Opinion: Changes make uni more accessible for country kids

That was the message I heard loud and clear in the months immediately following my election to Parliament in 2010.

Country families from around my region – and across regional Australia – were telling MPs the changes made to independent youth allowance by the then-Labor Government were simply unfair and put country kids at a disadvantage.

My office was inundated with local stories. People told me this wherever I went. And I saw around the region the realities of Labor’s city-centric approach to education.

That was the message relayed from country people to their representatives in the Liberals and Nationals and we determined to take action when in Government to address the imbalance.

No matter the community, its size, its industries, its location – the message was simple: it should be easier for country students to get a good education. And of course I agree. In Australia in the 21st Century, your postcode should not determine your potential.

So the Liberals and Nationals not only listened. We acted.

We want to help build vibrant regional communities around Australia with opportunities for more jobs, a good lifestyle and the services you need available locally.

And we know those plans start with a quality local education.

So we called in the expert Emeritus Professor John Halsey to advise how we can put Australia’s 400,000 rural, regional and remote students on a fairer footing for their education.

It was a landmark review – and the recent Budget has delivered.

We are creating an extra 500 sub-Bachelor places at regionally-based higher education institutions, and an additional 500 Commonwealth-supported Bachelor places for students at the Regional Study Hubs we’re establishing and maintaining.

We are lifting the parental income cut-off for the “workforce participation” independence criteria for regional students from $150,000 to $160,000, and by a further $10,000 for each additional child in the family.

This will mean for a two-child family the cut-off will be $170,000, so students with both parents earning around $80,000 each from their jobs won’t miss out.

We have asked Australia’s higher education leaders to increase the transparency of the student accommodation options they offer and to guarantee places for regional, rural and remote students.

And we are boosting funding for skills training – especially for the trades training we need in rural and regional Australia – and Gonski2.0 will deliver the sector-specific, needs-based funding model which country communities deserve.

As The Nationals’ Leader I am passionate about a fair go for country students.

It is something I have worked closely on with many Liberal and Nationals colleagues – especially Education Minister Simon Birmingham and Deputy Nationals’ Leader Bridget McKenzie – over many years.

Thanks to calling in the experts, listening to local communities and managing the Budget in a responsible way, we have made the changes country communities need.

We share a vision for quality local education and a passion for local trades, university and job opportunities for rural and regional Australia.

It’s thanks to the feedback from around the regions that we have been able to deliver this boost – and I know country kids will make the most of it.

Michael McCormack is Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of The Nationals