Promoting a ‘Fair Go’: Making equitable access to a university education a national imperative
EduTECH Congress & Expo, Melbourne | 10 August 2022
Delivered by Professor Deborah Terry AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, The University of Queensland
Thank you.
I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which we are meeting this afternoon. And by paying my deep respects to their ancestors and their descendants – as we walk together on the path to Reconciliation.
I’d also like to thank the organisers for the invitation to speak at EduTECH.
The topic that I’ve chosen to explore this afternoon is how the deeply ingrained Australian cultural concept of ‘The Fair Go’ applies when it comes to accessing a university education.
It’s a topic that I’m passionate about because we know – without any doubt – that participation in Higher Education is closely correlated with all sorts of improved outcomes, both for the individual and our society.
So, if we can implement changes that enable more students from Indigenous, rural, and regional, and lower-socio economic backgrounds to go to university, then it will help to break the cycle of inter-generational disadvantage, and it will enrich our nation.
I’ll return to this point later.
But I want to start by briefly defining this concept of ‘The Fair Go’, and by making some observations on its enduring influence in our culture, and our public policy debates.
Of course, many of the characteristics that Australians have long associated with our national identity are derived from stories and cultural folklore of the late 19th century.
Think of the Eureka Stockade and Ned Kelly. The writing of Henry Lawson or Banjo Paterson. Or the art of Frederick McCubbin and Arthur Streeton.
These stories, and these images, created the impression of colonial Australia, as an egalitarian, ‘bush’ nation.
A land populated by rugged people, who were anti-authoritarian by nature, and who always stood-up for the under-dog.
An egalitarian worker’s paradise, where everyone was given a ‘fair go’.
But of course, just like all nations, aspects of that formative national identity were based on mythology, stereotype, and even wilful blindness.
For a start, those early attempts to define our national identity were almost completely silent on the fact that these lands are home to the world’s oldest living cultures.
There was very little acknowledgement of the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and communities.
And with the passage of time, the more stereotypical aspects of the 19th century characterisation of Australian identity have become increasingly inaccurate and outdated.
They are simply too rural, too masculine, and too Anglo-Saxon.
As we all know, modern, multicultural Australia is much more urban – and urbane – than that.
However, there is one defining cultural characteristic that emerged in 19th century Australia that is remarkably enduring – and that I’m sure most of us still believe in.
And it’s this notion that everyone in our society deserves a “fair go”.
This concept of giving people a fair go is regularly deployed – by all sides of politics – in our most important policy debates.
Back in 2013, our current Prime Minister, the Honourable Anthony Albanese, defined the “Fair Go” like this – and I quote:
"A fair go is regarding everyone, every human being, with respect," he said. "It's recognising the diversity of our society and recognising that we're all enriched by it. It's recognising that we need to look after people and remove any form of discrimination."1
I agree with this definition whole-heartedly.
However, I’d add that most of us perceive the “fair go” is also about creating opportunities for all Australians to improve their lot in life.
As educators, I think we all appreciate that education is the very best tool available to us in terms of helping people do exactly that – improve their lot.
And, undeniably, a university degree is the key to opening the doors of opportunity.
That is true in Australia; just as it is true in developed nations throughout the world.2
Studies comparing the life outcomes of university graduates with those who completed their education in high school consistently show the life-long benefits of Higher Education.
University graduates have a greater range of career choices, and they earn more.
They’re healthier, more financially secure, and more socially connected.
So, it begs the question: … Who is getting a “fair go” when it comes to participating in Higher Education – and which segments of Australian society are missing out on the opportunities afforded by a university education?
Let’s start with the very positive ‘headline’ news that overall participation rates have been climbing consistently over the past 15 years.
If we wind the clock back to 2008, only 32% of Australians aged between 25 and 34 had a bachelors’ degree or higher.
This is an important measure for our sector because, back in 2009, the Australian Government set a new, nationwide target for university attainment.
This goal was adopted following a recommendation contained in Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley’s 2008 Review of Australian Higher Education.3
The aim was to ensure that 40% of 25 to 34-year-olds would have a university qualification by the year 2025.4
The good news is we’ve already exceeded that target.
Last year, 43.5% of 25 to 34-year-olds in Australia had a degree.
For some segments of our population, university participation rates are even higher.
In our cities, almost half of 25 to 34-year-olds have now completed a degree.
Similarly, half of all women in Australia aged 25 to 34 now hold a bachelor’s degree or above. That figure has almost doubled over the past 20 years.5
And women’s participation has accelerated to such an extent over the past two decades that women now clearly outnumber men on Australian campuses.
Indeed, three out of every five – or 60% – of our university students today are women.6
This overall trend of increasing participation – and for women, in particular – is very encouraging and worthy of celebration.
However, the opportunities for participating in higher education are not spread evenly across our society.
And this leads me back to the other significant target contained in the Bradley Review of Australian Higher Education.7
Alongside the 40% target for overall participation, the government set a target that 20% of students at our universities should come from lower socio-economic backgrounds.8
And, sadly, that’s a target that we’ve failed to achieve.
Back in 2008, when the Bradley Review was written, around 15% of university students were from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
That figure hasn’t really shifted at all towards the 20% target – today, it remains at around 15%.
There are two other significant groups that are clearly under-represented among the students on our nation’s campuses: people from rural and regional Australia; and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The proportion of people participating from rural and regional areas is around half that of city-dwellers.
So, while 48% of 25 to 34-year-olds in Australian cities have a degree, that figure drops to 27% for people in inner regional areas – and 20% in outer regional and remote areas.
And for Indigenous Australians, this figure drops to 10%.
Reflecting on this data as a whole, there’s no doubt that my counterpart from La Trobe University, Professor John Dewar, was correct when he recently told the National Press Club that “university education is becoming the norm” in Australian society.9
However, it’s also clear that going to university is far from the normal, or expected, experience for certain segments of our population.
And that’s a great shame, because we know that having some form of vocational or higher education is increasingly a pre-requisite for securing a good job.
According to figures from the National Skills Commission, over a million new jobs will be created in Australia over the next five years – and more than 90% of these new jobs will require some form of post-school education.
As Professor Dewar went on to assert in his speech – and I quote:
“The blunt truth is this. To get a good job these days in the major areas of jobs growth – like IT, Health, and STEM – you will need a university or vocational qualification.”10
Importantly, this is a point that Australia’s new Minister for Education, the Honourable Jason Clare MP, already understands – and is, very clearly, committed to addressing.
At the recent Universities Australia conference, the Minister made some very salient points about the vital role that higher education plays in disrupting inter-generational disadvantage.
And he spoke passionately about tackling this issue of equitable access to a university education. He said, and I quote:
“Where you live, how much your parents earn, whether you are Indigenous or not, is still a major factor in whether you are a student or a graduate of an Australian university. I don’t want us to be a country where your chances in life depend on your postcode, your parents, or the colour of your skin. None of us want that. But that’s where we are today.”11
As Jason Clare acknowledged in his speech: “This is hard to shift”.
So, what can we do about it?
First, it’s important to acknowledge, and thank, the many people across our education system who have been working doggedly to shift the dial on equity issues.
But we also need to re-double our efforts to address the underlying issues that contribute to educational disadvantage.
And we have to be very clear that the issue of equitable access to Higher Education cannot be solved by universities alone.
After all, many of the barriers to a university education are erected much earlier in life, as people are progressing through school.
For some groups – especially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds – there are a range of familial, social, and cultural factors that can hinder their learning, and their ability to gain academic skills through their school years.
In academia, this is often described as having a lack of “cultural capital”.12
It includes factors such as a lack of parental expectations, influence, or encouragement towards further education.
It’s also the result of schools in lower socio-economic areas often suffering from a lack of resources or experienced teachers, when compared to schools located in more prosperous or privileged areas.
As a result, schools in disadvantaged areas typically – not always, but typically – offer their students a narrower range of academic options, educational opportunities, and learning support.13
So, there is a genuine need for additional investment in schools in low-SES areas, to address some of those short-comings.
For our part, the higher education sector needs to continue to invest in alternative pathways to enrolling in university.
This includes bridging courses in many of the STEM disciplines – as well as tertiary access courses that help aspiring students to build their academic confidence.
At The University of Queensland, for example, we offer a Tertiary Preparation Program that is taught over 32 weeks.
That’s a particularly important alternative pathway for aspiring students who had previously dropped out of high school – or for those who weren’t given adequate encouragement or support at earlier stages of their education.
But, of course, that’s not the experience of all high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Many are very strong academic performers.
However, they can be deterred from progressing to university by factors such as a lack of money, or a lack of encouragement from their family or peer networks.
It’s important to remember, that the vast majority of individuals who enrol in higher education from low socio-economic backgrounds will be the first in their family to attend university.
In this situation, scholarship programs are vital.
Even a little bit of personal encouragement and financial support can make all the difference in convincing a student to enrol.
At UQ, we’ve been offering the Young Achievers Program – or YAP, as it is known – since 2009, to support the tertiary aspirations of deserving high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Each and every year, we accept up to 120 Year 10 students into YAP, from selected state secondary schools located across Queensland.
The YAP program includes a combination of mentoring, financial support, and personal development opportunities.
The entire program is geared towards cultivating the students’ desire to attend university and pursue their career ambitions – and this begins while they are still in high school.
One of our current YAP students, Tim McIntrye, recently drew on the African proverb – it takes a whole village to raise a child – to capture the fact that, when it comes to a university education, the ‘whole village’ includes the university itself.
He was referring not only to the donors and supporters of the programs, but also his fellow students, mentors, and YAP alumni.
For those here, I would add that we need to get better at deploying technology to connect the ‘whole educational village’ – and in a way that helps us to address areas of educational disadvantage.
By this, I mean using data analysis from our learning management systems to direct educational support to where it’s most needed.
It’s also about using technology to deliver additional curricula into regional or remote high schools; or to connect promising students from disadvantaged backgrounds to mentors.
And, finally, it’s about deploying technology within university teaching to make our programs more interactive and to offer students the kind of flexibility, choice, and variety that they will often need to stay engaged in learning.14
At The University of Queensland, the challenges of educational disadvantage and equitable access to Higher Education were prominent in our deliberations last year when we were developing UQ’s next 10-year Strategic Plan.
As a result, that new Plan includes a bold commitment to advancing equity in access to our university – with the aim of disrupting disadvantage in our own backyard, in Queensland.
That Strategic Plan details our commitment to: “building a new endowment fund that supports talented young Queenslanders to pursue their passion at UQ – regardless of their background or financial circumstances.”15
Our goal is to break down all personal, financial, and geographic barriers that deter Queensland students from studying at UQ.
And we aim to achieve that goal by the time Queensland hosts the Olympics, in 2032.
We are officially launching this initiative in a couple of weeks – and we’re calling it “The Queensland Commitment”.
Ultimately, we want to ensure that every talented Queenslander can see a pathway to study at UQ.
And we especially want to ensure that we’re offering them the financial and personal support that they need to fulfil their ambitions – and their potential.
This is the contribution that we, at UQ, are committed to making in our corner of Australia.
But disrupting educational disadvantage throughout Australia will require a more coordinated, systemic approach across the education sector
It will require collaboration and concerted effort, aided by imaginative use of technology – from pre-school right through to Higher Education.
But it’s within our grasp – and well worth the effort
Because this is more than a noble ambition for our sector.
It is about the genuine power of education to change lives – for individuals, for families, and for communities.
It is about giving all Australians – no matter the circumstances of their birth – an equal opportunity to enjoy the life-long benefits that we know flows from a university education.
In other words, we must act now and act urgently, to ensure that the concept of a ‘fair go’ remains enshrined as a defining feature of Australian culture for generations to come. Thank you.
References
1.Albanese launches 'a fair go' leadership campaign (sbs.com.au)
4.Education Higher Education – Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au)
5.Education and Work, Australia, May 2021 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)
6.Merlin Crossley went to the Unis Aus conference: he liked what he learned (campusmorningmail.com.au)
8.Education Higher Education – Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au)
9.Professor John Dewar - National Press Club address – Universities Australia
10.Professor John Dewar - National Press Club address – Universities Australia
11.Universities Australia 2022 Gala Dinner | Ministers' Media Centre (education.gov.au)
15.UQ Strategic Plan 2022-2025.pdf