Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In continuation—(4) that we ensure there is funding certainty during the accord process and (5) that state and territory governments are involved in improving university governance. The Albanese government has responded and has committed to implementing each of these recommendations. In response to the first recommendation the government will establish up to 20 additional regional university study hubs and establish up to 14 suburban university study hubs. For the last several years students in Werriwa have had the benefit of campuses of Western Sydney University and the University of Wollongong in Liverpool, making it accessible for students to travel. That means it is less costly for those seeking a university education, especially if you have caring responsibilities, making a university education so much more accessible in my community, so these hubs will make a real difference when they're implemented around the country. The government will also extend the higher education continuity guarantee for a further two years in response to recommendation 4, providing funding certainty while the accord process is ongoing. Universities will also be required to invest the remaining funding from their grant for the year into additional support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and groups, as well as those from the regions. Recommendation 5 will also be implemented so university governance works better for both students and staff. The bill will implement recommendations 2 and 3, which require legislative amendments.

The first aspect of this bill is to remove the punitive measures introduced by the former government that require students to pass 50 per cent of their units of study in order to remain eligible for a Commonwealth-supported place and FEE-HELP assistance. In addition, there will also be new requirements and formal obligations for providers to support students in successfully completing their units of study. To strengthen this requirement, financial penalties will be applied to universities that fail to comply with their support obligations. Research has shown that disadvantaged students are disproportionately impacted by the 50-per-cent rule. More than 13,000 students have been affected. The Australian government should be helping students succeed, but this rule seeks to discourage and punish them. The abolition of this rule, in addition to the new requirements for providers, will assist those who need it to help them get through their course.

The second aspect of this bill relates to extending demand-driven funding to metropolitan Indigenous students. Currently, all Indigenous students living in regional and remote areas are eligible for demand-driven Commonwealth-supported places where they meet academic entry requirements. Under this amendment, all Indigenous students, regardless of where they live, will be eligible for these places—that is, there will be no cap on the number of Indigenous students who can enrol in Commonwealth-supported places. It is estimated that this measure could double the number of Indigenous students at university in a decade, and what a wonderful outcome that would be—a transformative outcome that would change our nation for the better. It will work towards Closing the Gap outcome 6—that is, increasing the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples between 25 and 34 who have completed a tertiary qualification to 70 per cent by 2031. This measure has the backing and support of the sector and will benefit First Nations people across the country.

This bill will assist the disadvantaged to complete their university courses and open up our universities to Indigenous Australians—two of Gough Whitlam's great causes; two of Labor's great causes. The amendments in this bill are welcome not just for the changes they will bring but also for the message they convey: that is, education is front and centre of this government's agenda—always was, always will be. I commend the bill to the House.

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