Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Universities Accord (Student Support and Other Measures) Bill 2024. I think I've shared in this House previously about the importance of education to me and to my family. My beloved late mother, when we were in refugee camps in Hong Kong, applied for resettlement. She told me that she wanted to apply for resettlement in this country called Uc Dai Loi, which meant Australia back then. There were two reasons she gave. One was that it was an island that was far from the conflicts that were happening in Vietnam. The second was that it had the best education system in the world. She chose and applied for resettlement here in Australia, and we were very, very lucky to be given the opportunity to be resettled here and rebuild our lives.

As we know, education is the key to success. It's the passport to the future for many people, especially young people, and for the country, but more so for people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people that have similar shared backgrounds to me—those of us who missed the early years of education and, when we get to a country like Australia, seize the opportunity to learn.

For students from socially and economically disadvantaged electorates like Fowler, the cost of education now is becoming such a big deal. It's huge. That's why, since my election, I have been calling for the freezing of the HECS indexation. I do want to acknowledge that the government took steps in this budget to change how indexation is calculated, using the lesser of the wage price index, the WPI, and the consumer price index.

As some of my fellow members in the House are aware, in late 2023 I established the Fowler Youth Advisory Committee, or FYAC for short, which consists of youths aged 16 to 24. It has given the youth in my community an opportunity to raise their voices and assist me in shaping policy. Earlier this month, we had a quarterly FYAC meeting, and one of the agenda items was their HECS debt and the increasing cost of the pursuit of higher education. So I asked the FYAC group, 'What do you and your friends think about the changes to the HELP-HECS indexation calculation that's being backdated to the 1 June 2023?' It was interesting that, out of the 12 FYAC members present, a good half answered along the lines of, 'It's good to see, but we're still accumulating debt.' Another FYAC member said, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we could revert to the Gough Whitlam days when education was free.' Now, we all know that it probably wasn't totally free, but the concern was primarily on how expensive their degrees were becoming and the indexation that they were expected to pay in the future. I can appreciate their comments. I suppose we had it easier back then, with no upfront cost, but the Gough Whitlam days are, of course, now very much behind us.

In the past year, as I mentioned, I have relentlessly called on the government to address the spikes in HECS, and I know that some of my crossbench colleagues have done similarly. I'm pleased, and we're all pleased, to see the government has taken some sensible steps towards addressing this. But does this do anything to really support students with substantial debt? Students face HECS debt, and I have also been doorknocking in my electorate and many young students were sharing with me the cost-of-living crisis that they are experiencing, in particular in Western Sydney, where students have to travel far to study. The cost of transport has also increased, and the cost of petrol has increased for those who have to drive. Those who are renting have seen the cost of rent also increase. These young people, who are studying to get ahead in life so they can have a proper professional job and build a better future, are struggling with many other cost-of-living pressures.

The findings from the Universities Accord final report proved that there is a lot of work to be done in the education space, hence the government is now introducing this bill to implement its recommendations. As well as indexation, this bill addresses student services and amenities fees, FEE-FREE Uni Ready courses and the Commonwealth prac payment. In my Fowler electorate, over 15 per cent of constituents attend university, around seven per cent are studying for a diploma and around 22 per cent of students are currently in the high school system. So I understand how important reform of the higher education is for the future of the youth in my electorate.

The proposed legislative requirement that higher education providers allocate a minimum 40 per cent of their student services and amenities fee revenue to student led organisations is a positive approach. For socially and economically disadvantaged students, student led organisations may be able to offer support measures that allow them to have a more fulfilling tertiary education experience by providing student services and support. But what assurances can the government give that this support will be targeted at the most disadvantaged students?

What students want is more affordable higher education, but the current cost of living, as I mentioned, is not making their situation any better. A lot of students in Fowler are working part-time jobs while struggling to pay their rent, food, travel and other expenses. Students are now thinking twice and maybe even three times as to which degrees to enrol in or whether to bother at all. There's nothing inherently wrong with such consideration, but I fear that we are going to lose a generation of talented artists and creative people with the way things stand.

I am disappointed that this bill makes no changes to the Morrison government's Job-ready Graduates Package, the JRG package, which used financial manipulation to incentivise students to study in areas of national priority. I don't know who made the decisions; they must have had a crystal ball. This has deterred students from studying arts courses by doubling the cost of arts degree subjects. To be frank, this is a death sentence for students who are talented in the arts and humanities, and it condemns them to the choice between a big debt or walking away because they cannot afford it. This is clear discrimination. Arts and humanities students are not less important than those pursuing a STEM degree. I understand the need to push for STEM. It's very important and something I support, but I think the arts and humanities students are also critical for the cultural growth of Australia. Along with the majority of members of this House, I studied an arts degree, which enabled me to obtain a career in the creative industry, as a writer and a journalist, which led me to where I am today. Arts and humanities degrees create future political leaders, advisers, consultants, journalists, academics, poets and musicians—the list is endless.

I've called on the government to consider the ramifications of the package on multiple occasions. Before the House today, I ask the government again to make changes to the JRG package, ideally scrapping it altogether—I would certainly support that. We cannot simply let this scheme continue to fail not only the generation of students facing this utilitarian discrimination but Australia as a whole. I acknowledge the government's efforts to establish a new Commonwealth prac payment, the CPP, to support students in teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work during their mandatory placements. There are 68,000 eligible students who can expect $319.50 per week during placement. It may not be much money, but it is still some money that students can use to sustain themselves while undertaking their placements. I also welcome the possibility of increasing the CPP for students, to relieve their cost-of-living tensions while undertaking placements, particularly during the spiking inflation that we are currently experiencing.

What about other allied health fields and sciences? Psychology, veterinary science, physiotherapy and podiatry: what provisions are available for them? I have shared in previous speeches that Fowler students in physiotherapy and podiatry feel like they are just being left out. They too must undertake practical placements as part of their course. I think it's a flawed measure to segregate other allied health fields from accessing this benefit. The government should consider what constitutes priority areas.

I understand that the payments will be means tested and available only to priority areas, but this may unintentionally cause inequality, like with the JRG package. The government is essentially cherry-picking courses that they are willing to support. I really urge the Labor government to consider opening the CPP to allied health nurses. These are some of the frontline workers and people that we need in our community. I would also like to see the government clearly define how the means test will be applied. Will the means test lead to any inadvertent exclusion of students who are working part time, for example? Many students from Fowler rely on their part-time jobs to support themselves, as I mentioned earlier, through higher education. My concern is that they may be excluded under a proposed means test.

While this bill is a step forward, I fear it is not enough to help struggling students who need greater support as they navigate higher education. We need to get the blueprint right. If our students and allied health students are disincentivised to study then this will place even more pressure on universities financially.

The Fowler Youth Advisory Committee may not have the expertise or experience to assess all of the factors involved in the funding of higher education, but they do know that, if the future offered to those who study an arts degree is one of mounting debt and high-interest payments, they will and could withdraw from higher education entirely. That is surely not the message that we want to send or the future that we want our students to aspire to.

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