Independent Senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie has promised to work closely with
UTAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Rathjen to help fix the crisis regarding course
availability for North and North West university students – and invites feedback from
any Tasmanian family, business or even sporting group who have been affected by
the “brain drain” to Hobart.

“It’s come to my attention that many local students from the North and North-West of Tasmania
are being forced to move South and attend the Hobart campus of UTAS because of lack of course
availability.

This is a serious problem which I’ve recently raised with Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Rathjen.
Professor Rathjen has promised to investigate the matter and provide me with a report on the
number of students and their families from North and North-West Tasmania who are affected.
In the 21st century, with NBN, the Communications Revolution, remote learning via computers,
high-tech immersion classrooms – which in theory allow teaching from the other side of the world
in real time – there should be no reason why our North and North-West Tasmanian students are
forced to live in Hobart in order to access courses available at UTAS.

I can understand why there are special teaching facilities located in Hobart for students studying
certain courses like Medicine and Antarctic research, etc. however I’ve been made aware of a
number of Law students in the North of Tasmania who have been forced to access online courses
from mainland universities, because UTAS Law School refuses to allow online teaching, after the
first year of study.

I’m reliably informed that students studying a wide range of other university subjects are facing
the same difficulties. I find it unacceptable that a third year North Tasmanian Law student has to
study on-line with a mainland university, because remote access is not available with UTAS in
Hobart.

Who would have thought in the 21st century, that access to higher education and academic
support in Melbourne, across 370 kilometres of Bass Strait, for a Burnie university student is easier
than accessing the same information and support from the UTAS Hobart campus?

It appears that UTAS has failed to keep up with the technical revolution and advances in online
learning when compared to mainland universities. This is of great concern to me. Students at
Burnie and Launceston campuses of UTAS should not be funnelled to Hobart – especially not after
the Federal Government, with a little bit of help from myself and others in Parliament, have
announced a $150 million investment in UTAS.

With this money, our North and North-West students should be provided with the best remote
learning facilities in the world and the Northern economy of Tasmania should not be forced to
suffer the detrimental effects of the brain drain to Hobart.

I understand the problems facing Professor Rathjen, who is working very hard to bring UTAS
kicking and screaming into the 21st century, but this lack of regard by some academics for regional
and rural Tasmanians has to stop. There is a big and deserving world outside the Hobart bubble.

Student completion rates have been adversely impacted by old, 20th century practices at UTAS.
North and North-West Tasmanian families are struggling to pay rent and other living costs for their
children – forced to live in Hobart, and our local regional businesses and community organisations
such as sporting groups have also been hit by this deliberately manufactured brain drain to
Hobart.

There’s plenty of academic work that proves keeping families together as long as possible
improves social networks and all family members’ health and well-being. UTAS’s antiquated
course delivery should not be the reason why North and North-West Tasmanian families are
forced to split up and suffer extra financial burdens.

My team and I are going to work closely with UTAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Rathjen to fix
this problem. I invite feedback from any Tasmanian family, business or even sporting group who
have been affected by this unfair and puzzling UTAS course availability crisis.” Said Senator
Lambie.
Rob Messenger for Senator Jacqui Lambie Senator for Tasmania