Then, in mid-2025, the state government formed a committee to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of merging the universities, headed by former Labor minister Alannah MacTiernan.

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That committee is due to report back to the government by the end of the year.

After the committee was announced, UWA released a statement saying it did not expect there to be any interruption to the university’s teaching, research or operations “throughout what is likely to be a long-term process”.

But Storer believed staff cuts, larger classes and more online delivery were “almost guaranteed”.

“The focus has been on speculation about efficiencies and rankings, rather than evidence about how mergers actually affect learning, wellbeing and retention,” he said.

“A merger will not fix governance, funding or workforce issues. It will create years of instability, slower decision-making and reduced support for students.

“Mergers consume leadership attention, financial resources and organisational capacity for many years.

“During this time student experience declines, staff morale drops and research output slows – WA has far better options that are safer, cheaper and more effective.

“WA needs a diverse sector with strong institutional identities, not a single amalgamated organisation that carries all the risks.”

The West Australian recently reported UWA was losing prospective students due to perceptions it was “elitist, aloof and stand-offish”, and that the institution had conducted financial modelling on the benefits of merging with Curtin or Murdoch University, with early findings favouring a UWA-Curtin merger.

The research, which was presented at a recent forum for graduates, was published online and then promptly deleted following questioning.

Meanwhile, Murdoch University has been vocal on its disapproval of a merger, saying the state was “best served by having four public universities, each with its own special characteristics”.

In its original submission to the review in 2023, Curtin University also said it was “very concerned” a merger would create significant disruptions, and that it was “not a university in crisis”.

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