Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I had the opportunity of attending the official opening of the University of Wollongong's South Western Sydney campus in Liverpool. It was certainly a great honour to represent the electorate that I do, Fowler, which is now providing access for people to a first-class educational facility in Liverpool. The new campus in Liverpool represents a major long-term commitment by the university to the Liverpool region. The University of Wollongong currently provides undergraduate courses in arts, business, business information systems, computer science and information technology. The university also offers postgraduate courses in health leadership and management and a college to host university access programs and diplomas in business, information technology and legal services.

To add to this, the university has recently announced an expansion of its course offerings Liverpool in 2018 to include double degrees in arts/law and a bachelor of business law. The Bachelor of Nursing is also set to be offered in 2020 in connection with the new Western Sydney Nursing Education and Research Centre. This will not apply a very significant role in the training of the next generation of nurses and encourage nurses to stay, train and work within the local area.

The University of Wollongong currently operates over two floors in the Moore Street facility in Liverpool, providing access to employment opportunities, public transport and the city's surrounding facilities. The South Western Sydney campus is, however, scheduled to relocate to a purpose-built building by 2020, where it is expected to cater for over 7,000 students by the 2030. This means that current and prospective students will have the opportunity to access university education without having to leave their local support networks and without the burden of lengthy travel.

The South Western Sydney campus is a great achievement in itself, and a facility that was certainly well and truly needed in order to meet the higher educational needs of the booming Liverpool region. Liverpool is currently at the centre of a large-scale investment in infrastructure, both public and private, investment which will see growth in population as well as economic growth. With more than 1½ million residents estimated to be living in in greater south-west Sydney by 2031. The University of Western Sydney will play a significant role in the rapid expansion of the Greater Western Sydney area in itself. It will no doubt drive the Liverpool economy and empower graduates to achieve the highest employment outcomes and to meet the demands of the region. This will be even more important, given the development of the Badgerys Creek airport, a project that is set to continue the boom in Western Sydney and generate local jobs and opportunities in the area. To put this in some perspective, I am away from the Committee for Liverpool that it is estimated that the Badgerys Creek airport will eventually support more than 15½ thousand jobs and be responsible for contributing to the local of the region by more than $11½ billion.

The University of Wollongong is also committed to strengthening the health research and education facilities within Greater Western Sydney, working to foster partnerships with: a number of medical institutions, including, particularly, Liverpool Hospital; a multinational manufacturing company, Daikin; as well as the pride of Liverpool at the moment, the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. These will work to produce many highly qualified graduates who will, in turn, make enormous contributions to our community.

I would like the opportunity to once again congratulate the University of Wollongong, in particular its vice-chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings, for setting the precedent of access to higher education in the City of Wollongong. I have no doubt that Wollongong university will have a lasting influence helping to generate jobs, foster innovation and build the skills necessary to meet the demands of the city now and also of the nation into the future.