The Albanese Government has secured passage through the House of Representatives of legislation aimed at expanding access to Australian universities, with the reforms backed by an additional $3.6 billion in funding over the next decade.
Education Minister Jason Clare said the reforms were designed to address barriers preventing young Australians from entering and completing university.
“The Universities Accord set a target that by 2050, 80 per cent of the workforce will have a TAFE qualification or a university degree,” Clare said.
“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,” he added.
Clare said the reforms would give more young people from disadvantaged families and regional communities the opportunity to attend university.
The Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill will introduce managed growth funding and needs-based funding, with the Government saying the changes will create more opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and regional and remote communities.
The legislation is the seventh bill introduced by the Albanese Government as part of its implementation of the Universities Accord.
Under the managed growth model, universities will receive additional Commonwealth Supported Places as the higher education system expands. An additional 16,000 university places are expected to be added each year for the next three years, increasing to 19,000 additional places annually from 2030.
The Government estimates the changes will result in about 230,000 additional students commencing university over the next decade.
The Australian Tertiary Education Commission will be given responsibility for allocating Commonwealth Supported Places to universities and will have powers to direct additional places towards areas of greatest need.
The reforms will also effectively remove caps on places for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those from regional and remote communities.
A second major component is needs-based funding, which the Government describes as a “Gonski for universities”.
Under the model, universities will receive additional funding as they enrol more students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, First Nations students and students at regional campuses.
The Government argues the approach will help more students study closer to home while supporting regional communities to develop their skilled workforce.
The funding impact could be significant for regional universities.
Charles Sturt University, which operates campuses across regional New South Wales including Wagga Wagga, Orange, Bathurst, Dubbo, Albury-Wodonga and Port Macquarie, could receive between $200 million and $500 million in additional funding over the next decade under the reforms.
In Queensland, Central Queensland University, with campuses including Townsville, Rockhampton, Mackay, Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone and Emerald, could receive up to $260 million in additional funding.
The Government says the two regional university examples could together deliver about three-quarters of a billion dollars in additional funding to regional communities, with further funding expected to flow to other regional universities.
The Government says the changes are intended to build a larger and more equitable higher education system while strengthening the workforce in regional Australia.
The legislation now moves to the Senate, where the Government will need to secure the numbers required for the reforms to become law.
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