Claudia Doman
16 December 2015: The University of Canberra's campus development is under way after an agreement was signed today with Moran Australia (Residential Aged Care) to build an aged care facility.
The agreement will see Moran Australia, design, construct, own and operate the 150-bed facility, following approval from the Commonwealth Department of Health.
Scheduled to open in January 2018, the facility will also house a 120-place child care centre to meet the needs of staff and students working and studying in the University's growing health precinct.
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker said this facility will play a major role in the development of this precinct.
"The aged care facility will provide seamless work-integrated learning opportunities for our health care students as we help prepare the future health workforce for an ageing population," Professor Parker said.
"The development will allow for a range of research opportunities for the University's Health Research Institute, and will provide students with on-site training and paid employment in areas including health, aged care, child care, management, design, communication and marketing.
"It will also provide the Belconnen and greater Canberra community with additional access to high quality aged care."
Peter Moran, managing director of the Moran Health Care Group said: "The UC Moran Health Cluster represents an exciting progression of health care, aged care, child care, education and innovation in Australia. The Moran Health Care Group is committed to establishing a network of resources within the ACT servicing the local and broader community.
"We are delighted to have the great opportunity to become involved with the University of Canberra in establishing facilities that are at the forefront of care, research and learning. I believe that these endeavours are significant, not just to Australia, but by any measure these are initiatives that may well have an international impact."
The aged care facility is the next stage of the University's developing health precinct, which includes the forthcoming University of Canberra Public Hospital and the Health Hub.
The Health Hub opened in April last year and is home to Ochre Health's GP Super Clinic, the University's student-led clinics, in physiotherapy, dietetics, exercise physiology and clinical psychology, as well as other health providers and university partners such as Canberra Imaging Group and a Capital Chemist pharmacy.
The UC Moran Health Cluster is also expected to incorporate a small-scale private hospital, a radiological oncology service, a large-scale diagnostic and imaging service, pathology services and laboratory-based research facilities.
In addition to the health precinct, the University's planned development will include a cutting-edge residential development, an innovation precinct, sporting facilities, a hotel and a Great Hall, which will attract new jobs and investment to the area.
Professor Parker said "the University is re-inventing itself as a university of the future, based around work-integrated learning opportunities for its students and applied research projects for its staff. The developments will greatly add to the campus community and to Canberra itself, further cementing the University of Canberra as a vital component of the nation's capital."
