Jeremy Rockliff: Government to raise concerns over impact of university reforms on UTAS

The State Government has been working very closely with the University of Tasmania to understand the potential impact of the Federal Government’s higher education reforms since they were announced in the Federal Budget.

I met with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Peter Rathjen, again yesterday to receive an update.

I have today written to the Federal Minister to raise this Government’s concerns.

We are mindful that, unlike other states, we have a single higher education provider that, appropriately, seeks to provide a breadth of study that would otherwise not be available in Tasmania.

We believe that Tasmanians deserve a world-class university, offering a broad curriculum and academic programs, and UTAS certainly fits that bill.

UTAS is playing a critical role in helping Tasmanians, particularly those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and from our regions, to gain the education they need to contribute to the long-term future of our state.

UTAS currently cross subsidises to provide services across a range of important course and research areas; and to regional campuses like the North and the North-West Coast. This cross subsidisation also enables it to run programs specifically targeting increasing access for students with low socio-economic backgrounds.

While we understand the Federal Government is responding to a $2.1 Billion mess left to it by Labor, we need the Federal Minister to understand the importance of UTAS to Tasmania.

As always, we will work constructively and cooperatively with UTAS and the Federal Government to get the best outcomes for our state.
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Education and Training