This instrument is the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Disability Support Programs) Guidelines 2025.

This instrument commences the day after this instrument is registered.

This instrument is made under section 238-10 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Guidelines 2022

1 Section 4

Insert:

CAST means the nonprofit education, research and development organisation that created Universal Design for Learning and the UDL Guidelines 3.0 whose website can be found at https://www.cast.org/.

Universal Design for Learning means the educational framework developed by CAST to guide learning goals, material, methods and assessments based on learner diversity, supported by the UDL Guidelines.

UDL Guidelines 3.0 means the tool used in the implementation of the Universal Design for Learning framework developed by CAST, which offers concrete suggestions to support educators and facilitators to apply the UDL framework, as in force at the commencement of the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Disability Support Programs) Guidelines 2025.

Note: The UDL Guidelines as in force at the time the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Disability Support Programs) Guidelines 2025 commenced can be viewed on the CAST website at https://udlguidelines.cast.org/more/downloads/.

2 Subsection 39(1)

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

(1) The total amounts available for the three Disability Support Programs (the Disability Support Fund, the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training, and the Capacity Building Fund) for 2025, 2026 and future years are:

(a) for 2025, $53,905,928;

(b) for 2026, the amount that is determined by multiplying $53,490,328 with the indexation factor (within the meaning of subsection 198-15(1) of the Act) for 2026 (the 2026 DSP Grants Total); and

3 Subsection 39(2)

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

(2) The total amount of funding available for the Disability Support Fund (the DSF yearly total) is:

(a) for 2025, the amount in paragraph (1)(a), less the amount allocated to the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training under section 45 (the ADCET amount) and the amount allocated to the Capacity Building Fund under section 45D (the CBF amount) for that year;

(b) for 2026, the amount in paragraph (1)(b), less the ADCET amount and the CBF amount for that year;

4 Paragraph 39(5)(a)

Omit “$10,631 in 2023”, substitute “$5,000 in 2024”.

5 After subsection 39(5)

Insert:

(5A) For the purposes of paragraph (5)(b), a claim for educational support and equipment does not include a claim for amounts spent by the provider that have been sourced from grant amounts received under Part 3 of this instrument.

6 Section 40

Omit “39(1)(d)”, substitute “39(1)(c)”.

7 Subsection 41(2)

Repeal the subsection, substitute:

(2) Grant amounts under this program may only be spent:

(a) on activities aimed at attracting and supporting students with disability to participate in higher education;

(b) on educational support and equipment for students with disability;

(c) for the purpose of making modifications to course content, teaching materials and delivery methods to better meet the needs of students with disability, which may include implementation of Universal Design for Learning in accordance with the UDL Guidelines 3.0 created by CAST;

(d) to train staff to support students with disability;

(e) on salaries for those staff whose only duties involve supporting students with disability; and

(f) on the purchase of information and communication technology licences in bulk to support students with disability.

8 After section 45

Insert:

Division 3—Capacity Building Fund

45A Program objectives

(1) The Capacity Building Fund is specified as a program for the purposes of promoting equality of opportunity in higher education, under item 1 of the table in subsection 41-10(1) of the Act.

(2) The objective of the Capacity Building Fund is to promote equality of opportunity in higher education by providing grant funding to a higher education provider to provide capacity building support to other higher education providers to assist those providers with strengthening their internal skills, abilities, processes and resources to support students with disability to access, participate and succeed in higher education.

45B Specified bodies corporate and extra conditions of eligibility

There are no specified bodies corporate or extra conditions of eligibility for the Capacity Building Fund.

Note: Under section 41-10 of the Act, Table A providers are eligible for grants made for the purpose of promoting equality of opportunity in higher education.

45C Grants to be made in respect of a project

Grants under this program are in respect of a project.

45D Method by which the amount of grants under the program are determined and applicable conditions of grant

(1) A grant under this program will be made to a specific provider chosen to deliver the capacity building support described in subsection 45A(1).

(2) The Minister will determine conditions that apply to grant funds under this program, and the grant amount, under paragraphs 41-25(1)(c) and 41-30(b) of the Act.