$25 million for National Desal Centre at Murdoch

Murdoch University has been awarded $20 million by the Federal Government to host Australia's new National Centre of Excellence in Desalination.

The federal funding over five years was announced by Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Federal Member for Brand, Gary Gray on May 15.

It will be topped by up to an extra $5 million from the Western Australian state government.

The WA-based Centre, based at Murdoch’s Rockingham campus, will bring together the country’s leading desalination and water science research organisations.

Murdoch University now becomes an integral part of the federal government’s 10-year $12.9 billion Water for the Future strategy which recognises the vital importance of developing world-class research to address current and future demand for water in Australia.

Murdoch University Vice Chancellor Professor John Yovich said the new Centre would draw together the nation’s top scientists in desalination to provide solutions to the water crisis, and build on Murdoch’s historical research strengths in renewable energy, water and environmental sciences.

“Murdoch University is excited to lead and coordinate national and international research collaborations in energy-efficient desalination technology for use in Australia’s unique circumstances and indeed rural, city and industrial locations around the world,” Professor Yovich said.

“This important new national research hub at Murdoch will offer energy-saving solutions to safeguard future water supplies for both consumers and industry, and these new technologies will have widespread application for the benefit of all Australians.”

Professor Yovich said the Centre’s location at Murdoch’s Rockingham campus would enable immediate use of ready infrastructure including laboratories, offices, and pilot plant facilities.

It was ideally placed near commercial areas, the coastal strip and major industrial water users at Kwinana, and would be a major boost to the regional city of Rockingham.

A spokesman for one of the international consortium partners, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), New Mexico, said it was thrilled to hear of Murdoch's successful bid to host the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination.

"Strong international research collaboration is essential for solving the world's problems, and this new centre will enable Australia to make meaningful progress to the pressing problem of global water security,” Senior Manager and SNL Water Program Lead John Merson said.

“We look forward to building strong ties with Murdoch University and the other centre participants."

Murdoch expects to engage with many national and international organisations, including:

• Affordable Desalination Collaboration, California, USA;
• Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility, New Mexico;
• Curtin University of Technology, WA;
• Edith Cowan University, WA;
• Flinders University, SA;
• The Middle East Desalination Research Centre (MEDRC);
• The University of New South Wales;
• The University of Queensland;
• Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico, USA;
• Singapore’s National Research Foundation;
• University of South Australia;
• Victoria University;
• The University of Western Australia, and;
• The Water Corporation

Pictured above from left to right: City of Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels with Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development Gary Gray and Murdoch University Professor John Yovich at Murdoch's pilot desalination plant in Rockingham.

>> Click to hear the interview on the ABC site.