Submission to the Universities Accord Bill 2026
This submission supports the introduction of needs-based funding for university students while expressing reservations about new ministerial powers.
ATSE's submission to the Universities Accord (Opening Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 supports moves by the Australian Government to introduce needs-based funding for universities, allowing additional government funding for students who have more complex needs.
ATSE's submission calls for consideration of a range of different factors the Government could include in needs-based funding calculations. The submission also calls for greater oversight over, and restrictions on, planned ministerial determinations of student enrollment numbers.
In previous submissions to the Universities Accord process, ATSE called for a needs-based funding model for higher education. ATSE’s submissions highlighted the increased cost to institutions to support students from regional areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and first-in-family students and called for loadings to fund extra support for these students. ATSE is therefore pleased to see the Government adopt a variation of this model in the proposed legislation and the exclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from the managed growth model via a separate demand-driven system.
ATSE has a long history of supporting diversity in STEM initiatives, including through running the federally funded Elevate: Boosting diversity in STEM program. This program provides support for women, mostly from underrepresented backgrounds, to undertake STEM degrees and boasts a 97% retention rate (compared to the average 85% retention rate for all students).
