OPINION: Incoming Chancellor Mark Vaile responds
Earlier this month, I was offered the role of Chancellor of the University of Newcastle. Since that time, there have been a range of responses from people here on the Mid-North Coast where I live, and from people in the Hunter and beyond.
Some have asked what a Chancellor actually does (I describe it as the Chancellor being like the Chair of a Board and the Vice-Chancellor being like a CEO). Others have asked about why I’d be interested in a step like this. And there have been questions, of course, about how my background does or doesn’t fit with what the University and our region needs. So, as someone who has always valued free speech and debate, let me address those topics.
When considering the role, I took a close look at The University’s strategic plan, Looking Ahead, and was impressed by what I found. I know that many people across the community were among the 4000-odd people who helped shape the priorities and initiatives that are in it - to connect communities, close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, find research solutions to perplexing community and industry challenges and help ensure that every student is set up for success. I want to use my broad portfolio of experience alongside Council members to champion this plan. Under Chancellor Paul Jeans, these priorities and the values of equity, excellence, sustainability and engagement have become synonymous with the University of Newcastle and I know there’s even more we can achieve.
I am excited by the role I can play in helping the University deliver on the University’s commitment to become carbon-neutral by 2025. While people often hear about my experience in Australia’s well-established industries in the energy sector, including Whitehaven Coal, they may not be as familiar with other areas of my portfolio. For example, I am the Chair of Palisade Investment Partners – an organisation that has $1 billion of assets under management in wind and solar energy technologies. I strongly believe that if we are to address the challenges of human-made climate change, we must help our industries and our communities to transition our energy sector – there is no place in this country where this challenge is more important than in the Hunter.
This can’t be an ideological debate of coal versus renewables. The Hunter Region is Australia’s largest regional economy, with a Gross Regional Product of more than $50 billion per year, driving more than one quarter of the total economic output of NSW. With a total population of nearly 700,000, the region’s estimated 322,000 jobs are projected to increase to 384,000 by 2036. Today, around one in six of those jobs is in the coal industry or relies on the coal industry. The importance of an energy transition is here in our backyard.
The education sector has a critical role to play in this challenge. If we are to stop dangerous climate change, we need to commercialise our university research so we create the industries of tomorrow and we need to educate our young people in new ways and retrain those already in the workforce. The University of Newcastle will be educating the next generation for many jobs that don’t exist yet, and we need to help our regions and industries see the possibilities and be ready for them.
While the position of Chancellor will be new for me, working to make a positive difference in the higher education sector isn’t. I was Federal Member for Lyne for more than 15 years, including 10 years as a senior Cabinet Minister in the Howard Government where I served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 until late 2007. I was proud to support the funding of a range of regional education initiatives during this time and strengthen the opportunities for young people across Taree and Port Macquarie in particular. I know there’s much more I can help achieve.
The students, staff and alumni of the University of Newcastle are passionate about their university and the role it plays in their community – members of my family are graduates, so I’ve seen this first-hand. It is these groups we should thank for the achievements of the institution and the way it has supported, inspired and revitalised our communities for more than 50 years. I know that with this passion and commitment, together we will be able to strengthen the already outstanding institution we have in The University of Newcastle and make sure our regions benefit for many decades to come.
Former Deputy Prime Minister, The Hon. Mark Vaile AO, is the incoming Chancellor of the University of Newcastle
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.