❓ Mr. Price questions the Minister for Education on the government's plan to ensure a sustainable future for WA universities and how the review of the university sector will consider structural changes. The Minister outlines the importance of universities to the state's economy and announces an independent review to address challenges and meet industry needs.
AnsweredQoN 92Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
UNIVERSITIES — REVIEW
92. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Education:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's appointment of an expert panel to review Western Australia's
public university sector.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government is working to ensure a sustainable
future for Western Australia's university sector to ensure that WA
universities are at the forefront of research and innovation?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how the review will consider how structural change
could strengthen the local university sector and deliver for students?
92. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Education:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's appointment of an expert panel to review Western Australia's
public university sector.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government is working to ensure a sustainable
future for Western Australia's university sector to ensure that WA
universities are at the forefront of research and innovation?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how the review will consider how structural change
could strengthen the local university sector and deliver for students?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Forrestfield
for the question. Yes, I can provide that information.
(1)–(2) Western Australian universities will play a very
important role in the state's society and economy in the future.
The sector generates about $2 billion in economic activity, employs over 10 000
people and on average caters for the enrolment of around 35 000 students in our
four public universities, including 14 000
new international students. At any one time, there are over 100 000 students
enrolled in our four public universities. I am really pleased to say
that today the Premier and I announced an independent review of the structure
of the public university sector in Western Australia.
The expert panel has been charged
with investigating and making recommendations to ensure that the WA public
tertiary sector is well placed to take on current and future challenges, and
meet the needs of industry and the workforce going forward. We live in a very
rapidly changing world economically and with people's employment and
technological advancements, so we need to have a public university sector that is geared to be ready for those changes. It
is critical that our four public universities—the University of Western
Australia, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and Curtin University—evaluate
their ability to generate a skilled workforce to take on those challenges,
whether it be in local innovation or the diversification of our state's
economy.
Prior to the pandemic, Western Australian
universities were increasingly constrained on international recruitment, our
share of grants received nationally and the commercialisation of our research
task, which was falling behind. For instance, between 2010 and 2019, WA had the
smallest percentage growth in university enrolments in Australia, with 13.6 per
cent compared with 32 per cent nationally. We need to address that decline. The
Western Australian university sector has experienced a significant decline in
its share of research funding, more than any
other Australian state or territory, falling from 11 per cent in 2001 down to as low as 2.9 per cent in 2022. We need to do something, and that is
why we have announced the review of the university sector. It will explore
opportunities for structural change.
The terms of reference will be
finalised after we receive feedback from the four vice-chancellors, whom I met
yesterday. We look forward to working with the universities to ensure that the
review process fully explores all the opportunities and possibilities so that
ongoing we have high-performing universities and the public university sector
in Western Australia is financially sustainable.
We have appointed a very eminent
panel to be headed by Professor Sandra Harding, AO, former vice-chancellor and
president of James Cook University; with Professor John Williams, executive
dean of the faculty of arts, business, law and economics at the University of
Adelaide; and Dr Ian Watt, AC, former secretary of the Department of the Prime
Minister and Cabinet. They will be joined by Professor Peter Shergold as a special
adviser. He is a former chancellor of Western Sydney University and a former
secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. I think everyone
would agree that that is an eminent panel to look at our public university
sector. It is intended that the review will be completed within six months from
the time it commences. I really look forward to working with the panel. I am
sure the public university sector will also work with the panel to ensure that
it comes up with recommendations that will allow our universities to become
world class and meet the challenges expected as we go forward.
for the question. Yes, I can provide that information.
(1)–(2) Western Australian universities will play a very
important role in the state's society and economy in the future.
The sector generates about $2 billion in economic activity, employs over 10 000
people and on average caters for the enrolment of around 35 000 students in our
four public universities, including 14 000
new international students. At any one time, there are over 100 000 students
enrolled in our four public universities. I am really pleased to say
that today the Premier and I announced an independent review of the structure
of the public university sector in Western Australia.
The expert panel has been charged
with investigating and making recommendations to ensure that the WA public
tertiary sector is well placed to take on current and future challenges, and
meet the needs of industry and the workforce going forward. We live in a very
rapidly changing world economically and with people's employment and
technological advancements, so we need to have a public university sector that is geared to be ready for those changes. It
is critical that our four public universities—the University of Western
Australia, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and Curtin University—evaluate
their ability to generate a skilled workforce to take on those challenges,
whether it be in local innovation or the diversification of our state's
economy.
Prior to the pandemic, Western Australian
universities were increasingly constrained on international recruitment, our
share of grants received nationally and the commercialisation of our research
task, which was falling behind. For instance, between 2010 and 2019, WA had the
smallest percentage growth in university enrolments in Australia, with 13.6 per
cent compared with 32 per cent nationally. We need to address that decline. The
Western Australian university sector has experienced a significant decline in
its share of research funding, more than any
other Australian state or territory, falling from 11 per cent in 2001 down to as low as 2.9 per cent in 2022. We need to do something, and that is
why we have announced the review of the university sector. It will explore
opportunities for structural change.
The terms of reference will be
finalised after we receive feedback from the four vice-chancellors, whom I met
yesterday. We look forward to working with the universities to ensure that the
review process fully explores all the opportunities and possibilities so that
ongoing we have high-performing universities and the public university sector
in Western Australia is financially sustainable.
We have appointed a very eminent
panel to be headed by Professor Sandra Harding, AO, former vice-chancellor and
president of James Cook University; with Professor John Williams, executive
dean of the faculty of arts, business, law and economics at the University of
Adelaide; and Dr Ian Watt, AC, former secretary of the Department of the Prime
Minister and Cabinet. They will be joined by Professor Peter Shergold as a special
adviser. He is a former chancellor of Western Sydney University and a former
secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. I think everyone
would agree that that is an eminent panel to look at our public university
sector. It is intended that the review will be completed within six months from
the time it commences. I really look forward to working with the panel. I am
sure the public university sector will also work with the panel to ensure that
it comes up with recommendations that will allow our universities to become
world class and meet the challenges expected as we go forward.
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