Rural student fund is a vote-buying ploy, says Group of Eight

An elite group of Australia’s biggest research-intensive universities has accused the Morrison government of “raiding” research funding to create a $135-million assistance package for rural students.

Vicki Thomson, the Group of Eight’s chief executive, claims the move is “a ridiculous plan” to secure votes for the government in regional areas.

Federal education minister Dan Tehan has defended the initiative, describing it as “a small reallocation within the $17-billion higher education budget”.