UWA shows reforms a boost for regional students

Minister for Education the Hon Christopher Pyne MP today welcomed the announcement by the University of Western Australia (UWA) that it will target Commonwealth Scholarship funding towards disadvantaged students from regional Western Australia.

Writing in today’s Australian Financial Review, Professor Alec Cameron, deputy vice-chancellor of education at UWA set out how the flexibility of the proposed Commonwealth Scholarships would allow the university to address issues faced by the communities around it.

“I congratulate UWA on its eagerness to use the flexibility of our proposed higher education reforms to help disadvantaged students get into and succeed at university,” Mr Pyne said.

“Australia’s biggest ever scholarship scheme, a key part of these reforms, will assist universities target students from regional areas and help significantly increase the uptake of higher education.”

“The higher education reforms will spread opportunity to more students, and the University of Western Australia is providing an excellent of example of how this will occur.”

Mr Pyne urged Senators to consider the benefits to students when the Government’s reform package comes before the Senate again.

He said the Government’s higher education reforms will see:

· An estimated 80 000 students per year, many in regional areas, receive Commonwealth support for the first time
· Thousands of disadvantaged higher education students receive a Commonwealth Scholarship to support their living costs and study needs
· Around 50 000 higher education students and 80 000 vocational education and training students no longer facing a 25 per cent loan fee for FEE-HELP and 20 per cent for VET FEE-HELP loans and
· Australian universities helped to be internationally competitive, supporting the thousands of jobs in Australia’s $15 billion international education industry.