Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues) Share this | Hansard source

These are all matters for consideration. We have announced the establishment of the Higher Education Endowment Fund. We are yet to develop the guidelines that will operate in relation to that fund. Those guidelines will be developed with advice from experts, from people qualified to provide that advice. In relation to the Capital Development Pool fund, universities apply to the Australian government for funding under that program. It has specific guidelines and it is quite narrow in its application. I am suggesting that, over time, consideration could be given—depending upon what the guidelines are for the Higher Education Endowment Fund—to merging the two funds. It might not be appropriate. We might not be able to do it. My comments to the Australian were that I am looking to ensure that universities have less red tape, less bureaucracy and more streamlined ways of receiving federal government funding. I will await the advice from the Higher Education Endowment Fund Advisory Board as to what would be appropriate.

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