Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Some time ago I gave a commitment to my community in Townsville. I gave them a commitment that the number of medical school places at James Cook University would be significantly increased. Today I deliver on that commitment. James Cook University has had about 100 medical school places funded by the Commonwealth. It turned out its first graduates last year. The medical school at James Cook is recognised as one of the top four in Australia, not by the government but by the medical profession itself. That is a terrific feather in the cap for a regional university. Under the leadership of the executive dean, Professor Ian Wronski, the medical school and allied health precinct, the veterinary school, trop ag science and so on in that area have really gone very well indeed. The medical school, being a new medical school, is a new model. It is an undergraduate model but it works very well indeed. That is why it is important that the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (2006 Budget and Other Measures) Bill 2006, which is before parliament this morning, delivers on my commitment and on the government’s commitment in relation to new medical school places across the Commonwealth.

Today the bill delivers 605 new medical places. It also delivers new nursing places and new mental health nursing places. I am also securing through the passage of this bill today another 10 mental health nursing places that will be a very valuable addition to North Queensland. The increase at James Cook is the biggest boost to medical school places ever at the northern university. That is a great thing for a local member to achieve. (Quorum formed) I thank the Chief Opposition Whip for calling the quorum. Colleagues, don’t go. It gives me the opportunity to tell you this bill is delivering 50 new medical school places for James Cook University. It is a great win and a great commitment that I have been able to deliver today.

We are going to see James Cook develop as the leading tropical science and innovation research university in the world. That is a great thing to see. I draw the House’s attention to the fact that we are building the Australian tropical science and innovation precinct, and some of the funds for it will come out of funding in this bill before parliament today. That is a $34 million development, and it will be a partnership between James Cook, the CSIRO, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. JCU and CSIRO are putting $10 million each into the development and the Queensland government today is putting in $14 million. The precinct is to be housed in a purpose built, top-class facility. It will create a world-leading grouping of tropically focused researchers to advance sustainable living in tropical environments.

I would like to advise the parliament what others have said about this particular new facility. The Chief of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Dr Andrew Johnson, has said that the precinct will be the leading tropical science and innovation facility in the southern hemisphere. That is a great claim. Indeed, Dr Johnson went on to say that:

There is no other facility in the world today that will be directly comparable.

He welcomed the Queensland government’s generous support and the federal government’s support for this exciting initiative. The Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University noted that JCU was already recognised as Australia’s leading tropical research university and one of the world’s leading tropical research centres. Professor Moulden went on to say:

With this development, JCU will now become the tropical research, innovation and development headquarters for Queensland and Australia.

The precinct will accommodate more than 220 researchers and support staff, with the principal partners being JCU and CSIRO. The funding for this is being provided in this bill, and there is also the possibility of JCU having access to the increased Capital Development Pool, which is also being provided in this bill. This is very exciting indeed.

I also draw the House’s attention to other areas where James Cook University is doing very exciting and innovative things. One that is being announced today is an ARC linkage grant valued at $92,000, funded out of this portfolio. It will fund a project to investigate new ways of engaging students in learning and really getting them back into the classroom. It is quite extraordinary, and I am pleased to see the member for Kennedy come into the chamber at the moment because a number of his constituents and their children are involved in what I am about to say.

A very significant number of students, after they finish primary school, disappear into the system and are never seen again; they do not get a secondary school education. This is particularly so in relation to Indigenous students and to males. About two-thirds of the youngsters who disappear are, in fact, males. This new research at James Cook, being conducted under the leadership of Dr David Lake from the JCU School of Education, aims to understand how science can be used to entice back students who have become disillusioned with the education system. These are young people with low literacy, who have been turned off by school and are fed up with being told how to live their lives. This project will aim to re-engage with them and to give them some science that is relevant in the way it is taught so that it becomes useful and much more appealing to them. Congratulations to Dr David Lake and his collaborative staff at JCU School of Education.

The House may also be interested to know that there has been further recognition of JCU internationally. For example, JCU will become the first university outside Europe to receive international recognition for its degrees in marine science. That is a fabulous achievement. James Cook University academics are the most highly cited university researchers in the field of environment and ecology in Australia, according to the latest rankings by the international ISI Web of Knowledge. On the world stage there are 402 institutions ranked by the ISI in this field. From Australia the CSIRO appears at No. 7 in the world with only JCU, followed by ANU and the University of Queensland, also making the top 100. JCU academics either authored or co-authored 25 per cent of the top 20 most cited Australian papers in this field. This is a great outcome for James Cook University, a regional university which is doing wonderful things and will ultimately lead the world in tropical science, research and innovation.

I congratulate the government on the provisions of this particular piece of legislation. It is good news, and it is good news for the higher education system. I am disappointed to see the very negative amendments that have been moved by the Australian Labor Party in relation to higher education. There is no doubt that as the years have gone by under the coalition government higher education has blossomed and prospered, and there are wonderful things being done. Our country is taking its place in the world in relation to our responsibilities to the teaching, training and equipping of young Australians to face what is ahead of them in their lives. I commend the bill to the House.

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