A Tertiary Access Allowance worth $10,000 a year should be given to every student who has to relocate away from home to study at university, a Senate committee has recommended.
Senator Fiona Nash, chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, said the report into Rural and Regional access to Secondary and Tertiary Education Opportunities tabled today made eight recommendations to improve the opportunities for regional students.
“The purpose of the $10,000 is to help families who pay between $15,000 and $20,000 a year to send a child away to a tertiary institution,” Senator Nash said. “There is a serious inequity between those students who have to relocate to attend higher education, and those who are able to remain at home. The committee has recommended that the allowance be available to students who are required to relocate to attend a tertiary institution. The student would not qualify if there was an equivalent course at a tertiary institution within 90 minutes by public transport.
“During the extensive hearings around Australia, the committee heard concerns about the sustainability of regional universities and has recommended that the Government investigate the option of lower HECS fees for students attending regional universities. This would also be for students who commit to staying in a regional area to work in their chosen profession after completing their studies.”
Senator Nash said one of the eight recommendations is that a long-term strategy should be developed to address the inequity in secondary educational opportunities in rural and regional Australia.
“There should be consideration given to whether the current level of funding under the Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme is appropriate.
“May I also add my thanks to all those students, parents, teachers, university staff, employers and others from around Australia who made submissions to the inquiry and willingly told us their stories enabling the committee to get a deeper understanding of the educational situation in rural and regional Australia. Other recommendations covered student housing, the inequity of secondary educational opportunities, maintenance of literacy and numeracy programs, temporary income support while students are on clinical placements or block release and a review by 2013 to assess funding agreements for regional universities.”
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