Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last week, the minister for education announced the sites for the government's suburban university study hubs. The hubs are a great way for people to access and study a wide range of tertiary courses across Australia without having to leave their communities. It's fantastic news that one of the sites will be in Broadmeadows, in my electorate of Calwell, which will form part of La Trobe University's northern suburbs study hub. Our local students, especially from disadvantaged communities, who live greater distances away from major university campuses will now have the opportunity to participate and succeed in higher education.

The bid for Broadmeadows, involving extensive community consultation led by La Trobe University in collaboration with our local Kangan TAFE, Hume City Council and other local partners, committed to addressing the need for dedicated study facilities and wrap-around support in Melbourne's north. La Trobe University's vice-chancellor, Professor Theo Farrell, said:

If we are to succeed in doubling higher education participation and attainment by 2050, as outlined in the Universities Accord, we would require both a significant effort and a generational change. The northern suburbs study hub will be important to help achieve that goal. By providing access to resources beyond ordinary business hours and fostering an environment of academic support, our ambition is for the hub to play a crucial role in building readiness and aspiration for tertiary-level study and to help meet critical skill needs in the areas

The Broadmeadows hub will be located on the ground floor of the Hume City Council building. It's close to public transport, located just minutes away from the Broadmeadows train station, with bus connectivity, and sits within the major council services and shopping precinct. Figures from the 2021 census on LGA boundaries show that in the city of Hume, the attainment rates for bachelor or higher degrees sit at about 33.2 per cent for 25- to 34-year-olds and only 22.2 per cent for 15- to 64-year-olds.

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Our community has much lower tertiary education participation, and we need to make every effort to improve this. Evidence shows that where there are university study hubs university participation goes up. As Melbourne's outer north is forecast to grow by an additional 102,000 homes by 2050, and that's about 318,850 people, better access to higher education will be vital to ensuring that our students have access to and that universities can better provide educational opportunities that meet the skills and training needs.

I want to thank Minister Jason Clare for his passion for education. His commitment to everyone getting a fair go regardless of post code will see my community benefit from the opportunities that will now be afforded to them.

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