New university hub for Katanning

Federal Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson MP has welcomed today’s announcement that a new regional university study hub will be funded in his home town of Katanning.

The new study hub is part of a $16m announcement by the Commonwealth Government today to open 10 new such hubs around Australia this year.

Under a wide-ranging and visionary initiative founded by the former federal Coalition Government, there are already 34 regional university study hubs located across Australia.

The new Katanning hub will be operated by Regional Development Australia Great Southern and will build on the success of the organisation’s existing hub in Albany.

“Experience in Albany has shown that university study hubs help keep young people in the regions with their families, rather than needing to relocate to Perth where accommodation is expensive and family support far away,” Mr Wilson said.

“Tertiary students from country areas deserve and require comparable services to those available in metropolitan areas.

“Having a university study hub in Katanning will be a game changer for students in the upper Great Southern who wish to study for university degrees at home and stay in the community in which they grew up.”

The Katanning study hub will support all participating students in Katanning including those from multi-cultural, migrant and First Nations communities.

“Having a separate and specialised location to study is important so that tertiary students can compartmentalise their home and study lives,” Mr Wilson said.

“The study hub will help build a local community of tertiary students that will increase vibrancy and lead to economic and social benefits with students completing degrees in Katanning more likely to stay and eventually practise in their chosen fields Katanning.

“This announcement is timely for Katanning; where some services such as banks are shutting up shop, the new tertiary study hub will help address the long-term local population drift to the cities.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Thomson: (08) 9842 2777, [email protected]