About the Institution
The idea of a Catholic University in Perth emerged in the second half of the 1980s.  Its initial stimulus was the realisation by the Catholic Education authorities in Western Australia that there were inadequate means of providing special training for large numbers of lay teachers who would be needed for future service in the extensive Catholic school system.  Unlike other States and Territories, Western Australia had no Catholic Teachers College.  There was also concern in some quarters that the large Catholic hospital system in the State had no formal means of preparing lay professional staff for the special mission of Catholic health care into the future.The newly appointed Director of Catholic Education in Western Australia, Dr Peter Tannock, discussed the problem on several occasions in 1985 and 1986 with the Archbishop of Perth, William Foley, and was encouraged to pursue the idea of developing a private Catholic tertiary education institution in Perth.  It was agreed that Dr Tannock would approach Mr Denis Horgan, a prominent and wealthy Catholic businessman and entrepreneur in Perth, to seek his support and financial assistance.  Mr Horgan agreed to be involved and to provide financial support for the project.  A Planning Committee was established in 1987 comprising Mr Horgan (chairman) Dr Peter Tannock, Dr Michael Quinlan (a leader in the medical profession and Catholic health care in WA) and Archbishop Foley.In 1987 a Planning Office was established to be overseen by Father John Neill OP, who had a long-standing interest in the idea of a Catholic university in Australia modelled on the University of Notre Dame in the United States.  Various models were developed, papers written, and feasibility studies undertaken.  The funding of all this planning and development activity ultimately came from the Archdiocese of Perth and the Catholic Education Office of Western Australia.  Consultation took place with Catholic university leaders in other parts of the world, particularly the University of Notre Dame in the United States (NDUS), widely regarded as the best and most prestigious of its kind.  The Planning Committee was encouraged to approach NDUS for support by Father Ted Hesburgh CSC and Father Ned Joyce CSC, ...

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