Merger delay could be costly, but student doubts linger

Failure to merge two of South Australia’s biggest universities could cost the new entity AU$250 million (US$160 million), one of the institutions has warned — but students say questions remain unanswered about job losses and the impact on education, write Stephanie Richards, Josephine Lim and Bernadette Clarke for ABC News.

A parliamentary committee set up to scrutinise the merger of the universities of Adelaide and South Australia has also heard both could suffer “irreparable consequences” if the merger was delayed.

The universities reached a historic deal with the state government in July, to join forces and become one of the largest educators of tertiary students in the country. They have set a January 2026 deadline to open a joint ‘Adelaide University’ to domestic and international students. But University of South Australia Vice-Chancellor David Lloyd said the proposed merger could not go ahead unless state parliament passed new laws by early next year.
Full report on the ABC News site