Thursday, 11 September 2025

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn) (17:27): (1328) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Skills and TAFE, the Honourable Gayle Tierney in the other place. The action I seek is for the minister to actively support and provide crucial funding for Swinburne University of Technology’s proposed health precinct in my electorate of Hawthorn, as well as for the university’s wish to convert an idle building into student accommodation. Ably led by vice-chancellor and president Professor Pascale Quester, Swinburne University is a gleaming jewel in the Australian higher education sector, renowned globally for its innovation, technology and industry engagement. Its Hawthorn campus, nestled at the heart of a thriving educational, social and recreational corridor, with direct connections to public transport, local business and community services, is a pillar of the community.

Swinburne’s bold vision for a new health precinct represents a major investment in the health and wellbeing of the people of Hawthorn and, more broadly, in the future of Victoria’s, and indeed Australia’s, health workforce, innovation and research capabilities. This precinct will also provide essential local access to services including mental health support, chronic disease management, ageing and family health, all within a purpose-built and collaborative setting. One of the most impressive aspects of this transformative project is its focus on interprofessional training and clinical placements for students in high-demand areas such as psychology, allied health and nursing. These are precisely the fields where workforce shortages are most acute, and Swinburne is answering the call to meet this challenge with the bold, proactive and trailblazing ambition that I personally have come to witness from this institution time and time again.

In addition to the health precinct, Swinburne is seeking to address the urgent need for affordable student housing by proposing to convert existing underused buildings adjacent to campus into student accommodation – a practical and sustainable solution that will support students, ease pressure on the local rental market and create a more vibrant, inclusive campus environment. These two important initiatives have the potential to deliver substantial benefits for the local community, the education and health sectors and the broader Victorian economy. Who can say no to driving innovation, to creating jobs, to improving access to essential services and to helping train the next generation of health professionals? I call on the minister to join forces with Swinburne University of Technology and to provide the support and funding required to meet these dual projects, and I stand ready to work constructively with the government and Swinburne to this end.