NTEU Briefing on Indigenous Initiatives in the Higher Education Budget Package
May 15 2003
The Federal Minister for Education Science and Training, Dr Brendan Nelson has announced several Indigenous specific initiatives as part of the Higher Education package in the 2003 Budget. These initiatives are based on the 4 key recommendations put forward by the NTEU in its Indigenous supplementary submission to the Crossroads review in 2002 which included;
1. Increases to Indigenous Support Funding (ISF)
2. Establishment of an Indigenous Higher Education
Council
3. Increased Indigenous employment programs
4. Development of a holistic Indigenous Education and
Employment policy.
At the Department of Education Science & Training pre-budget briefing last Tuesday, the Minister spoke to the following initiatives in response to submissions received as part of the Crossroads review and which were announced as part of the 2003 Budget Higher Education package.
Indigenous Support Funding (ISF)
As a result of Indigenous support funding levels remaining static since 1996, the Minister agreed to a 10.4 million dollar increase over three years to the ISF base funding of 24.8 million dollars, of which the extra ISF is contingent on each institution having adopted an Indigenous Advisory Committee, Employment Strategy and evidence of increased Indigenous student participation.
This represents an average yearly increase of 3.6 million dollars over the next triennium, and raises the question; will the 30% increases to student fees over all ultimately usurp any additional benefit from the extra ISF?
Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC)
In addition the Minister announced the establishment of the Ministerial Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council who will advise the Minister and DEST. The Council will also,
- Make recommendations to the Minister for awards under the Indigenous staff scholarship programme
- Develop strategies for increasing the number of Indigenous staff employed in higher education
- Convene an annual Indigenous Higher Education Conference, which will include, discussion on research developments and policy directions, sector/institutional achievements, successful innovations and best practice measures and the presentation of the Neville Bonner Scholarship and the Indigenous Staff Scholarships.
The NTEU saw the establishment of this council and its Indigenous member composition as critical to the ongoing review and reform of Indigenous higher education programs. In our Crossroad submission the NTEU called for this council to be totally Indigenous with representatives from all the Universities, other higher education groups including the AV-CC, higher education associations and the NTEU. Our concerns are that the Minister has provided no detail as to how this council will be established and more importantly who will be eligible to be a member.
Indigenous Staff Scholarships
Five national scholarships will be awarded each year from 2004, each providing around $10,400 to cover tuition fees for a year, and a non-taxable stipend of $20,900. The scholarships will be determined by the Minister following advice from the new Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council and will prioritise Indigenous academic or general staff undertaking postgraduate awards.
Indigenous Academic and General staff in higher education comprise 0.7% of all staff which represents 1.5% below the equity reference value for Indigenous Australians (2.2%). To increase Indigenous employment to the equity ratio would require an additional 1,176 positions equivalent to an Academic level B as an average. These staffing scholarships will do little, if anything, to reverse the disproportionate under representation of Indigenous staff in higher education. We expect support from the Minister in the future to address this central issue critical to improving Indigenous representation in higher education.
Commonwealth Learning Scholarships Programme (CLSP)
The CLSP will be introduced from 2004 to assist rural and regional, low socio-economic status (SES) and Indigenous students with costs associated with higher education. There will be two scholarships, one for Education costs and one for accommodation costs and will be merit based and non-repayable to be determined and allocated by the institutions.
Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarships (CECS)
$2000 per year for up to 4 years for full time undergraduate students.
2,500 places in 2004 and 5,075 in 2007.
Commonwealth Accommodation Costs Scholarships (CAS)
$4000 per year for up to 4 years for full time undergraduate students.
1,500 places in 2004 and 2,030 in 2007.
These scholarships if applied equally across all four targeted student groups should provide some badly needed relief to Indigenous students. They also pose the question of how they will be monitored to ensure Indigenous students are allocated their fair share of these scholarships, especially now when competition for these is much greater due to the across the board increases to student fees.
NTEU National President Dr Carolyn Allport said, “Overall it is important to balance the positive initiatives in the higher education package against the significant downside for students who are facing increasing fees and staff who face an industrial attack from the Government.”
NTEU Indigenous Officer Joel Wright said, “The Union commends the Indigenous specific initiatives contained in the package, but agrees with Minister Nelson’s own labelling of these Indigenous measures as, ‘superficial by definition’.” “No doubt the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council once established later this year, will be voicing its concerns with the package to the Minister, as will the NTEU.
FOR MORE INFORMATION and COMMENT:
Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU National President, ph 0419 349064, nteunat@nteu.org.au
Joel Wright, NTEU Indigenous Officer, 0408 525492, jwright@nteu.org.au