PORT Macquarie’s reputation as Australia’s newest education hub has taken another step forward.
A new Food, Soil and Water Research Centre will be built after $5.9 million in federal funding was secured last week.
The project will be delivered in partnership with Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and Charles Sturt University at CSU’s soon-to-be built campus at Lake Innes.
“A lot of work has gone into this project,” Member for Lyne Rob Oakeshott said.
“Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and Charles Sturt University should be congratulated on their outstanding proposal. It made my job of selling the concept to the Federal Government much easier.
“I also want to thank the Federal Government for recognising the value of this research centre and for being prepared to invest in it.”
Mr Oakeshott said the science centre would make a significant contribution to research into soil quality, water management and environmental sustainability – the key issues confronting our farm and land sectors this century.
“If Australia wants to make the most of the economic opportunities of the world’s population doubling by 2050, then we need to find the answers to some pretty significant challenges, including feeding more people with less arable soil and less water,” he said.
“I am thrilled that our region, in partnership with CSU, now has an opportunity to be part of the solution.”
Charles Sturt University and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, which already operates an environmental laboratory for water, soil and other testing services, signed a memorandum of understanding on the research institute last December.
“Our new Food, Soil and Water Research Centre will resolve the council’s challenges with its tired, old facility in Koala Street,” Mr Oakeshott said.
“It will deliver another education arm to the ongoing expansion of Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie and it will deliver to our community higher-end research fields to complement our on-going push for undergraduate and postgraduate study.
“We are changing education opportunities, and career opportunities, on the Mid-North Coast – not just for the foreseeable future but for decades to come,” Mr Oakeshott said.
