All politics is local

Warren Entsch (LNP) held his seat, which covers Cairns, in the election and on the weekend told the Cairns Post that one of his two top-priorities will be a new CQU campus in the city. Not that the Labor Government will need any convincing, promising $60m for the project last November. The coalition matched it in May (CMM November 4 2021, May 16 2022). CQU had a good election, with bi-partisan projects for this and projects in Gladstone and Mackay.

It dcmonstrates what can be done when universities connect to communities and tell MPs all about it, loudly and often. And keep telling them, even when relationships are rocky, as they were for a while between Charles Sturt U and MP Andrew Gee (CMM August 7 2020).

Overall regional universities had a good election, with the government announcing money for approved before caretaker kicked in but announced during the campaign.  Five out of six members of the Regional Universities Network won new facilities/funding in the campaign, as did La Trobe U, which has a strong presence in northern Victoria (CMM May 19). Claims that conservative don’t like universities don’t apply to regionals, just ask CQU’s Nick Klomp.