks to Vice Chancellor Prof Colin Stirling and his office for providing me with comprehensive information about Flinders University to be included in my contribution today. With a 50 year history, Flinders University has many exciting stories and shares a rich heritage with South Australia. It is indeed a great honour to share some of its achievements here.

In the 1960s the University of Adelaide was the only university available for individuals interested in tertiary education. As more and more South Australians were seeking higher education opportunities, the Bedford Park land, owned by the government, was allocated to the university to establish a second campus, which then ended up being the development of a second university for South Australia. Flinders University was born out of the rapid population and geographic expansion of the 1950s and 1960s. It has always reflected emerging social, cultural and economic trends for our state.

The university was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and Chancellor Sir Mark Mitchell. Flinders University came into existence as a separate university on 1 July 1966. The Bedford Park campus and its fundamental principles were radical in the context of Adelaide's society in its day. Its urban design and architecture, and the interaction with the Australian landscape, presented a fresh face to the world and created a distinct identity for Flinders University.

Flinders University is named after the English navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in 1802. Matthew Flinders once wrote to a friend that he was 'not content to rest unnoticed in the middle order of mankind'. He also wrote 'since neither birth nor fortune favour me, my actions shall speak to the world'. This spirit of Matthew Flinders that I mentioned formed the ethos of the university. Flinders University as an institution has never been content with the status quo. It has demonstrated in the last 50 years that it has always looked for ways to make South Australia, and the world, a better place by making a positive difference. The Flinders University crest includes a reproduction of Flinders' ship, The Investigator, and an extract from his book, A Voyage to Terra Australis.

In their inaugural year, Flinders University employed only 90 staff and accepted 900 enrolments, conducting less than 10 courses; 50 years on, Flinders has now more than 2,679 academics and staff, about 26,000 students, with 21,000 or thereabouts Australian students, 4,000 international students, 300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and 90,402 alumni based in 118 countries. Just 20 years ago, Flinders was one of the most centralised universities in Australia with its teaching and research activity almost exclusively confined to the Bedford Park campus, yet today Flinders is quite different. It is thinking and operating very differently from the days of its establishment.

The university is growing in terms of student numbers, geographical reach has expanded and their investment in building and facilities has become more strategic. For example, in 1966 the campus was 30 acres of open, hilly land, but now the campus footprint stretches from Bedford Park to Tonsley to Adelaide CBD, as well as interstate to Darwin and regional centres around Australia. In particular, there are 10 regional centres in South Australia, including the Barossa, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier, Renmark, Victor Harbor; and also in Victoria and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Flinders is the fastest growing university in the state as it has increased many locations to include campuses all around the state as well as interstate and internationally.

The Tonsley facility is a state-of-the-art facility, housing the Tonsley Flinders School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics, the Medical Device Research Institute and Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology, alongside some of Adelaide's biggest businesses and industries on the site of the former Mitsubishi Motors factory at Clovelly Park. It is certainly worth a mention and is a great achievement for Flinders University. Tonsley houses 150 academic staff and 2,000 students at the state-of-the-art $120 million building; and the redevelopment has delivered a collaborative and high-value industry education and residential precinct, something certainly to be proud of.

I also want to highlight the new $63 million student hub and plaza. From the beginning, the plaza and union building were places for the university community to come together to celebrate, relax, work and play. Looking toward the future, Flinders University has rejuvenated the heart of its Bedford Park campus to keep it contemporary, and to continue to meet student and community needs. A comprehensive engagement project was undertaken to determine what was required. Fifty years on, Flinders University gets a new heart, which is a revitalised student hub and plaza which was officially launched on 18 March this year. Professor Colin Stirling, the Vice Chancellor, said during its opening:

This inspirational environment will support and stimulate collaborative learning activities by providing comfortable spaces equipped with the latest technology, offering students a modern, rich and rewarding learning experience.

Flinders' Indigenous connections are at the heart of the new Hub and plaza. As I mentioned before, it has a successful track record of attracting students with 300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students enrolled in its courses—something to certainly be proud of as part of the push to engage more and more Aboriginal students and their communities in the future of its delivery of education excellence.

With a strong emphasis on collaboration between disciplines, Flinders is known for its research strength within biomedical and clinical science, culture, policy and society, health and human behaviours, molecular science and technology, engineering, water, and the environment. The strength of Flinders research can be illustrated in the following statement by Chancellor Stephen Gerlach AM. He mentioned that:

Education is a catalyst for changing and improving societies in which we live. Their newly acquired knowledge and expertise will have far-reaching effects as they are brought to bear in the various communities in which they choose to live and work. We should never lose sight of our role in providing the foundations on which future generations grow and prosper.

Throughout Flinders University history, they have had many highlights and breakthroughs in their research facilities as many academics are disciplined in finding more answers or advances within their relevant fields. I would like to highlight a number of individuals who are continuously pushing the boundaries in their research in representing the university on a global stage.

For example, Flinders University is exploring international research opportunities in clean technology and marine bioproducts following a recent group mission to China's Shandong province. The 17-member delegation, including experts in the fields of marine science, clean technology, nanotechnology and cancer pharmacology, flew to China in March 2014 to meet with key research and commercial organisations in Qingdao and Yantai with a view to participate in China's development of a blue economy, which is the sustainable development of marine resources.

I also want to make particular mention of Professor Tracey Wade, the wife of my esteemed colleague the Hon. Stephen Wade, who is collaborating with researchers worldwide in a global effort to identify genes that cause eating disorders. Professor Wade is one of those three Australian investigators working on this important project and ought to be acknowledged.

The Hon. S.G. Wade interjecting:

The Hon. J.S. LEE: The Hon. Steven Wade interjected there, but I will not make further remarks. There are so many more profound researchers, but due to time constraints I am unable to mention every one of them. I would like to congratulate every one of those researchers for making their contribution in advancing their research. Flinders certainly is dedicated to building and strengthening relationships with governments and educational institutions in the Asian region and to advancing their international connections.

For example, in 2014, Flinders strengthened their ties with Indonesia. They have also met with Chinese political and business leaders, and signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia and Vietnam. These memorandums of understanding allowed parties to participate in research collaboration, and also for staff and students to do exchanges. Short courses were offered on many occasions. Flinders already has a strong and established relationship with China where Flinders teaches three postgraduate courses in partnership with Nankai University, Tianjin, one with Capital Normal University in Beijing, and offers two undergraduate degrees in conjunction with the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Flinders has also identified Indonesia as one of the priority nations by the Australian government for development of stronger and more comprehensive relationships and therefore Flinders is well placed to make a significant contribution to the Asian century strategy. International students make up approximately 12 per cent of Flinders' current on-campus student population and in 2015 had 4,100 international students from more than 90 countries. The International Student Barometer has highlighted that international students at Flinders University are among the most satisfied university students in Adelaide. It has ranked Flinders as one of the best universities for international student services and arrival support for new students from overseas.

I have personally met with and engage with many international students who are studying at Flinders University and have witnessed first hand the experience they have gained from Flinders University. International students are great ambassadors for the university and there are now more than 3,500 Flinders alumni in China and Hong Kong. I would also like to pay tribute and acknowledge some of the notable distinguished individuals who have held public office roles and have had a long association with Flinders University. The first one I would like to mention is Eric Neal. As we all know he served as South Australian governor for five years. He made great contributions to our state in his role as the Governor of South Australia. Eric also helped establish Flinders University as a world-class establishment when he was chancellor from 2002 to 2010, and it is great to pay tribute to his work.

Dr Brendan Nelson, the former federal opposition leader and member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1996 to 2009, is also a Flinders alumnus and has a distinguished service in public life. Dr Andrew Southcott, the federal member for Boothby since 1996, has been a great member for Boothby. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his work as the Liberal member for Boothby and wish him and his family a wonderful future life after politics. I would like to also highlight that Nicolle Flint, the candidate for Boothby, is also a graduate and a current research PhD student at Flinders University.

I believe that she is currently doing a doctorate at Flinders University. Nicolle Flint, our candidate for Boothby, is a smart, capable and tenacious candidate. I recall when she was giving her speech in her preselection she said that she wanted to give back to Boothby where her family has lived and where she has worked and studied. She said, 'It is because of Boothby I have the education, training and skills to be a strong representative for the people of Boothby and for our state.' I wish Nicolle Flint all the best in her campaign. I think she will make a wonderful future member for Boothby.

The other very distinguished public office holder in terms of a long association with Flinders is Felicity-ann Lewis, the former mayor of the City of Marion. She is certainly one of the highlights. And, of course, the Hon. Diana Laidlaw, who all of us know so well, is certainly an alumnus of Flinders. She was a former minister and former member of the Legislative Council. She certainly served the Liberal Party and parliament with distinction.

I have just been given a piece of paper. The Hon. Ian Hunter, although it was not part of the notes, a minister in our house, is also an alumnus of Flinders. I am sure he will probably make a few congratulatory remarks on this motion later. In terms of the arts sector, some of you may or may not know that Scott Hicks and his wife, Kerry Heysen-Hicks, the film producers, are also great alumni of Flinders University.

Of course Scott Hicks is best known as the screen writer and director of Shine, an Oscar winning movie of a pianist, whose work was nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning the Emmy Award. Some of you may already know Gary Sweet, the Australian film and television actor. He certainly had a long association with Flinders. Nuala Hafner, the Australian media personality and television presenter, was a graduate of Flinders.

The Hon. T.A. Franks: Robert Simms, Senator.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Okay; I am sure we will hear about Senator Robert Simms when the Hon. Tammy Franks speaks to this motion, which is wonderful. Along with acknowledging the alumni of the university, I pay tribute now to all the leadership team, the advisers, the lecturers and the staff of the university for making an amazing contribution over the last 50 years to ensure that the university remains internationally competitive, that it has the reputation of being the world-class research institute that it has established today.

As institutions and universities embody social, economic and intellectual resources, which combine to generate benefits on a local, national and global scale, they equip students with the knowledge and skills that allow them to make greater contributions to society. They generate and disseminate knowledge, which enhances productivity and improves living standards. On this very note I congratulate again wholeheartedly Flinders University on its celebration of its 50th anniversary and commend the motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. G.A. Kandelaars.

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