Speech - opening of the La Trobe Health Clinic Building

I acknowledge the traditional owners. 

I acknowledge my dear friend Ben Carroll, the Deputy Premier. 

And Colin Brooks, Minister for Skills and TAFE. 

Can I also acknowledge Ged and Gab. Two extraordinary local members of Parliament. And one a graduate of La Trobe. 

And can I acknowledge the great Theo Farrell, John Brumby, Professor Stephen Duckett, Professor Russ Hoye, and the whole team who brought this idea to life. 

I feel very lucky to be here today. 

And I am very excited about what going to happen in here. 

In a couple of weeks there are two big birthdays in my family. 

My big guy Jack is turning ten. 

And his cousin Carter is going to turn nine. 

They’ve known each other all their life. But Carter has never spoken to Jack. 

Carter has autism. And he’s non verbal. Or at least he was. 

We caught up on Monday. And Carter did something he has never done before. 

Something I never imagined was possible. 

He said, “Hello Jack. I love you”. 

That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because of the magic that happens in places like this. 

Because of a speech therapist named Natalie. 

Who has worked with Carter every week for the last six years, helping him find his voice.  

In this job I spend a lot of time imagining what universities could be like and could look like. 

And when I do that I think about places like this. 

One, because of what your teaching and who your training. 

Speech pathologists. Psychologists. Occupational Therapists. Audiologists. Orthoptists. Physiotherapists. Podiatrists. Dietitians and Nutritionists. 

Thousands and thousands of them. 

All part of the fastest growing part of the workforce.  

The sort professions we need more of now, and that we are going to need even more of in the future. 

And two, because of who you are helping. 

If you live here in the northern suburbs and need a hearing or an eye test, you will be able to come here. 

If you need help recovering from an injury or support for your mental health, you will be able to come here. 

If your child needs a development assessment or help finding their voice, you will be able to come here. 

Kids like Carter will be able to come here. 

To my mind that’s universities at their best. 

It’s not about rankings. It’s about students. 

And it’s not just about students. It’s about the whole community. 

Everyone. 

That’s why when Theo invited me to be part of today I was so keen to be here. 

A couple of years ago I released something called the Universities Accord. 

What it basically says is we need more people with more skills. 

That by the middle of this century we are going to need a workforce where 80 percent have a TAFE qualification or a uni degree. 

And the only way we are going to get there is to kick the doors of our universities open. 

Get more of the people you don’t see enough of at university through the doors. Kids from poor families. From the regions and from the bush. 

And get them all the way through.  From start to finish. 

That’s basically what the Accord is about. 

It’s what the legislation I will introduce in just over a week is all about. 

And it’s what this place is about. 

This is an Accord University. 

This is the sort of place, the sort of building, the sort of university, where it’s going to happen. 

Where we can make the country of our imagination come to life. 

So thank you again Theo, Margaret and Russ and everyone who has worked on this. 

Thank you for what you are doing here. 

And thank you for showing me what the future looks like.