The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

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You are reading: Equity Policy Options: Parity Targets, Final Report

As part of its Review of Higher Education, the Australian Universities Accord  tasked ACSES with developing policy options to establish parity targets for four priority equity groups within Australian higher education. These groups include people from low socio-economic status (low SES) backgrounds, people from regional and isolated (remote) areas, First Nations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Australians, and people with disability. The primary goal was to ensure that the representation of these groups in undergraduate education (participation) and as a share of graduates (completion) at Australia’s largest higher education institutions (the able A providers) was equal to their share of the Australian population aged 15 to 64 years.

Our report, Equity Policy Options: Parity Targets, Final Report, explores various strategies for achieving these targets by 2035 or 2050. The report discusses key considerations, including the timing of these goals, whether targets should be national or state-specific, and the approach institutions should take to meet these targets. The recommended “Equal Effort” model requires each institution to proportionally increase their equity student numbers based on their starting point, aiming for state or territory parity.

Achieving these ambitious targets will necessitate refining equity group definitions, updating population reference rates, and fostering coordinated efforts across the higher education sector. Interim targets for 2035 have been suggested, with full parity envisioned by 2050.

Interim Targets to 2035:

  • Participation and completion rates for low SES, regional/remote, First Nations, and disability groups are outlined to 2035.
  • Specific growth targets for each group are provided, reflecting the “Equal Effort” model.

Targets to 2050:

  • Comprehensive targets for participation and completion rates by 2050 are detailed.
  • Projections indicate significant growth in equity student numbers, necessitating focused and sustained efforts.

Access the full report in Word or PDF format below.

For more information about the Accord Review, please see the Department of Education’s page: Equity Policy Options: Parity Targets, Final Report,

 

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Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Disability Indigenous Low SES Low socioeconomic status Regional, rural and remote Regional and remote
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Equity Policy Options: Parity Targets, Final Report
ACSES, 2023
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