An open letter by the Vice-Chancellor

Regional voices must be heard.

That’s the message from CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Nick Klomp in response to the Minister for Education’s appointment of members to the government’s Implementation Advisory Committee.

Established to drive further engagement with the higher education sector to inform the legislative design of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission and the new Managed Growth Funding System, the advisory committee will be chaired the Secretary of the Department of Education Tony Cook PSM with other members including:

• Professor David Lloyd (Vice-Chancellor, University of South Australia)
• Professor the Hon Verity Firth AM (Vice-President Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement, University of New South Wales)
• Professor Stephen Duckett AM (Honorary Enterprise Professor, University of Melbourne)
• Professor Julia Horne (University of Sydney) 
• Professor Tom Calma AO (Kungarakan Elder and 2023 Senior Australian of the Year)
• Professor Barney Glover AO (Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia)
• Ms Jenny Dodd (CEO, TAFE Directors Australia)
• Ms Natalie James (Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Ex-Officio Member) 
• Mr Ben Rimmer (Deputy Secretary, Department of Education, Ex-Officio Member)

“I commend the Federal Government's commitment to advancing tertiary education through this new committee; however, I am disappointed by the absence of regional expertise on the panel,” Professor Klomp expressed in an open letter published in the Courier Mail on Saturday.

“The establishment of a committee is undoubtedly a step forward in engaging with the higher education sector, however, the absence of voices representing regional universities and communities with current, lived experience and perspective is a critical oversight that cannot be ignored.”

Professor Klomp said that while he understood that the Committee could not be representative of every key group or peak body, the obvious omission of any regional voice, or Queensland one for that matter, was glaring and needed be addressed.

“Regional universities exist despite a long-held attitude of metropolitan institutions that country students should ‘just move’ to the city, as a rite of passage. Such an attitude - often supported by government policies or inaction -has been a source of anguish for regional leaders who have watched a young ‘brain drain’ disappear to cities,” he said.

“In 2024, amidst regional skills shortages, a cost-of-living crisis and bush-boom taking the regional population to 9.78 million^ (nearly 40 per cent of all Australians), that expectation is more than unreasonable. It’s laughable.” 

Professor Klomp said aspiring regional students, both school-leavers and mature-aged life-changers, needed flexible jobs, affordable living and community support systems to ensure their successes. 

“Regional universities understand the very real barriers faced by this determined cohort – which has the highest rates of low-socioeconomic, first-in-family, disadvantaged and Indigenous students in Australia. 

“And regional universities are uniquely placed to meet these students’ needs, and advocate for policy that will level the playing field for them to learn, graduate and thrive.” 

Professor Klomp said the omission of a contemporary regional voice, particularly in a committee that was tasked with shaping the legislative design of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission and new funding model, risked perpetuating the existing disparities in access to higher education between metropolitan and regional areas.

“The government's ambitious goal of 80 per cent of the workforce equipped with a vocational or university qualification by 2050 is commendable. But achieving this goal requires acknowledging and closing the clear city-country divide in post-school education,” he said. 

“Regional universities are not asking for special treatment; we are simply asking for a seat at the table, and opportunities to inform policy decisions that affect our institutions and the communities we serve. 

“I therefore urge the government to include expertise from regional universities and communities on the Implementation Advisory Committee. It is only through genuine collaboration and inclusive decision-making that we can create a higher education system that is truly equitable and accessible for all Australians, regardless of where they live.”

^ SOURCE: Budget must respond to regions’ growing population (regionalaustralia.org.au)