National Union of Students

The Government announced an extra $1 billion dollars today for the Higher Education Endowment Fund as well as $23 million dollars for the implementation of RQF.  Students welcomed the additional funding for capital works, buildings and for the implementation of the government’s Research Quality Framework but were critical of the funding priorities. On the Buildings and Infrastructure fund (HEEF)
 
The National Union of Students while welcoming the additional funding called on the government to re-prioritise access as an issue and look at ways of ensuring that students still have access universities regardless of their family’s wealth.
 
National President, Mr Michael Nguyen said, “The priority shouldn’t be to build new buildings if students can’t even get access to them.”
 
“The government has to start re-visiting the issue of access and fixing the inadequate level of student income support and ensuring that students who get the marks aren’t beaten into university by students who have the cash,” Mr Nguyen said.
 
Mr Nguyen said, “its good to see that the government is listening to Universities and providing additional money for the buildings fund.  It will take a long time for the fund to make a dent on the current back log of capital works so the faster the government puts money into the fund, the quicker infrastructure can be built.”
 
On the Research Quality Framework
 
Mr Nguyen said, “The funding for the implementation of the research quality framework is needed for universities to be able to implement the government’s research quality framework.”
 
“It’s a shame that more funding couldn’t go into ensuring that students from all backgrounds regardless of family wealth could get into university, instead of into the implementation of a framework that has already been tried and rejected in other countries,” Mr Nguyen said.

 
For media comment contact Michael Nguyen 0411 606 808