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Archived PublicationsFact Sheet (for latest Fact Sheets please go to Fact Sheets 2004)2. Commonwealth Grant Scheme – National Priority AreasAdditional support will be provided for areas identified by the Commonwealth as National Priorities. This will allow the Commonwealth to respond to current and emerging national needs, such as shortages in particular areas of the labour market and the education of students from low income backgrounds and Indigenous students. The Commonwealth will review national priorities periodically. Teaching and nursing have been identified as initial key areas of National Priority, to ensure an adequate supply of high quality graduates for Australia’s schools and hospitals. The Commonwealth will use a range of measures to address identified higher education National Priorities, including:
Increased Commonwealth course contributionsThe National Review of Nursing Education brought down its recommendations in 2002, and the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education will issue a final report in mid-2003. Findings from both reviews suggest a need for further support for institutions offering courses in these areas. The Commonwealth will therefore increase its contribution to institutions offering teaching and nursing courses. The additional funding will be required to be directed towards the costs associated with clinical practice in nursing and the teaching practicum. Additional Commonwealth funding for existing nursing places will begin in 2004 and over four years will result in an increase of $40.4 million. The increase in Commonwealth funding for existing teaching places will begin in 2005 with an additional $81.4 million being invested in teaching places over three years. Lower maximum fee levelsThe new ‘National Priorities’ student contribution band will be used to attract students to courses that are a national priority for the Government. Commencing from 2005, this band will initially apply to the designated priority areas of nursing and teaching. The maximum student contribution payable for these disciplines will be set as if the current HECS schedule continued to apply to those disciplines. Fees for students in Commonwealth supported places in the areas of teaching and nursing will not increase and may in fact go down at some institutions. The student contribution range will be $0-$3,854. The disciplines covered by the ‘National Priorities’ student contribution band may change as national needs and priorities change. Additional placesThere is a pressing need to respond to the current shortage of working nurses due largely to the high attrition rate of nurses from the workforce, coupled with increasing demand for nursing places. The Commonwealth notes that the Review of Nursing Education emphasised the need for improved conditions and remuneration in order to improve retention in the nursing profession. In large part it is the responsibility of State and Territory governments to ensure that nursing graduates remain in the system. In the expectation that the States and Territories will accept their responsibility in this regard, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 210 nursing places in regional campuses, rising to 574 places by 2007 as students continue their courses, at a cost of $17.1 million over four years, to assist in addressing the nursing shortage. Further places will be made available across the sector in 2007, which institutions may use for the delivery of teaching and nursing should demand exist. Places in private higher education institutionsThe Commonwealth currently supports students in a number of private higher education institutions. Not all of these places are in areas of National Priority and, given the need to maximise the effectiveness of Commonwealth funding, this assistance will be rationalised. The Commonwealth will set aside up to 1,400 Commonwealth supported places for allocation to private higher education institutions. These 1,400 places will include the 655 Commonwealth supported places currently provided by Avondale College (teaching) and University of Notre Dame Australia (teaching, ICT and places occupied by Indigenous students at the Broome campus). The remaining 745 places, which will provide an additional $22.1 million to the higher education sector, will be allocated from 2005 on the basis of the Commonwealth’s assessment of needs and priorities, in consultation with States and Territories. The reforms outlined in this Fact Sheet are subject to the passage of Commonwealth legislation. Full implementation details for the reforms will be provided over the coming months. Contact DetailsMedia inquiries:
Other inquiries:
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Any comments or
queries should be sent to:
highered@dest.gov.au
Department of Education, Science and Training
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