Currently, university places for Indigenous students from regional and remote areas are uncapped, allowing universities to meet demand. This was a very welcome change, offering the transformative opportunity of a university education to more regional students from Indigenous backgrounds.
The policy does not, however, cover the 75 per cent of Indigenous Australians living in urban areas.
黑料老司机 Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said ensuring universities have sufficient resources to meet demand for all Indigenous students will create more opportunities to maximise the skills of more Australians, regardless of their postcode.
鈥淚ndigenous Australians are much less likely to have a degree than non-Indigenous Australians, with a completion rate of 47 per cent compared to 74 per cent in 2019,鈥 Ms Jackson said.
鈥淭his needs to change. Your postcode should not be a barrier to opportunity and a university education is one of the greatest opportunities you can have in life, opening more career options and greater possibilities.
鈥淲e have made great strides to improve Indigenous peoples鈥 access to university, most notably when university places were demand driven between 2012 and 2017 and Indigenous enrolments doubled.
鈥淯ncapping places for those living in metropolitan areas is a practical measure that would help bridge the attainment gap and address decades of disadvantage that has held back Indigenous Australians.
鈥淭his would complement the Government鈥檚 allocation of 20,000 additional places for people from under-represented backgrounds and help make university more accessible to all.鈥
Ms Jackson said Indigenous graduates experienced strong employment outcomes.
鈥淲e know that a university degree sets people up for a fulfilling career with greater job security and higher pay,鈥 Ms Jackson said.
鈥淟ast year鈥檚 data shows nearly 77 per cent of Indigenous undergraduates found full-time jobs within four months of graduating, while the figure for non-Indigenous undergraduates securing work in that period was 69 per cent.
鈥淚ndigenous undergraduates also tend to earn more than non-Indigenous undergraduates immediately upon graduation, with a median full-time salary of $65,800 compared to $62,000.
鈥淯ncapping places for Indigenous students everywhere is a sensible change that ensures Indigenous Australians will have the opportunities a world-class university education offers.鈥
