Parliamentary Committee visits Gippsland

Communities in Gippsland will have an opportunity to have their say on access to higher education for students from rural and regional areas. The Victorian Parliament’s Education and Training Committee will visit Churchill and Bairnsdale on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 May as part of its Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education.

Committee Member and local MP, PETER HALL, said that the inquiry arose from concerns that country Victorians and those from disadvantaged metropolitan areas are less likely than their peers to participate in and benefit from higher education.

Mr Hall said that the inquiry has struck a chord with rural and regional communities. Around 150 written submissions have already been received, many of them from young people and their parents in rural and regional areas.

‘The Committee has already heard that rural Victorians have fewer opportunities to study locally and that relocating incurs significant expenses. It also means leaving behind family and friends and adjusting to an unfamiliar environment. This has implications for the retention of young people in rural areas and the availability of doctors, teachers, engineers and other skilled professionals.’

Participants in the Gippsland hearings will include the Gippsland Education Precinct, local learning and employment networks, representatives of local indigenous communities, Monash University, Leongatha Education Precinct, secondary school staff and students, young people who have deferred their studies, Gippsland Lakes Community Health, local councils and parents from remote communities.

Mr Hall said that it is important for the Committee to hear first-hand about local issues and solutions.

‘Through its regional hearings, the Committee hopes to gain a detailed understanding of the specific issues affecting different communities throughout the state. We are also keen to hear about local strategies and new ideas to overcome the barriers that may prevent people from attending university.’

The views of Gippsland communities will contribute to the Committee’s final report on the inquiry, which will contain recommendations to the Government about how to increase access to university and TAFE courses for all Victorians, regardless of where they live.

The Committee will be holding public hearings for the inquiry in several rural and regional locations including Robinvale and Ouyen in early June. The Committee visited Hamilton and Colac in April.

The public hearings will be held on Monday 19 May from 9.15am to 4.00pm at the Gippsland Education Precinct in Churchill and on Tuesday 20 May from 9.00am to 12.30pm at the East Gippsland Shire Council in Bairnsdale. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

The Committee also continues to encourage written submissions, which can be emailed to etc@parliament.vic.gov.au or posted to: The Executive Officer, Education and Training Committee, Parliament House, Spring Street, East Melbourne, 3002.

For further information about the inquiry please call Peter Hall on 51747066, or visit http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/etc/.

Media contact:                  Peter Hall      (03) 5174 7066   or 0427 747 066