Media releases

Federation University Australia welcomes last week’s announcement of the Future Made in Australia Act by the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon Anthony Albanese MP.

Federation University notes, if achieved, the Act will seek to boost investment, create jobs and seize the opportunities to secure the nation’s future prosperity. When announcing this pioneering initiative, the Prime Minister acknowledged that “…opening the doors of opportunity, by giving more Australians in our regions and suburbs the chance to get a TAFE qualification or a university degree” will be key in delivering the Act.

As both a regional and dual-sector university, Federation University is ranked number one in Australia for first-in-family enrolments and number one  in Victoria for undergraduate starting salaries and social equity* and is already playing an important role in opening the doors to opportunity in regional and peri-urban areas,

A Future Made in Australia Act can ensure even more opportunities are extended to the regional and peri-urban areas the universities serve through its campuses in Ballarat, Berwick, Gippsland and the Wimmera.

Coordination with the Victorian Government on its nation leading Free TAFE policies and the Victorian Skills Plan, and the implementation of the National Skills Agreement and the Universities Accord Final Report recommendation, will deepen the Act’s positive impact in these regions.

These regions are the base for Australia’s growing capabilities in renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and food security. Developing a skilled and capable workforce in these regions is critical to ensuring a Future Made in Australia Act advances Australia’s strategic priorities in a way that is fair, equitable and effective.

Federation’s bolstering of regional workforces is underpinned by the Federation Co-operative Education Model, which delivers skilled graduates that are both work and world ready through direct connection to employers, paid placements, career preparation and workplace skill development. Co-op will feature across all Federation offerings including courses that are co-developed, co-designed and co-delivered with partners across the spectrum of renewable energy, technology and infrastructure industries.

Regional Australia has a pivotal role in ensuring that the Future Made in Australia Act properly advances Australia’s interests by providing a diversified, capable and cost-effective base from which domestic industries can develop. Federation is supporting this through industry-supported initiatives in areas of emerging national importance, such as the recently established Centre for New Energy Transition Research which is delivering research, training and skills development in priority areas such as Hydrogen, Microgrids, Renewable Energy and Net Zero initiatives.   

Federation is well positioned to work with the Federal Government to deliver on the core tenets of the proposed Act by continuing to ensure that that its course offering is aligned with the Federal Government’s employment and migration strategies, collaborate with industry to deliver work and world ready graduates through the Federation Co-operative Education model, and delivering research that is well above world standard in key development areas such as Health, Engineering,  Health, Environmental Science and Biomedical and Clinical Sciences.

As a leading regional university, Federation looks forward to consulting with the Federal Government on the development of the Act and how it can consider the development of a regional workforce to support priority industries.

Quotes attributable to Federation University Australia Acting Vice-Chancellor and President, Liam Sloan

“Federation University supports the Future Made in Australia Act and the job opportunities and flow on benefits it will create, both for our students and the communities we serve.”

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of the important role Australia’s universities and regions will play in delivering the skilled workforce of the future that will help deliver on this vision. The Future Made in Australia Act is a strong sign of the importance of funding development in peri-urban and regional areas for the benefit of the entire nation.”

* Ratings from the 2023 Good Universities Guide