Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to rise to speak today in the second reading debate on the Higher Education Support Amendment Bill 2009. This bill provides some minor administrative efficiencies in the operation of FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP, which are assistance schemes for students in terms of paying the fees associated with either their university degrees or vocational education and training courses.

The amendments will allow higher education and VET providers to lodge their applications for approval to offer FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP before having their tuition assurance arrangements in place. This presumably will allow the two processes to occur simultaneously, thus speeding up the approval of providers and access to the loans. The amendments also broaden the conditions under which the minister may be satisfied that a VET provider is able to meet the VET quality and accountability requirements and so qualify to offer VET FEE-HELP. The new conditions include that the minister may be satisfied by a recommendation of a body that is approved under the VET provider guidelines.

The anticipated elimination of duplication between the Commonwealth and the states and territories is attributed to this measure as it will, according to the explanatory memorandum:

… allow recommendations from approved national or state-based agencies to be used as part of the assessment and approval of training organisations to deliver VET FEE-HELP assistance.

So in essence there are some administrative changes being made by this bill to the provision of VET FEE-HELP and FEE-HELP in order to enable those people who can offer it to put their processes in place at the same time as they are seeking students, rather than having to wait until one is in place before they can offer the other. Secondly, as a basis for granting licences—for want of a better description—under this legislation, the minister will be able to use the state based agencies that have already allowed qualifications to the VET providers, in particular, to go ahead and offer this kind of facility. That will stop the VET providers, in particular, having to go through two processes—the state process and the Commonwealth one—and it removes duplication. So the opposition supports this bill and we look forward to it being passed quickly so that VET providers and higher education providers will be able to, more quickly, take advantage of its provisions.

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