The picture that emerges from the report is a complex one. There are many influences on Indigenous students’ decisions to participate in education and training, including career aspirations, income support such as ABSTUDY, opportunities for young people in the labour market, the relative attractiveness of different educational options as well as issues of family, culture and society. National trends are the result of the interplay of often very different regional and local factors.
The report finds that almost all of the decline in Indigenous higher education enrolments in 2000 is accounted for by decline in numbers commencing study, and three quarters of this is due to reductions in numbers in sub-degree (enabling and diploma) courses. The reductions in these courses reflect a trend beginning from 1996 but varying in onset between States and Territories. Continuing reduction between 2001 and 2004 in numbers in these courses accounts for all the further contraction in Indigenous higher education enrolments.
The report concludes that together developments within the higher education sector, the vocational education and training sector and the labour market may explain much of the weakness in Indigenous higher education enrolments in recent years. It does not appear that the majority of ABSTUDY tertiary students were disadvantaged financially by the ABSTUDY changes in 2000, although specific changes, such as to the Pensioner Education Supplement, may have disadvantaged some. Nevertheless, it is possible that the ABSTUDY changes played a contributing role in continuing weakness in enrolments through apprehensions in the Indigenous community, delayed responses to reductions in the real value of the ABSTUDY living allowance, and problems in service delivery.
The report draws attention to the significance of the long term decline in the take up rate for ABSTUDY, which affects a community with fewer resources than the general community to support participation in education and training.
Finally, the report notes Government measures over recent years to improve outcomes for Indigenous people, and identifies a number of emerging themes that may be useful in guiding future policy directions.
- Monitoring and evaluation arrangements for ABSTUDY could be improved.
- Awareness of, access to and delivery of ABSTUDY programmes has been problematic, particularly in more remote areas.
- There may be opportunities to target ABSTUDY allowances better, including incentives oriented towards course completion.
- Better targeted access courses to develop the basic skills needed for university may help expand the pool of Indigenous people with capacity to undertake higher education.
- Aspirational targets for Indigenous higher education participation and completion need to be supplemented with achievable milestones.