Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was a great privilege to recently launch and welcome the University of Canberra Sydney Hills campus, which opened in my electorate of Mitchell. In the heart of my electorate at Castle Hill, this campus is offering state-of-the-art facilities, including study space, equipment, simulation labs and clinical training places. It is providing students with hands-on learning experience in vital fields such as nursing and health related fields, including a masters of nursing degree. This is an important facility in Western Sydney. As someone who's grown up in Western Sydney his whole life, I know we have world-class universities like the University of Western Sydney and Macquarie University. That the University of Canberra has opened a campus in my electorate and has that great offering for the enormous amount of young people coming through our schooling system is a real asset for my electorate of Mitchell. It's right next to the Metro line, which the state government invested in over many years, meaning that there are great transport links. It's well located. It has greatly experienced staff who have already set up, and it was a pleasure to meet not only the international students who have already started there but also the domestic students considering, and now studying, a career in nursing.

It is the truth that, following the pandemic, the health related sectors are going to dominate our economy for some time. The health and social assistance sector is the second-largest employer in industry-terms inside my electorate. I really want to thank the University of Canberra for a great and foresighted investment in our young people with this great nursing offering in my electorate of Mitchell.

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