Regional University Study Hubs Program – Scoping Study and Regional Needs Model

How to access the latest Dashboards

The Regional Needs Model uses Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) to categorise regions across Australia. To find the dashboard relevant to a particular location/community:

1. Access the ABS Maps Tool.
2. Select ‘Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) (2021)’ in the first drop-down box on the right-hand side.
3. Enter the name of the relevant town/suburb and state in the ‘Find address or place’ search bar (e.g. Taree NSW).
4. Click on an area in the town/suburb on the map. A box will appear which provides the name of the relevant SA2.

Once you have the name of the SA2 for your community, you can:

5. Access the relevant state/territory document below.
6. Use ‘Ctrl+F’ to search for the relevant SA2

The latest dashboards, divided by jurisdiction, are available below:

• New South Wales
• Victoria
• Queensland
• Western Australia
• South Australia
• Northern Territory
• Tasmania
• Australian Capital Territory
• Other Territories

NOTE: for the purposes of the model some custom SA2 regions were created to better capture a particular town/area. A full list of custom regions is below:

• Dubbo, NSW
• Lismore-Goonellabah, NSW
• Tamworth, NSW
• Mildura, VIC
• Albany, WA
• Geraldton, WA
• Kalgoorlie, WA
• Port Headland-South Headland, WA
• Alice Springs, NT

Background

Scoping Study

In 2021, a Scoping Study was undertaken to inform the selection of locations for new/future Regional University Study Hubs. For more information about the study, including key findings, please see the 2021 Scoping Study Final Report*.

*Note: the data contained in the 2021 final report is no longer current. While the overarching methodology is unchanged, specific data and dashboards in the 2021 final report are no longer accurate.

Regional Needs Model

A key deliverable of the Scoping Study was a desktop tool, known as the Regional Needs Model, which analyses data on Australian regions to consider their relative need and suitability for a Regional University Study Hub. The Model considers factors such as population, level of tertiary access, participation and attainment, proportion of under-represented students (including First Nations and low socioeconomic status) and transition to employment outcomes.

The Model produces a dashboard for each region across Australia which summarises key data and allocates scores based on need and readiness. This scoring is based on quantitative desktop analysis and does not consider other more complex factors which may be relevant such as the nature and context of need, including local opportunities and challenges or emerging issues, etc. These dashboards have been updated since the creation of the Model to reflect the latest available data. For more information, please see the Regional Needs Model 2024 Update Factsheet.

It is important to note that the Model is just one factor that is considered as part of a broader assessment process to select new Regional University Study Hubs, noting that data analysis alone does not give a complete picture of need and readiness in a region.