Industry pushes for role in Muresk

Last week, industry bodies, including Muresk graduates, farmers and agribusiness professionals, met at WAFarmers to discuss the proposal which states that "Curtin University, or another arrangement, shall sponsor the creation of two industry-governed University Colleges, similar to partly owned subsidiary companies: a new type of university designed to enhance Australia's long-term industry competitiveness and regional development".

The proposal also includes the construction of a Mining University College and both facilities would be equally funded by Curtin University or other universities, the State and Federal Government and the agricultural and mining industries.

The proposal also suggests that industry controls the University Colleges, the relevant assets be transferred to the new entity and that Curtin acts as a sponsor for the first two years during registration.

MOCA has proposed that industry raise $100 million over 10 years to establish the new institutions, which would ultimately allow the agricultural industry to have more control over the facility.

The meeting was the first time industry representatives had a chance to talk about the future of Muresk.

Most agricultural representatives supported the Muresk proposal and agreed that the courses had to be run by the agribusiness industry, not just by academics.

MOCA vice president and Australian Independent Rural Retailers (AIRR) state manager Floyd Sullivan said it was important that agribusiness was involved in the Muresk courses and the proposal needed industry support.

"Agribusiness has to be part of this; they are the ones that have to be generating what goes on in the future," Mr Sullivan said.

"I do not want to see academics running what future agribusiness courses will be.

"It has to come up from the grass roots."

MOCA's proposal comes a week after the long-awaited Cowan Report was released; months after the Education Minister Liz Constable commissioned the report on post-secondary agricultural education in WA, particularly concerning the future use of Muresk.

The report, overseen by Hendy Cowan, proposed that Muresk become a multi-use facility offering agricultural higher education qualifications, TAFE qualifications, short-term industry training and farm-based research and, under the recommendations, CY O'Connor Institute would commence agricultural education programs in 2011.

It also identified the need for a better skilled workforce in agricultural industries and an increasing supply of graduates from higher education.

It said more students, particularly from rural and regional areas, needed to be encouraged to gain qualifications in agriculture and it proposed that Muresk be managed by a statutory board of management.

If this proposal was to go ahead, it would involve all TAFE institutions across WA, not just CY O'Connor.

MOCA president Dr Ian Fairnie said unless there were allocated funds set aside for the Muresk campus, CY O'Connor should think very carefully about taking up the agricultural courses.

"If there's no money on offer, I would say that CY O'Connor should say thanks but no thanks," Dr Fairnie said.

"There's no way that you can take this over and have no funding.

"That might be the end of Muresk but now it's a matter that we've got the Premier's attention with our proposal.

"Having said that, I think CY O'Connor represents the immediate and best opportunity for Muresk for 2011 onwards."

Dr Fairnie said the proposal provided a unique opportunity for the agricultural industry and would allow students across Australia to get the proper training they needed for a career in the agricultural industry.

"We've got a very special window of opportunity that is caused by the Gillard government which has set aside $10 billion to support rural and regional infrastructure," he said.

"I don't think the window is open for very long, we don't know how long the Gillard government is going to last, we've got to move quite quickly."

At the meeting CBH grower value manager David Fienberg said CBH had employed dozens of Muresk graduates over the years and had used the campus on many occasions for training.

According to MOCA, seven per cent of people in the farming or agricultural industry have a degree compared with 23pc across other industries.

But Mr Fienberg said the industry has changed over the years and it was important farmers were educated before they went back onto the farm.

"Should we be changing that figure?" Mr Fienberg said.

"The years have changed from being able to finish Year 10 or 11 and go straight back onto the farm, I think it's fraught with danger and we certainly need something better than that.

"Back then it was a lot about agronomy and weed control, now it's about international trade and finance and how we bring industry and farmers along with grain and grain marketing and meeting customers' expectations."

Mr Fienberg, who has had 30 years experience in the grain industry, said the most important thing was to crystallise what exactly industry needed to do.

"Is it at a strategic level? Is it about a curriculum level? What's the end product that we need to produce so that industry will employ the students?" he asked.

"What's the percentage of students who went through Muresk that went back onto the farm that didn't really want a job in industry?"

Bindi Bindi farmer Gavin Crane said he supported the proposal but it needed industry support.

"I believe that Muresk has to put back into the industry what the industry says they need, which will involve the industry telling Muresk this is what we need, and these are the skills that industry needs in our graduates," Mr Crane said.

"The industry has to give support for those skills to come through."