Part 1—Preliminary
1 Name
This instrument is the Other Grants Guidelines (Education) Amendment (No. 1) 2018.
2 Commencement
This instrument commences on the day after it is registered.
Note: All legislative instruments and compilations are registered on the Federal Register of Legislation established and maintained under the Legislation Act 2003. See http://www.legislation.gov.au .
3 Authority
This instrument is made under section 238‑10 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003.
4 Purpose
The purpose of this legislative instrument is to amend the Other Grants Guidelines (Education) 2012 to provide for a Regional Study Hubs Program.
5 Schedules
Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.
Schedule 1—Amendments
Other Grants Guidelines (Education) 2012
1 Section i.ii
Insert, in the appropriate alphabetical order:
Commonwealth assisted student means a person undertaking tertiary education and receiving any of the following kinds of assistance from the Commonwealth:
(a) assistance under Chapter 3 of the Act;
(b) a VET student loan;
(c) a payment or loan (however described) under any of the following Acts, for which the person qualifies because he or she is undertaking study:
(i) Social Security Act 1991;
(ii) Student Assistance Act 1973;
(iii) Trade Support Loans Act 2017;
(d) a payment under the ABSTUDY Scheme (within the meaning of the Student Assistance Act 1973).
Remoteness Structure means the Remoteness Structure described in the document titled “Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 5—Remoteness Structure, July 2016”, published by the Australian Statistician.
RSHP means the Regional Study Hubs program.
2 After Chapter 7B
Insert:
Chapter 7C — Grants for activities that support open access to higher education across Australia
Part 1—Regional Study Hubs program
7C.1 Purpose
7C.1.1 This Part establishes the Regional Study Hubs program (RSHP) as a program for the purposes of subsection 41-15(1) of the Act, and specifies matters listed in subsection 41-15(2) of the Act in relation to that program.
7C.1.5 The purpose of the RSHP is to support open access to higher education across Australia, in accordance with item 11(c) of the table in subsection 41‑10(1) of the Act.
7C.5 Program objective
7C.5.1 The RSHP provides financial assistance to community based bodies corporate in regional and remote areas of Australia, to enable them to establish and maintain regional study hubs in regional areas that support local Commonwealth assisted students who are undertaking an undergraduate course of study.
7C.10 Eligibility
7C.10.1 The following entities are eligible for a grant under the RSHP:
(a) a body corporate that the Minister is satisfied has, or will have, a physical operational presence in a Remoteness Area categorised under the Remoteness Structure as Inner Regional Australia, Outer Regional Australia, Remote Australia or Very Remote Australia;
(b) a body corporate that is a registered entity (within the meaning of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012);
(c) a Table A provider;
(d) a Table B provider; and
(e) a higher education provider to which the Minister has allocated Commonwealth supported places under section 30-10 of the Act.
7C.10.5 However, a body corporate mentioned in paragraph 7C.10.1(a) or (b) is not eligible to receive a grant under the RSHP unless the Minister is satisfied that:
(a) the body corporate, and each person who makes, or participates in making, decisions that affect the whole, or a substantial part, of the body’s affairs, is a fit and proper person within the meaning of the Act;
(b) the body corporate is financially viable.
7C.15 Conditions of grant
Grant to be used to establish and operate a Regional Study Hub
7C.15.1 A grant under the RSHP must only be used to establish, operate and maintain a facility in, and to provide services from, a location in a Remoteness Area categorised under the Remoteness Structure as Inner Regional Australia, Outer Regional Australia, Remote Australia or Very Remote Australia.
Grant to be used to support students to undertake study
7C.15.5 The recipient of a grant under the RSHP must ensure that the facilities and services provided using the grant primarily support Commonwealth assisted students.
Note: Facilities and services described in this section may be provided to other students undertaking study, if there is spare capacity at the Regional Study Hub to do so.
7C.15.10 A grant under the RSHP must only be used to support students to undertake study, through provision of some or all of the following:
(a) infrastructure and facilities, including:
(i) study spaces, including facility rental, furniture and furnishings; and
(ii) internet access, including the cost of connection to, and maintenance of, internet services, and telecommunications hardware necessary to connect the facility to internet; and
(iii) computing facilities including computers, local network hardware, operating software and software licences, applications software and software licence, and computing peripherals such as printers and workstations; and
(iv) video-conferencing facilities, including video-conferencing equipment and software; and
(b) academic support services, including:
(i) library services, including licences for research databases, books and periodicals, shelving and storage systems, photocopiers, and reader support services; and
(ii) academic skills training and tutoring;
(c) administrative support, including student administration activities, IT support services, facilities management, and facility security (human and security systems); and
(d) pastoral care consistent with the Higher Education Standards Framework 2015, including:
(i) student wellbeing and safety; and
(ii) information on student obligations and behavioural standards; and
(iii) personal support services, cultural support and ancillary services, hours of availability, and how to access services and emergency contact details where applicable.
Grant recipient to comply with additional terms determined by the Minister
7C.15.15 The recipient of a grant under the RSHP must comply with any terms of the grant approval imposed by the Minister.