Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Young people are bearing the brunt of the COVID crisis, facing record-high unemployment—15.7 per cent in Parramatta—and it's estimated that the COVID recession will cost them $7 billion in lost wages over a decade. Now the Morrison government has pushed through changes that will lock thousands of Australians out of university—increasing fees by seven per cent for all students, cutting government funding and doubling fees for 40 per cent of students. This will have a devastating impact in places like Western Sydney, where young people from disadvantaged backgrounds already face huge barriers to attending university and where attainment rates in some places are lower than they are in remote areas of Australia.

I've heard from a lot of people in my electorate who are concerned about these changes. One local mum who wrote to me about her fears for her three children. Her eldest daughter, currently in year 12, is planning further studies in STEM fields, so she will be okay. But her younger daughter, a year 10 student, wants to study ancient history and archaeology, is now expecting to pay among the highest fees. Her son, a year 7 student, has an interest in both law and science. She believes education is critical to her children's future, and she is absolutely right. She thinks these changes will make it very difficult for her children and their peers to afford university, and she is right. Like all parents, she wants her children to have the opportunities to fulfil their potential. These cuts create an uneven playing field for students, even siblings in the same family.