Media Centre

Email this page  Print this page

Media Release

INCREASED ACCESS TO UNIVERSITY IN NEW SOUTH WALES

EMBARGOED UNTIL 1.00PM, 27 JANUARY 2004

27 January 2004 MIN 592b/04

More Australians will be able to attend university in NSW and the ACT with 9,002 new fully-funded university places to be provided by 2008.

In 2005, there will be 3,292 new places allocated to NSW and the ACT, growing to 9,002 as students continue through their courses.

The ACT is guaranteed to receive at least 200 places from this allocation (growing to 547 by 2008).

These places are available thanks to the Government’s $2.6 billion higher education reform package, Our Universities: Backing Australia’s Future. More than 34,000 new university places will be provided by 2008, including in areas such as medicine, teaching and nursing.

Following consideration of submissions from State and Territory governments, universities and other interested organisations I have finalised the following distribution of places across jurisdictions.

With institutions able to enrol places up to 5% above their agreed number, these additional places will ensure each state receives an overall net gain.

The States and Territories were invited to help develop a model for distributing the places. There was no consensus across the States and Territories on the model to be used. Western Australia, for example, announced it was seeking 27% of the new places. The Victorian Government strongly disagrees with WA. Its proposed distribution would have delivered 6% of places to Western Australia.

The States and Territories each proposed models favouring different indicators including unmet demand, tertiary entrance scores, school retention and workforce demand.

Of paramount importance to the Australian Government in determining the final model was the issue of fairness.

Presently students in different states with the same entrance scores do not have an equal chance of getting into a course. This must change.

It is not acceptable that a student applying for nursing in Sydney needed a score of around 60 while if they moved to Melbourne they would have required a score of 44.2.

Lowest cut-off required to gain a place at university, 2002

Source: The Good Universities Guide, 2003

The final distribution model is based principally on participation and population growth with some recognition for regional development.

Further consultations will now be held to inform distribution of places between universities within each jurisdiction.

Universities and students will also be benefiting from other elements of the reform package as they begin to flow through over the next five years:

• $838 million in additional base funding;
• $146 million to support regional campuses;
• $160 million to support the practical component of teaching and nursing programmes;
• $327 million in scholarships to assist students with their education and accommodation costs;
• $325 million to support teaching and learning in universities, including a new National Institute;
• two new loan schemes to assist those students who choose to pay the full cost of their education, and those wanting to spend a semester or two studying overseas;
• more than $100 million to support a range of equity initiatives, including funding for indigenous students, students with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds;
• $83 million to support workplace productivity in universities; and
• $36 million to support collaboration and structural reform.

In addition in July this year around 185,000 Australians will immediately benefit from a reduction in their HECS repayments when the repayment threshold for HECS increases to $35,000 from $24,365.


Media Contact:
Dr Nelson’s Office: Ross Hampton 0419 484 095

Copyright  |  Disclaimer  |  Privacy Statement