Speeches

Thursday, 18 September 2025

Reception to mark the final year of UniSA

Rod and I warmly welcome you to Government House.

We are pleased to be able to mark with you the University of South Australia’s final year and celebrate its achievements.

I hope no one would disagree were I to suggest that UniSA’s most significant achievement has been the impact of its students, over 200,000 of them.

We all know UniSA graduates who are making their mark in South Australia and beyond.

I met some of them in April at a graduation ceremony for students who had achieved their Bachelor of Nursing. Wherever they are launching their careers, they will be making a difference.

Back in 1991, the University of South Australia was the proverbial ‘new kid on the block’.

Far from being a drawback, that status gave South Australia’s third university the freedom to do things differently:

  • to innovate on the way curriculum is taught, incorporating more practical learning.
  • to unlock tertiary education for people from many backgrounds who never imagined a university qualification would be in their future.
  • to have the confidence and audacity to forge strong links with industry, government and the wider community in pursuit of collaborative research with real-world impact.
  • and, of course, to shorten its name to the much punchier UniSA, to reflect its modern and global focus.

This unique approach has paid off many times with UniSA being consistently ranked:

  • among the top 50 young universities in the world
  • South Australia’s number one university for graduate careers; and
  • Australia’s leading young university for industry collaborations.[1]

As Governor, I have been struck by UniSA’s contribution to civic life, whether through the Museum of Discovery, Samstag Museum, Architecture Museum, Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Language and Culture courses or the pathbreaking work of the Innovation Hub and the Venture Catalyst Space Innovation and Collaboration Centre.

An institution is shaped from the top and UniSA’s leaders have been remarkable.

  • Inaugural Vice Chancellor John McDonald guided the fledging university through political and economic challenges in early 90s South Australia.
  • Professor Denise Bradley was just the third woman Vice Chancellor in an Australian tertiary institution.
  • current University of Adelaide VC Professor Peter Hoj also served as UniSA VC, contributing to his record as one of Australia’s longest-serving Vice Chancellors.
  • and Professor David Lloyd is expertly steering UniSA through this momentous time of merger to form what will be one Australia’s and the world’s great universities.

Friends

Our education institutions are more important than ever as we grapple with a world of escalating complexity and ambiguity, with geo-political tensions very much to the fore and climate change hitting close to home.

We need bold ideas and cross-sector action, underpinned by visionary leadership to find solutions and harness opportunities in areas including defence;

… and I think that aptly describes the culture that UniSA is contributing to the new Adelaide University.

Adelaide University will be better placed to serve SA and the world because it builds on the significant achievements of UniSA and the University of Adelaide.

As the new institution fosters its own unique culture, it will also reflect UniSA’s essence and purpose – and no doubt bring some lessons from its ‘new kid on the block’ approach.

Next January, Professors Lloyd and Hoj will pass the baton to new VC, Professor Nicola Phillips. I wish them all well.

I am sure it is a time of mixed emotions as we celebrate the past and look to the future.

As a ‘young’ university, UniSA doesn’t have an extensive history – although its forerunners date back to the mid-1800s. But what it lacks in years, it makes up in impact.

Now there’s a proud future ahead.

I thank the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Council and staff for their dedication to UniSA, and to tertiary education in SA and I wish you a very successful transition to Adelaide University in 2026.


[1] University achievements - About UniSA - University of South Australia

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