Adelaide University co-vice chancellors share complexities of uni merger

When a senate inquiry into university governance kicked off in Adelaide in November, the room was so icy cold it forced South Australian Greens Senator Barbara Pocock to ask a question many had been thinking.

"Is there anyone that can warm this room up, I'm freezing" Senator Pocock said. 

There were murmurs of agreement among the small gathering.

But when Senator Pocock later began asking pointed questions about the cost of a contract for Deloitte to support the universities merging to become the new Adelaide University, the temperature in the room turned up.

"So that particular contract around Deloitte, what was the value of it?" Senator Pocock asked.

Adelaide University co-vice chancellor Professor David Lloyd questioned in response: "So this is what I have to ask … does the committee want me to release that publicly?"

He had earlier explained to the senators, the contract with Deloitte was commercial in confidence and the clause was the reason the university had not released the original business case for the merger in full.

"That's why I'm asking if I'm being required to release it now and that's why I'll take that on notice," he told the inquiry.

Adelaide University has been given until November 24 to provide a formal response and the co-vice chancellors have indicated they may release the detail.

"We're reflecting on that and we might well do that," Professor Peter Høj has told ABC News.

"We've just got to make sure that we're able to do that responsibly."

Deloitte has been assisting with the task of amalgamating the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia, with the merged institution aiming to house a 70,000-strong student cohort and 11,000 staff. 

Its projected operation turnover is estimated at about $2.2 billion.

He explained Deloitte is working on systems integration — including IT development and data transfer — and operates across mergers and acquisitions, project management and staff training.

"When we undertook to create the new university, we were very cognisant to the fact that we had to run two universities while building a new university," Professor Lloyd said.

"And we had to create the capability and resources to create that new institution without necessarily disrupting the activities of the two."

Professor Høj added "the complexity of taking two large universities with its myriad of systems and records … is not something I think any organisation in Australia would be able to do on their own and on the time frame required".

"We believe it's absolutely appropriate to get considerable help in and spend money when it's needed and not spend money when it's not needed," he said.

Confusion among students

While there is great interest in the money being spent, for many of the 56,000 continuing students, their sights are set elsewhere.

Naomi Wright, who has been studying journalism at UniSA, said she chose the degree due to its quick pathway through a Masters of Communications.

"I've come in specifically because my masters was going to be one year instead of two, but now looking at the new website the course actually just doesn't exist," she said.

"So I don't know if that means I'm the last group doing it or if I genuinely just won't do it anymore."

She said she has received some emails and a chance to join an online discussion forum, but she said there has still been confusion.

Ms Wright said part of the problem has been not receiving her course outline, which is known as a study plan.

"I'm sure everything will work out, but right now, not only me, but I know a lot of people will just have no idea what's going on and what to expect next year," she said.

Professor Høj said the delay has been due to Adelaide University creating a new curriculum.

"That means that we have to be extra careful to advise the students appropriately," he said.

"So it's really that complication that has meant that we had to pressure test the study plans."

Professor Lloyd added that the university did not want to provide "information that wasn't accurate".

The co-vice chancellors said all study plans will be released before December 1, when enrolment opens.

But it is delays like this that have some students like Ms Wright wondering if the universities needed more time to come together.

"A lot of people have said it kind of just feels like we've been bombarded," she said.

"You're starting a new degree, but now it's just all going to change rather than maybe doing it over five or even more years and just slowly bringing it each time."

Despite it being two years since the South Australian parliament passed legislation that green lit the merger, both co-vice chancellors are resolute setting a January 1, 2026, deadline is the best course of action.

"I guess there's a public phase and there's and there's a there's a not so public phase," Professor Lloyd said.

"Peter and I started talking about this in August of 2021.

"So we've been at this now for over four years in terms of trying to give it the right thought, the right direction, the right incubation.

"We probably could have spent the more time, but whether we would have got a return on that time investment, I guess it's questionable."