Work begins on UNSW's billion-dollar Canberra campus in the 'education capital'
The campus is being built on the corner of Constitution Avenue and Coranderrk Street in Parkes. (Supplied: UNSW)
During a tumultuous time for Canberra's two biggest universities, another player is investing heavily to expand its footprint in the ACT.
The first sod for a new University of New South Wales (UNSW) campus in Parkes has been turned, with the Constitution Avenue site expected to welcome up to 6,000 staff and students in 2028.
UNSW is no stranger to the territory, having provided education to Australian Defence Force Academy cadets for more than 50 years.
It took over the former Canberra Institute of Technology's Reid campus on the other side of Constitution Avenue earlier this year, and has committed to spending just shy of a billion dollars increasing its bricks and mortar offering in the capital.
It is expected the campus will take its first students in 2028. (Supplied: UNSW)
UNSW's offerings at the new campus will be primarily in defence, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital engineering, climate and public policy.
"They're all areas where there are skills gaps that need to be addressed nationally and internationally,"UNSW Canberra dean Emma Sparks said.
She expects UNSW's offerings will slot neatly into Canberra's educational landscape.
"We're really trying to position quite uniquely, and I see us [universities] all as complementing one another," Professor Sparks said.
"So even where we have areas where we may all have offerings, say cyber for example, they're all very different."
Emma Sparks says UNSW's offerings will address skills gaps nationally and internationally. (ABC News: Rosie King)
Cementing the education capital
The first stage includes the construction of two six-storey, multi-use buildings on the site, featuring teaching and research spaces, as well as retail and cultural facilities, at a cost of $250 million.
At a time when universities across the country have been tightening their budgets, it is big expenditure.
Attila Brungs says the new campus will "deliver world-class education and research in a purpose-built, future-focused environment". (ABC News: Rosie King)
But UNSW vice-chancellor and president Attila Brungs assured the institution could afford what had been planned for years.
"UNSW has been planning and saving for this for about five years,"Professor Brungs said.
"Like anybody does with the household budget, if you know you've got an expense coming up, you sit there, you plan, you squirrel the money away so that you can make sure that you can make a proper investment."
The new campus will include teaching and research spaces, as well as retail and cultural facilities. (Supplied: UNSW)
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said having a second Group of Eight university in the city centre would strengthen Canberra's reputation as the knowledge and education capital.
"It's our biggest export industry. It's really at the core of Canberra's reason for being,"he said.
"We are the education capital and it makes sense to partner with institutions who share that vision."
Andrew Barr says the project will "support industry collaboration and innovation in areas such as cybersecurity, defence and artificial intelligence". (ABC News: Rosie King)
Mr Barr said the project would create thousands of jobs and generate "tens of millions of dollars in export income each year".
"There's the benefit of having graduates who emerge from UNSW Canberra into our economy with skills that we need, that we know the Australian government needs, that we know employers in this region need," he said.
"Whilst the students are here, we have the wonderful benefit of their diverse cultures and experience to enrich our city.
"Not every time in politics do you get to make a major announcement that has no downsides."
Revitalising Canberra's CBD
The first stage features the construction of two six-storey, multi-use buildings on the Constitution Avenue site. (Supplied: UNSW)
The ACT government is chipping in $25 million for the project, with Mr Barr saying it would "revitalise the eastern edge of the CBD".
"At the moment almost no-one frequents this precinct here. The expansion of the CBD … provides a reason for thousands of people to come into the city both day and night," he said.
"With a new convention and entertainment centre coming on the other side of the road and a campus here, it's going to make a massive difference to the number of people utilising our city centre.
"That's going to be good for all of the small businesses in the CBD as well."
The new campus is expected to bring a much-needed financial boost to the city centre. (Supplied: UNSW)
When it came to housing thousands of extra students, Mr Barr said he had "no concerns".
He said the city currently had a "slight oversupply" of student accommodation and the idea of adapting and reusing existing buildings was being investigated.
"We're absolutely ready to support more student accommodation, we've got the site set aside, including on this campus," Mr Barr said.