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Statement from Federation University – Why ATEC matters to Regional Victoria

13 February 2026
Federation University supports the legislation currently before the Commonwealth Parliament to establish the Australian Tertiary Education Commission – not because it is perfect, but because it represents a real step forward for regional and outer-suburban communities.

Federation University supports the legislation currently before the Commonwealth Parliament to establish the Australian Tertiary Education Commission – not because it is perfect, but because it represents a real step forward for regional and outer-suburban communities.

Federation is proud to be number one in Australia for first-in-family students, with 60 per cent of our learners from under-represented backgrounds. 

These are students with the ability, ambition and determination to succeed. 

This legislation recognises the vital role regional universities like our own play in supporting even more of these students to do so. 

But widening access to education isn't just about individual opportunity, or the creation of new agencies. 

It's essential to the strength of our regional communities – and the nation’s future workforce –that we work together to build partnerships that deliver real outcomes.

Federation delivers some of the strongest graduate employment outcomes in the nation, reflecting the critical role regional universities play in training the teachers, nurses, trades people and professionals our communities depend on.

Yet, for too long, regional universities like Federation haven’t been recognised for it.

This legislation is an opportunity to recognise and fix a critical challenge identified by the landmark Universities Accord Repot: regional universities operate with higher costs and fewer economies of scale than our counterparts in inner Sydney and Melbourne. 

Delivering education across dispersed communities, multiple campuses and smaller student cohorts is inherently more complex – yet regional universities have historically received less real public funding to meet those challenges.

We acknowledge today’s testimony before the Senate Committee and agree this legislation can be improved – we have suggested our own enhancements - but this is just the start of the journey. 

We simply do not have the luxury to wait for perfection when we can do good now.

Federation University supports a stable, fair and coordinated tertiary education system so we can keep educating the people and places that rely on us.