Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. Will the minister outline how the government's reform bill will spread opportunity to more Australians to gain a higher education qualification and equip Australian universities to reach their full potential?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Tangney for his question. I am very pleased to be able to report that the government introduced the reform bill for higher education into the Parliament this morning at nine o'clock and that bill will be debated next week. I would urge the opposition, the Greens and the crossbenchers in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to consider this once-in-a-generation opportunity to spread higher education qualifications to tens of thousands more students and young people around Australia through the most generous Commonwealth scholarships fund in Australian history by expanding the demand-driven system to diploma and associate diploma courses used typically by first-generation and low-socioeconomic status university students, and by expanding the Commonwealth Grant Scheme for the first time to non-university higher education providers. All of these measures will give tens of thousands more young Australians the opportunity to get a higher education qualification and go on to earn 75 per cent more on average than those people without a higher education qualification over a lifetime.

I remind the opposition what Universities Australia has said about the reform bill introduced today. Belinda Robinson, the Chief Executive of Universities Australia said:

… the Parliament had a once in a generation opportunity to shape an Australian higher education system that is sustainable, affordable and equitable in serving the best interests of students and the nation.

Dr Chalmers interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Rankin will remove himself under 94(a).

The member for Rankin then left the chamber.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She went on to say:

With budgets under pressure, governments faced with a myriad of competing priorities for public funding, and successive governments being disinclined to invest at the level that repeated independent reports have shown to be needed, full deregulation of higher education is needed.

She said:

Either the status quo of ongoing inadequate investment, or further cuts without deregulation will condemn Australia's great university system to inevitable decline, threaten our international reputation and make it increasingly difficult for universities to meet the quality expectations of our students.

Her chairman Sandra Harding, the vice-chancellor of James Cook University, in her press conference today asked the Senate to pass the higher education reforms. She said, 'The status quo is not tenable, it is not sustainable' and she said, 'If it'—the legislation—'doesn't pass, that is the status quo.' So these are high stakes for our higher education sector. The opposition should stop playing politics.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton is warned!

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We had six years of Rip Van Winkle politics under the previous government. It is time to grasp the nettle of higher education reform and allow more opportunity for our students and for our universities to compete on the international stage.