Report into merger of two Adelaide universities to be handed down today

A report into plans by the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide to merge is due to be handed down today.

Transcript

00:00 It was in July that the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia did

00:06 agree to merge and this amalgamation has been spoken about for quite some time.

00:11 Come 2026, South Australia could be home to one of the biggest universities in the world,

00:17 or sorry, in the country.

00:19 It is going to come at a pretty hefty price tag to the public purse.

00:23 The state government could be pitching in $445 million.

00:29 When it was decided to amalgamate, a parliamentary committee was established and over the past

00:35 four months they've been talking to many individuals and organisations and the vice chancellors

00:42 of both universities believe that this merger is only going to be a good thing.

00:48 They believe that the amalgamated university could be one of the top 100 uni's education

00:54 facilities in the world with better education and updated curricula and also better facilities.

01:02 The Adelaide Central Market Authority, they have also weighed in on this parliamentary

01:07 committee.

01:08 They believe that having more students will be better for business.

01:12 There are a few people who are against this amalgamation.

01:18 Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, Warren Bevington, has described

01:23 it as a lumbering dinosaur.

01:26 He's suggested that this proposal should be postponed by at least 12 months.

01:33 That was a comment that cost about $500 million.

01:37 Flinders University, they have said that if you're investing in one university but not

01:43 the other, that could really put a damper on the university sector here in Adelaide.

01:52 For this merger to go through legislation, it must be passed through parliament.

01:57 All eyes will be on parliament today at about 2 o'clock when this report will be handed

02:02 down.

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