Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to report that Australian universities are welcoming a new generation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are the first members in their family to attend university. This is an achievement which is a direct result of the government's major reforms. New analysis by my department shows that applications by students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Australia are up strongly since 2009. Between 2009 and 2011 there has been a 12.7 per cent increase in the number of applications by low socioeconomic status students. That growth exceeds that of people from medium and high SES backgrounds. In this year's budget, the government is providing $708 million over four years to assist universities to attract, support and retain students from disadvantaged backgrounds. So the reforms are working and more kids from low-income back­grounds are getting the chance to go to university.