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Fact SheetUpdate March 20042. Commonwealth Grant Scheme – National Priority AreasAdditional support will be provided for areas identified by the Australian Government as National Priorities. This will allow the Australian Government 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 Australian Government 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 Australian Government will use a range of measures to address identified higher education National Priorities, including: increases to Commonwealth course contributions; setting of lower student contribution ranges; provision of additional places in public higher education providers; and provision of places in private higher education providers. Increased Commonwealth course contributionsThe National Review of Nursing Education brought down its recommendations in 2002, and the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education issued a final report in October 2003. Findings from both reviews suggested a need for further support for higher education providers offering courses in these areas. The Australian Government will therefore increase its contribution to higher education providers 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 Australian Government funding for existing nursing places began in 2004 and will result in an increase of $40 million over four years ($51 million over five years). The increase in Australian Government funding for existing teaching places will begin in 2005 with an additional $81 million being invested in teaching places over four years ($109 over five 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 higher education providers. The student contribution range for 2005 will be $0-$3,840. 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 Australian Government 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 Australian Government 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 million over four years ($23 million over five years), to assist in addressing the nursing shortage. There will be a further opportunity for places to be directed toward the national priority areas of teaching and nursing from the allocation of the 9,100 new Commonwealth supported places which will become available in 2005. The Department has consulted with the State and Territory Governments about the criteria to be used for the allocation of these places to higher education providers. Places in private higher education institutionsThe Australian Government 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 Australian Government funding, this assistance will be rationalised. The Australian Government will set aside up to 1,400 Commonwealth supported places for allocation to private higher education institutions in national priority areas. 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 million to the higher education sector over four years ($30 million over five years), will be allocated from 2005 on the basis of the Australian Government’s assessment of needs and priorities in national priority areas, in consultation with States and Territories. Contact DetailsMedia inquiries:Virginia Cook Other inquiries:Susan Bennett Email: Backing Australia's Future
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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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