La Trobe University Shepparton campus
Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:08): My question is for the Minister for Higher Education. La Trobe University in Greater Shepparton has outgrown its current facilities and needs to expand to cater for an expected 48 per cent increase in students over the next five years. La Trobe has a plan for expansion at a cost of $21.4 million. The Liberal federal government has already contributed $5 million, and La Trobe is asking for a state government contribution of $5.3 million. Minister, will you fund the extension of La Trobe University’s campus in Greater Shepparton to provide for the expected 48 per cent increase in students?
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria—Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education) (12:08): I thank the member for her question. I understand that she has raised it in this place as an adjournment matter and on a couple of other occasions as well. The fact of the matter is that the commonwealth holds the major responsibility in terms of funding of our universities in this country. From time to time the state government does make a contribution on a case-by-case basis. The fact of the matter is that in terms of Shepparton it was the state government that provided the land for that campus to be established, and I think it was towards the end of the Bracks premiership, just before Premier Brumby, that there was a contribution of $2 million to that campus, Ms Lovell, and you should be aware of that.
We are aware of the growth that is happening in terms of university places. We are also, of course, very much aware of the growth that is happening in terms of enrolments in free TAFE, which is also going to have a flow-on effect in terms of university enrolments. So, as I have indicated to La Trobe, we will consider proposals, but we are not going to enter into an arrangement whereby the federal government does not see itself as the overwhelmingly primary funder of university funding in this country.
Ms LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (12:10): The federal government have provided every cent that was asked from them. They are looking for a contribution from you, Minister. This is not about historic funding; this is about the future, with a 48 per cent growth in students expected. Youth unemployment in the Shepparton region is hovering at around 15 per cent, the second highest in the state. The courses offered at the La Trobe University campus in Shepparton are based on the workforce needs of the region, such as nursing, social work, allied health, early childhood and primary education, accounting and agribusiness. Minister, why won’t you commit to funding the extension to allow more young people to gain the qualifications needed to get them off the unemployment list and into jobs?
Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria—Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education) (12:11): Clearly the member’s ears are painted on. I provided an answer to the substantive question, and in fact I do not need a lecture from Ms Lovell in terms of what the needs of the local community are in terms of labour market needs around Shepparton. Indeed that is why free TAFE is so successful—so that local people can go to their local TAFE or local universities and get local jobs, and that is happening at Shepparton.
Ms Lovell interjected.
Ms TIERNEY: I am really pleased with the fact that we have been able to turn things around in your electorate. You continue to want to trash TAFE. You want to try and get the state government to do things that are largely the responsibility of the federal government—the federal government that, I might add, has slashed funding to university. (Time expired)