09.07.2020Swinburne University of Technology

At Swinburne we have been inspired by the active collaboration and compassionate understanding displayed by our staff and students in response to the COVID-19 crisis.   Our experience in online education has been an advantage and our researchers have worked creatively to maintain momentum and respond to new challenges in areas of science, technology, design innovation and advanced manufacturing.

Although we are contending with significantly reduced revenue, we are confident that we will emerge from this challenging time stronger.   During this period, our highest priority has been the health and wellbeing of our students.

To date, Swinburne has provided $6m to our Student Emergency Fund, to provide our domestic and international students with necessities such as rent, food, utilities and healthcare.

We are extremely grateful to our staff and alumni community for giving what they can to provide this vital support to our students.

We are working within the Victorian health guidelines to plan for a carefully staged transition to campus.   We see this taking time and the road to economic recovery will be more gradual and uncertain as we adapt to our new world practices and protocols.

Universities are the engine rooms of workforce talent and research innovation, urgently needed for Australia’s economic recovery.  Victoria is fortunate to be home to a cohort of world-ranked universities.  The support of industry and Government will be critical to ensure that our sector remains robust and can contribute to the recovery of Melbourne’s economy.

One of the lessons from this crisis has been the power of inter-sectoral cooperation.  I, therefore, urge industry to partner with Swinburne and other Victorian universities.  Together we can better address the challenges that COVID-19 has presented and harness the opportunities for a shared and prosperous future.