Let's Talk About Inanimate University Infrastructure. (November 6, 2008)

Last year the Group of Eight undertook to survey the condition of its members' building infrastructure, support infrastructure and trends in investment in new capital works.

Now they have just published their 32-page assessment and the document assures the reader: "All data provided were subjected to an extensive checking process by the Go8, with the data submitted by each institution also checked and confirmed by each facility manager prior to the preparation of this report."

The make the point that that it will be difficult for them to accumulate the capital to repair and update noting that "some 56% of their building infrastructure, 61% of total support infrastructure and backlog maintenance liabilities of $1.19 billion or 68% of total are the product of the forty-year period, 1940 - 1980."

And they acknowledge that: "Given the rapid period of expansion the Australian tertiary education sector underwent during the post World War II period, it is likely that the findings of the Go8 survey are indicative of the challenges all Australian universities face in refurbishing or replacing this ageing stock."

And the Go8's bottom line for:

• Building infrastructure,

• Non-building support infrastructure (electrical, gas, sewerage, stormwater etc but not communications infrastructure),

• Communications infrastructure and

• New capital works?

is $6.63 billion plus an additional $2.14 billion was estimated for projects which, while not considered essential were seen as desirable to achieve their strategic objectives.

Undoubtedly the release of the report is timely with the federal government's recent decision to fast-track projects worth almost $700 million under the Higher Education Endowment Fund.

The report identifies 680 buildings in poor condition of which over 20.4% are considered to be in a critical condition.

Of course from the Go8's viewpoint: "The global financial crisis has dramatically reduced the investment income of most Go8 universities, with some estimating that revenues from these sources in 2008 and 2009 will be down in excess of 50% compared to 2007 levels."

Keeping in mind the costings are for the Go8 universities alone, it's hard to see that there will be significant improvement for the sector per se anytime soon.

And of course the problem compounds; like Global Warming the longer the delay the more costly and difficult remedial action becomes.

Proportions of all Go8 building infrastructure rated Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor & Critical

Proportions of all non-building support infrastructure rated Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor & Critical in terms of fitness for purpose

Proportions of all communications infrastructure rated Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor & Critical in terms of fitness for purpose