Tamworth university students need more funding

Information published in the ASG Planning for University Index on Tuesday, suggested regional students are continuing to rack up more living expenses than their peers.

With more than 90 per cent of Australia’s universities located in major centres, the vast majority of regional students who want to attend university are forced to relocate and rent to attain a degree.

The report looked into fees, living expenses, transport, computers, study placements and accommodation and found a financial gap between students who live at home and students who rent.

Tamworth education advocate and surveyor Mitchel Hanlon said more monetary incentives was needed to support regional students in university courses.

Mr Hanlon is behind the push for a university campus to be established in Tamworth and currently pays about half the cost of education expenses for his employees in training.

He estimated a student would need to work between 17 and 25 hours a week to cover a shortfall in government payments, to meet the average cost of annual living expenses (almost $27,000) for a student living away from home. 

“You’ve got to get a job that pays you more than $18 an hour after tax to cover the shortfall,” he said.

“The government do have to put more money into it nationally, you have to be more fair about this if you want to have an educated workforce – equity is the issue here.

“Youth allowance is not enough, it needs to be double, the government should give them the $26,000 for the living costs. Or we need to start pushing them through TAFE, it is more familiar, cheaper and safer and local so they can be supported.”

Mr Hanlon said he hoped that a Memorandum of Understanding recently signed between Tamworth Regional Council and the University of Newcastle could increase education options in the city.