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Commonwealth act
This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.
This Act is a Commonwealth funding agreement that channels money from the federal government to the six Australian States to support advanced education — that is, non-university tertiary institutions like institutes of technology, agricultural colleges, nursing colleges, and conservatoriums of music. It covers a specific three-year period: 1973, 1974, and 1975.
Think of it as a federal cheque book for TAFEs and colleges of advanced education (CAEs), which were the vocational and professional institutions that existed before most of them were converted into universities in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Act creates several distinct funding streams:
1. Recurrent (day-to-day operating) grants (Section 5) Money to help colleges meet their ongoing running costs — wages, utilities, teaching materials — but capital works. The amount each college receives depends on a formula: the Commonwealth matches State spending up to set limits. If a State doesn't contribute enough, the Commonwealth grant is reduced proportionately.
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Direct links to the current provisions in States Grants (Advanced Education) Act (No. 3) 1972.
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View on official registerSourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
2. Capital grants for building projects (Section 6) Funding for construction, renovation, land purchase, and equipment for specific approved projects listed in the Second Schedule — things like building new lecture theatres, laboratories, engineering buildings, and student residences. The Commonwealth matches what each State spends on these projects.
3. Library grants (Section 7) Separate funding (capped at $1.5 million total across all States) to help colleges buy books, periodicals, films, maps, and other library materials.
4. Grants for student residences and affiliated colleges (Sections 8–10)
The States don't get the money unconditionally. They must:
This Act is a snapshot of how the Commonwealth, under the constitutional power to make grants to States (section 96 of the Constitution), shaped Australian higher education in the early 1970s. It reflects the era's rapid expansion of non-university tertiary education — building the physical and financial infrastructure of what would later become Australia's unified higher education system.