Universities of SA and Adelaide in unison on merger — but how far is it from a done deal?

On current estimates, it could be the biggest educator of domestic university students studying full time in Australia. "Because of the transitional funding, we will be able to provide better education, newer curricula, better facilities better student experience," University of Adelaide chancellor Catherine Branson said on Tuesday. He's warned the merger could create a "lumbering dinosaur" that is dependent on an outdated business model, at a time when the federal government is reviewing the entire higher education sector. As for South Australia's other university, Flinders, its vice-chancellor Colin Stirling said the current plan to give the new university access to a $200 million research fund and a further $100 million in scholarships was "unfair" for students at his institution. "I'm interested in the detail in the business case, the risks to the people of South Australia and we'll form a logical and considered view once we've had that information," opposition education spokesperson John Gardner said this week.