What you need to know: 

• The Western Australian Government announced it is undertaking a business case into merging Curtin University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia.
• We have been clear from the outset that Curtin does not support a forced merger and will continue to vigorously oppose it.
• The State Government’s announcement is simply a first step in a proposal that may not go any further. The proposed business case is estimated to be completed by mid-2027 before an option, if any, is approved by the State Government.
• Even if the State Government endorsed a merger, substantial legislative changes would be required, including to the relevant University Acts, along with passage through the WA Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
• Implementation of any merger would also take considerable time; therefore, we do not anticipate any changes to current operations for many years, if at all.
• There will be significant speculation and commentary in the media in the following weeks and months. Please follow Curtin’s official channels for all updates. The University will keep you updated whenever there is verified information to share.
• Curtin is examining the claims of the various reports that were only publicly released on the 10 October, and will continue to advocate for our students, staff and community. The State Government university reform reports are available here.

What students need to know:

• The Western Australian Government has announced it is undertaking a business case into merging Curtin University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia.
• The most important thing students need to know is that Curtin continues to operate as normal.
• There are no changes to their studies, their degree, their classes, their assessments, or their student experience.
• The State Government’s announcement is simply a first step in a proposal that may not go any further.
• To be clear, Curtin does not support a forced merger and has consistently raised its concerns around costs, disruption and risk.
• There may be media and speculation on this topic in the months ahead.
• Please follow official Curtin channels to stay up to date. We will continue to keep you updated.

What stakeholders need to know:

• The Western Australian Government has announced a business case.
• No decision has been made. Curtin is operating as normal and there are no immediate changes to operations.
• Curtin does not support the merger and has consistently raised its concerns around the impact on students, as well as the significant costs, disruption and risks.
• The State Government’s announcement is simply a first step in a proposal that may not go any further.
• We will keep you updated as credible information becomes available.

Please continue to be open and transparent with your teams. There will be a diversity of opinion on this subject and as a university, we encourage robust, informed debate on the matter.

If you, your students or any members of your team are concerned by this announcement, please connect with the services listed below.