A history of equity in higher education in Australia: making universities more accessible for students from disadvantaged backgrounds

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Title: A history of equity in higher education in Australia: making universities more accessible for students from disadvantaged backgrounds
Author(s): Carson, Tanya
Abstract: In Australia’s short history, the Australian Government has had a long tradition of providing support to enable disadvantaged students to participate in higher education. This article offers a brief history of the provision of equitable access and opportunities to widen participation to higher education in Australia over more than a century up to the present day. Three key factors causing disadvantage to students and making university inaccessible to students are addressed, as well as an analysis of the social justice theories of Pierre Bourdieu within an educational policy framework. This article also provides a critical analysis of two key Australian Governments that have had an immense impact on higher education in Australia over the past century. With a change of government in November 2007, there is a new wave of commitment and enthusiasm for what the Government is labelling an ‘education revolution’.
Publication type: Journal article
Research centre: Swinburne University of Technology
Source: Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, Vol. 11, no. 1 (Apr 2009), article no. 1
Publication year: 2009
FOR Code(s): 1301 Education Systems
Keyword(s): Access to knowledge; Australia; Disadvantaged students; Education policy; Government policy; Higher education
Publisher: The Open University
ISSN: 1466-6529
Publisher URL: http://wpll-journal.metapress.com
Peer reviewed