University of South Australia | Developments & News

[Mpol03]

I saw a proposal a few years back where the facade had a complete change. What happened to that?
The building looks so off, when comparing to the two new beauties across the road and the instalments Uni SA have built in recent years.

[[Shuz]]

I like the new colour scheme. It looks so much better!

Also are you absolutely sure that UniSA is state-owned? I thought all universities in Australia were private, and that TAFE was the state-owned higher education entity.

[Norman]

I would have thought they would be federally owned...

[Llessur2002]

I don't mind the new colour scheme - it's acceptable for what is essentially a tarting-up job and in my opinion knocks 10 years off of the buildings' perceived age. I fully understand the reasons for the old colour scheme (and the resulting political sensitivities regarding changing it) but to the causal observer who might not be aware of why those colours were chosen in the first place, it looked really, really dated.

I guess the buildings are what they are (i.e. not that sexy) - hopefully this paint job is a relatively temporary measure and something more substantial will be done with at least the North Terrace facade in the medium-term. It wouldn't take much to sympathetically modernise them to at least not look quite so old in relation to their new counterparts on the other side of the road. Replacement would obviously be great aesthetically but there's plenty of life left in them yet so would be unnecessary really.

[Abwolf]

Not replacing any time soon given they are spending 5 million refurbishing the Yungondi building on North Terrace http://unisa.edu.au/yungondi

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[ChillyPhilly]

As far as I'm aware, UniSA is a federal institution - HECS fees aren't collected by the State Government.

Its staff are paid by the government, with student HECS debt essentially refunding the government's money.

[Patrick_27]

As far as I'm aware, UniSA is a federal institution - HECS fees aren't collected by the State Government.

Its staff are paid by the government, with student HECS debt essentially refunding the government's money.

But if you recall, the state government had to legislate the creation of the University of South Australia...

[monotonehell]

But if you recall, the state government had to legislate the creation of the University of South Australia...

Yes it's an entity created under South Australian legislation brought in under Mike Rann's government.

But as to its governance... ummmm iunno.

Let's skim the act. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/c ... aa1990363/
Section four is pretty definite.

4—Establishment of the University
(1) The University of South Australia is established.
(2) Subject to section 6, the University is a body corporate invested with full juristic capacity and unfettered discretion, subject to the laws of this State, to conduct its affairs in the manner it thinks fit.
(3) The University is not an instrumentality or agency of the Crown.

Other than Sect 10 which determines that the council's makeup (including at least two people who understand budgeting) I can't see anything which says that any government State or Federal has anything to do with the governance of the Uni.

(There's a couple of juicy bits, like Sect 21 which exempts the uni from paying land tax.)

Chilly: I think you'll find the university's staff are paid by the university. Looking at their financials (http://w3.unisa.edu.au/fin/resources/afs/2015AFS.pdf) the uni gets most of its revenue from government grants, HECS & its ilk, and student fees.

[serca]

HA!! Pays no land tax, well that definitely rules out it being privately owned.

I have always thought it was state owned but can't say for certain.

[crawf]

I don't mind the new colour scheme - it's acceptable for what is essentially a tarting-up job and in my opinion knocks 10 years off of the buildings' perceived age. I fully understand the reasons for the old colour scheme (and the resulting political sensitivities regarding changing it) but to the causal observer who might not be aware of why those colours were chosen in the first place, it looked really, really dated.

I guess the buildings are what they are (i.e. not that sexy) - hopefully this paint job is a relatively temporary measure and something more substantial will be done with at least the North Terrace facade in the medium-term. It wouldn't take much to sympathetically modernise them to at least not look quite so old in relation to their new counterparts on the other side of the road. Replacement would obviously be great aesthetically but there's plenty of life left in them yet so would be unnecessary really.

Perhaps this is just a cheap quick makeover, with long term plans to demolish the North Terrace buildings and replace them with something more taller and grander?

[monotonehell]

HA!! Pays no land tax, well that definitely rules out it being privately owned.

I have always thought it was state owned but can't say for certain.

No one 'owns' it, according to the legislation it's a body corporate. Just like you, it owns itself.

[ChillyPhilly]

But if you recall, the state government had to legislate the creation of the University of South Australia...

Yes it's an entity created under South Australian legislation brought in under Mike Rann's government.

But as to its governance... ummmm iunno.

Let's skim the act. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/c ... aa1990363/
Section four is pretty definite.

4—Establishment of the University
(1) The University of South Australia is established.
(2) Subject to section 6, the University is a body corporate invested with full juristic capacity and unfettered discretion, subject to the laws of this State, to conduct its affairs in the manner it thinks fit.
(3) The University is not an instrumentality or agency of the Crown.

Other than Sect 10 which determines that the council's makeup (including at least two people who understand budgeting) I can't see anything which says that any government State or Federal has anything to do with the governance of the Uni.

(There's a couple of juicy bits, like Sect 21 which exempts the uni from paying land tax.)

Chilly: I think you'll find the university's staff are paid by the university. Looking at their financials (http://w3.unisa.edu.au/fin/resources/afs/2015AFS.pdf) the uni gets most of its revenue from government grants, HECS & its ilk, and student fees.

Oooh, interesting. A lecturer told me in 2012 that they were paid by the government. Perhaps the wage structure has reversed since then.

[Llessur2002]

Looks like there's some work being done to the main UniSA building on North Terrace (Yungondi? The one with the big logo above the door anyways). All of the ground floor windows have been removed and there's some hoarding going up. I wonder if they're planning some street-level activation of sorts?

[Abwolf]

Looks like there's some work being done to the main UniSA building on North Terrace (Yungondi? The one with the big logo above the door anyways). All of the ground floor windows have been removed and there's some hoarding going up. I wonder if they're planning some street-level activation of sorts?

http://unisa.edu.au/yungondi

First two floors being redeveloped. Inside only. It's a bit behind schedule.

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[ChillyPhilly]

Fun fact: UniSA's City West was actually designed as a prison.