Page 16 - Tropic Magazine Issue 15

INDUSTRY • EDUCATION

Good for growth

A multi-million dollar
funding package for regional MacKillop Catholic College Principal Luke
universities gets top marks. Reed and primary students are excited about
the start of Year 7 at the College in 2020.
The argy-bargy over Federal funding
for regional universities has reached a ENROL NOW
ceasefire - at least for the time being. Higher education participation Preparations are well underway
Earlier this year, CQUniversity was in metropolitan areas is almost for the intake of Year 7 students at
highly critical of a Federal funding twice as high as it is in the Mackillop Catholic College in 2020.
freeze that would’ve capped student regions, so it is critical that The newest college in the Catholic
numbers and stunted potential growth Education network of schools will
at the uni. our government commits to cater for students on the south side
But a recent announcement by the funding to help close this gap of Cairns, with enrolments now
Morrison Government pledging $134 and ensure equity. being accepted.
million in additional funds to support It’s another sign of growth in the
regional access to higher education has - Professor Scott Bowman Mount Peter area, with the college
been warmly welcomed. set to reach Year 12 by 2025. “Parents
The funding package includes $34.1 can apply online to enrol their year
million for 1955 regional and remote 4 or 5 students now to be part of
student scholarships, $7.5 million to a regional, rural or remote location,” this growing community, innovative
support regional study hubs and $92.5 Professor Bowman said. learning environments and quality,
million to support more student places “This funding will go some way to contemporary education,” a
at regional universities. allowing CQUniversity to continue spokesperson said.
CQUniversity Australia is set to to grow enrolments across a range of
receive $9.1 million over four years new courses. I am pleased with this To find out more, search “MacKillop
for 165 additional non-designated announcement because investing in Catholic College Mount Peter” online.
Commonwealth Supported Places in regional access to higher education is
2019, growing to 193 in 2020. important for our nation. Stronger,
CQUniversity’s Vice-Chancellor smarter regions will help to support a
Professor Scott Bowman said he was stronger, smarter Australia.” SUN SMART
pleased to see the Government placing Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said the An eco-conscious group of Year 5
a focus on improving regional access funding package would also provide an students from Holloways Beach
to higher education. economic boost to the Cairns region, has inspired Cairns councillor Linda
“CQUniversity is one of the largest allowing the city to retain our “smart Cooper to push for better labelling of
regional universities in Australia, with young people and also attract more sunscreen to help identify coral-safe
a majority of our students studying in students to the region to study”. products. Cr Cooper has requested
the Local Government Association of
Queensland to lobby the Therapeutic
Goods Administration to amend
labelling on sunscreen with a phrase
such as “Reef Friendly”.
“There is a current movement to ban
sunscreen products that consist of
oxybenzone, a product that can impact
on the quality of coral,” Cr Cooper said. “I
was inspired by a presentation recently
by Year 5 students who are part of
the Holloways Beach Environmental
Education Centre Student Program. They
are raising awareness about a number
of issues affecting the environment
including examining the effects of
oyxbenzones in sunscreen on the reef.
We need to be cautious we don’t deter
people from using sunscreen, so by
changing the labelling it will give them
CQUniversity’s Cairns campus a choice to use products that have been
labelled as ‘safe’.”

16 • Tropic • Issue 15