Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Student Identifiers Amendment (Higher Education) Bill 2019. In my electorate of Curtin education is very important. Significant numbers of people are employed and work in the education sphere, from early childhood through to higher education. There are over 50 schools, with almost 30,000 children enrolled in them. There is one world-class university, the University of Western Australia, and a number of other higher education providers. Of the population in Curtin aged over 15 years, over 52 per cent has post-secondary qualifications above the level of diploma. This is compared with the national average of 30 per cent.

Education is extremely important in Curtin, and education matters to our government. We know that Australia's capacity to grow, compete and thrive in an increasingly global economy is dependent on all employers and all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances, being able to access and use the right training, knowledge and skills at the right time. A strong and seamless post-education sector encompassing both higher education and VET is critical to our economy and to helping prepare Australians for the workforce opportunities of today and of the future. Equally importantly, having the opportunity to obtain knowledge and skills—and to be able to pursue employment and work opportunities using that knowledge and those skills—is vitally important for both individual and societal wellbeing.

I've said it in this place previously, but I think it's worth repeating: Australia and Australians cannot afford to be left behind in this time of rapid change, a time of escalating digital transformation and disruption. We need to be adaptable. We need an accessible, high-quality postsecondary education sector, one that is innovative, robust and responsive to our country's needs and ever-emerging gaps.

There are differences between vocational education and higher education, and these are differences we should encourage and celebrate as they provide choice and opportunity for people to follow a path which best suits their talents, ambitions and passions. At the same time—and more so now, I think, than ever before—we need to be cognisant of the fact that the offerings in these two sectors are not mutually exclusive; they are complementary. For example, there are many areas in which somebody learns something in higher education which can be enhanced with further VET studies, and the same in reverse. Also, with the rapidity of technological advances, people are frequently having to upskill or reskill and to do so at a relatively rapid rate. Both higher and vocational education have vital roles to play in this, and it's vital that the two systems speak to each other so that people can access, as easily as possible, the best path for themselves.

This particular bill amends the Student Identifiers Act to enable the extension of the unique student identifier, also known as the USI, from vocational education and training to higher education students, and to enable the Student Identifiers Registrar to assign a student identifier to higher education students. The USI initiative commenced on 1 January 2015 in the VET sector. It is a reference number, made up of 10 numbers and letters, that is free and easy to create and stays with a student for life. The USI gives access to an online record of nationally recognised training in the form of a USI transcript. This can be used by people when applying for jobs, seeking a credit transfer or demonstrating prerequisites when undertaking further study. The USI initiative is also extremely valuable for government, as it enables the collection of information about students' training activities and their movements within the VET sector. This information provides an important foundation for understanding and improving VET performance and better meets the needs of students, training organisations and employers.

Currently, in the higher ed sector, the equivalent to the USI is the Commonwealth higher education student support number, known as the CHESSN. The CHESSN is not currently compatible with the USI, and this creates difficulty for those VET students transitioning to higher ed, or those higher ed students transitioning to VET. The higher ed sector has long supported the establishment of USIs and the importance of establishing a national USI to support a seamless transition between schooling, VET and higher education. The call for the national USI across all education sectors was repeated in 2018, on at least two occasions, through the STEM Partnerships Forum, led by Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel. The forum summarised that the lack of a consistent national identifier was the largest barrier to understanding the impact of policy efforts to improve engagement in STEM education. In the same year, in the final report of the Higher Education Standards Panel into improving retention, completion and success in higher education, it was recommended as a way to better understand student pathways across tertiary education.

This bill is responding to those calls by amending the current act so as to include the higher education sector, thus enabling the assignment, collection, use, disclosure and verification of student identifiers for higher education students. The registrar has powers and functions that will expand to include the operation of the student identifier in the higher education sector. From 1 January 2021, new domestic and onshore overseas students studying at a registered higher education provider will be required to apply for a USI. As noted, the benefits of the USI are numerous. Key among those benefits is that it will help students engage with their studies across sectors. It will facilitate people's ability to upskill and reskill, build their careers and fulfil their goals and aspirations. It will also strengthen the integrity and richness of data available and help the government to gain a better understanding of student pathways across tertiary education. A more robust evidence base will help inform future policy development and program delivery. This will further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the government's investment in tertiary education. This project is going to trigger the decommissioning of the existing CHESSN and replace it with the USI. This will reduce from two to one the number of tertiary identifiers issued by the government.

Our government knows that an excellent education system really, really matters to the future of our society and our country. This why our government is investing record levels of funding in our education system. This is why we are committed to taking considered and appropriate steps, such as those contained in this bill, to ensure that the system, from early childhood through to primary, secondary and tertiary education, is fit for the demands and challenges of the world we live in. We want a system that is responsive to the needs of students. We want a system that provides the best platform and opportunities for people to individually thrive. We want to make sure the system continues to strengthen and underpin the vitality and success of our wonderful country. I commend the education minister on all he has done in this space, and continues to do, and I offer my support for this bill.

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