Historic bill makes universities open to all

Legislation introduced into Parliament today will deliver on the Gillard Government’s commitment to open up the opportunities of a university education to a broader range of Australian students.

The Higher Education Support Amendment (Demand Driven Funding System and Other Measures) Bill 2011 is fundamental to the Australian Government’s reforms to ensure that all Australians have the opportunity to gain a university education.

“As a result of the Gillard Government’s reforms and record investment in higher education, we have already seen an extra 80 000 undergraduate students get the opportunity of a university education since 2007,” said Senator Evans.

“Over the same period we have doubled the number of Commonwealth-supported postgraduate places, from 16 500 in 2007 to 33 000 this year.

“For the first time in our history, public universities will be funded for student places based on student demand.

“We are moving away from a decades-old system of central planning in which, every year, universities negotiated student places with Canberra.

“For the first time, universities will be able to grow with confidence and diversify in response to student needs.

“The Gillard Government’s higher education reforms have already given more Australians the opportunity of a university education than ever before.”

In this year’s budget, the Australian Government committed a further $1.2 billion to fund growth in university enrolments, following the move to uncap undergraduate university places. This brings to $3.97 billion the investment made by the Gillard Government to support the move to a higher education system that responds to student demand.

This major reform, which underpinned the Government’s response to the Bradley Review of Higher Education, has been accompanied by reforms to student income support which have provided thousands more students with additional support to attend university.

“Last year, the Gillard Government reformed Youth Allowance to give more students the opportunity to go to university and ensure that assistance is targeted at those with the greatest financial need,” said Senator Evans.

“There has been a substantial increase in the number of students with disadvantaged backgrounds and from regional areas and who are now receiving Youth Allowance payments for the first time.”

In just twelve months, the reforms to Youth Allowance have resulted in:

a 15 per cent increase in the total number of university students receiving Youth Allowance – 135 000 students in March 2010 compared to 156 000 this year
a 108 per cent increase in the number of dependent university students from disadvantaged backgrounds receiving the maximum Youth Allowance rate 
a 22 per cent increase in the number of rural and regional university students receiving Youth Allowance.

Commonwealth expenditure on higher education – through both funding for teaching and learning and for research – is projected to increase to $13 billion in 2012.

That is up $5 billion from $8 billion in 2007, and more than $3 billion more than the projection to 2012 of the Coalition’s funding trend from 2001-2007.

“A university education is a ticket to greater career choice and to high skilled and high paid jobs. These are aspirations that thousands more Australians are now able to realise,” said Senator Evans.

reff:australia.gov.au