Deloitte report lists an A$260 million discrepancy in a university mer

Western Australia’s government published Deloitte’s rapid cost-benefit analysis for a possible merger involving three universities. In one Curtin and UWA high-cost scenario, the appendix lists $514 million to Day 1 and $145 million for the following five years.

Those figures total A$659 million, while the same row prints A$399 million. A separate three-university low scenario lists A$396 million and A$116 million, which total A$512 million, but prints A$823 million.

The report says generative AI supported research collation, information synthesis and editorial proofing, while no AI outputs, modelling or drafting were used. A detailed business case is scheduled to begin in late 2026 and finish in 2027.