Australian Trade Minister visits Monash South Africa campus

8 February 2010

Australian Trade Minister the Hon Simon Crean visited the Monash South Africa campus on Friday 5 February, just two weeks after a visit to the campus by the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon Stephen Smith.

The Minister was accompanied by the Australian High Commissioner, Her Excellency Ms Ann Harrap, and Senior Trade Commissioner, Mr Greg Hull. The delegation was taken on a tour of the campus and had an opportunity to meet with the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tyrone Pretorius, and executive staff who were able to provide him with background information on the campus as well as update him on future development and expansion plans.

A highlight of their discussions was the establishment of the Monash Africa Centre. Located on the Monash South Africa campus, it is envisaged that the Monash Africa Centre will operate as a ‘Think Tank’ hosting a series of international high-level Forums which will underpin the evolution of significant interdisciplinary research and thinking about the major development problems and key needs facing sub-Saharan Africa.

The research would be advanced through key partnerships established with counterpart African tertiary institutes and global partners such as Warwick, John Hopkins, Arizona State and Sichuan Universities.

Drawing on Monash University’s own research and teaching capacities, and by acting as a catalyst for a global focus for wider agendas, the centre would initially focus on areas that Monash University has particular expertise in such as public health, accident and road safety, education and skills development, water, climate change, environmental sustainability, public and private governance models and capacity building.

The Monash South Africa campus opened in 2001 and has since seen steady growth in student numbers and campus facilities. Monash University is committed to continued development of the South African campus which to date represents an investment of AUS $130 m (about R962 m). Monash South Africa currently has more than 2 700 students from 66 different countries, mainly on the African continent, and is uniquely positioned to become a gateway for innovative leading edge research and capacity building in southern Africa.

Over the years Monash South Africa has established good relationships with the South African government as well as those of Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania and is constantly working towards establishing links and relationships with other governments on the continent.

While in South Africa, Minister Crean visited Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town where he represented Australia at the Mining Indaba Conference, Africa’s largest annual event for the mining and resource sector.

It was Mr Crean’s first visit to South Africa as Trade Minister which he said reflects the importance Australia places on South Africa as the country’s largest trading partner in the continent.