September 2, 2024 • 11 mins
Charles Darwin University has reportedly brought on a new partner for its city-based student accommodation as the new build gets one step closer to reality.
According to the NT News, Campus Living Villages will manage the living requirements of about 350 students housed in a new Woods St accommodation hub.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
But as I mentioned just a little while ago, it
is being reported this morning that Charles Darwin University has
reportedly bought on a new partner for its city based
student accommodation as the new build gets one step closer
to reality. So, according to the Northern Territory News, Campus
Living Villages is going to manage the living requirements of
about three hundred and fifty students housed in the new
(00:22):
Wood Street accommodation hub when it gets up and running.
Charles Darwin University's Vice Chancellor and President, Scott Bowman joins
me on the line. Good morning to you, Scott, Good
morning Katie.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Yeah, good to have you on the show. Thank you
so much for your time this morning. Now, first off,
talk me through this partnership that looks as though it's
going to get underway with Campus Living Villages.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, look, this is really good news. So come to
s Living Village is a company that runs student accommodation
really all over the world. I think they've got about
twenty four thousand bags or students that they provide an
accommodation for. They've come and looked at the university, looked
at Darwin and think it's a great prospect. So they're
(01:08):
going to be building three hundred and fifty beds just
behind the new campus, and great news.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
How quickly are we expecting that to get underway?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Look, you look in at a two year build because
I think it's it's a twenty story building or so.
So we're still two years away. So we're still going
to be tight for a little while. But I think
there is other accommodation coming online as well.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Well. That's good news because obviously we'll need students to
have somewhere to be able to live. But I know
that those numbers, you know, in terms of the number
of international students or commencements for next year, has been
a point of contention or a point of worry, I
suppose for a little while now. And the federal government
had previously indicated, as I understand it, three thousand students
(01:53):
would start at the new CBD campus when it opened,
but the Education Minister Jason Clair then last Tuesday announced
an allocation of two thousand, two hundred international students for
twenty twenty five. Professor, where are these numbers at and
are they what you'd hoped they'd be at?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
No, they're not because as you know, we've been going
through a real building process to build international student numbers.
I think both sides of politics in the NC really
would like to get up ten thousand international students, so
we need them for all the work and all the
projects we've got coming online. We said that we could
(02:37):
easily go up to six thousand students, maybe a few more,
and we asked for three thousand for next year. We
only got two thousand, two hundred. We did better than
most universities in Australia. But we've still got to push
that things are different up here and policies that are
(02:58):
being put in place to solve the problems down south
don't work for us up here, so they need to
keep listening.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Well, this is the thing, right, you know, when you
look at the infrastructure issues and when you look at
the overcrowding and the lack of places to live in
some of those other parts of Australia, our needs are
very different in regional Australia. It just sort of perplexes
me the way that the federal government doesn't treat regional
Australia a little bit differently.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, and they kind of look down there and say
that all these students are going into Melbourne and Sydney
and then when they finish their courses, you know, they
can stay for two years on a post study work
visa and all they are doing is driving ubers and
taxis not that there's anything wrong with that, but yeah,
you've got an accounting degree, or a business degree or
(03:46):
a nursing degree. You want to be nursing or you
want to be I don't know, counting money. And that's
exactly what happens up here. If someone train comes up
here and trains as a nurse, a teacher, or an accountant,
they get jobs in those professions. And that's why we're
so popular with a student.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
So tell me, professor. As it currently stands, so, by
the look of it, two two hundred international students for
next year, what implications is that going to have on
the new City campus if any?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Oh, look it does. I mean the federal government I
think encouraged us to get involved with the city deal
and part of that was building that incredible building and
it is fantastic, but that was obviously there was a
business case behind that which actually showed well needed a
(04:41):
massive increase in the number of international students. So for
the last two or three years we've been going out there.
As you know, we've set the office up in Delhi
and we were well on target to get those numbers.
Now next year it will be very very marginal whether
we meet the numbers that are in that business case.
(05:02):
And as we move into twenty six and twenty seven,
if they keep that limit to thy two hundred, then
we won't make the numbers we need in there. So
quite a lot of work to do.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, and so I mean, does it potentially mean that
you're going to have to change the way that you're
doing business? I mean, if we've set that modeling up
on international students, do we need to revert back to
trying to get people here from interstate? Like what can
we do?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Oh? Look, we will do that and we've done that,
so you know, but there's some interesting things that we
may talk about at some other time. There's also going
to be put a very hard cap on the number
of domestic students we can take. So people probably wouldn't
realize that CDU we have a cap already, but we're
allowed to go over it. We're twenty percent over our cap.
(05:55):
Lots of universities in Australia are under their cap. We're
over the cap in lots of students, but we don't
get any government funding for those students. We only get
the students fees. Now, if we lose that twenty percent,
we're in trouble there as well. So there's a lot
going on at the moment, cading.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, are we being left high and dry a little
bit here by the federal government?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Well, look, I don't know if I would say that,
but and you know Minister Claire does listen. I mean,
he does listen. So there's a lot of water to
go under the bridge before they bring on that domestic cap.
There's a lot of water to go under the bridge,
you know, before we don't meet those international student numbers. Yeah,
(06:44):
but you know another factor in this, All of this
stuff has done a lot of damage to Australian's, Australia's reputation.
So we've doubled. We've got the highest visa application fee
one thousand, six hundred dollars to five for visa that
you've only got a fifty percent chance to get in.
We've taken away post study work rights for people over
(07:07):
thirty five, and people have not got visas so we've
got two thousand and two hundred, but we've now got
to recruit them. And so I'm on a plane tomorrow
get over to India and Nepal because we can have
to work hard to get two to one hundred now
in this environment.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Yeah, right, So you are literally off tomorrow to try
to do that.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Yep. As soon as we got the numbers, we've planned
a delegation, so we go in over. In fact, tomorrow
I'm in nullam Boy. We're opening our new center in
Nullen Boy and then get we're get in the direct
filight nullen Boy to Delhi. I think that's right.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Where I might be wrong, might have to catch a
for a few flights in between there, I reckon, Professor,
I think, yeah, But hey, I tell you what I mean.
It sounds like it's really important as well that you
get across and you do that work. I mean, are
you confident that you're going to get to that number
of two thy two hundred?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Look, I'm pretty confident. We've got a great team of
about ten people who are actually based in Delhi. We're
doing well in Nepal. The unit's got a good reputation
and sometimes you know, Familiarity breeds content, and I think
local people don't realize just how well we are thought
of and ranked in terms of research. Probably the main
(08:22):
thing that drives people here though, is the jobs. When
if people come here, you know we've got there's plenty
of jobs in nurse and plenty of jobs in teaching,
and so there's a lot of pool to the Northern
Territory at the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah, Hey, a couple of other questions that I'm keen
to find out a little more in terms of the
city campus. So when's it expected to open? When are
you thinking that there's going to be students in there
and staff moving in?
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Okay, I think I figned off on the last documentation yesterday,
so I think now we own the building, So I
think think that's right. Either today or tomorrow we're in there.
We don't to wear hard hats in there anymore. We
are looking to do an opening on the fourth and
(09:10):
fifth of October, and I think the fifth of October
is when we open it to the public, So it's
everybody's campus, so everyone's invited into come and have a
look round, and we will have students in there from
summer term, which starts in November.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Wonderful plan. Yeah, that is really good to hear. And
in some other good news, I understand this other Northern
territory is going to start well producing our own doctors
as Charles Dowen University's Long Away to Medical school opens.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Oh how long have we been talking.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
About a long time?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Just fantastic. So we got the funding to start the
course in twenty six so the year after next for
forty students. I just we couldn't hold back by Stevens
and the team we've got in there, they just want
to get going. You know, it's still subject to Australian
(10:06):
Medical Council accreditation, but they have given us the green
light to go ahead for next year, subject to final
So we've decided that we're going to take a pilot
group in next year of twenty students that you'll come
in and study medicine and then go up to the
forty the year next, and the Universe is going to
finance those twenty students going through for next year.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Good news, Professor. Before I let you go, a couple
of questions from our listeners. There's one from Alan Hi Katie,
could you please ask mister Bowman how much of the
old Darwin Primary School has been gained for the accommodation
area i e. Is it bare ground area of the
former school buildings or is it the school buildings? Are
they going to be demolished?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yep, sorry, no, they're not going to be demolished. What
we've got is a corner. So it's more or less
the area that the co at least offer the government
while they were building the building. Maybe a little bit more.
It doesn't impact on any of those buildings. Those buildings
(11:10):
remain there and it doesn't impact on any of the
listed trees in there, So it's really just the corner.
I would say, I don't know, maybe twenty percent of
the land that the schools.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Aren't well professor, we better leave it there for this morning.
We have got a lot going on today. I really
appreciate your time. Thank you very much for having a
chat with us and let us know how you go on.
The delegation will be really keen to hear how you
go with recruiting those twenty two hundred international students.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
That'd be great. ILL look forward to talking to you
about that. Thank you very much.
But as I mentioned just a little while ago, it
is being reported this morning that Charles Darwin University has
reportedly bought on a new partner for its city based
student accommodation as the new build gets one step closer
to reality. So, according to the Northern Territory News, Campus
Living Villages is going to manage the living requirements of
about three hundred and fifty students housed in the new
(00:22):
Wood Street accommodation hub when it gets up and running.
Charles Darwin University's Vice Chancellor and President, Scott Bowman joins
me on the line. Good morning to you, Scott, Good
morning Katie.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Yeah, good to have you on the show. Thank you
so much for your time this morning. Now, first off,
talk me through this partnership that looks as though it's
going to get underway with Campus Living Villages.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yeah, look, this is really good news. So come to
s Living Village is a company that runs student accommodation
really all over the world. I think they've got about
twenty four thousand bags or students that they provide an
accommodation for. They've come and looked at the university, looked
at Darwin and think it's a great prospect. So they're
(01:08):
going to be building three hundred and fifty beds just
behind the new campus, and great news.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
How quickly are we expecting that to get underway?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Look, you look in at a two year build because
I think it's it's a twenty story building or so.
So we're still two years away. So we're still going
to be tight for a little while. But I think
there is other accommodation coming online as well.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Well. That's good news because obviously we'll need students to
have somewhere to be able to live. But I know
that those numbers, you know, in terms of the number
of international students or commencements for next year, has been
a point of contention or a point of worry, I
suppose for a little while now. And the federal government
had previously indicated, as I understand it, three thousand students
(01:53):
would start at the new CBD campus when it opened,
but the Education Minister Jason Clair then last Tuesday announced
an allocation of two thousand, two hundred international students for
twenty twenty five. Professor, where are these numbers at and
are they what you'd hoped they'd be at?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
No, they're not because as you know, we've been going
through a real building process to build international student numbers.
I think both sides of politics in the NC really
would like to get up ten thousand international students, so
we need them for all the work and all the
projects we've got coming online. We said that we could
(02:37):
easily go up to six thousand students, maybe a few more,
and we asked for three thousand for next year. We
only got two thousand, two hundred. We did better than
most universities in Australia. But we've still got to push
that things are different up here and policies that are
(02:58):
being put in place to solve the problems down south
don't work for us up here, so they need to
keep listening.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Well, this is the thing, right, you know, when you
look at the infrastructure issues and when you look at
the overcrowding and the lack of places to live in
some of those other parts of Australia, our needs are
very different in regional Australia. It just sort of perplexes
me the way that the federal government doesn't treat regional
Australia a little bit differently.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, and they kind of look down there and say
that all these students are going into Melbourne and Sydney
and then when they finish their courses, you know, they
can stay for two years on a post study work
visa and all they are doing is driving ubers and
taxis not that there's anything wrong with that, but yeah,
you've got an accounting degree, or a business degree or
(03:46):
a nursing degree. You want to be nursing or you
want to be I don't know, counting money. And that's
exactly what happens up here. If someone train comes up
here and trains as a nurse, a teacher, or an accountant,
they get jobs in those professions. And that's why we're
so popular with a student.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
So tell me, professor. As it currently stands, so, by
the look of it, two two hundred international students for
next year, what implications is that going to have on
the new City campus if any?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Oh, look it does. I mean the federal government I
think encouraged us to get involved with the city deal
and part of that was building that incredible building and
it is fantastic, but that was obviously there was a
business case behind that which actually showed well needed a
(04:41):
massive increase in the number of international students. So for
the last two or three years we've been going out there.
As you know, we've set the office up in Delhi
and we were well on target to get those numbers.
Now next year it will be very very marginal whether
we meet the numbers that are in that business case.
(05:02):
And as we move into twenty six and twenty seven,
if they keep that limit to thy two hundred, then
we won't make the numbers we need in there. So
quite a lot of work to do.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, and so I mean, does it potentially mean that
you're going to have to change the way that you're
doing business? I mean, if we've set that modeling up
on international students, do we need to revert back to
trying to get people here from interstate? Like what can
we do?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Oh? Look, we will do that and we've done that,
so you know, but there's some interesting things that we
may talk about at some other time. There's also going
to be put a very hard cap on the number
of domestic students we can take. So people probably wouldn't
realize that CDU we have a cap already, but we're
allowed to go over it. We're twenty percent over our cap.
(05:55):
Lots of universities in Australia are under their cap. We're
over the cap in lots of students, but we don't
get any government funding for those students. We only get
the students fees. Now, if we lose that twenty percent,
we're in trouble there as well. So there's a lot
going on at the moment, cading.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, are we being left high and dry a little
bit here by the federal government?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Well, look, I don't know if I would say that,
but and you know Minister Claire does listen. I mean,
he does listen. So there's a lot of water to
go under the bridge before they bring on that domestic cap.
There's a lot of water to go under the bridge,
you know, before we don't meet those international student numbers. Yeah,
(06:44):
but you know another factor in this, All of this
stuff has done a lot of damage to Australian's, Australia's reputation.
So we've doubled. We've got the highest visa application fee
one thousand, six hundred dollars to five for visa that
you've only got a fifty percent chance to get in.
We've taken away post study work rights for people over
(07:07):
thirty five, and people have not got visas so we've
got two thousand and two hundred, but we've now got
to recruit them. And so I'm on a plane tomorrow
get over to India and Nepal because we can have
to work hard to get two to one hundred now
in this environment.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Yeah, right, So you are literally off tomorrow to try
to do that.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Yep. As soon as we got the numbers, we've planned
a delegation, so we go in over. In fact, tomorrow
I'm in nullam Boy. We're opening our new center in
Nullen Boy and then get we're get in the direct
filight nullen Boy to Delhi. I think that's right.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Where I might be wrong, might have to catch a
for a few flights in between there, I reckon, Professor,
I think, yeah, But hey, I tell you what I mean.
It sounds like it's really important as well that you
get across and you do that work. I mean, are
you confident that you're going to get to that number
of two thy two hundred?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Look, I'm pretty confident. We've got a great team of
about ten people who are actually based in Delhi. We're
doing well in Nepal. The unit's got a good reputation
and sometimes you know, Familiarity breeds content, and I think
local people don't realize just how well we are thought
of and ranked in terms of research. Probably the main
(08:22):
thing that drives people here though, is the jobs. When
if people come here, you know we've got there's plenty
of jobs in nurse and plenty of jobs in teaching,
and so there's a lot of pool to the Northern
Territory at the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah, Hey, a couple of other questions that I'm keen
to find out a little more in terms of the
city campus. So when's it expected to open? When are
you thinking that there's going to be students in there
and staff moving in?
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Okay, I think I figned off on the last documentation yesterday,
so I think now we own the building, So I
think think that's right. Either today or tomorrow we're in there.
We don't to wear hard hats in there anymore. We
are looking to do an opening on the fourth and
(09:10):
fifth of October, and I think the fifth of October
is when we open it to the public, So it's
everybody's campus, so everyone's invited into come and have a
look round, and we will have students in there from
summer term, which starts in November.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Wonderful plan. Yeah, that is really good to hear. And
in some other good news, I understand this other Northern
territory is going to start well producing our own doctors
as Charles Dowen University's Long Away to Medical school opens.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Oh how long have we been talking.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
About a long time?
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Just fantastic. So we got the funding to start the
course in twenty six so the year after next for
forty students. I just we couldn't hold back by Stevens
and the team we've got in there, they just want
to get going. You know, it's still subject to Australian
(10:06):
Medical Council accreditation, but they have given us the green
light to go ahead for next year, subject to final
So we've decided that we're going to take a pilot
group in next year of twenty students that you'll come
in and study medicine and then go up to the
forty the year next, and the Universe is going to
finance those twenty students going through for next year.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Good news, Professor. Before I let you go, a couple
of questions from our listeners. There's one from Alan Hi Katie,
could you please ask mister Bowman how much of the
old Darwin Primary School has been gained for the accommodation
area i e. Is it bare ground area of the
former school buildings or is it the school buildings? Are
they going to be demolished?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yep, sorry, no, they're not going to be demolished. What
we've got is a corner. So it's more or less
the area that the co at least offer the government
while they were building the building. Maybe a little bit more.
It doesn't impact on any of those buildings. Those buildings
(11:10):
remain there and it doesn't impact on any of the
listed trees in there, So it's really just the corner.
I would say, I don't know, maybe twenty percent of
the land that the schools.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Aren't well professor, we better leave it there for this morning.
We have got a lot going on today. I really
appreciate your time. Thank you very much for having a
chat with us and let us know how you go on.
The delegation will be really keen to hear how you
go with recruiting those twenty two hundred international students.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
That'd be great. ILL look forward to talking to you
about that. Thank you very much.
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