LABOR RAISES THE STAKES ON INDIGENOUS HIGHER EDUCATION
17 September 2004
The Indigenous policy launched by Labor this week significantly raises the stakes on the Coalition in terms of improving outcomes for Indigenous people in a number of areas, including their participation in our higher education system, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said on Friday.
“Indigenous Australian students continue to be seriously under-represented in our public university system,” said Joel Wright, NTEU Indigenous Officer.
“A wide range of factors work against increasing Indigenous peoples’ participation in higher education, including racism in universities, inappropriate curriculum, a lack of Indigenous staff and support structures for students, and high levels of poverty.”
“While the Coalition have strengthened its equity policy in relation to Indigenous access to and participation in our public universities, Labor’s policy more fully recognises the socio-economic factors contributing to this inequity and provides measures substantially above those provided by the Coalition.”
“Areas of Labor’s policy that the NTEU welcomes include the allocation of $30.5 million over the next four years for Indigenous Support Funding to public universities, a substantial increase on that promised by the Coalition, and the creation of 600 scholarships worth $10,000 over three years from 2005.”
“Although the NTEU is on record as supporting the Coalition’s new commonwealth scholarship scheme for students from rural, regional and Indigenous backgrounds and its exemption from income testing, we have also stressed that the relatively small amount of funding attached to these scholarships will do little to defray the broader costs of undertaking a higher education degree.”
“Labor’s policy of establishing a well funded scholarship scheme aimed specifically at potential Indigenous students, while not the complete answer, is a better solution.”
“The NTEU also applauds Labor's bi-partisan support for the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council, and notes that Labor will provide greater funding to support its work.”
“Both the Coalition and ALP packages contain no specific initiatives to increase Indigenous staffing at our universities, but it is the NTEU’s understanding that Labor will introduce these in consultation with the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council,” said Wright.
For information and comment:
Joel Wright - NTEU Indigenous Officer – (03) 9254 1910