Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party, Minister for Decentralisation and Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

It's a rugby analogy. Infrastructure investments, guaranteeing essential services and delivering educational opportunities. They are the hallmarks of this budget. I know it's lost on the other side. Building our capability as a nation is the cornerstone of our economic prosperity, and we know that rests with education. Our government believes that every Australian should have access to a world-class education, and we on this side of the House are particularly passionate about ensuring that country people achieve the same level of education as their city counterparts, that they have the same level of opportunity and educational opportunity as those in the cities.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the government response to the National Regional, Rural and Remote Education Strategy, or the Napthine review as most people know it. The government accepted all the recommendations of that report and committed over $400 million over four years through the more opportunities for regional Australia measures of the job-ready graduates reforms. These measures commenced in January 2021. Some of the highlights over the forward estimates include $177.8 million for the tertiary access payment, which defrays some of the cost of tertiary education for outer regional and remote students through payments of $5,000 for tertiary students; $146 million to increase Commonwealth Grant Scheme funding for regional campuses by 3.5 per cent per annum; $48.8 million to enhance the research collaboration capacity of regional universities; and $21 million to establish up to eight additional regional university centres across regional and remote Australia and to strengthen the existing program.

There is $17.1 million for demand-driven Commonwealth supported university places for 1,700 Indigenous students from regional and remote areas; the introduction of the Indigenous, Regional and Low SES Attainment Fund, which includes the expansion of the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program, to allow universities to provide additional support to students from regional and remote backgrounds; and a new regional partnerships project pool worth $7.1 million for universities and regional university centres to undertake outreach activities in country areas.

Those initiatives are why our regional universities all backed in the job-ready graduates reforms. We consulted the sector, we listened to the sector and the country universities backed in these game-changing initiatives. Our government has laid out its plan to close the educational gap between regional students and their city based cousins. We're creating more university places for Australian students, with more support for regional students and universities. We're focused on stronger relationships between higher education and industry and less expensive degrees in areas of expected job growth, including the community health disciplines, Deputy Speaker Gillespie—I know that's something very close to your heart. The government is investing a record amount in our primary and secondary schools, as the minister has just outlined. On average, funding per student in regional, rural and remote Australia will grow by 3.8 per cent per year through to 2029, and 2021 sees the start of the $7.5 million Future Leaders Program pilot, which supports high-achieving teachers to become school leaders in rural, remote or disadvantaged schools.

I'm immensely proud of this budget. It's an excellent budget, which delivers for Australians and continues our determination to place regional Australia at the heart of our economic recovery. Make no mistake: our regions are driving this recovery. They are strong and they are vibrant, and we are seeing people move to the regions in record numbers. Last year there was a net gain of 43,000 people moving to the regions from the cities. This budget will help sustain regional communities, create jobs and grow key regional industries.

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