Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

An amendment was moved, and I'm seeking a seconder for that amendment. Is the amendment seconded?

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the amendment moved by the member for Barker and reserve my right to speak.

Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I stand before you to express my support for the Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023. This is a milestone piece of legislation that reflects our commitment to fostering equitable opportunities. The Albanese Labor government will deliver on its promise of providing steadfast support to all students pursuing higher education and contributing to closing the gap with the most disadvantaged.

One of the reasons I came to Australia in the first place, and one of the reasons so many come to our country, is academic excellence. I came to Australia to give my children a good education. So many of my constituents in Tangney came here pursuing the opportunity to go to university. Recently I stood before you to share a story of success, the story of a primary school in Tangney, Oberthur Primary School. Through one of two language immersion programs in Western Australia, it has achieved outstanding results in the academic performance of its students. Not only do we have excellent primary and secondary education in the electorate of Tangney; our electorate is also home to Murdoch University, an institution that is truly committed to bridging the gap and addressing the systemic inequalities with our Indigenous brothers and sisters.

At its core, this bill addresses two critical recommendations from the Australian UniversitiesAccord interim report. The first recommendation strikes down the punitive 50 per cent pass rule, a measure that has inadvertently hindered the progress of countless students striving for academic excellence. This rule, introduced by the coalition in 2022, was aimed at discouraging students from pursuing courses that they were allegedly not academically suited for. But they failed to account for so many reasons why a student may be facing performance issues. It's impact proved unduly harsh; it disproportionately affected students from our First Nations, from low socio-economic backgrounds and those facing educational disadvantages. We should never try to discourage our youth from pursuing their dreams—never! Never should we tell them they're not suited for it.

We recognise that success isn't only measured by grades but also by the determination and resilience displayed in the face of challenges. By eliminating this rule, we affirm our belief in a student's potential to overcome obstacles and realise their aspirations. We put our faith and confidence in them, and we sent a clear message that we will support them.

Having problems in achieving academic results can be the result of many factors: living in a household facing job insecurity, precarious housing arrangements, coming from a marginalised neighbourhood or other personal circumstances can wreak havoc on a student's ability to focus on their courses. I have lived this. During the most challenging time of my life—during my daughter's battle with cancer—my youngest son struggled with his studies, worried about the wellbeing of our family. This shows that a government has a duty to show compassion for our people. We don't know the challenges they are facing.

To do this, we are also introducing a new policy requirement, mandating higher education providers to outline their commitment to supporting students in their journey to success. This proactive approach ensures that every student, regardless of background, receives the necessary assistance to try, both academically and personally. Moreover, our dedication to equal opportunity is showcased through the second part of this amendment, which extends demand driven funding to metropolitan First Nations students. By broadening the eligibility criteria for Commonwealth supported places we pave the way for more Indigenous people to access higher education, including those living in metropolitan areas. This is a pivotal step towards closing the gap and fostering a brighter future for Indigenous communities.

These measures we're taking are not isolated changes; they stem from a comprehensive set of recommendations outlined by the Australian University Accord interim report. Other policies include: creating more study hubs in the regions and also in the suburbs; extending the higher education continuity guarantee in 2024 and 2025; and working with states and territories to improve university governance.

We believe that education should be an avenue of empowerment, going beyond geographical boundaries and socio-economic barriers. Our commitment to doubling the number of Indigenous students in university within a decade is not just a promise, it's a declaration of intent to bridge the gap and to uplift our First Nations people through the power of education.

As a member of this parliament, I recognise the responsibility we hold in shaping the destiny of our nation. I, myself, emerged from a disadvantaged background, aware of the immense hurdles that can obstruct one's educational journey. It is our duty to ensure that these obstacles do not define a person's potential but instead to help them overcome them, to walk with them together towards a brighter future.

It is not to be overlooked that these recommendations are the result of the hard work of a panel of professionals with a combined wealth of experience in STEM, social science, business and public policy. It is a panel that is diverse in its composition. Furthermore, many of our prominent universities and higher education institutions have committed their support to the report.

I know firsthand the struggle that many face on their educational journey. I understand that. Not everyone has the same privileges or support network. But that doesn't mean they lack potential. It is our duty as a compassionate society and as a responsible government to level the playing field and to extend a helping hand to those who need it most. When we change our perspective on higher education, when we see it as a place of empowerment and growth, we open the door to a future where every student, regardless of their background, can excel. By supporting this bill we are not just changing the law; we are changing people's lives. We are making a commitment to building an education system that uplifts, that encourages and that propels every student towards their dreams. By supporting this bill we send a resounding message to all Australians that, regardless of circumstances, everyone deserves a chance to thrive, to explore their passion and to contribute to the progress of our country.

Our nation's strength lies in the diversity of its people, and it is our collective duty to ensure that this strength is harnessed and cherished. I encourage all my colleagues and members of this House to support the Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023. Let us pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive and equitable future for all Australians. Thank you.

Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A successful higher education system is vital to deliver the kind of forward focused economy the Australia needs to be. In my electorate of North Sydney we are fortunate to have the MacKillop Campus of the Australian Catholic University. But universities across the country ultimately play a role in driving growth in productivity and living standards and help our society evolve and mature. They do this not only by teaching young people how to think but also by driving our economy through their direct employment and contributions to GDP as the nation's leading service export in the form of international education, the research they produce and the amazing graduates they turn out into our labour market. The Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023 is the product of the interim report of the 12-month review being undertaken by the government into Australia's higher education system, known as the Australian Universities Accord. The accord is intended to be a partnership between universities and staff, unions and business, students and parents and, ideally, Labor and Liberal, that lays out what we expect of our universities.

The five priority actions put forward in the report, which was released in July, include: to extend visible local access to tertiary education by creating further regional university centres and establishing a similar concept for suburban and metropolitan locations; to cease the 50 per cent pass rule, given its poor equity impacts, and instead require increased reporting on student progress; to ensure that all First Nations students are eligible for a funded place at university by removing the current geographic limitations; to provide funding certainty to universities in this sector; and, finally, to engage with the state and territory governments and universities to improve university governance, particularly focusing on universities being good employers, on student and staff safety, and on membership of governing bodies.

The purpose of this bill before us today is to implement two of the five recommendations by doing three things: uncap the number of Indigenous students who can enrol in a Commonwealth supported place; remove the requirement that students successfully complete at least 50 per cent of their units of study to continue as a Commonwealth supported student and be eligible for FEE-HELP assistance; and, finally, motivate those who supply higher education services to provide appropriate support for students by requiring these services to have and comply with a support-for-students policy to assist in identifying students at risk of falling behind and supporting them in completing units of their study.

I note Minister Clare's statement that the government intends to implement all five recommendations through other non-legislative mechanisms. I look forward to seeing that implementation happen. However, today, I would like to speak to three issues that are important to the community of North Sydney. Firstly, the issue of equity in higher education. I applaud the interim report's goal to have an integrated tertiary system in place by 2035, with a commitment to access for everyone with potential, aspiration and application.

Our economy is currently navigating significant structural shifts, with demand for a more skilled and qualified population coming thick and fast across all industries. The Australian labour market demanded an additional 490,000 people with higher education qualifications in 2022, and the reality is: we are facing serious skill shortages. In this context, I couldn't agree more with the interim report's conclusion that, with Australia's skills, skills trends must be reversed with a sense of urgency. The report concludes the growth in higher education attainment will include students from underrepresented backgrounds. The need to provide greater support to such a cohort is partly addressed by this bill, specifically calling out the need to address the 'greater divide between rich and poor'.

This is absolutely a right and noble goal; however, on behalf of the community of North Sydney, I would caution that, in achieving this goal, we need to be conscious of using inclusive language. I myself grew up in rural and regional Australia, and I'm the first of my family to attend university and qualify with a degree. I am eternally grateful for that opportunity. As we move towards solving the skills crisis, I'm not up for engaging in class based war for resources based on stereotypes or assumptions, and I do not want my children or any young person living in the electorate of North Sydney doubting their right to an education.

The impacts of the rising cost of living are being felt across the country, including in my community of North Sydney. We know that the cost of education in Australia has almost tripled since 2003, with secondary education up 185 per cent and tertiary education up 121 per cent. Ultimately, all levels of education, from preschool, primary, secondary to tertiary, are now in the top ten fastest-growing household costs in the last 20 years. With just over half the North Sydney population aged 15 and over reporting having obtained a bachelor's degree or above, the truth is that this cohort represents people who are either currently carrying or potentially accumulating a significant debt or supporting family members in the act of accruing one. In any case, these individuals and families are likely to be increasingly feeling the pinch. In delivering the much-needed reforms to the system, we must be careful to remember our education system is based on providing a universal learning entitlement, with the emphasis on the word 'universal'.

Secondly, I will touch on the issue of campus safety. In response to the fifth recommendation of the interim report, the government indicated they would work with the states and territories on improving university governance. Of particular interest to me in this recommendation is making sure our universities are safe for students and staff. This past week in this place, we were fortunate to hear from members of the I Deserve Safety campaign, in partnership with End Rape on Campus Australia, the National Union of Students, Fair Agenda Australia and students from WA, Victoria, New South Wales, ACT and Queensland.

The 2021 National Student Safety Survey found one in 20 students had been sexually assaulted since starting university and that one in six had been sexually harassed. The latest survey shows that 1.1 per cent of the 1.3 million students studying at Australian universities had been sexually assaulted within a university context within the previous 12 months. This equates to over 14,000 sexual assaults per year or 275 sexual assaults each week, every week. Of students who reported sexual assault to their university in 2021, only 29.7 per cent were satisfied with the university's process.

This sexual violence is significantly impacting on student wellbeing, educational outcomes and future career prospects. However, the current university regulatory system is failing when it comes to university responses to sexual assault and harassment. The actions universities have taken to address this, to date, have not been good enough.

Last week, I was proud to join the campaign in calling for the government to implement a national task force to hold universities accountable for their responses to sexual violence. I am pleased that from that advocacy the minister then met with members of the campaign and heeded their calls, including announcing the inclusion of the CEO for Our Watch, Patty Kinnersly, on the working group and undertaking to continue to consult with the #IDeserveSafety campaign.

The government must urgently drive the delivery of an effective system for reviewing complaints about a university or residence's handling of an incident, ensure regular public reporting on incidents in the institutions and reporting on measures universities are taking to address and prevent sexual assault as well as establishing accountability through sanctions for universities that do not comply. Delivering Australian tertiary learning communities that are free from sexual violence must be a priority for us all in this place—no delay; no excuses—as with each week that goes by, another 275 sexual assaults will take place.

Lastly, on an issue that is missing altogether from this bill, despite being of deep importance to North Sydney, is the matter of student debt. There are unique burdens that young Australians are subject to, in the current economic environment. The cost-of-living pressures are disproportionately affecting young people and hindering their ability to engage in the Australian economy. The indexation of student debts is unnecessarily adding to this burden and causing real harm.

I fundamentally think it's unfair the indexation is applied on 1 June, each year, not to the portion of debt outstanding at that time but to the total amount of debt owing as of 1 July the prior calendar year. This, effectively, means portions of student debt that workers have already repaid are subject to an indexation increase, a circumstance that recently hit more than three million Australians, most of them young working Australians with student debts.

Many North Sydneysiders contacted my office with distressing reports of how the 7.1 per cent increase affected both their ongoing debt loads and, subsequently, their future opportunities. Due to an inflation indexed increase in the HECS and HELP debts, the average loan increased by more than $1,000, an increase that could have a lifelong impact on the borrowing capacity and ability of young workers to enter the housing market. In my own household, my son, who had paid down his HELP debt, found that the indexation took more money than he had paid off, and his debt went up overall.

In addition to this, the existing scheme also perpetuates gender inequity, with women holding 60 per cent of HELP debts and 58 per cent of the total $74.3 billion debt pool. Tertiary education is more than a cost; it is an investment in our future. A better educated workforce means greater productivity and greater community prosperity.

After meeting with the crossbench, the education minister committed to a review of the HECS and HELP debt system, and I call on the government to prioritise this review to ensure young Australians either accruing or carrying debts do not face similar distress in the coming year.

There are alternatives that the government could pursue. They could determine indexation based on either the CPI or the more stable wage price index, whichever is lower at the time, as currently occurs in the United Kingdom, or they could tie indexation to the RBA's trimmed or weighted mean that more accurately calculates underlying inflation, which would effectively compensate for the current and future burden of the higher cost-of-living pressures. Either alternative approach would be fairer for young Australians. I urge the government to prioritise this review, to reduce the emotional distress many are feeling with a growing debt hanging over their heads and no clear direction on how this debt will continue to accrue in the years ahead.

Ultimately, intergenerational equity is one of the biggest challenges of our time—in the tax system, on climate change and on a forward focused economy, including delivering the skilled workforce that will take our nation forward. I commend the government on this work and I welcome this bill in this place, but I say to everyone in this place: we must work harder and faster to help young Australians navigate this transition and support them as best we can.

Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I support this legislation, the Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023. It makes an amendment to the Higher Education Support Act, which has operated since 2003 in this country. The preface to Australian Universities Accord review's interim report talks about the fact that we need growth through skills and through greater equity, and I quote a paragraph which I think is really germane to this debate:

Too few Australians are beginning and completing qualifications. While it is predicted that 90% of jobs created over the next five years will require a post-secondary qualification and 50% a higher qualification, completions and demand for places are actually falling, with completions of a first bachelor degree at their lowest since 2014. This combined with existing skills shortages means a sense of urgency for change is needed.

This particular legislation before the chamber today is about change, and I know it's supported by my alma mater, the University of Queensland, and supported by the University of Southern Queensland, which has campuses in Ipswich and Springfield in my electorate. This particular bill amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and implements a couple of recommendations in the interim report under the accord. The bill contains reforms to allow First Nations students, including those in metropolitan areas, to be eligible for Commonwealth supported places in demand-driven higher education courses. It will also remove the requirement that students must pass half of the units they study in order to remain eligible for a Commonwealth supported place and FEE-HELP assistance. This government is making changes. We are delivering 20,000 Commonwealth supported places and hundreds of thousands of fee-free TAFE places, and that's absolutely crucial. This bill will insert a new requirement that higher education providers must implement a policy that addresses the support that providers will provide to their students in order to assist them to successfully complete the units of study in which they are enrolled.

In June 1990, barely 130 days after almost 10,000 days in prison, in Madison Park High School's stuffy gymnasium in Boston, Nelson Mandela rose to speak. He could have addressed any topic, but being at a school he spoke on education and he said this:

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

I think that is absolutely apt, brilliant and succinct. Of course he's right. What he said has currency today. The extension to his words is not only that we may use education to change the world but that education is essential for surviving and thriving in an ever-changing world. This is especially true in a world of eight billion souls. There are several international human rights treaties to which Australia is a party. They create and support the right to education. It's mainly found in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The covenant requires primary and secondary education to be available and accessible for all and for higher education to be made equally accessible to all on the basis of capacity. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has stated that the capacity of an individual should be assessed by reference to their relative and relevant experience.

Concerning part of this present bill, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples contains provisions relevant to the rights of Indigenous people to education. The declaration directs governments to engage with Indigenous people to protect their rights to education. Federal public servants are directed to consider the right to education when working on legislation, policies or programs that: relate to standards which must be met by educational institutions, resourcing of such institutions, access to education for certain groups of people who face barriers to education—such as Indigenous people or people with disabilities—or qualifications for entry into higher education institutions; or impose restrictions on the ability to study. It is a fundamentally important right which Australians should enjoy.

The proposed amendments will expand the eligibility of places in demand driven higher education courses. The Commonwealth government will provide funding on a demand driven basis for all First Nations students, regardless of where they live, to enrol in bachelor-level courses. There is no cap on the number of First Nations students who may enrol in Commonwealth supported places and eligible providers will receive Commonwealth funding for all First Nations students. Expanding demand driven funding for all First Nations students will increase First Nations student participation rates, and will lead to a significant increase in First Nations people with tertiary qualifications. As the minister has, aptly, pointed out on many occasions during question time in this place, if you're an Indigenous male then you're more likely to go to jail than go to university. We've got to address that in closing the gap.

This supports the government's commitment to closing the gap. We have a tertiary education target to increase the number of Indigenous people aged 25 to 34 who have completed a qualification of cert III or higher to at least 70 per cent by 2031. This measure will double the number of Indigenous students at university within a decade. The proposed amendments will remove the requirement for students to maintain a pass rate above 50 per cent of the units that they undertake. This is assessed after they have completed a certain number of units. Currently, students who cannot maintain this pass rate lose eligibility for Commonwealth government assistance. They must either pay for their course up front, transfer to another course or, even worse, withdraw from study.

The pass rate measures were originally introduced with the intention of dissuading students from continuing courses for which they were not academically suited, to avoid accruing large higher education loan program debts without successfully gaining a qualification. The practical effect of these measures has been overly punitive for students, and they have not necessarily motivated higher education providers to provide better support to students with academic difficulties. These measures have disproportionately affected students from underrepresented and educationally disadvantaged cohorts, including First Nations students and those with limited financial and other resources. To encourage higher education providers to provide appropriate support to assist students to complete their studies successfully, this bill will insert a new requirement that higher education providers must implement a policy to assist students to successfully complete the units of study in which they are enrolled. Providers will need to indicate how they're supporting their students who are experiencing academic difficulties.

And I might digress to give praise to the University of Southern Queensland—and universities all around the country as well—for the work that they did to help students during COVID and those difficulties. They really had some challenges in financial support for themselves, loss of familiar contact and isolation from loved ones. Universities stepped up, whether it was about money, or a helping hand, or an arm around them or practical assistance. The universities did a great job around the country. Particularly, I want to praise the University of Southern Queensland in my electorate. There are many students there from First Nations backgrounds, people living with disability and from poor communities—from what we would previously call a 'Bradley' cohort, low socio-economic backgrounds—and the University of Southern Queensland did a mighty job supporting them during COVID, and this has continued. Under this bill, providers will need to put in place specific processes to identify students at risk of not successfully completing their studies. I'm sure the experience during COVID will help, and the support available to students to successfully complete their studies.

These measures are not onerous, especially for providers who are already fulfilling their obligations under the law and in line with community expectations and based on the values, the ethics and the morality of the wonderful people who run our universities in this country. These measures will ensure that mechanisms for monitoring student progress are maintained, along with appropriate support for students. Providers who do not have such processes or support in place will need to implement a quality student support policy in order to be compliant with their obligations under the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

This bill amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to implement priority recommendations of the Australian Universities Accord interim report, which was released in July by the minister. This government is committed to opening the door of opportunity for more students to go to university and will implement each of the interim report's recommendations and priority actions. This means that we'll create more university study hubs. We'll scrap the 50 per cent pass rule, as I said. We'll require better reporting on how students are progressing. We'll extend the demand-driven funding currently provided to cover all Indigenous students, irrespective of where they live. That's really important in places like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide and in places like Ipswich as well. I'm really pleased that we're doing that. We'll provide funding certainty during the accord process by extending the Higher Education Continuity Guarantee into 2024 and 2025, with arrangements that prioritise support for equity students. We'll work with the states and territories to improve university governance when necessary.

The expansion of demand-driven places is estimated to cost about $34.1 million in underlying cash terms over the period from 2023-24 to 2026-27. The removal of the 50 per cent pass rule and the new requirements on higher education providers are expected to have an underlying cash impact of $1.1 million over the forward estimates. In the context of the Commonwealth government's budget, that's not a high amount, but it will make a difference. It'll make a difference to disadvantaged people, people living with disabilities and people from low-socioeconomic backgrounds—backgrounds like mine. I was the first person in my family ever to go to university. My parents didn't go to high school, and their parents didn't go to high school before that. So I know the value of higher education and what it's done for me and my two younger brothers.

The measures to support people from poor backgrounds are really critical. I don't think my dad, who was a cleaner at the meatworks, and my mum, who was a shop assistant, ever envisaged that their three sons would go to university and run businesses. I ran a law practice in Brisbane's CBD, and my brother Darrin has a huge physiotherapy practice. My other brother, Regan, was assistant director-general in the Queensland education department. We all did well from university. University helped us. One of us even got to federal parliament by some miracle and by the good consciences and votes of people in the electorate of Blair! Universities are important. They are cathedrals of learning, and they equalise opportunity. I'm a bit of an old-fashioned Labor person who believes that education is the key for redistributing wealth. I really believe that. I genuinely believe in social justice, equality of opportunity and a fair go for everyone, and education's absolutely the key.

I know these measures have great support from universities. They build on our commitment, which we announced in the campaign, to support Commonwealth supported places and fee-free TAFE. The accord comprises some of the most eminent Australians who've worked with significant experience across education, business and public policy. I'm looking forward to the next report they do. There are people like the chair, Professor Mary O'Kane AC; Professor Larissa Behrendt AO; the Hon. Fiona Nash, who made a great contribution to parliamentary life and life in this country; and the Hon Jenny Macklin AC, who many of us know in this place and who's deeply respected for her commitment to social justice. And there are others, so there are some great people on this committee who are looking at all these issues.

Following extensive consultation, the accord panel recommended a number of priority areas, including the two to which this bill refers. So it's really important that we do this. I'm looking forward to the additional report that will come down. We're committed to making sure that we have people going to university, passing their courses, contributing to Australian community life, building businesses and contributing as employees, no matter where they live. It's a social justice thing to which we're committed. I look forward to this bill going through the House and the Senate, ensuring that students can finish university. I commend the bill to the House.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Education is the great enabler, and, indeed, it is very much a component of society which enables people to be their best selves. Certainly, we want the very best outcomes for our regional students. At the outset, I want to pay tribute, as the member for Blair just did, to that new committee being set up and the work that Fiona Nash will do on that committee, as well as Jenny Macklin AC—congratulations to her on her recent award in the honours. I also want to pay special tribute to Samantha Beresford, Head of Government Relations and Regional Engagement at Charles Sturt University. Indeed, the work at Wagga Wagga and other campuses is making students, creating students and giving our best and brightest students wonderful opportunities that they would otherwise potentially and possibly not have.

I'm very pleased as well that the amendments, very important as they are, to the Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023 have been moved by two regional members—the member for Barker and the member for Parkes, both of whom have large electorates in South Australia and New South Wales, respectively, and both of whom know that young people—and some not so young—in their electorates deserve the very best and the very same opportunities that, indeed, are afforded to those who seek higher education in metropolitan areas.

I've said many times that the HECS loan, the Higher Education Contribution Scheme loan, is the best loan you'll ever get. Indeed, that is true. I know that the threshold in February 2021 was $46,620 before you started paying it back. I know also that this can be something that is like lead in the saddlebags for those people who are just entering the workforce, particularly in this time where there is difficulty with the cost of living and where there is difficulty, particularly, for those in regional areas in meeting the day-to-day costs of rent, accommodation, groceries, fuel and energy—and of everything else.

I know that more than three million Australians have a HECS debt or other type of student debt under the Higher Education Loan Program, the HELP scheme, which increased by a massive 7.1 per cent on 1 June 2023—the highest indexation rate in more than three decades. This, coupled with the cost-of-living crisis and the ever-increasing inflation rate, is making it difficult for young people in particular. By proposing to abolish the coalition's 50 per cent pass rule, the government has failed to protect students at high risk of not completing their course from accumulating debilitating HECS debts and then having acute financial hardship on top of that.

The government's reliance on a survey of 27 universities to justify the abolition of the 50 per cent pass rule indicates that the government hasn't been able to access the relevant data as to how many students are going to be impacted by this measure, reflecting what I believe, and what the opposition believes, is a poor adherence to evidence based policy. We want, as I said at the outset, the very best outcomes for our students.

In proposing to uncap Commonwealth supported places available to Indigenous students living in metropolitan areas, which extends the coalition's measure to uncap CSPs for Indigenous students living in regional and remote Australia, the government hasn't explained how it will hold universities to account for poor completion rates by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, which currently results in only 26 per cent of Indigenous students completing their undergraduate degree within four years; 37 per cent of students drop out during that period. I appreciate that the government wants to allow all Indigenous students who are living in metropolitan areas to be eligible for Commonwealth supported places in demand-driven higher education courses. But, as an aside, just as disadvantaged in some instances, in many circumstances, are non-indigenous students who live in remote areas. I know there is help available for them. I appreciate that. But we do need to consider some of those people and the options they don't have—the remoteness that causes difficulties for them when they want to complete courses.

That is why I also pay tribute to those non-sandstone universities, for the work they do in rural areas. By reason that the government is proposing to release the consultation paper on its proposed Support for Students policy, it becomes abundantly clear that the government has not done its homework—pardon the pun!—on this policy or determined the basis on which universities would be fined as proposed by the bill. This bill fails to impose on universities a strong accountability and transparency framework, including fair and just access to student refunds and the requirement that unis publish all relevant course information, including out-of-pocket costs, total costs, completion rates, modes of course delivery, and employment outcomes.

This government has come to office saying that it's going to be transparent. This government has come to office saying that it's going to be accountable. Well, let's see the government being transparent with taxpayers regarding how much its changes to the higher education system will cost and, furthermore, how it will pay for those changes. That would be a very, very good start. Given its deficiencies, the bill should be referred to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee for inquiry. That should be a minimum. We do pay tribute to those young people who take on higher education opportunities. But, at the same time, I have always said that a certificate from TAFE—the piece of paper that you get from TAFE—is worth every bit as much as a diploma from a university. I say that; I've got a few certificates from TAFE, and I don't have a university degree.

I remember, when Warren Truss was Deputy Prime Minister and he was making his farewell speech, that he indicated he would probably be the last deputy prime minister of this nation to never hold a university degree. Lo and behold, not that much later, along came yours truly. But I do admire those people who knuckle down and do the work, do the study and get their diploma—but, moreover, then pay for it. It is a struggle. It is hard. And it's even harder now than it was before. I do appreciate that. And we do need, as a Commonwealth—and the government, as a government that said it will place education as one of the key pillars to its governance, needs—to do everything possible to support our students, be they at university or at TAFE, and also those young people who go to neither, who decide they are going to just go and work, and well done to them, too.

The government recently released the accord's interim report. It outlines five priority actions that the panel believes require urgent responses. Given those, it is important that the outcomes are met by transparency and accountability. That is why the members for Barker and Parkes have put forward their very worthwhile amendments.

Under the Job-ready Graduates Package in 2020, the coalition introduced a provision which required students to maintain a pass rate of 50 per cent or above for units of study they undertake. Of course there are always going to be provisions and circumstances, and if those pass rates are not met then individual students will be looked at and their explanations examined. But students who have a low completion rate and who do not meet this requirement lose eligibility for Commonwealth assistance and must either pay for their course upfront, transfer to another course or withdraw from their studies. The rule commenced on 1 January 2022. As I said, there is a waiver for special circumstances, and you can understand that there will always be special circumstances—hardship, health and all manner of reasons. That is understood. But Labor's abolition of the rule increases the risk of financial hardship.

The cost of living is skyrocketing, and we hear so much in this place about things which, quite frankly, out there in the real world are not being discussed at barbecues. They are not being discussed at weekend social and sporting events. Yet we seem to just go back and forward across this chamber, and our friends in the media seem to think these are the most important things of all, but they are not. Sometimes—other members must get this too—when you go back to your electorate, they say 'What was discussed in federal parliament this week?' I must admit that sometimes I scratch my head and think to myself 'Yes, what really was discussed that had merit?' This does have merit.

Higher education is important, and I say that as someone who is very proud of his three children. My wife, Catherine, and I and our three children all went to CSU and graduated from very different courses: teaching, accounting and policing. Charles Sturt University is one of those regional providers that this nation should be very proud of. I pay tribute to the former Liberal member representing Wagga Wagga at both state and federal levels of government for 36 years, the late, great Wal Fife. He and Cliff Blake helped transform what was the Wagga Wagga Teachers College into the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education and eventually into Charles Sturt University. It has campuses at Wagga Wagga, Albury and elsewhere. Renee Leon is now doing a great job heading up that university. I am also very pleased that Charles Sturt University is one of the regional universities which is providing, as well as UNSW, the rural medical school network throughout the Murray-Darling. It is providing doctors for the future.

Whether you go to university to study to be a doctor or an accountant or a teacher or a police officer, it matters not. You are going there, and you are going to give of your best self. You want to be sure that the government which is running this country is going to have your back. That is why I commend very much the amendments that have been put forward by two outstanding regional members, because they will strengthen this bill. They will add clarity to this bill and make sure that its shortfalls are met with good, solid policy. That is why I commend these amendments. I say to the government that it needs to do everything in its power to combat the cost-of-living crisis. Stop talking about things that don't matter. Stop talking about things which, quite frankly, do not relate to average, ordinary, everyday Australians. Get back to what you promised before the election and make sure that students, when they start having to pay off the threshold cost of their HECS debts, are protected, get the very best opportunity and that they can make the most of their courses. With that, I do commend the amendments put forward by the members for Barker and Parkes, and I look forward to those being passed.

Debate adjourned.

Ordered that the resumption of the debate be made an order of the day for a later hour.