What state do you live in? Impacts of state/territory differences on the higher education participation of Australian regional students
Dr Cathy Stone, University of Newcastle Professor Sharron King, University of South Australia
It is now well known that Australian regional, rural and remote (RRR) students are transitioning from school to university at lower rates than students in metropolitan areas. What is less well understood is how students’ attitudes and decisions about progressing to higher education (HE) may be shaped by the Australian state or territory in which they live. Recent research compares findings from a 2015 study conducted in New South Wales (NSW) with those from a 2021 South Australian (SA) study. That research concludes that geographic, demographic, and educational infrastructure differences between states and territories have the power to influence students’ opportunities, choices and decisions about their post-school options.
Of particular note is the impact of proximity to a campus. For the SA students, the absence of regional universities within the state, plus the limited course offerings at the very few local campuses available, meant that students perceived little choice but to leave their local region if they wished to go to university. With far more local government areas in SA classed as ‘outer regional’ and ‘remote’ than those in NSW, the greater geographic distances and lower density of population across SA’s extensive regional areas have largely confined HE infrastructure to the capital city. In contrast, NSW has several large regional universities which also operate smaller regional campuses across many other parts of the state. This means that the NSW students mostly had the choice to stay relatively close to home for university if they wished. With cost being a determining factor for many of the students in both studies, and particularly for those from lower-income families, the lack of access to a university near their home exacerbated the challenges for the SA students and their families, financially, emotionally, and psychologically.
Another difference emerged from student focus group data, which revealed that, in contrast with the NSW data, boys at SA schools appeared to be under more pressure than girls to ‘stay local’ through undertaking a trade, finding local employment, or working on a family farm, rather than going to university. Interestingly, considerably fewer SA students (9%) reported having fathers with bachelor degrees than did the NSW students (28%). The proportion of students who reported having mothers with university degrees was higher in both states, at 25% (SA) and 38% (NSW). The limited course offerings at the few small regional campuses in SA appeared to exacerbate this gender difference, with boys often perceiving the available courses, such as nursing and teaching, as being ‘for girls’.
Overall, the findings from these two studies indicate that, for states such as SA, the compounding effects of low incomes, large distances between regional and metropolitan centres, and a scarcity of HE infrastructure outside the capital city, lead to different and more pressing challenges than for states such as NSW, with its higher population and incomes, fewer remote and outer regional areas, and a strong university presence outside the capital city area.
These findings have implications for Australian states and territories with similar geography and demography, such as Western Australia (WA) and the Northern Territory (NT), both of which also have large areas of remoteness, vast distances between communities, smaller populations concentrated in capital cities, and a lack of infrastructure in remote and outer regional locations.
Our research argues for a more nuanced national response to equity of access for RRR students; one that considers the various factors within each Australian state or territory that may compound the complexity for RRR students as they consider their post-school education options. As part of this complex national puzzle, there is growing evidence of the contribution of Regional University Centres (RUCs, now renamed Regional University Study Hubs (RUSHs)) towards improving RRR student equity. Within this context, it is encouraging to see the priority commitment in the July Universities Accord Interim Report to immediately allocate $67 million for the funding of 20 additional RUCs/RUSHs and the development of a further 14 suburban/metropolitan study hubs. Hopefully, the implementation of this commitment will also take into account the particular needs and challenges of each state and territory.
Dr Cathy Stone is a Conjoint Associate Professor, University of Newcastle and 2016 Equity Fellow, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), Curtin University, Australia.
Professor Sharron King is the Dean of Programs (UniSA College) Education Futures at the University of South Australia