2015-11-11
Question in parliament: My question is for the Minister for Training and Skills. There has been a great deal of concern and confusion from students, staff and the wider community after the revelation that Victoria University (VU) is considering leasing the Berwick campus from Monash University. This follows the closure of VU’s Sunbury and Melton campuses and the downsizing of the Werribee and St Albans campuses in the coming years.
In the Victoria University Act 2010, section 5(j) states that the objective of the university is to foster participation in post-secondary education for persons living or working in the western suburbs. My question for the minister is: will Berwick become a Victoria University campus, and how does the government see this aligning with its objectives to serve the west, as stated in the act?
Mr HERBERT (Minister for Training and Skills)— I thank the member for her excellent question. VU of course is an important university, and it is very important to the delivery of educational opportunity in the western suburbs. I acknowledge the member’s genuine concern about this and about ensuring that it grows its delivery in an area in which it makes a huge difference to people’s lives.
On the issue of asset sales, we know that under the previous government there were a number of assets that were agreed for sale. They include 300 Spring Street in 2013, 225 King Street in March 2013 and 301 Flinders Lane. To date 300 Flinders Street has been sold and leased back. We also know that it closed its operations in Sunbury, and of course Melton has been quite an issue, with closed operations there. Part of that was to do with the major funding cuts it had under the previous government in terms of TAFE. Absolutely, part of it was to do with that. Simply, for a large dual-sector university it was not viable to be running TAFEs under the funding model that the previous government had.
The university has had discussions with me, and in all positions in regard to those properties that it wants to sell I have a viewpoint that there has to be a net benefit to people in the west in terms of its operations. On the issue of Monash’s Berwick campus—and I can be as direct as I can be on this one—firstly, it belongs to Monash. That is the first thing. As minister, I have the capacity, as the member would know, to intervene in asset sales or long-term leases, depending on the amount of money.
Berwick campus is a very important campus. It is very important to the people in that region, and I will not make any decisions on that.
If I am asked—and I do not have anything before me on that as a proposition for Berwick—my position is very simple: I will not agree to anything that does not deliver increased benefits to the people of those communities. On the issue of VU and the Berwick campus, I understand—although I do not have anything formal on this—from reading media reports that the VU council decided not to pursue the purchase and takeover of that campus recently in their board and council meetings but that it is interested in offering courses if that is possible in the future.
I assure the member that I share her concern that VU remain totally committed—and I have been assured of this—to the provision of education, both in the vocational education and training sector and the higher education sector in the west of Melbourne.
Supplementary question
Ms HARTLAND (Western Metropolitan)—I thank the minister. As a former student of VU St Albans, I know how important that campus is, especially to mature age students. Would it be possible for the minister to write to VU and actually ask for a guarantee from it that it will not be engaging in the purchase of Berwick and will actually maintain and upgrade its current facilities in the western suburbs, as it is required to do under the act?
Mr HERBERT (Minister for Training and Skills)— I thank the member for the question. It is probably inappropriate for me to write at this point on that. However, what I will say is that VU has been asked to provide a detailed asset management strategy for the long term. It has a lot of properties there, some of which have been agreed by the previous government to be sold, others which are closed. It seeks to expand its Sunshine campus and the VET sector there and have assets there. It is quite a detailed issue.
As I say, I am in discussions with the university, and my position is very clear that there needs to be a net gain there. I understand from VU that there is no proposition on the table to sell assets in the west and put them into the purchase of assets in any other part of Melbourne. I understand it has considered proposals to sell some assets that are currently totally closed and reinvest that money into new provisions in the west. That is an issue which will unfold.
The PRESIDENT
In respect of Ms Hartland’s questions to Mr Herbert, the substantive question in particular, this may seem a little pedantic, but I note that the minister—and I am not sure whether the minister was saying that this was his only source of advice—indicated in his answer that he had noted media reports as to the intentions of Victoria University (VU) with regard to the Berwick property. It is my view that it would be unsatisfactory for a minister to rely on media reports, and indeed for the house to rely on media reports, in respect of this sort of matter.
I ask that the minister inquire further to check whether or not that is VU’s position. I am not really interested in whether the media reports were accurate or not. I am more interested in VU’s position. I ask that this also receive a written response. The minister indicates that he may be prepared to clarify that now.
Mr Herbert—On a point of order, President, the issue about media was more commentary in terms of responding to the substantive question. The property is not for sale, so it would be conjecture on my part or on the part of anyone else to talk about a sale or a purchase.
The PRESIDENT—Order! I suppose that information satisfies what was sought. It might have been better to bring that forth, rather than what the media happened to say.