Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that the Government is putting in place significant reforms in response to the Australian Universities Accord to provide cost of living relief and to make higher education better and fairer for students, including those from low socio-economic status or disadvantaged backgrounds and those from the outer suburbs and from regional Australia;

(2) welcomes the Government's target of 80 per cent of the workforce having a tertiary qualification by 2050;

(3) further recognises that if the broader accord targets are achieved, $240 billion will be added to the economy over the period to 2050; and

(4) commends the Government for progress on all five priority actions from the Australian Universities Accord interim report and its response to 29 of the Australian Universities Accord recommendations in full or in part, including to:

(a) change the way indexation is calculated, wiping around $3 billion in student debt from more than 3 million Australians;

(b) introduce a Commonwealth Prac Payment for teaching, nursing and midwifery and social work students undertaking mandatory placements;

(c) fully fund Fee-Free Uni Ready courses to provide more students with an enabling pathway into higher education;

(d) guarantee funding for student led organisations; and

(e) establish an independent National Student Ombudsman.

In 2022, the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, embarked on a generational review of the higher education sector. The Australian Universities Accord consulted with students, industry, universities and staff in the sector to create a plan for the future. Currently only 14.7 per cent of higher education enrolments in Victoria are from low-SES postcodes, out of 24.9 per cent of the total population. This reveals that the low-SES students in Victoria have nearly half the enrolment rate of their wealthy peers. For an electorate like Holt, higher education is meant to be a pathway—a ladder to a better life—but the current system means that so many students miss out.

The accord has set an ambitious target to have 80 per cent of the workforce achieve a tertiary qualification by 2050. To achieve this, the accord made 47 recommendations to make higher education better and fairer for students and to expand access to those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those from the outer suburbs. If the goals of the accord can be achieved, $240 billion will be added to the economy over the next 25 years. In the 2024-25 federal budget, the government responded to 29 of the Australian Universities Accord's recommendations. Firstly, the government is changing the way indexation is calculated, wiping around $3 billion in student debt for more than three million Australians. We recognise that the recent debt rises threaten to discourage young Australians from studying. That is why Labor is changing the indexation of loans so that student loans will never increase faster than their wages.

We are introducing the Commonwealth Prac Payment for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students who are undertaking mandatory placements. From July 2025 these students will be paid $319.50 per week while undertaking their placements so that students do not need to live in poverty while training to be our essential workers. To expand access and provide alternative pathways for disadvantaged students in communities like Holt, we are investing $350 million in fee-free uni ready courses. Initiatives like these are crucial for bridging the gap in education and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

One of the common themes from students and academics in the Universities Accord was the issue of accountability. To quote from the National Union of Students submission:

Students are the largest stakeholder in the higher education sector and their voice is essential for a well-run system. At the moment students do not feel like their voice is being heard and universities have a reputation of being billion-dollar unaccountable institutions.

The Universities Accord proposed new mechanisms for accountability, including the establishment of an independent National Student Ombudsman. The ombudsman will allow all students to escalate complaints about the actions of their higher education provider, including complaints about sexual harassment, assaults and violence. It will have the power to make recommendations to providers about actions that should be taken to resolve a complaint and work with regulators to respond to systemic issues. These issues are well-known because of the advocacy of the students, led by the work of the National Union of Students and campus based student unions. That is why the government is mandating that higher education providers allocate at least 40 per cent of the student services and amenities fees to student led organisations. This will strengthen student led organisations and their ability to act for the best interests of the students they are elected to serve.

We are not done with our work to improve access to higher education. Whether a kid is from Toorak or Croydon, Carlton or Cranbourne, all Australians deserve the same opportunities. The Albanese Labor government is committed to ensuring that all Australians can aspire to study at university. I comment this motion to the House.

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