Bulletin

Issue: September/October 2007

News

Call for better funding of regional higher education

A consortium of universities with regional operations is seeking commitments from both the Federal Government and the Opposition for better funding of regional higher education.

To help achieve sustainable delivery of higher education beyond the major cities, La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Johnson, has been leading the drive for increased Federal funding of regional higher education provision.

A delegation of Vice-Chancellors recently met the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, and Opposition spokesperson Stephen Smith, to put the universities’ case.

It pointed out that university participation rates in regional Australia were about the same as national rates in countries such as Uruguay, and lower than in Argentina and Korea.

‘Largely because of the small scale of university operations in some regional areas, universities are subsidising their regional presence by as much as 100 per cent,’ Professor Johnson said.

‘This is not sustainable, particularly in an environment in which the Government is demanding that universities carefully manage their finances,’ he added.

‘Students in regional Australia are absolutely entitled to receive a quality tertiary education. They are equally entitled to have their capacity to attend regional campuses properly funded by Government.’

A briefing paper outlining the key issues highlights the critical role regional higher education provision plays in the economic and social development of regional areas.
‘In some regional centres the local university accounts directly or indirectly for up to 32 per cent of the local economy,’ Professor Johnson said.

Vice-Chancellors representing universities with regional interests have also written to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition putting the case for increased Federal funding for regional operations.