Dr LIM - 1994-08-23
I have been involved with the university since its formative years when it was simply pieces of paper lying on meeting tables. Recently, Northern Territory University was named as being among the top dozen best-buys in tertiary education. Will the minister outline just how well NTU stacks up in national terms?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I certainly acknowledge the involvement of all of those who have contributed to the last 5 formative years in the life of Northern Territory University. It is a university of which all Territorians are now proud, and justifiably so. In recent years, we have heard that it is among the top 10 universities in Australia in so far as acceptance by the students is concerned. Last year, a survey determined that Northern Territory University graduates were the most employable in the nation in that 62% of first-time graduates were employed compared with the Australian average of 44%.
An independent report has been published that puts NTU in the top dozen university best-buys of Australia. That is a further credit to the university and its people. I will refer to
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what one of the authors of the survey, Sandra Milligan, had to say about NTU. She said that it is very easy to get into and offers a fairly broad range of courses. It is terrific if you are an adult and it is very well-resourced. It has a terrific staff-student ratio and is also pretty good in terms of employment prospects for graduates. Graduates from Northern Territory University do very well in terms of obtaining jobs. After all, the ultimate test is what the marketplace thinks of the graduates, not what Territory Labor thinks of them. One would hope that members opposite might have different thoughts these days about the university. It is most fitting that we have ...
Mr Bell: Come on! You are rewriting history.
Mr Manzie: Come on! You have bagged it.
Mr FINCH: It is very fitting that we have in the gallery today ...
Mr Bell: Goodness me, you have a team of press officers to purvey this nonsense ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: It is excellent to see in the gallery today a number of students of Northern Territory University. Some 10 years ago, they would not have had the opportunities that they have today. It is as simple as that. Even though members opposite might not be willing to congratulate the CLP government on its foresight and on its putting its money where its mouth was in regard to funding the university on its own during its formative years, at least their federal colleagues have done so. We heard from Labor members that our university would, in their words, attract only 'second-rate brains'.
Mr Bell: You moved it from Myilly Point to Casuarina as the federal government told you to.
Mr FINCH: The federal government has acknowledged the good work done by Northern Territory University with a 1000% increase in federal research funding - from $72 000 in 1994 to $792 000 in 1995. I rest my case.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I certainly acknowledge the involvement of all of those who have contributed to the last 5 formative years in the life of Northern Territory University. It is a university of which all Territorians are now proud, and justifiably so. In recent years, we have heard that it is among the top 10 universities in Australia in so far as acceptance by the students is concerned. Last year, a survey determined that Northern Territory University graduates were the most employable in the nation in that 62% of first-time graduates were employed compared with the Australian average of 44%.
An independent report has been published that puts NTU in the top dozen university best-buys of Australia. That is a further credit to the university and its people. I will refer to
Page 54
what one of the authors of the survey, Sandra Milligan, had to say about NTU. She said that it is very easy to get into and offers a fairly broad range of courses. It is terrific if you are an adult and it is very well-resourced. It has a terrific staff-student ratio and is also pretty good in terms of employment prospects for graduates. Graduates from Northern Territory University do very well in terms of obtaining jobs. After all, the ultimate test is what the marketplace thinks of the graduates, not what Territory Labor thinks of them. One would hope that members opposite might have different thoughts these days about the university. It is most fitting that we have ...
Mr Bell: Come on! You are rewriting history.
Mr Manzie: Come on! You have bagged it.
Mr FINCH: It is very fitting that we have in the gallery today ...
Mr Bell: Goodness me, you have a team of press officers to purvey this nonsense ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: It is excellent to see in the gallery today a number of students of Northern Territory University. Some 10 years ago, they would not have had the opportunities that they have today. It is as simple as that. Even though members opposite might not be willing to congratulate the CLP government on its foresight and on its putting its money where its mouth was in regard to funding the university on its own during its formative years, at least their federal colleagues have done so. We heard from Labor members that our university would, in their words, attract only 'second-rate brains'.
Mr Bell: You moved it from Myilly Point to Casuarina as the federal government told you to.
Mr FINCH: The federal government has acknowledged the good work done by Northern Territory University with a 1000% increase in federal research funding - from $72 000 in 1994 to $792 000 in 1995. I rest my case.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016