Adelaide and UniSA merger roadblock removed in parliament

A major barrier to the merger of the universities of Adelaide and South Australia has been removed by government manoeuvring in parliament.

A major hurdle to merging the universities of Adelaide and South Australia has been bulldozed by government manoeuvring in parliament to limit scrutiny.

In a move that indicates laws necessary for the merger are more likely to pass parliament, the government-sponsored plan for a committee to scrutinise the proposal passed the lower house on Thursday, with support from independents.

Outflanking the Greens and Liberals, the Labor government committee sets an October 17 deadline for reporting and appears to limit access to commercial-in-confidence documents.

Greens co-leader Robert Simms had spearheaded a plan, backed by the Liberals, for more open-ended scrutiny by an upper house committee, including the ability to access commercial-in-confidence documents without making them public.

Premier Peter Malinauskas told The Advertiser the committee “heightens the likelihood of a fair and objective analysis of the merits and risks of this policy proposition”, saying the policy stood on its merits and the committee would have a non-government chair.

“And for as long as the committee is an objective one rather than a political one, we think the legislation’s got a good chance of success, but I’m never presumptuous on these matters,” he said.

Members of the committee will be: Dan Cregan, Sarah Andrews, Michael Brown, John Gardner, Lucy Hood (lower house); and Connie Bonaros, Tammy Franks, Reggie Martin, Jing Lee and Sarah Game (upper house).

The Sunday Mail last weekend revealed the long-vaunted merger of the universities of Adelaide and South Australia had the green light after being backed by both councils and almost $450m in state government funds.

University of Adelaide vice-chancellor and president Professor Peter Hoj, Premier Peter Malinauskas, University of South Australia vice-chancellor and president Professor David Lloyd. Picture: Paul Starick

Mr Malinauskas, who branded the merger “a once-in-a-generation opportunity”, argues the merger plan will achieve his policy objectives of building international student numbers, growing research capacity and enhancing access to higher education for regions and outer suburban Adelaide.

But a sticking point emerged when Opposition Leader David Speirs and Mr Simms demanded access to the full business cases underpinning the historic decision to amalgamate – a move the universities declared would jeopardise their ability to attract lucrative overseas students, by giving competitors insight into commercial-in-confidence plans.

The government is drafting and will release within weeks The Adelaide University Act 2023, which is required to pass parliament because universities are established under state law.

The new university is forecast to generate an extra $500m annually for the state economy by 2034, create an extra 1200 jobs and educate more than 70,000 students – about 13,000 more than today’s combined total.

Also by 2034, the universities’ feasibility study forecast it would attract 6000 extra international students, generate an extra $100m in research revenue annually and help an extra 800 low socio-economic people into study.