This should be available without compromise due to money, distance or social status.
When it comes to opportunities for young adults beyond high school, however, I was concerned to learn that our higher education rates are in the bottom quartile for the state and similarly our tertiary degree attainment rates.
This is despite the fact we know that access to and attainment of higher education enhances prospects for both the individual and the community they live in.
Distances to travel and the rising cost of living make it incredibly difficult for many in our region to be able to attend a university and pursue their interest in higher education.
As a result, many simply give up as it is too hard, or they are forced to leave our towns to pursue, as was the case with myself.
Local access to higher education through a Country University Centre (CUC) can dramatically improve the current situation we face.
It can provide local and low cost access, flexible hours to fit with student demands, along with targeted academic support.
Imagine what benefits could accrue over time in relation to our current critical shortages in skills such as teachers and healthcare workers.
A Country University Centre for Deniliquin and Finley is not a ‘pipe dream’, but a real and tangible possibility.
They are already successfully established in Griffith, Leeton, Hay and Tumut, with positive take-up and demand.
What is needed is whole of community support and government funding.
The first of these has been significantly achieved by a hard-working committee, conceptually, financially and logistically.
More support would be welcomed, to make the CUC a reality and provide the access to higher education and continuous learning that our kids and community deserve.
However, the crucial missing link is necessary government support to provide the additional funding which would enable the CUC to proceed.
Coincidentally, the Albanese Government last month introduced legislation which it says is designed to expand access to university for regional and lower-socio economic students.
Commenting on the changes, former Labor leader and now vice chancellor of the University of Canberra Bill Shorten stated: “If we are serious about ensuring regional Australia has the teachers, nurses, and essential workers it needs, we must train people in the communities they will serve”.
He is correct.
The government could take a major step towards achieving this goal in our region by funding our Country University Centre.
Actions speak louder than words.
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