New Joint Union Forum established 

Following our respective Council’s decision to create a university for the future and support the State Government in advancing legislation to establish a potential new Adelaide University, detailed transition and integration planning is now underway with a view to commence operations in January 2026.   

As part of this preparation and planning, the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia and have agreed to establish a Joint Union Forum (JUF) with the NTEU and CPSU. The objective of the JUF is to provide a constructive mechanism through which both the universities and unions can engage, co-create, and consult on matters in relation to the framework and process of creating Adelaide University and to effectively support staff as they transition to the new institution. 

The JUF first met on 1 August 2023 and the parties have agreed to a monthly cadence to develop terms of reference for the new forum. We will continue to update staff on matters discussed in the JUF and to provide other ways through which staff can engage in the co-creation of the proposed Adelaide University. Please keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved through future staff announcements.  

I would also like to remind all staff that both universities recently released further public documentation that was presented to our Councils during the feasibility assessment, which can be found on our microsite. This was delivering on our previous commitment. These documents were also provided to the parliamentary Joint Committee on the Establishment of Adelaide University, which our Chancellors and Vice Chancellors had the opportunity to speak to last week.

Given the significant amount of work to date, I will point you to an opinion piece penned by both Professor Peter Høj and Professor David Lloyd for Times Higher Education – the first in a new series to come. It is an interesting read that explores ‘how we got from here to there’.  

For the latest information about the potential new Adelaide University, I encourage you to keep visiting our microsite and you can continue to ask questions and provide feedback through the dedicated futureuni@adelaide.edu.au and futureuni@unisa.edu.au inboxes or online enquiry form.  
 
Jane Booth 
Transition Lead: People and Culture  
Adelaide University Joint Committee