On the available information, that may not be the worst outcome.

At present, the government is proposing deregulating fees, cutting student funding, expanding commonwealth support to private providers and courses below bachelor level, and charging real interest on student debts. This week saw the release of a parliamentary committee report, headed by a government senator, which makes significant recommendations for a re-evaluation of the proposed changes.

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, in releasing the report, suggested that concerns exist in regard to access to higher education. More pointedly, it is regional universities or institutions enrolling significant numbers of disadvantaged students with which many of the committee’s concerns lie.

A package of assistance to regional universities to ensure their ongoing sustainability has been floated as one way of maintaining stability at least until the impacts of a deregulated market can be more fully assessed.

Ballarat’s Federation University Australia is anything but shielded from the legislation. It is a university which has undergone core change in recent years as it seeks to expand its reach across regional Australia  and beyond.

These changes have been challenging outside the realm of changes to university and TAFE funding, which are forever implicit in operational restructuring.

It stands to reason that institutions such as Federation University must be able to compete on a national level.

However, there must also be recognition that there are niches and needs with our broad education community which cannot and will not be filled purely by opening up the sector to carte blanche competition.

This legislation is another test of if, or how, the government is prepared to stay true to its ideologies.

In the face of recommendations from members of its own party and continuing opposition from the senate, it seemingly has little choice.