Premier Roger Cook and Tertiary and International Education Minister Tony Buti on Sunday said the government would proceed with a business case to guide a proposed merger of Curtin University, the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University. The work will be led by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, with input from a steering committee chaired by Western Australian businessman Mark Barnaba and deputy chaired by medical researcher Professor Fiona Wood.
Curtin University vice-chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said the institution would "vigorously oppose" the plan. "Cost, waste, and loss of choice, jobs and legacy will be the hallmarks of the planned merger of universities proposed by the Western Australian government today," she said. "Every graduate of UWA, Curtin and Murdoch holds a degree from an institution that may not exist in the future."
Hayne questioned whether the government had clearly articulated the benefits of a merger. She said a three-way merger would create a mega-university of almost 120,000 students, "a scale unmatched in Australia and rare internationally". She added: "Size at that level brings complexity, not competitiveness, and draws efforts away from our core purposes of teaching, learning and student support."
The announcement came without a final decision; the business case will inform whether the merger proceeds. The government has not yet released details on projected savings, efficiencies or academic benefits.