Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition will be opposing that question. As far as we are concerned, these full fee paying places should be phased out. We have indicated that that is our policy position. We have indicated that, in view of the fact that the government is seeking to have a 20 per cent increase in the numbers of people paying fees, that clearly would add to the present situation, which is fundamentally unjust. We have a situation at the moment whereby people are able to buy a place at a university with an ENTER score of up to 20 points lower than those that are undertaking HECS places in those courses. For instance, a full fee paying place at Deakin University in the Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science course was 20 points below the HECS place ENTER score required. Frankly, we regard that as unfair.

We suggest that the cap arrangements that the government formerly had put some limits on the capacity for that sort of behaviour to occur, but with these new provisions the situation will become even worse. Whatever arrangements the government has entered into by way of a sweetheart deal with members of its own backbench, so be it. The only way that this injustice can be responded to effectively is to remove full fee paying places from award courses at public universities. As a consequence, we will be supporting the removal of this schedule from the bill.