Australia's universities today recognise the 40th anniversary of the 1967 referendum relating to Indigenous Australians, allowing the Commonwealth Government to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians, and record Indigenous Australians in Census data.
Universities Australia Chair Professor Gerard Sutton said that this day marks an important one in Australia's history.
"The 2007-08 Budget provided some important incentives for Indigenous students to enter the higher education system," Professor Gerard Sutton said.
"Now it is important to keep, and build on this momentum to achieve positive outcomes for Indigenous students, and provide assistance to those students during their time of study.
"Another important measure Australia can implement to increase access and equity in education is to look at Indigenous education holistically providing pathways, encouragement and the appropriate assistance for Indigenous students from school age right through to university," he said.
"Indigenous students, particularly from year nine on, need to be given the appropriate assistance and encouragement to complete their schooling, enter into, and complete a higher education course.
"Forty years on from the referendum, the opportunity of entering university is unacceptably low for Indigenous Australians, due to a number of reasons, a key one being the low levels of completion of schooling," Professor Sutton said.
Universities Australia recognises the need to achieve a greater number of Indigenous students completing higher degrees and moving into positions of leadership, particularly in the university sector.
"To this end universities are actively implementing strategies to enhance Indigenous participation in their workforce.
"Australia needs to work together and actively strive to achieve equity and to improve the outcomes in Indigenous education across the board, and ultimately in higher education," Professor Sutton said.
Universities Australia looks forward to continuing to advance Indigenous participation in universities in collaboration with the second Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC) announced on Friday.
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