ATTACHMENT B

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Guidelines issued under section 238-10 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003

Higher Education Support Act 2003 - Other Grants Guidelines 2006

Issued by the authority of the Minister for Education, Science and Training

Subject:-               Higher Education Support Act 2003 - Other Grants Guidelines 2006

Authority

Section 238-10 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (the Act) provides that the Minister may make guidelines providing for matters required or permitted by the Act necessary or convenient to be provided in order to carry out or give effect to the Act.  In particular, section 238-10 specifies that the Minister may make Other Grants Guidelines to give effect to matters set out in Part 2-3 of the Act.

Section 41-15 of the Act provides that the Other Grants Guidelines may specify one or more programmes under which grants for particular purposes specified in the table in subsection

41-10(1) are to be paid.

Purpose and operation

These Guidelines amend the Higher Education Support Act 2003 - Other Grants Guidelines 2006 (Other Grants Guidelines 2006) registered on 22 November 2006 (see F2006L03785) and which commenced on 23 November 2006.  The purpose of these Guidelines is to amend the Other Grants Guidelines 2006 for the third time.

The Other Grants Guidelines 2006 have eleven chapters, each representing a purpose for which grants may be made under Part 2-3 of the Act.

Detail of the Amendments

Chapter i

Chapter i sets out the purpose of and the defined terms used in the Other Grants Guidelines 2006.

Chapter 1    Grants to promote equality of opportunity in higher education

Item 1     of the table in subsection 41-10(1) specifies that those providers identified in Table A of subdivision 16-B of the Act are eligible for grants to promote equality of opportunity in higher education.  Chapter 1 sets out the programmes that will assist with overcoming barriers to access and participation in higher education, particularly relating to Indigenous background, low socio-economic status, rural and isolated background, disability, non-English speaking background and gender.

Indigenous Support Programme

1.15        sets out the objectives of the Indigenous Support Programme, which are to meet the special needs of Indigenous Australian students and to advance the goals of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy. 

1.20        sets out the conditions of eligibility relating to strategies for improving access, participation, retention and success and participation of Indigenous people in providers’ decision making processes and Indigenous employment.

1.25        provides that the grant amount will be indexed in accordance with Part 5-6 of the Act.

1.30        provides the method by which a payment is made under the programme.

1.35        sets out the grant conditions which include providing a report on the expenditure of the grant amount. 

Higher Education Equity Support Programme

1.40        specifies that the Higher Education Equity Support Programme provides funding to eligible higher education providers to undertake activities that assist in overcoming barriers to access for disadvantaged students and promote equality of opportunity in higher education. In particular, the programme aims to increase the access and participation in higher education of students from designated equity groups.

1.45        provides that, to be eligible for funds in any one year, eligible providers must submit a statement demonstrating that they provide outreach programmes and support measures for disadvantaged students, administer Commonwealth Learning Scholarships, and maintain an institutional equity scholarship programme.

1.50        sets out the total grant available under the programme in 2005 and provides that this amount will be indexed for subsequent years in accordance with Division 198 of Part

5-6 of the Act.

1.55        sets out the method by which an eligible provider’s share of the total pool of programme funding is calculated in a year. An eligible provider’s share is based on:

·        the number of domestic students from low socio-economic backgrounds enrolled at the provider, multiplied by the retention and success ratios for the group; together with

·        the number of domestic low socio-economic students from rural and isolated backgrounds enrolled at the provider, multiplied by the retention and success ratios for the group.

1.60        sets out the extra grant conditions and what the grant can and cannot be spent on.

Higher Education Disability Support Programme

1.65        sets out the four components of the Higher Education Disability Support Programme.

1.70        sets out the total grant available under the programme in 2005 and provides that this amount will be indexed for subsequent years in accordance with Division 198 of Part

5-6 of the Act.

1.75.1     specifies the objectives of the Additional Support for Students with Disabilities component, which are to assist higher education providers to meet the costs of supporting students with a disability with high cost needs, and to encourage efficient use of specialised resources to support students with a disability.

1.75.5     provides a description of the Additional Support for Students with Disabilities component, and specifies how grant amounts are to be determined for this component.  Funding is allocated annually on application by eligible higher education providers using a claim form. 

1.75.10   specifies extra conditions of grant for the Additional Support for Students with Disabilities component, including the need for eligible providers to obtain evidence of a student’s disability and support needs, and to maintain records of the evidence and assessment process used to verify disability and support needs.

Regional Disability Liaison Officers

1.80        sets out the four objectives of the Regional Disability Liaison Officer component, and provides a description of the component.

Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training

1.85        sets out the objective of the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training component, which is to facilitate equitable access to education and training for people with a disability, and provides a description of the component.  Funds will be provided to the higher education provider hosting the website, as determined by the Minister.

Performance-Based Disability Support Funding

1.90.1     specifies that the objective of the performance-based disability support funding component is to encourage providers to implement strategies to facilitate the participation of people with a disability in higher education.

1.90.5     provides a description of the performance-based disability support funding component, and outlines the funding allocation formula.  Allocations are made to eligible providers based on the number of domestic students with a disability enrolled at each higher education provider, weighted for the retention and success of these students.

1.90.10   specifies extra conditions of grant for the performance-based disability support funding component and what the grant can and cannot be spent on.