❓ Mr. Waldron asks how the Albany student accommodation facility will help young people from his electorate access tertiary education. The Minister explains the importance of regional education and the government's investment in affordable accommodation to support regional students.
AnsweredQoN 581Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STUDENT ACCOMMODATION FACILITY — ALBANY
581. Mr T.K. WALDRON to the Minister for
Regional Development:
Can the minister explain how the
recently announced student accommodation facility in Albany will make it easier
for young people from the electorate I represent to access tertiary education?
581. Mr T.K. WALDRON to the Minister for
Regional Development:
Can the minister explain how the
recently announced student accommodation facility in Albany will make it easier
for young people from the electorate I represent to access tertiary education?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Wagin. Wagin
is a vast electorate, and the member knows well the importance of education for
regional people, and the importance of access to higher education in
particular. When we look at what happens with education as it applies to
regional students, we are well aware that students born in regional Western Australia
who continue their education in regional WA are much less likely to access
tertiary education than students in metropolitan Perth. We also know that
students who are able to pursue tertiary or higher education in the regions are
much more likely to stay in regional Western Australia. It is very important
that, as a government, we lay a foundation for opportunities for students in
regional Western Australia to be able to choose and achieve, at both TAFE and
tertiary education, and then go on to have fulfilling careers and participate
in our economy.
There are significant costs attached
to travelling away to tertiary education and TAFE in Perth. The blueprint
process that all the development commissions have been pursuing has
highlighted, in the great southern region in particular, the importance of an
educational pathway. One of its pillars is knowledge and innovation—so
the theme is very strong. In Albany, we have a University of Western Australia
campus, and Curtin University also has some courses on offer, and there is also
the Great Southern Institute as part of the southern regional TAFE. Providing
opportunities for students to participate in higher education in Albany is
significant to not just Albany, but also the broader regional area.
That framework highlights that by
2040, the tertiary education sector in Albany could host over 3 000 full-time
equivalent tertiary students, of whom up to 30 per cent could be from overseas.
Predicted demand is significant, and that is why we have announced an
allocation of $11 million to support affordable accommodation in Albany, on top
of the Norman House project that was previously funded for $1.7 million by
royalties for regions for 20 units right across the road from the university
centre. Now, at the old Albany Primary School site in Serpentine Road, another
40 units are to be constructed for a total project cost of about $16 million—$11
million from the Growing our South royalties for regions initiative, $1 million
from the Great Southern Community Housing Association, and an in-kind
contribution of $4 million from the Department of Education.
Having affordable accommodation in
Albany allows students to access tertiary education opportunities and TAFE, and
allows them to stay living in regional Western Australia, because we know that
if they study and live in regional Western Australia in pursuit of those
objectives, they are more likely to stay in regional Western Australia. That is
what we want, and that is what this Liberal–National government is
driven to achieve.
is a vast electorate, and the member knows well the importance of education for
regional people, and the importance of access to higher education in
particular. When we look at what happens with education as it applies to
regional students, we are well aware that students born in regional Western Australia
who continue their education in regional WA are much less likely to access
tertiary education than students in metropolitan Perth. We also know that
students who are able to pursue tertiary or higher education in the regions are
much more likely to stay in regional Western Australia. It is very important
that, as a government, we lay a foundation for opportunities for students in
regional Western Australia to be able to choose and achieve, at both TAFE and
tertiary education, and then go on to have fulfilling careers and participate
in our economy.
There are significant costs attached
to travelling away to tertiary education and TAFE in Perth. The blueprint
process that all the development commissions have been pursuing has
highlighted, in the great southern region in particular, the importance of an
educational pathway. One of its pillars is knowledge and innovation—so
the theme is very strong. In Albany, we have a University of Western Australia
campus, and Curtin University also has some courses on offer, and there is also
the Great Southern Institute as part of the southern regional TAFE. Providing
opportunities for students to participate in higher education in Albany is
significant to not just Albany, but also the broader regional area.
That framework highlights that by
2040, the tertiary education sector in Albany could host over 3 000 full-time
equivalent tertiary students, of whom up to 30 per cent could be from overseas.
Predicted demand is significant, and that is why we have announced an
allocation of $11 million to support affordable accommodation in Albany, on top
of the Norman House project that was previously funded for $1.7 million by
royalties for regions for 20 units right across the road from the university
centre. Now, at the old Albany Primary School site in Serpentine Road, another
40 units are to be constructed for a total project cost of about $16 million—$11
million from the Growing our South royalties for regions initiative, $1 million
from the Great Southern Community Housing Association, and an in-kind
contribution of $4 million from the Department of Education.
Having affordable accommodation in
Albany allows students to access tertiary education opportunities and TAFE, and
allows them to stay living in regional Western Australia, because we know that
if they study and live in regional Western Australia in pursuit of those
objectives, they are more likely to stay in regional Western Australia. That is
what we want, and that is what this Liberal–National government is
driven to achieve.
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