Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I will be brief. I have followed the debate in the Senate and I will, in a somewhat lonely way, be opposing the government amendments on the Student Start-up Scholarship. I do think education is an investment and I do think this is a really important part of trying to engage regional communities in future opportunities. I do think vocational education is a very important part of the story of building collaboration across sectors and providing pathways for students from secondary schools on to tertiary education or into the workforce.

I am particularly concerned about the language that the government is using—that is, that the student scholarship start-up deferrals will only have a minor impact and that the deferrals are based on 'the current fiscal environment'. According to everything I hear from government, the current fiscal environment is pretty good. I hear of a AAA rating. I hear that the terms of trade are at record highs. I hear that interest rates are low. I hear that inflation is in-band. But the message is inconsistent: if the current fiscal environment is indeed so good, why are we making access to education for certain students harder?

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