March 2010
Executive Summary
Universities Australia strongly supports a policy framework that facilitates student choice of study location and ensures that sustainable, high quality regional university provision is a key part of the choices available. To this end, Universities Australia suggests that the following principles and policies should guide related government funding:
1. Students: Students should not be prohibited by personal financial circumstances from attending an Australian university irrespective of its location. Regional students may need to attend a metropolitan university and students from a metropolitan area may choose to attend a regional institution to best advance their education requirements. HECS provisions and Student Income Support provisions are the appropriate policy vehicles for this, and Universities Australia supports the current legislation proposed by Government plus longer-term expansion of the quantum of funds available for income support as the best way forward on this.
2. Institutions: Public funding should ensure that cost structures of universities outside metropolitan areas do not inhibit student choices of place of study for higher education. This is because in regional areas alternative choices are not available within higher education unlike in metropolitan locations. A regional loading paid to institutions for regional operations is the appropriate mechanism to maintain quality on-campus study opportunities in regional areas. This would have the further benefit of maintaining the major community benefits that accrue from university presences. Such benefits include the raising of educational and career aspirations, regionally relevant research and the sharing of knowledge and expertise with business, government and community organisations. Regional loading must be strictly and transparently based upon regional cost disadvantage, and this should be established as part of the proper determination of base and relative funding for different universities and different disciplines.
3. Collaboration: Public funding of university student places should seek and encourage the most efficient forms of provision so as to seek lowest efficient cost and best meet diverse student needs. Policies that support enhanced pathways through cost-sharing with Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers, transport and communications infrastructure improvement, and inter-university collaboration are seen as the vehicles for such complementary measures. Parallel strengthening of regional VET provision through State and Territory Government action may be required to maximise the opportunities for collaboration and student pathways.
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