Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Student Identifiers Amendment (Higher Education) Bill 2019gives effect to a key national education reform announced in the 2019-20 budget to extend the Unique Student Identifier, known as the USI, from vocational education and training (VET) to higher education.

The Australian government recognises the increasing need for individuals to access tertiary education to upskill and reskill throughout their life, in order to meet the evolving demands of the labour market.

To support this, the bill seeks to extend the Student Identifiers Act 2014to higher education, providing a single government-issued student identifier in the tertiary education sector.

For the first time, all tertiary education students, across VET and higher education, will use one number throughout their education journey that stays with them for life.

It will reduce the administrative burden placed on students and providers when applying for studies and entitlement.

It will also help students engage with their learning and contribute to the lifelong learning ecosystem, encouraging Australians to upskill and reskill, building their careers to fulfil their goals and aspirations.

Starting in 2021, new higher education students can apply for a USI and, by 2023, all graduating higher education students will need a USI before they can receive their award, unless an exemption applies. It is estimated 300,000 USIs will be issued to higher education students in 2020-21; 1.4 million USIs in 2021-22; and around 500,000 each year thereafter.

A national USI will record a student's entire tertiary education journey, enabling students to have greater autonomy and control over their education.

This will also strengthen the integrity and richness of data available, helping us to gain a better understanding of student pathways across tertiary education.

This robust evidence base will help inform future policy development and program delivery, and, in doing so, further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the government's investment in tertiary education.

The USI will replace the existing Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number, also known as a CHESSN, reducing the number of student identifiers in tertiary education from two to one.

Since the turn of the century, the total number of students in higher education has grown dramatically—from 842,000 in 2001 to over 1.5 million in 2018.

We know that an investment in a post-school qualification is one of the best decisions an individual can make—whether it be through vocational education and training or higher education. Tertiary graduates enjoy consistently higher employment levels than those who complete secondary schooling.

The higher education sector has long supported the establishment of a USI.

In 2009, COAG recognised the importance of establishing a national USI to support a seamless transition between schooling, VET and higher education. Since that time, USIs were introduced to the VET system.

In 2018, the STEM Partnerships Forum, led by Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, recommended a lifelong unique student identifier be established and implemented across all education sectors by 2020. The forum summarised that the lack of a consistent national identifier was the largest barrier to understanding the impact of policy efforts to improve engagement in STEM education.

The final report of the Higher Education Standards Panel into improving retention, completion and success in higher education, released in 2018, included a recommendation to 'establish a common student identifier to better understand student pathways across tertiary education'.

With over 10 million VET USIs created and 6,000 students accessing the system every day, we are building on a system that works.

We have now reached the next phase of this evolution, as we introduce USIs to all higher education students.

Schedule 1 of the bill outlines amendments to reflect consistency between vocational education and training and the higher education sector. This will ensure that both sectors are able to provide students with the best services possible to enrich their tertiary education journey.

For the first time, all students studying at a tertiary level will have access to the same national system.

With almost all students in tertiary education using the USI, we will be able to monitor and collect unprecedented data to better inform education programs and policies. As with all information that is maintained by government, privacy is our No. 1 priority. USIs are kept in a secure environment, with all necessary steps taken to protect identifiers from misuse, interference, unauthorised access and modification.

Through the USI, students will be able to move between VET and higher education in a manner that supports lifelong learning, personal development and career aspiration.

The amendments in this bill were designed with innovation, fairness, and longevity at their core. They were informed by a collaborative approach between stakeholders and government agencies, with a focus on ensuring the students of today and tomorrow have access to the best quality tertiary education.

I commend the bill.

Debate adjourned.

( Quorum formed )