Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Ian Goulter, congratulated The Hon. Ms Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia, on her election and has committed to working closely with the Government to support a new policy approach that will lead to long term growth and development in rural and regional Australia.

 

“Charles Sturt University has had a good and constructive relationship with the Government, and with the Prime Minister in particular during her time as Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations,” Professor Goulter said.

 

“The Prime Minister was a strong advocate during her time as Minister for Education for the development of higher education in rural and regional areas.

 

“In the 2009 Budget statement it was argued strongly that students who are educated in the bush are more likely to return to the bush once they graduate.

 

"This may appear to be commonsense to everyone in the bush, but it has been a long time since we have had someone in such a senior position who not only says it, but has acted on it.

 

“This is not a Prime Minister, in my view, that is a recent convert to the need for serious reform in the way that Government supports the needs and aspirations of rural and regional Australia.”

 

Professor Goulter explained that while Ms Gillard was Minister for Education, Charles Sturt University received $34 million for its National Life Sciences Hub in Wagga Wagga; $2 million for the Regional Inter-Professional Clinical Simulation Centre in Bathurst; and more than $10 million under the Better Universities Renewal Fund for the construction of a new physiotherapy and rehabilitation science program in Orange.

 

“She provided major funding in 2009 to support an independent study into the higher education needs of rural and regional Australia,” he said

 

“The Government appointed Charles Sturt University, a rurally-based university, to lead the drafting of the national Early Learning Years Framework because it recognised that excellence is not just found in our metropolitan universities.

 

“The renewed focus on rural and regional Australia, with the formation of an inclusive Government with the Country Independents and the Greens, is timely and important.

 

“The Rural Doctors Association has estimated that we need 1800 more rural doctors in Australia to meet current demand. The National Health Workforce Taskforce has found that Australia needs to immediately increase the number of medical student places by 356 to meet current and future demand by 2025.

 

“Rural paramedic services are also experiencing serious shortages, as are a range of other rural health professions.

 

“The important investment made by the Government to improve quality in early childhood and school education requires an ongoing commitment to new research and policy, particularly if we are to address the severe inequities in outcomes for rural and Indigenous students.

 

“The Government will need to tackle new ways to improve the accessibility of higher education to geographically dispersed communities. The current system of higher education in regional Australia was designed in the 1950s and 1980s. It does not reflect the population realities of today.”

 

Professor Goulter said higher education needs to be significantly more accessible to build population in regional areas, as well as address the needs of rapidly growing rural communities.

 

“The challenges faces by rural Australia have not been caused by rural Australians. They have been caused by poor and inadequately directed investment by government.

 

“Poorly resourced rural higher education is as big a structural issue for regional Australia as poor broadband services, poor health and hospital infrastructure and disconnected transport networks.

 

“There is little point building brand new hospitals in rural Australia if we can’t get the medical and health staff to run them. There is no purpose building a robust transport network to connect rural and metropolitan centres if there are no services available in the rural area when you get there.

 

"Regional development cannot occur without regional skills development. The role of universities in professional education, and TAFEs in vocational education, will be critical.

 

“Charles Sturt University accordingly welcomes the commitment by the Government to establish a new Department of Regional Development and appoint a Minister responsible for this portfolio.