Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Brandis, the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Science and Training. Is the minister aware of the claim by the Minister for Education, Science and Training on The 7.30 Report last night about the HECS increase for accounting, economics and commerce students that ‘universities are not obliged to raise HECS fees after all’? Hasn’t Professor Gerard Sutton of the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee exposed this as a total nonsense today by saying ‘given the experience with flexible HECS, you would have to say the majority’ of universities will increase HECS fees? Isn’t it the case that, the last time the government increased HECS, all but one university passed on the increased rates, with the result that students took on an average increase in debt of $2,000 each? Why is the government trying to play a cynical smoke-and-mirrors trick with the community on increases in HECS fees?