The Albanese Government introduced legislation today to help more Australians get to and get through uni.
The Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill will make two major reforms to our university system.
- It will establish Managed Growth Funding to build a bigger, better and fairer education system that gives more Australians the chance to go to university.
- It will also put in place Needs-based Funding so young people from disadvantaged backgrounds get the support they need to succeed at uni.
This is the seventh piece of legislation introduced by the Albanese Government to implement the Universities Accord.
This legislation means an extra $3.6 billion funding for universities over the next decade.
Managed growth
This year more students are starting uni and we’re building on that.
Over the next three years, there will be an additional 16,000 places for students in the system each year.
From 2030, this will increase to 19,000 additional places each year.
Over the next decade we expect an additional 230,000 students commencing university studies. We are funding that growth and giving the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) the tools to manage it.
The Government will set the total number of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) and the ATEC will allocate those places to universities.
The ATEC will also have the power to allocate additional places where it thinks they are needed to meet the demand from students from disadvantaged backgrounds and from regional and remote communities.
This effectively means places for these students will now be uncapped.
Needs-based funding
The Gonski model for school funding provides schools with extra funding based on where they are located and the needs of the students they educate.
Students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds receive additional support and so do schools in regional and remote communities.
This Bill is like Gonski for universities.
Universities will receive more funding as they enrol more students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, First Nations students, and students studying at regional campuses.
Needs-based funding will provide universities with additional resources for tutoring, mentoring, academic assistance, scholarships and emergency financial support for these students.
The Bill sets the base equity amount at $1,535. This is more than double the average amount universities received per student through previous similar programs.
The base regional amount is set at $1,398, with both amounts indexed each year.
Guidelines will set out how the base amount is to be applied to each student based on which cohort they are in.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
“Under Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, the number of Australians finishing high school jumped from around 40 per cent to almost 80 per cent. That was nation changing. This is the next step.
“The Universities Accord set a target that by 2050, 80 per cent of the workforce will have a TAFE qualification or a university degree.
“The only way to do that is if we break down the barriers that stop so many young people from getting to university.
“Talent is everywhere. It’s opportunity that’s not.
“These reforms will mean more young people from poor families and from the regions and the bush get a crack at university.
“If you get the marks, or you’ve got the skills, you’ve got what it takes. You will get a place.
“We’re also making sure you will get the support you need when you get there.
“For universities, this Bill will mean more students and more funding.
“This is big structural reform that will change lives and change the country.”
