Australia’s Regional Education Commissioner, the Hon Fiona Nash, has published her 2025 report into the state of education with her recommendations for improved education outcomes.
The Regional Education Commissioner Annual Report 2025 evaluates progress and areas for improvement in early childhood education, schools, vocational education, higher education and training – in regional, rural and remote education in Australia.
In the report, Nash put forward 29 issues for consideration and a proposal to ‘facilitate strong and sustainable connections between regional, rural and remote education providers, industry and community.’
In her foreword, she praises the work of regional, rural and remote communities. She notes their love of living, learning and working in these areas and their sense of ‘connectedness, community and working together to get the job done and find their own solutions’. She highlights their innovation in delivering education and finding ways for their communities to access it. She also mentions that a personal highlight of her year was ‘meeting with young Australians from regional, rural and remote communities about their educational experiences and future career plans.’
However, she states that these communities are experiencing barriers, such as workforce shortages and access to sustainable early childcare services – and that metropolitan childcare models are not financially viable for these communities. She mentions that the Government’s 3-day guarantee is a ‘strong start to delivering on its commitment to universal early childhood education and care’ but that more needs to be done to support early childhood education and other stages of education.
She calls on the Government to tackle the challenges regional, rural and remote communities are facing by:
- thinking more broadly then providing financial incentives for recruitment, showcasing the ‘distinct lifestyle and community benefits’ and that ‘there is no better place to live than regional Australia’
- delivering services the market doesn’t – supporting where the communities do not have the same number of people or economies of scale as metropolitan models
- addressing supply issues and giving attention to local solutions and flexible models that are ‘designed by regional communities for regional communities’
- inspiring young people from these communities that tertiary education is for them
- valuing the contribution of regional universities and recognising that having the same funding model as metropolitan universities isn’t appropriate for such differing markets and costs
- ensuring high-quality careers advice isn’t ‘luck of the draw’ and includes the full range of education pathways, with locally tailored information about opportunities to study and work in their own communities (as well as other communities)
- connection across all levels of government for better all-round support.
Issues and proposal for consideration
The issues that Nash wants the Government to consider are broken down into five categories: early childhood education and care (ECEC), school education, tertiary education, First Nations education, and cross-sector.
Some example issues include:
- (ECEC) Issue for Consideration 1: Adopt an ECEC universal service obligation that ensures the Australian Government is responsible for ensuring ECEC services are accessible to all children in regional, rural and remote Australia.
- (School education) Issue for Consideration 8: Expand the Commonwealth Regional Scholarship program to support a greater number of eligible regional, rural and remote students attending boarding school.
- (School education) Issue for Consideration 11: Improve access to allied health services for students, pilot and evaluate a program for a School and Allied Health Services Regional Coordinator role to coordinate student access.
- (Tertiary education) Issue for Consideration 19: Provide Government funding for first year on-campus accommodation costs for regional, rural and remote students who relocate and reside on a regional university campus.
- (Tertiary education) Issue for Consideration 23: Establish a dedicated Regional Higher Education Infrastructure Fund to address the critical shortfall in available funding.
- (First Nations education) Issue for Consideration 24: Establish a First Nations Education Commissioner to improve education outcomes for First Nations people by working with First Nations education sector stakeholders and providing advice to the Australian Government on First Nations education.
- (Cross-sector) Issue for consideration 28: Develop and implement a cross-portfolio National Rural Veterinary Workforce Strategy to address the critical veterinary workforce shortage in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Nash also made a proposal for consideration, advising that the Government establishes a ‘Regional Education Collaborate and Connect’ program. The program would be designed to connect regional, remote and rural education providers with industry and community services to: nurture the aspiration of students; ensure communities are better informed and supported to pursue post-secondary pathways; increase tertiary participation and attainment in these communities, facilitate a strong and suitable workforce that meets regional specific workforce needs; and work towards shared community goals that strengthen communities.
Learn more
References
- Australia Department of Education (2026) ‘Regional Education Commissioner releases 2025 Annual Report’. Available at: https://www.education.gov.au/newsroom/articles/regional-education-commissioner-releases-2025-annual-report (Accessed: 8 June 2026)
- Australia Department of Education (2026) ‘Regional Education Commissioner Annual Report 2025’. Available at:https://www.education.gov.au/download/20382/regional-education-commissioner-annual-report-2025/44805/document/pdf (Accessed: 8 June 2026)
