Victorian universities lobby federal government for more investment in regional campuses

Victorian universities say regional students are being disadvantaged by a lack of federal government funding allocated towards rural campuses.

Graduates from Federation University’s Churchill campus. The university has called for more funding towards its Gippsland campus ahead of the Federal election. Picture: Jack Colantuono

Victorian universities say country towns are losing out on talented students who are overlooking regional campuses in exchange for better facilities in larger cities.

Federation University and La Trobe released bold federal election wishlists, with both schools asking for more investment towards their respective regional campuses to retain students from rural towns.

It comes after the federal government set a target last year to have 80 per cent of Australia’s workforce hold a university or TAFE qualification by 2050.

According to demographers Informed Decisions only 18 per cent of regional Victorians had a Bachelor Degree or higher, with about 50 per cent having tertiary level qualifications.

A University of Melbourne paper released in 2020 found Bendigo had the highest percentage of residents with university level qualification outside Melbourne with 17.5 per cent.

Federation University Churchill campus vice-chancellor Duncan Bentley said country towns were “lagging behind” due to regional campuses not being able to compete with their city counterparts when it came to facilities.

“If students leave for better facilities elsewhere, talent drains away, weakening communities and contributing to future skills shortages,” he said.

“For people in regional areas to see their local university as a worthy education option, those institutions need to offer the same modern, fit-for-purpose facilities and learning environments as the big city unis.”

Federation University Churchill vice-chancellor professor Duncan Bentley says country towns are lagging behind due to a lack of adequate facilities at regional university campuses Picture: Supplied

Federation University has campuses in Ararat, Ballarat, Berwick, Horsham and Churchill in Gippsland.

Among the university’s election wishlist was $38m for the Churchill campus for its infrastructure, education and health schools.

Mr Bentley said the university had also called for a $3.9m investment to boost the campus’ Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre which opened last year.

“Gippsland is at the forefront of Australia’s renewable energy transition, yet the workforce challenges we face are undeniable with a predicted surge in demand for engineers, technicians, and project managers in renewable energy,” he said.

Federation University also lobbied for $48m towards building an education and skills centre in Ballarat’s CBD which would shift 3000 students from its Mt Helen campus to the city centre where they would collaborate with local businesses.

Likewise La Trobe has asked the Commonwealth for $23m to expand its rural medical pathway which produced locally trained doctors in northern and western Victoria.

It comes as medical vacancies in the Wimmera and Western Victoria surged by 520 per cent between 2017 and 2022.

“The persistent shortages of healthcare professionals in these areas reinforce the necessity of expanding medical training programs to meet both current and future needs,” the university said in its funding push.

La Trobe University has asked for more federal investment towards its regional campuses Picture: Zizi Averill

A La Trobe spokeswoman said more federal money was allocated towards sending Melbourne dental students from La Trobe to rural towns for placements than to students studying out of the Bendigo campus.

“Currently, dental students based in Melbourne attract more federal funding for rural placements than dental students studying from our Bendigo campus, despite the significant dental and oral health needs in rural and regional communities,” she said.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the government had to “break down the invisible barrier” that stopped regional students from going to university.

“I want more young people to get a crack at going to university and we know that postcode can be a barrier for young people getting that chance,” he said.

The Liberal Party was contacted for comment.