UNE Vice Chancellor confirms timeframe for Tamworth campus

The Leader sat down with UNE Vice Chancellor Professor Chris Moran, when he confirmed construction on site will commence as soon as the development application is approved by Tamworth Regional Council.

"We would love to be there at the beginning of 2026," he said.

"Our current projection is that we hope for a trimester one, 2026 start. We are a little bit like farmers; if we miss the sowing date, we have to wait till the next season.

"We would rather not skip to the next season."

Prof Moran said the current forecast, doors will be open by mid-2026, and the first intake will be in 2027.

It's a massive step forward in the long campaign to bring a full-blown university campus to Australia's country music capital.

The campaign to bring UNE to Tamworth started six years ago, but calls for tertiary education in the regional city swirled years prior.

Some of the key advocates for the campus included UNE Reference Group chair Mitchell Hanlon, former Tamworth mayor Col Murray, Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson, and New England MP Barnaby Joyce.

The old Tamworth velodrome site, estimated to cost $3 million, was Tamworth Regional Council's contribution to the multi-million dollar project.

The site was the ideal location due to it's proximity to the CBD, with education advocates advising it should "not be plonked somewhere in a paddock".

TRC will fund the demolition and remediation of the site.

The budget for the facility is $36.6 million, which is supported by a state government Restart NSW grant.

Despite some funding disputes with state and federal governments, the money was officially locked in at the end of 2020.

The campus concept designs were unveiled in October 2023, and building plans hit public exhibition in January this year.

The courses to be taught at the Tamworth campus are yet to be formally announced, but Prof. Moran confirmed to the Leader that nursing is on the cards.

"We will be building nursing and therapy simulation laboratories and rooms here," he said.

"So there is a very clear signal that we expect to educate nurses here [Tamworth]. So that is an infrastructure course offering; the linkage is very clear."

Prof. Moran said the new campus will offer "educational opportunities that will meet the nexus between industry needs, what people would like to engage with, and what the community would like to see broadly in the community."

A manufacturing course could also be considered.

While Prof. Moran said the vet shortage and the development of facilities such as the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (ALEC), meant there was potential for a veterinary science course as well.

"There are a lot of large animals in this town; there is a big food processing industry, and there are huge logistics that come with that," he said.

"Here we have Tamworth with a fantastic equine centre, a huge flow of animals and a shortage of large animal vets."

However, Prof Moran said, to offer a vet course is a "big deal" and would take a lot of work and community support.

"You have to build significant infrastructure to do that," he said.

The development of the New England REZ would also likely create a growing demand for logistical courses.

"We have a renewable energy zone coming, so we are going to have energy that we never had here before," he said.