The Coalition Government will work with regional communities, universities and Regional University Centres to help more regional Australians pursue higher education opportunities.
Minister for Regional Education, Bridget McKenzie said more than $700,000 will be provided to six projects under Phase 1 of the Regional Partnerships Project Pool Program in a collaboration with 33 universities and 21 Regional University Centres.
“People in regional Australia are less than half as likely to complete a university degree compared with people in cities,” Minister McKenzie said.
“We want to reverse this trend by creating localised partnerships between regional communities and tertiary education providers, to engage regional students and create accessible ways for them to access higher education.
“All Australians, no matter where they live, deserve access to high-quality education and these proposals present innovative ways to engage regional communities and develop tailored outreach programs to encourage regional students to pursue their higher education goals.
“We need to do more to support regional students who aspire to attend and complete higher education, as the Napthine Review found, and this project will go a long way to support regional students to see that higher education is a realistic and attainable achievement.
“The Coalition Government continues to build on its more than $120 billion investment in regional Australia – the engine-room of our nation’s economy – ensuring a sustainable, prosperous and secure future for people living in the regions.
“By contrast, Labor has no plan or vision for regional Australia. Labor Leader Anthony Albanese can barely bring himself to mention the word ‘region’.”
The projects will create partnerships between regional communities and tertiary education providers to engage prospective students, helping to create pathways for them to higher education.
The successful projects and lead organisations are:
- Eastern Australia Regional University Centre Partnership, Country Universities Centre Snowy Monaro – NSW, Queensland, Victoria
- Northern Territory Youth Engagement in Allied Health (YEAH)!, Flinders University – Northern Territory
- Influencing the influencers: A novel approach to increasing university participation of rural and regional students through community engagement in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, Murdoch University – Western Australia
- Project Y13: Creating Aspirations, Connections and Pathways, Pilbara Universities Centre – Western Australia, Northern Territory
- Growing our Own – Local Pathways to Jobs of our Future, Uni Hub Spencer Gulf – South Australia
- Building capabilities for success – targeting preparedness for ongoing learning, James Cook University – Queensland
