THE Regional Australia Institute (RAI) has praised the Federal Government’s focus on the obstacles for regional and remote Australians in undertaking tertiary study, and the commitment of $66.9 million to establish 20 further university study hubs across regional Australia.

RAI chief executive, Liz Ritchie, said the government’s Universities Accord interim report, released on Thursday by education minister Jason Clare, is due acknowledgement of the barriers regional and remote Australians face in undertaking tertiary study.