Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I echo the words of the member for Richmond in her fine contribution. I know that the Prime Minister has spent a lot of time away from the great state of Victoria. He's avoided Victoria for the last few months. I know that the Prime Minister has forgotten about Victoria and that the welfare of Victorians hasn't been the issue for the Prime Minister, though he's been happy to issue press releases undermining the health authorities in Victoria. What makes it worse is that Victorian institutions have suffered because of the neglect of this government, and no institutions have suffered more than those in our university sector.

We've remarked a number of times since the start of this pandemic that this government designed a JobKeeper scheme specifically to leave people off it. They specifically left off artists and entertainers. They specifically left off those working in local government. And they specifically left off those working in our university sector, and there have been hundreds of job losses because of this government's decision not to back in our university sector. To make matters worse, our university sector is now operating under guidelines that are completely the responsibility of this federal government. The international education sector in Australia is at the behest of the COVID rules outlined by this government, yet this Prime Minister, who has forgotten about Victoria, except for issuing the odd press release with his mates undermining the Victorian health authorities, is now not supporting the Victorian institutions. And why does this matter? It's because international education is Victoria's largest exporter. International education is a massive institution and a massive driver of economic prosperity, growth and jobs in the great state of Victoria. Instead of supporting our major exporters, what did this Prime Minister do? What did this government do? They left them off the JobKeeper. That has meant that hundreds of jobs that didn't need to go are now gone because of the decisions of this government.

But it's not just attacking the staff and it's not just leaving those who work in our universities sector behind. This government and the hypocrisy of those people who sit around the cabinet table—many of whom enjoyed free university in their time studying—have decided that their legacy, the legacy of the Morrison government in our university sector, is to leave them behind, to leave those staff behind during a pandemic and to make university degrees more expensive for Australian students. The legacy of this government is to leave the staff of our universities behind during the pandemic and to make universities more expensive for Australian students. It wouldn't be so hard to believe and to stomach if it weren't for the galling hypocrisy that many of those who made that decision had the full support of this nation to get qualified, to study, to learn and to think at university for free.

But of course what was good for them isn't good enough for the next generation of Australians. What was good enough for those sitting around the cabinet table isn't good enough for the ordinary Australian student or those in year 12 right now, who have had a year that none of us can imagine. Seventeen-year-olds having to go through the hardest year of high school know that they're going to have to face more expensive university degrees, unlike those people who made that decision for them.

This will have a full-on effect. I'll finish with this point because it's specific to those in my electorate. Monash University, a great university, churns out even better people, I have to say, and I'm a very proud alumni of the great Monash University. But because of the decisions made by this government, Monash University has had to make cutbacks. Unfortunately, it's had to let 270 staff go. It's also had to make a really difficult decision around removing the Monash Centre for Theatre and Performance. It has been collapsed and merged into the school of music, reducing the amount of subjects, dedicated staff and students who are able to be educated in the performing arts at Monash. That might not seem like a big deal to those opposite, who have left our artists and entertainers behind. But this is a $100 billion industry. Melbourne is a city full of vibrancy and culture, and this government has continued to attack the very institutions which create thoughtful, smart and articulate Australians who challenge the notions that this government puts forward.

With this bill, we say, 'Sure, we'll pass this piece of legislation but there is a bigger issue and a bigger challenge that we must right.' This government has attacked universities at every opportunity and they have left staff behind, causing thousands of job losses. The largest Victorian exporter, international education, is on its knees because of the decisions of this government. Australian students have been given no support and, to make matters worse, the icing on the cake is that this government has made university degrees more expensive. This will forever be its legacy and it will forever be its shame.

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