Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Higher Education Support Amendment (2010 Budget Measures) Bill 2010 and, in doing so, I place on the record that I very much support it, especially the 115,000 extra places between 2010 and 2013 that it will lead to. But I note for the record that one of the things that we will need to closely monitor with regard to this bill is whether those places extend into regional universities and into regional university campuses as well as into the major universities in our capital cities. When we talk about tertiary participation we have to talk about tertiary participation across all of Australia, and that includes our regions and country areas. I particularly note that, in the electorate of Wannon, Deakin University has a very good regional campus in Warrnambool. We have had an overallocation of places at that university and I would hope that the 115,000 extra places will benefit Deakin University and in particular the campus at Warrnambool, which is a strong, thriving regional campus and should be supported by the Commonwealth government.

I would also like to take the opportunity to raise an issue that has not been raised in the debating of this bill, and that is to do with the independent youth allowance. While we are talking about tertiary participation, we need to talk about the decline in students from country areas who are accessing tertiary education. It is all very well to talk about tertiary participation and put a bill forward which encourages that, but then with one hand take away the ability for country students to access a tertiary education. That is exactly what the Rudd/Gillard government did in the last term. This House has spoken very clearly on the matter of the independent youth allowance. We had a motion about three weeks ago clearly stating that the government has got this policy wrong. So, while we can all stand here in agreement on this bill—and we are in agreement—unless we do something to reverse the decline in country students accessing a tertiary education, this bill will be meaningless to a lot of country students.

In my electorate of Wannon there are clear examples of this. For instance, if you grow up in Coleraine you can qualify for the independent youth allowance and it is easier for you to access a tertiary education. If you grow up in Hamilton, which is only 20 kilometres away, you do not get access to the independent youth allowance and therefore it is harder for you to go to the city, if that is where you want to get your tertiary education, and to access an affordable tertiary education. The same goes for Timboon and Cobden. There is 20 kilometres difference, and where you were born will determine whether you get help in accessing a tertiary education. The same goes for Halls Gap and Stawell. Once again there is only 20 kilometres difference, but where you were born, or you are residing, will make a huge difference to your ability to afford a tertiary education.

In this chamber three weeks ago there was a vote on this. The Independents sided, rightly, with the coalition to call the government to account and tell them to make changes again so that the independent youth allowance would be accessible to country students in regional areas. So far the government has not acted. If we are serious about this new paradigm, when the parliament votes and calls the government to account and says it has got it wrong on a matter, the government should listen and act. Otherwise, this so-called new paradigm is meaningless. We can vote in here on numerous bills but if the government will not listen when this chamber says it has got it wrong then everything we are doing is meaningless. I call on the Independents who, rightly, voted with the coalition on that bill to hold the government to account on that matter. It is all very well for us to sit here and vote, but if they will not follow that up with action, if they will not lobby the government to change its policy on this, what we are doing under this so-called new paradigm means nothing. I call on the independents to side with the coalition and put further pressure on the government to change its view on the independent youth allowance, because the statistics are damning. Country students are accessing tertiary education less and less because of the question of affordability. If we are to be serious about providing 115,000 extra university places over the next three years, we have to make sure that they are accessible in an equitable form to country students as well as their urban cousins.

We all know from our own careers and our own accessing of tertiary education that it is the great enabler. We have heard from the other side that it has the ability to increase your income when you access employment. If education is the great enabler, we have to ensure that it can be accessed across the board. So far, we have not heard this mentioned. I am hoping that in the further debate on this matter this issue will continue to be raised, because it is absolutely vital that all Australians, no matter where they live, get access to a good, healthy and decent tertiary education.

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