Speeches
Friday, 30 January 2026
State Dinner to celebrate the establishment of Adelaide University
Rod and I welcome you to the gardens of Government House for this State Dinner to celebrate the establishment of Adelaide University.
Throughout our history, governors have taken a close interest in South Australia’s universities, pastorally, professionally and, for 125 years, by virtue of the power vested in them as Visitor.
The Act of 1874 rather grandiloquently stated that “The Governor for the time being shall be the Visitor of the said University and shall have authority to do all things which appertain to visitors as often as to him shall seem meet”.
This over time became the at least less gendered if not much more specific “The Governor shall be the Visitor to the University with the powers and functions appertaining to that office”, before being removed in 1999.
As today’s Governor, I am delighted to mark with you this evening the beginning of this new chapter for our state.
South Australia has long excelled in higher education, profoundly influencing our society, our nation, and, at times, the world.
The University of Adelaide was the first university in Australia to admit women to all degrees equally, and the first to establish a music school, the Elder Conservatorium.
That same institution gave us Howard Florey, whose Nobel Prize-winning work on penicillin stands as one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the twentieth century.
And, of course, so much more.
The University of South Australia, with its roots in technical and applied education, forged pathways to opportunity for first-in-family students, mature-age learners, and those seeking to contribute through industry-linked expertise.
Merging these universities brings the best of both together.
It’s a reason for genuine excitement, reflected in AU’s branding and communications certainly, but also in the buzz across your campuses and amongst your partners, including those – in the education, business and government sectors - I meet when I travel overseas representing South Australia.
The merger creates a diverse institution ranked in the global top 100, with more than 180 years of collective experience, which values both excellence and access, research depth and practical application.
I’m pleased to see that Adelaide University is the first university in Australia to have provision for an Aboriginal name in its founding legislation and has been bestowed the Kaurna name, Tirkangkaku meaning Place of Learning.
I’m pleased, too, to see the university’s commitment to embedding First Nations knowledges into all curricula and to the creation of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student pathway.
As Governor it’s been my pleasure to engage with both universities as separate entities and as the merger took shape.
I have consistently been struck by the dedication and collaboration of university leaders, particularly Professor David Lloyd and Professor Peter Høj.
Twenty years apart in age and with minds that work in different ways, the two came together in pursuit of the very best result for South Australia.
I have never seen as much of them as I have in the past 12 months!
They have attended each other's events without fail and worked together with exceptional diligence and shared purpose.
I note that the process of bringing two institutions together is never simple, and that challenges undoubtedly remain as this new university finds its identity and rhythm, but the great thing is you can rely on your students to tell you how you are going!
My own experience of “amalgamation” and, in the jargon of machinery of government changes, “integration” at the Commonwealth level leads me to underscore something you all doubtless know well and that is the importance of culture, and the energy, commitment and sensitivity it takes at all levels of an organisation to develop a culture which enables.
A culture which enables discovery, creativity and excellence with integrity in a welcoming, inclusive and respectful environment where students, educators, researchers and staff thrive.
I thank the Transition Council, staff, and all who have navigated this complex undertaking with care and persistence.
I congratulate all concerned in the antecedent universities, across government, the parliament and the wider community – many of you - who have helped build the legal and practical foundations for the new university and created space for it to take shape and to succeed.
Adelaide University now has the opportunity to draw the differentiated strengths of its predecessors while forging new opportunities in research, teaching, and service to our community, because great universities are intimately connected to community and to community identity.
I welcome Professor Nicola Phillips to her role of Vice-Chancellor, bringing extensive experience, vision and skill to the important task of leading the first new major Australian university of this century.
The potential of Adelaide University is great: to deepen ties with industry and government, to support our state’s growth and leadership in health, defence, climate resilience and advanced manufacturing; and to be agile, responsive, resilient and ambitious in the service of South Australians, mindful of opportunities for national and global impact.
I am confident Adelaide University will honour the legacy it inherits.
May this new institution forge a future worthy of the vision, dedication, and pursuit of excellence that have defined South Australian tertiary education for more than 150 years.