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

I move opposition amendment (1):

(1) Schedule 2, page 13 (line 1 ) to page 23 (line 4), omit the Schedule, substitute:

Schedule 2—Amendments relating to student learning entitlement

Higher Education Support Act 2003

1 Section 70-1

Omit "7 years", substitute "8 years".

2 Section 73-5

Repeal the section, substitute:

73-5 Ordinary SLE

Ordinary SLE for persons eligible immediately before 1 January 2012

(1) A person who was an eligible person immediately before 1 January 2012 has at the beginning of that day an increase of 1 *EFTSL in the person's *ordinary ESL.

Ordinary SLE accruing after 1 January 2012

(2) A person who (by birth or otherwise) becomes an *eligible person for the first time on or after 1 January 2012 has at the beginning of that day an *ordinary SLE equal to 8 *EFTSL.

Meaning of eligible person

(3) An eligible person is:

(a) an Australian citizen; or

(b) a citizen of New Zealand; or

(c) a *permanent visa holder.

3 After Subsection 73-30(2)

Add:

(3) A person who ceased to be an eligible person before 1 January 2012 and next becomes an eligible person again on or after that date is taken to have had, immediately before so ceasing to be an eligible person, an *ordinary SLE that was 1 *EFTSL higher than the person actually had.

For the benefit of the House, I spoke to this amendment in the second reading debate. So that we know what we are voting on, it is the amendment that would retain the student learning entitlement aspect of the legislation and increase from seven to eight the number of years in which an undergraduate can be at university. I spoke to that in the second reading debate. So the Independents are aware of what we are voting on, it is a vote on the student learning entitlement, and the next vote will be on other amendments. I commend the amendment to the House.

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