WA: Curtin uni to raise student fees for 2006

AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2005
WA: Curtin uni to raise student fees for 2006

PERTH, April 28 AAP - Western Australia's Curtin University of Technology will increase
HECS fees for next year's undergraduate students by 25 per cent.

Curtin was the only WA university not to raise undergraduate fees last year, as allowed
under the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

But Vice-Chancellor Professor Lance Twomey said his hope that the decision not to increase
fees for 2005 would attract additional students had not been realised.

"Like most Australian universities, Curtin experienced a drop in applications for 2005,
not the increase we had anticipated," he said.

"In light of this, and the ongoing budgetary pressures all universities are experiencing,
(the university) council has supported a recommendation to increase undergraduate fees
for 2006 by 25 per cent."

The increase will take effect from next year and will affect all undergraduate students
who enrolled from 2005, except those in nursing and teaching - areas exempted by the legislation.

Prof Twomey said the university regretted the need for the increase and wanted to minimise
the impact on students as much as possible, and as such, had approved the establishment
of a broad-based scholarship scheme.

Scholarship details would be finalised later, but students from indigenous, country
or low socio-economic backgrounds were expected to benefit.

Curtin Student Guild president Patrick Gorman said federal Education Minister Brendan
Nelson was as much to blame for the increase as Prof Twomey.

"Minister Nelson's higher education legislation has effectively locked prospective
students from lower socio-economic backgrounds out of university," Mr Gorman said.

Teamed with moves to introduce voluntary student unionism, the outlook for Australian
universities was bleak, he said.

Meanwhile, university students from across WA are expected to gather at state parliament
today to mark a national day of action against changes to student union legislation.

"Students in WA recognise the benefits provided to them by student organisations and
are going to fight to keep them viable," National Union of Students WA branch president
Susie Byers said.

The 12.30pm (WST) rally would be addressed by WA Education Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich
and UnionsWA (UnionsWA) secretary Dave Robinson.

AAP hn/cjh/de

KEYWORD: FEES

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