History of Swinburne Sarawak
The official opening ceremony of Swinburne Sarawak by YAB Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak at the State Complex, Jalan Simpang Tiga, Kuching on Wednesday, 13th June 2001 at 9.30 a.m.
"I am very pleased that Swinburne Sarawak Institute of Technology has opened its doors to the people of Sarawak and the surrounding region. Three years ago, Yayasan Sarawak commissioned a study of the future manpower needs for the state of Sarawak. Based on the findings of this study, the State Government initiated a search for highly reputable, technologically focused international university to assist the State in meeting those needs.
As an Australian graduate myself, I am particularly pleased that Swinburne University of Technology was eventually identified as the right choice to assist Sarawak in meeting its future educational needs and that Yayasan Sarawak is a joint venture partner in this development. Swinburne has a long and distinguished history of producing graduates who understand the needs of business and industry and have the skills and knowledge that employers need.
There are strong and deep links between Australia and Sarawak and with Swinburne University of Technology from Melbourne in Kuching and Curtin University of Technology from Perth in Miri, the people of Sarawak will be able to benefit from those links.
We need to develop a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce to secure our future in the k-economy. Swinburne Sarawak is assisting us in achieving this objective by offering educational opportunities to the young people of Sarawak that are closely linked to our human resource needs. The Sarawak State Government is committed to transforming our economy to meet the inescapable demands of the 21st Century. In particular, we need to ensure that our sons and daughters are educationally prepared to meet the economic and social challenges ahead.
The State Government has attracted many high-technology industries to Sarawak and we need to continue down this path. We also need to develop our tourism industry and our capacity to compete in business in a rapidly changing economy that is increasingly global, knowledge and the ability to develop and adapt so that we can survive and prosper in the future, as we have done in the past.
I would like to thank the Directors, management and staff of Swinburne Sarawak for their achievements in establishing this fine educational facility in Sarawak and i would not wish to forget the many individuals and organisations in the public and private sectors that have contributed significantly to this very important development."