Page 1049 - Week 06 - Thursday, 27 July 1989
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already measures up to the criteria of a university as declared by the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee. We call on the Federal Government to begin the process of making that possible.
The committee recommends that the ACT Government should begin negotiations to take on the formal responsibility, as with other States of the Commonwealth, of a caring oversight for the new university. As soon as it can be done, this Assembly should formally create that new university. There is a great work for us to do. That is the kind of thing we should be doing in this city. Members will note that we have not named that new university, although the name "University of Canberra" was discussed. I am not sure at all that it is our prime business to think of that. Others should discuss it first.
One of our main terms of reference was the future relationship between the ACT Executive - therefore the ACT Government and the ACT Assembly - and the three institutions named in those terms. The committee, however, now presents those conclusions under the heading "Relationship between the ACT Executive and the new institutions". I stress "new" because our future responsibilities will be towards two new institutions - an amalgamated ANU to include CITA, so a new ANU, and the new university. Specifically, we need to work out very carefully how we intersect with a national institution which we recommend should continue to be the responsibility of the Commonwealth. Part of that new institution has intimate ties with the local community and that is wonderful to see and to know, and that community - that is us - helps to fund some of its activities. That will be a matter for negotiation.
We also need to consider the nature of our responsibility for a new university which we will have created. That university will need to have its own autonomy, but we will need to be in constant close touch with it. This is an opportunity for creative work for the Government, and again at this point we pass that over to the Deputy Chief Minister. We hope, however, that all members of the Assembly may be involved. I certainly look forward to such an involvement.
We addressed other unresolved matters, especially the question of ADFA, the Australian Defence Force Academy. We heard all kinds of things about that. Administrative tidiness does not always sit well with organic development. At the moment ADFA, a distinguished national institution, is directly linked with the University of New South Wales. In logic, it might make more sense for it to be linked with either of the two new institutions in the ACT, but it is not always wise to interfere with what is already proceeding successfully - not wise perhaps to interfere with the nature of this city as it proceeds. The select committee hopes, however, that ADFA's links with the ACT community will expand and be strengthened. We are sure the
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