Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the proposed merger between the Central Queensland University and the Central Queensland Institute of TAFE. This proposal has been on the negotiating table for approximately three years now. It is a plan that would see Central Queensland provided with a depth and quality of educational services not yet seen in the region. It will be the first dual-sector tertiary institution in Queensland. The merger agreement would guarantee funding for vocational education and training and include the handover of 12 TAFE campuses. We know that, under the previous minister for tertiary education, negotiations had slowed down a bit. However, I welcome reports that the new , the Hon. Chris Bowen, is far more supportive of the merger, and I applaud him for that stance. This merger is a plan that enjoys support from many different stakeholders in Central Queensland and across Queensland as a whole. The CQ University has been incredibly persistent in keeping this proposal alive and should be congratulated for their efforts and continuing insistence that we bring this to a head as soon as possible.

Some $74 million in federal government funding has been pledged to ensure the merger can take place. I urge Minister Bowen to finalise this agreement with the university as soon as possible to prevent any further delay in beginning the process. The process will take some time to achieve, and the sooner we get approval the sooner we can get on with bringing this all to an end. We know that Central Queensland has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years and that our education networks need to adapt to meet the changing needs of the region. The region is undergoing huge developments with gas exploration and exportation and has a thriving coal industry and aluminium industry, and of course we have agricultural needs in the area also. Again I encourage all parties, including the Queensland state government, to pull out all the stops and get this deal done.