Flinders University refuses to join discussions about merger between University of Adelaide and University of South Australia

Flinders University’s boss has written to students, assuring them they have nothing to fear from the proposed merger between University of Adelaide and UniSA.

University of Adelaide vice chancellor Peter Hoj, Premier Peter Malinauskas and UniSA vice chancellor David Lloyd. Picture: Paul Starick

A proposed merger of the University of Adelaide with UniSA presents an “unique opportunity” to transform education within SA and the nation, say their chancellors.

Former Federal Court judge Catherine Branson and experienced company director Pauline Carr both believe the new Adelaide University has the potential to become a global leader.

In emails to staff and students, the pair have revealed they have been having confidential discussions for several months about uniting their campuses.

The secret talks were triggered by an election promise by Premier Peter Malinauskas to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate a merger between SA’s three universities.

Ms Branson, who replaced former SA governor Kevin Scarce as University of Adelaide chancellor in 2020, said the discussions had identified a willingness between her institution and UniSA to again consider a merger.

The two institutions previously examined the option in 2012 and 2018 before opting not to proceed.

University of Adelaide Chancellor Catherine Branson and University of South Australia Chancellor Pauline Carr with a formal agreement to investigate a merger. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Flinders University vice chancellor Colin Stirling and his governing council, chaired by high-profile business figure Stephen Gerlach, have repeatedly ruled out a merger.

In an email to University of Adelaide staff, Ms Branson said its governing council was “excited” about what the potential merger with UniSA could achieve.

“Our vision is to create Australia’s new for purpose university – a leading contemporary comprehensive university of global standing,” she said.

“Our intention is that this university be dedicated to ensuring the prosperity, wellbeing, and cohesion of society by addressing educational inequality – through its actions and through the success and impact of its students, staff and alumni.”

Ms Branson said the new university would conduct “outstanding future-making research of scale and focus”.

“We believe that such an institution would possess the scale necessary to sustain a Top 100 university ranking in the long-term and, in turn, attract and retain the best research, teaching and student talent,” she said.

“Drawing on our collective existing strengths, it would recognise and preserve the outstanding legacies of our two universities, while at the same time being future fit and more readily able to respond to the increasingly complex, competitive and changing higher education landscape.”

In her email to staff and students, Ms Carr, who has chaired the UniSA governing council since 2018, Ms Carr said the governing councils of both universities believed the government’s push for a merger presented the potential opportunity “to advance our respective institutions’ missions at a scale and impact that we could not achieve individually”.

“Put simply, our council’s view is that if we are able to realise this vision and ambition for equity and excellence, we could take the mission, values and impact of UniSA and its culture further and faster than we might ever attain alone,” she said.

“The creation of a new university presents a unique opportunity to positively transform higher education in our state and nation for the benefit of future generations of students, as well as, securing our legacies to date and ensuring lasting impact on our wider society.”

Ms Carr apologised for keeping the merger talks secret, saying it was important key issues were resolved before they became public.

“With the learnings from previous discussions of this nature, we have until now confined the current discussion to both university councils in the first instance so as to reduce uncertainty and minimise any disruption to our ongoing operations and activities,” she said.

“I do apologise that, given the timing of this development, some of our UniSA community may learn of it second hand or through the media. That is highly regrettable, though an unavoidable consequence of the nature of the activity under exploration.”

University of Adelaide Chancellor Catherine Branson.

UniSA Chancellor Pauline Carr.

During a media conference on Thursday announcing a formal agreement to explore a merger had been signed, Ms Carr defended the decision to scrap the institution’s name if it went ahead.

Ms Carr said the decision to lose the University of SA brand was “part of the package”, maintaining the two universities were negotiating a “true union of equals”.

“Let’s face it, Adelaide University has been around for 150 years and it does have a long-established reputation,” she said. “It is very high in the rankings.”

In an email to students on Thursday, Mr Stirling said Flinders University would “continue to forge its own destiny, while also contributing to a strong and robust higher education sector in South Australia”.

“We are committed to fostering a healthy and competitive sector that benefits students and provides you with choice,” he said.

Mr Stirling said “whatever the outcome of the partnership process”, Flinders would continue “to work hard to be the university of choice in South Australia - and a leading, competitive institution nationally and internationally”.

“Change of this magnitude is complex and can be uncertain, he said. “Rest assured that Flinders University is staying a steady course with your best interests foremost.”

Asked on Thursday how much the merger would cost, Mr Malinauskas said it was still “not a done deal”.

While describing the move as an “investment in the future”, he declined to give a dollar figure to taxpayers’ contributions.

UniSA chancellor Pauline Carr (top left), Deputy Premier Susan Close, Governor Frances Adamson, Premier Peter Malinauskas, University of Adelaide chancellor Catherine Branson with (front left) UniSA vice-chancellor David Lloyd and University of Adelaide vice-chancellor Peter Hoj. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

While Mr Malinauskas said the government was focused on a collaborative process, he did not rule out parliamentary powers to force the merger if discussions broke down.

“I think that’s a last resort and that’s not our preferred outcome,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“We don’t see a university amalgamation commission or the even more blunt instrument of hard-edge legislation as being the most desirable path to go down.

“As a state government we’ve got a policy and we reserve our rights to use the tools available to us, but we’ve come so far.”