Qld universities left off National Tertiary Implementation Advisory Committee

Queensland universities, and regional university leaders more broadly, have been left off a newly-formed tertiary advisory committee, in what has been described as a “critical oversight”.

Queensland universities have been left off a newly-formed national tertiary advisory committee, in what has been described as a “critical oversight”.

CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Klomp slammed the advisory committee appointments, which were announced this week, saying not only is there no Queensland representation but also no regional universities have been included.

Professor Klomp said lofty targets set for the tertiary training industry are “laughable” if the federal government does not include regional universities as part of the solution and that

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare needs to “give regional universities a seat at the table”.

The Implementation Advisory Committee (IAC), formed with the purpose of informing the design of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission and the new tertiary student managed growth funding system, will be chaired by Department of Education national secretary Tony Cook.

CQUni Vice Chancellor Professor Nick Klomp.

Other committee members include current or former high-ranking staff from the Department of Education, University of South Australia, University of New South Wales, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Canberra, and Western Sydney University.

The only Queensland connection The Courier-Mail was able to find for any of the newly-appointed committee members was TAFE Directors Australia chief executive Jenny Dodd, who previously worked as TAFE Queensland’s Gold Coast general manager.

In an exclusive op-ed, Professor Klomp commended the commitment to advancing tertiary education, but was “disappointed by the absence of regional expertise”.

“The establishment of a committee is undoubtedly a step forward in engaging with the higher education sector … [with] a number of prominent figures such as fellow university Vice-Chancellors and senior government officials,” he wrote.

“However, the absence of voices representing regional universities and communities with current, lived experience and perspective is a critical oversight that cannot be ignored.

“While I understand that the Committee cannot be representative of every key group or peak body, the obvious omission of any regional voice, or Queensland one for that matter, is glaring and needs to be addressed.

“The omission of a contemporary regional voice … risks perpetuating the existing disparities in access to higher education between metropolitan and regional areas.”

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Oldman

Professor Klomp said regional universities continued to battle the existing longstanding attitude that country students “should just move to the city”.

“Such an attitude – often supported by government policies or inaction – has been a source of anguish for regional leaders who have watched a young ‘brain drain’ disappear to cities,” he wrote.

“The government’s ambitious goal of 80 per cent of the workforce equipped with a vocational or university qualification by 2050 is commendable. But achieving this goal requires acknowledging and closing the clear city-country divide in post-school education.

“In 2024, amidst regional skills shortages, a cost-of-living crisis, and bush-boom taking the regional population to 9.78 million (nearly 40 per cent of all Australians), that expectation is more than unreasonable. It’s laughable.

“Aspiring regional students, both school-leavers and mature-aged life-changers, need flexible jobs, affordable living, and community support systems to ensure they succeed.

“Regional universities understand the very real barriers faced by this determined cohort – which has the highest rates of low-socioeconomic, first-in-family, disadvantaged and Indigenous students in Australia.

“Regional universities are not asking for special treatment; we are simply asking for a seat at the table, and opportunities to inform policy decisions that affect our institutions and the communities we serve.”

TAFE Directors Australia CEO Jenny Dodd.

A Federal Department of Education spokeswoman said the government will be conducting a range of consultation and engagements with the tertiary sector.

“The IAC will engage with and represent the views of the sector and wider community, on the implementation issues of the 2024-25 Budget response to the Accord and design of legislation,” she said.

“The Government will consult with targeted stakeholder groups that are the focus of the equity reforms at the centre of the Accord, including regional and remote perspectives, First Nations representatives and Coalition of Peaks, and people living with disability.”

National Tertiary Implementation Advisory Committee:

Tony Cook PSM (Department of Education, Secretary)

Professor David Lloyd (University of South Australia, Vice-Chancellor)

Professor the Hon Verity Firth AM (University of New South Wales, Vice-President) Professor Stephen Duckett AM (University of Melbourne, Honorary Enterprise Professor)

Professor Julia Horne (University of Sydney, Senior Research Fellow)

Professor Tom Calma AO (Kungarakan Elder, 2023 Senior Australian of the Year, former University of Canberra Chancellor)

Professor Barney Glover AO (Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia, former Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor)

Ms Jenny Dodd (TAFE Directors Australia, Chief Executive Officer)

Ms Natalie James (Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Secretary)

Mr Ben Rimmer (Department of Education, Deputy Secretary)

Originally published as Qld universities left off National Tertiary Implementation Advisory Committee