Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Flinders University, which is in the heart of my electorate of Boothby. Sir Robert Menzies was the person who contributed to the establishment of so many new universities, and I would not be standing here today were it not for the wonderful education I received. I acknowledge Mrs Henderson, who is here in the chamber with us.

I am a very proud Flinders University graduate, and I am very proud to say—to borrow one of the Prime Minister's favourite phrases—there has never been a more exciting time to be a student at Flinders University. The new plaza and student hub have been open for more than a year and have transformed the student experience on the main campus at Bedford Park. At the impressive $120 million Tonsley campus, students can study computer science, engineering and maths alongside the Flinders Medical Device Research Institute, and the Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology.

The work Flinders is doing could not be more relevant to the Turnbull government's plan for science, innovation and jobs for the future, and I cannot wait to see the results in terms of employment and academic and business collaboration for South Australia, and also for the nation. I am particularly proud that I worked for and secured the Flinders rail link project during my election campaign. I am grateful to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Urban Infrastructure for visiting Flinders University with me during my campaign and announcing our $43 million investment to extend the rail line from Tonsley to Flinders Medical Centre. This will deliver greatly improved public transport for students and staff, and link them with the CBD. It will also deliver greatly improved public transport for patients, their families and staff at Flinders Medical Centre. It will also provide new public transport options for local residents in Bedford Park. Crucially, the project will also create desperately needed local jobs for Boothby in South Australia—74 jobs during the build and, with an additional investment by Flinders University of around $800 million, an extra 2,000 or so jobs complementing the work on the Darlington upgrade.

I wish to congratulate Flinders in this, its 50th birthday year. My university has grown from 400 students and 90 staff in 1966 to close to 25,000 students and over 2,000 staff today. I acknowledge my colleagues in this place and the other place who are my fellow Flinders graduates: the members for Barker, Kingston and Mayo; Senator Kakoschke-Moore; former member for Boothby, Dr Andrew Southcott; and former Liberal leader, the honourable Dr Brendan Nelson. As Dr Nelson remarked at a recent Flinders book launch, it was his education that formed the basis of his career; so too it has been for mine.