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Speech

Australian Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile

Johannesburg, 23 October 2000

Opening of the Monash University Campus

Introduction

It's a great pleasure for me to be here today at this launch of the Monash University campus in South Africa.  It's a wonderful day for our two countries, because this campus demonstrates the commitment by Australian companies to make significant investments in the new South Africa.  South African investment in Australia is already substantial, totalling around A$800 million, and it is pleasing to see that Australian investment is also flowing to South Africa.

Major investments such as these demonstrate South Africa's attractiveness to international business interest and high quality foreign investment, and I am proud that a respected Australian institution like Monash has seized this opportunity. 

Australia has been strongly supportive of the development of the South African education system since the end of the apartheid regime.  During his recent visit to Australia, your former President, Mr Nelson Mandela publicly stressed the critical importance to South Africa's economic future of international cooperation in education and training.  Australian institutions are responding to this call and are keen to cooperate.  A step like the one taken by Monash University is a natural development.

The Monash University campus

Monash provides top quality education services.  The University has had a strong international dimension since its establishment in 1961, and now has more than 15,000 international alumni.  It was the first foreign University invited by the Malaysian Government to open a full campus in that country.

I am confident that the Monash presence in South Africa will make a positive contribution to this country's education sector.  Monash has a philosophy of engaging with the communities and regions in which it operates to ensure that its research, teaching and consulting activities are relevant to the development objectives of the host country.

Monash is clearly committed to this country and region.  I understand that the University is proposing not to repatriate any surpluses it earns in South Africa, but rather to re-invest here.  Monash doesn't pretend it can solve all of the challenges facing South Africa's education sector, but it can help train some of the generations of young people who will be so important to South Africa's future, and assist in the strengthening of education and research in this country. 

Like Australia, South Africa needs good quality graduates and Monash has a proven track record in this regard.  There has been an enthusiastic reception to the arrival of Monash in South Africa by business, parents, students and schools.  The Monash presence will lead to two-way exchange of students between our two countries. 

It is no secret that many South Africans find it difficult to access good quality education services because of economic factors.  Accordingly, I am pleased that Monash is offering 10 per cent of its student places on a bursary basis to help the previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa. 

Monash also has an interest in offering places to students from SADC countries.  We expect Monash will become a focal point for SADC countries wanting to access specialist training and Australian expertise drawn from both the public and private sectors. 

Monash will be able to provide coordinated courses of training in selected fields requested by African Governments.  For example, the Australian Government in July conducted a course to help train officials in Commonwealth and SADC countriesto conduct trade negotiations.  The course was held in Pretoria and involved 40 participants from 20 African countries.  It was a great success.  The Monash presence in South Africa opens up the possibility of conducting further training of this type. 

Conclusion

I welcome the fact that the South African Government has enabled Monash University to establish this campus in the southern African region.  The Government's willingness to facilitate this development sends a positive message to the rest of the world about this country's openness to badly needed foreign investment, not only in the education sector, but in other areas as well.  This is, in my view, a good example of the sort of investment links that South Africa should promote. 

I am confident that a flourishing Monash presence here in South Africa will contribute much to the further development of a strong bilateral relationship between our two countries. 

Local Date: Saturday, 22-Nov-2008 08:23:42 EST