Call for regional campus quotas after Swinburne's Lilydale closure THE government should guarantee or "bank" student places in thin regional markets that place community interests above institutional financial drivers. Jim Child, Mayor of Yarra Ranges Council, northeast of Melbourne, has written to Education Minister Christopher Pyne saying Swinburne's decision to close its Lilydale campus had devastated the small community. "We support prioritising community interest over institutional interest," Mr Child told the HES. There needs to be a layer of expectation for the system to respond to social or economic needs and not only respond to the raw demand of numbers and financial margins. Mr Child's position on banking places has been backed by Phil Honeywood, who opened the campus in 1994 when he was Victorian tertiary education minister. Mr Honeywood, who is now executive director of the International Education Association of Australia, said he was disappointed Lilydale was being allowed to "die an unnatural death before its time." He said guaranteed places should be linked to skill and community needs. The campus had been established to tackle low participation in an area where youth unemployment now exceeds 20 per cent. Before the introduction of the demand-driven system, Lilydale had about 1750 university places allocated, worth more than $10 million in government funding annually. But these places have now been transferred to Swinburne's more central campuses. "Providers need surety through a revised policy that values place-based delivery," Mr Child said. It would counter the current situation where universities choose where to teach on the basis of institutional imperatives such as rankings, research and student demand, moving the places around between campuses to maximise financial return in response to demand and lower costs. Meanwhile, Barbara van Ernst who headed the Lilydale campus until 2007, says there is enough latent demand in the area to sustain a viable campus. She said the university "dropped the ball and didn't keep up the community engagement," at the campus, bringing about its demise. The university has so far failed to find a buyer and Professor van Ernst said Swinburne should now gift the campus to the community. "I'm hoping that Swinburne will see reason and do the right thing," she said. The proceeds of any sale could go towards a trust fund for the site to fund maintenance, a new provider's transition costs, and student scholarships, she said. The proceeds belong to the community. Professor van Ernst's comments have been backed by former Lilydale Mercy College school principal Bernard Dobson, who has accused Swinburne of running down demand. However, Swinburne's head of corporate affairs, Andrew Dempster, said state government cuts to TAFE funding were the crucial factor behind the campus's demise, making 27 out of 30 programs loss-making. The demand-driven system also presented students with greater choice to travel to competitors such as Deakin and Monash universities, even as Lilydale lowered its average ATAR entry score to 58. Swinburne would invest proceeds from any sale into its other campuses, including Croydon, which was less than 15 minutes down the freeway. An assessment this year of the campus by consultants Grant Thornton found Lilydale's reputation was a factor in low demand. "Anecdotally, Swinburne has also suffered from its reputation within the community, which includes concerns for the quality of its aged care, community care and childcare courses and a perception that it utilises an inflexible course delivery model," Grant Thornton said. The area suffered from low population growth, with the number of 15-24 year olds set to decline, the assessment said. Professor van Ernst said it was unlikely a provider would be found in time for next year. State Higher Education Minister Peter Hall said that "while it has become clear that no single educational provider wants to take over the 26ha site, we will continue to support Swinburne and their close work with local authorities and training providers to source the best way forward for education in Lilydale and the outer east."