A university merger would be bad for students, bad for staff and bad for WA.
This is not a harmless administrative change. It would be a costly, disruptive restructure that risks course cuts, staff cuts, fewer choices and weaker university communities. Students would be the ones left dealing with the consequences.
Fewer choices for students
WA students deserve more options, not fewer.
A merger would reduce the number of distinct universities, courses, pathways and campus experiences available in WA. It would narrow the choices students have when deciding where to study, what to study and what kind of university community they want to be part of.
For students who cannot easily move interstate, relocate across the city or change campuses, this matters. Less choice means fewer opportunities.
Course cuts and less diversity
A merger would put courses, units, schools and student services at risk.
When universities merge, “removing duplication” becomes a polite way of saying cuts. Courses can be consolidated, campuses can lose offerings and students can be pushed into fewer pathways.
WA’s universities currently have different strengths, cultures and communities. A merger would flatten that diversity and leave students with a more centralised, less responsive system.
Staff cuts hurt students
Staff cuts are student cuts.
Fewer staff means larger workloads, less support, slower feedback, fewer services and less time for teaching, research supervision and student care.
Universities work because of the staff who teach, support, advise, supervise and guide students. Cutting or restructuring those roles would directly damage the student experience.
Years of disruption
A merger would create years of uncertainty.
Students would face questions about courses, progression, services, campuses, degrees and the future of their university community. Staff would face restructures, changed roles and job insecurity.
Instead of focusing on teaching, research, support, affordability, safety and campus life, universities would be forced to spend years looking inward at bureaucracy, branding, systems, staffing and governance.
A billion-dollar mistake
Based on recent Australian merger costs, a merger involving UWA, Curtin and Murdoch could cost WA well over $1 billion.
That money should go directly into students, staff, research, services, housing, placements, facilities and campuses. It should not be spent on consultants, rebrands, restructures and years of internal disruption.
The bottom line
WA does not need fewer universities. WA needs better-funded universities.
A merger would mean less choice, fewer courses, staff cuts, more disruption and weaker campus communities. It would concentrate power, reduce competition and leave students with fewer options.
WA students should not be forced to pay the price for a costly restructure they did not ask for.