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

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Education Legislation Amendment (2019 Measures No. 1) Bill 2019 builds on the government's commitment to ensure all Australians have access to a quality education by incentivising and rewarding teachers in very remote communities and improving access to aviation courses.

To improve access to aviation courses, schedule 1 to the bill makes changes to the combined HELP loan limit for students undertaking eligible aviation courses, who are seeking a career as a pilot with a commercial airline. The very intent of the Higher Education Loan Program, or HELP, is to make higher education more accessible to students who may not otherwise have access.

From 1 January 2020, students studying an eligible aviation course at either a higher education provider or a VET student loans provider will be able to access the higher HELP loan limit, which for 2020 will be $152,700. This will bring aviation courses into line with courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science.

This bill gives effect to the government's commitment to invest in training today to meet the needs of industry in the future. We have listened to the concerns of industry and understand that the current lifetime loan limit does not adequately cover the cost of training for the licences and ratings required by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for most practical commercial aviation employment.

The government wants to ensure that the pilots of tomorrow are properly supported so they can continue to contribute to a growing industry, by reducing barriers for students enrolling in aviation courses through this increase to loan assistance to defer the tuition fees of their aviation study.

This measure will assist to unblock the training pipeline and help ensure the aviation industry can access pilots with the qualifications that the industry needs.

To incentivise and reward teachers in very remote locations, schedule 2 to the bill introduces remission of an individual's HELP debt relating to their recognised initial teacher education qualification, after they have been engaged for four years as a teacher in a school (this includes an early childhood education and care service providing a preschool education program; a preschool; and a school providing primary or secondary education) in very remote locations of Australia. This measure also waives indexation on a teacher's accumulated HELP debt while they are teaching at that school.

This amendment gives effect to the Prime Minister's Closing the Gap commitment of 14 February 2019 to remit the HELP debt of teachers who have been engaged and stay working as a teacher in very remote communities.

The government is committed to ensuring our very remote communities, as well as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who live in them, are able to attract and retain the quality teaching they deserve.

Australian schools have many quality teachers, however recent reviews, including the Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education, have highlighted the difficulty faced by schools in non-metropolitan locations in attracting and retaining teachers.

This is especially true for very remote areas. We have 327 very remote schools and 250 early childhood education and care services, including preschools, employing approximately 3,500 teachers, and they deserve our support.

This measure will ensure Australia's schools located in very remote locations are able to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, thereby improving education outcomes for students in these very remote communities.

Schedule 3 of the bill introduces a number of other measures to:

Miscellaneous measures are also contained within schedule 3 relating to higher education provider name corrections, and definition changes to improve the clarity and operation of the Higher Education Support Act.

All of these amendments support the government's commitment to ensuring that higher education remains accessible and affordable to students while also meeting needs of Australia's aviation industry and improving quality of teaching in very remote schools of Australia.

I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.

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