Work starts on its Perth CBD campus site 

The project is part of the Perth City Deal, a state-federal programme that dates from the days of PM Turnbull (Turnbull? oh come-on, you remember Malcolm the urbane). Originally the deal also included Murdoch U – but MU bailed last year, on its 2020 plan for an international college with 10 000 staff and students, stating that it would focus on a big development (CMM June 22 2022) on its campus, across the river from the city,(CMM June 22 2022), which opened last week.

Still ECU’s city-digs will be a deal indeed – including business and law, arts and humanities and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, now at the Mount Lawley campus.

Sounds a snip for $853m in Commonwealth, State and university funding, – but not quite the snip it was. The original cost was $695m (CMM November 18 2020, March 21 2022).