‘Jobs for the future’ plan

University leaders believe a new reform package set to address the gap in higher education participation will have profound benefits for regional, rural and remote communities.

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan introduced reforms to the university sector to create ‘jobs for the future’ with lower student fees for subjects including nursing, psychology, teaching, engineering and science.

Federation University, which has a campus in Horsham, welcomed the reform.

Vice-chancellor Helen Bartlett said the reform package actioned several recommendations identified in a National Regional, Rural and Remote Tertiary Education Strategy from 2019.

She said the new package aimed to grow university places in regional Australia by 3.5 percent a year and would support regional, remote and indigenous students to undertake high-level tertiary studies.

“These reforms are a commitment to regional, rural and remote Australia – we support the government’s goals and look forward to receiving more detail on how the funding model will be implemented,” she said.

“Students, communities and providers should benefit from the new reform package.”

Professor Bartlett also commended an additional $400-million over four years for regional students, universities and communities.

She said the support was timely as regional and rural campuses offered Feduni students a safe and affordable environment for gaining a high-quality education and accessing well-paid jobs.