Mathias Cormann receives an honorary doctorate from Murdoch

Murdoch University has recognised the contribution of Western Australia’s adopted son Mathias Cormann with a doctorate.

OECD secretary-general and former finance minister Mathias Cormann has received an honorary doctorate from Murdoch University. Supplied.

Former federal finance minister Mathias Cormann has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Murdoch University in this year’s graduation ceremony.

This year the former senator and leader of the government in the Senate was elected as the new secretary-general of OECD, becoming the first Australian to hold the position.

Belgian-born Dr Cormann participated in the online ceremony from OECD headquarters in Paris.

He said he was “genuinely honoured” and told students: “I arrived in Western Australia as a migrant some 25 years ago. All I had at that point was my university education and a great determination to find my way to having an impact in making a difference.

“Western Australia and Australia have been incredibly good to me. (They) will be incredibly good to you, too.”

In conferring the doctor of the university degree for service to the community, interim vice-chancellor Romy Lawson said Dr Cormann’s support for the university had included advocating for the return of Western Australia’s regional status for skilled migration purposes.

This had enabled universities in the state to “regain some of their competitive advantage in attracting international students wanting to come to Australia, and specifically Perth, to study”, Professor Lawson said.

Dr Cormann also advocated for the $25m federal grant to build the Harry Butler Environmental Education Centre at Murdoch.

He also secured Perth as the host city for the 2017 Asia-Pacific Regional Conference, which focused on many of the university’s specialty teaching areas including disruptive technologies and innovation, mining and resources.

Professor Lawson said Dr Cormann had been “instrumental in Murdoch securing financial support from the state and federal governments for our CBD vertical campus during the City Deal process”.

She quoted from Dr Cormann’s maiden speech to parliament, in which he said: “This is a country where, if you put your shoulder to the wheel, work hard, embrace the people and values and become an integral part of the community – in short, if you have a go – there is no limit to what you can achieve in your chosen field of endeavour.”