“I want to warmly congratulate all those VCE students living in Calwell who successfully gained entry into university during first round offers earlier this week” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“Both their families and the local community are no doubt very proud of their achievements.”
“For those who were not offered a place at university, it is important to explore all the other options open to them, and to not lose hope. Where there’s a will, there is always a way.”
“The statistics for university first round offers this year are alarming. The fact that one in three young Victorian’s will miss out on a university place this year is not only unacceptable, it is also indicative of the Howard government’s failure to adequately invest in higher education in Australia.”
“Today, more and more jobs require some sort of university qualification. This means that 20,000 young Victorians now face the difficult prospect of finding work in a job market where the range of job opportunities open to them has rapidly shrunk” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“Responsibility for funding additional university places overwhelmingly falls on the shoulders of the federal government, not state governments.”
“Given that Australia continues to face a much publicised skills crisis, especially in the areas of science and engineering, increasing the number of government funded university places available to young Australians should be one of our highest priorities. Until then, Australia will continue to suffer from a shortage of skilled labour.”
“What we see today is an absurd situation where one in three young Victorians are being denied a university education at the very same time that Australian universities are unable to produce enough skilled graduates to meet the demands of Australia’s changing economy.”
“In areas of acute shortage like nursing and teaching, close to a half of all students who applied for entry to study either nursing or teaching will miss out on a place at university. Statistically, that’s about 2500 students.”
“Unlike the Howard government, every Victorian knows that we cannot afford to lose what are potentially 2500 new nurses and teachers in this state.”
“A decade of neglect by the Howard government when it comes to tertiary education in Australia continues to short change many young Australians, the majority of who have every right to feel aggrieved.”
“With demand for university places far outstripping the number of government funded places actually available, young people are being short changed when on the one hand, they are being told to work hard, but on the other, we are failing to reward them when they do.”
“On top of this, those who do get into university now face higher HECS fees for university courses. In the area of science for example, HECS charges for a basic science degree have increased from $3000 a year to around $7000 a year as a result of the Howard government’s legislation.”
“Our young people now face the double burden of having to cope with a shortage of government funded university places, coupled with higher HECS fees that leave those at the lower end of the economic spectrum at a particular disadvantage” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“The irony is that many who support increased HECS fees in the government ranks, are themselves beneficiaries of a free university education.”
“We need to put money back into tertiary education in Australia, and to simultaneously lower university HECS fees so that every young Australian has a shot at building a brighter future for themselves if they are prepared to work hard.”
“A Federal Labor government is committed to doing both.”
“By failing to invest in higher education, the Howard government is failing to invest in our children’s future.”
Contact: Alex Kouttab 0417 541 465
