Hundreds rally at parliament against proposed university merger

A majority of the Western Australian government appointed steering committee tasked with evaluating a proposed merger of three state universities holds personal or professional ties to the University of Western Australia. This affiliation raises questions regarding impartiality, as the University of Western Australia is currently the only institution offering tentative support for the consolidation of itself, Curtin University, and Murdoch University under a single brand. The committee is responsible for authoring the business case for the proposal, which aims to create Australia’s largest university with a student body exceeding 100,000 individuals. Seven members of the committee have been publicly identified. Businessman Mark Barnaba serves as chair, while medical researcher Professor Fiona Wood acts as deputy chair. Both men and women have established connections to the University of Western Australia. Barnaba stated that he believes the committee can manage any real or perceived conflicts of interest. He revealed that he recently resigned from his positions on the University of Western Australia business school board and the investment committee following the announcement of the steering committee. Barnaba argued that resigning was necessary to ensure there was no conflict, rejecting the notion that his links to the university compromised the group’s neutrality. A bench engraved with his name exists on the university campus. Other committee members include Yawuru academic Dr Peter Yu, former chief scientist Dr Peter Klinken, Susan Grylls, and Western Australian agent general Rebecca Tomkinson. The vice chancellors of each participating university are also invited to join the group, along with a student representative and a staff representative from the National Tertiary Education Union. Four of the seven named members maintain a direct connection to the University of Western Australia through past studies or employment. Barnaba studied commerce at the institution, graduating with first-class honours in financial economics. Until this month, he headed the university’s investment committee, which advises on investment strategy and monitors portfolios. Dr Peter Klinken graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He later earned a doctorate in biochemistry and a diploma in education. He holds the title of Emeritus Professor at the institution and has publicly supported the merger concept. Professor Fiona Wood studied medicine in London before moving to Australia. In 2011, she served on the University of Western Australia business school board alongside Barnaba. She subsequently became a professor at the university’s medical school. Susan Grylls completed her undergraduate degrees in law and environmental science at Murdoch University before earning a Master of Laws at the University of Western Australia. Elizabeth Gaines attended Curtin University and later Macquarie University. She holds an honorary doctorate of commerce from Curtin. She sits on the board of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, which maintains a strategic partnership with the University of Western Australia. Rebecca Tomkinson, who hails from the Wheatbelt region, attended Murdoch University. Earlier this year, she assisted in brokering a memorandum of understanding on medical research between the University of Western Australia and the University of Galway. Dr Peter Yu studied at the Central Institute of Technology, now known as Curtin. He primarily works with the Australian National University, which belongs to the Group of Eight, a consortium that includes the University of Western Australia. Public reaction to the proposal has been sharply divided. More than 300 university students and staff marched on Parliament House to protest the plan. Participants chanted slogans opposing the consolidation, such as "no merger in WA" and "we don’t want a merger here." Representatives from the three student guilds addressed the crowd. Curtin University guild president Dylan Storer asserted that the universities belong to the people of Western Australia and that residents deserve a say in their future. He criticized the government for prioritizing a corporate restructure over investments in affordable housing, teaching quality, and student support during a cost-of-living crisis. Incoming University of Western Australia guild councillor Rojin Didari described recent student protests in France as heroic and encouraged local students to emulate them. Those protests in Europe have escalated into riots involving widespread violence and looting. Following the rally, Storer distanced himself from Didari’s comments, stating that he disagreed with the sentiment and that most attendees would deplore violence. Tertiary Education Minister Tony Buti did not attend the rally, citing a late invitation and a simultaneous obligation to introduce an overhaul of state discrimination laws to parliament. Buti asked students and academics to remain open-minded. He reiterated government concerns regarding sub-par education and suggested that funds allocated to executives should instead benefit students. He denied that any commitment to the merger had been made, stating it would only proceed if the business case proved viable. Political hurdles exist independent of the business case findings. The Liberal Party room voted to reject the proposal regardless of the investigation’s outcome. The Greens are also strongly opposed. Consequently, the governing Labor party requires the support of at least three crossbench members to pass the necessary legislation. Opposition education spokesman Liam Staltari labeled the initiative the wrong proposal. He questioned the likelihood of the commissioned business case yielding a negative result, suggesting the government views the merger as a predetermined goal. Staltari noted that the administration had underestimated the resistance from students and the broader community.