Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Hansard source

Last week represented orientation week for university students around Australia. I had the opportunity to go to Flinders University in the electorate of Boothby and attend orientation week there. While I was there I met with a number of students from Flinders University who are beginning their courses or continuing their courses. One of the things that came up commonly was a massive concern from students who are already struggling with budgets, with what they have to pay in rent and for their studies, about Labor's new tax of a student services and amenities fee. This is a fee of $263 per year. Universities have had the choice of whether or not to apply it, but this came up as a topic which students were very concerned about. What we see is the Labor Party increasing the pressure on the cost of living for all Australians. It is not just families who are feeling the impact through rising electricity prices, rising energy costs and the carbon tax to come later this year; also university students are feeling the pinch as the Labor Party have now put another tax on students: their student services and amenities fee of $263 a year. It was a great opportunity to be up at Flinders University. I also was able to have a tour of Flinders University Hall as well.

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