Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I make this contribution as a former academic at a university in Western Australia—in fact, it was a regional university—of some 11 years experience. I have also been a visiting academic—on two occasions at the University of California, which is probably one of the greatest university systems in the world, and at the University of Kentucky. For Senator Polley's information, I also make this contribution as a person who went through university without any financial support from my parents. I was from a low-socioeconomic background. I went to the University of Queensland and I paid the cost of my university education. So I will not stand here and be lectured to by Senator Polley or by anybody else about what people apparently on our sided are about.

I say this and I say it in all seriousness to the Labor Party and to the Greens: come on board with these reforms, come on board with this new legislation, or be left out in the dark. You will be left out where you should not be, because you do have a proud record associated with university education. But understand this—and I say this to Senator Carr in his absence—if he thinks by obfuscating in the way in which he has been that he is in some way going to force this government to a double dissolution election and if he thinks he is going to trash the opportunities of tens of thousands of young and middle-age Australians in their attainment of a university education or a higher education simply because of some cheap political means then I say he will be damned, and so will his party be damned. Be part of the solution.

Let us all be very, very clear on why the university sector finds itself where it is now. It is because the Labor government at the time lifted the cap on the number of students available to go to universities but did nothing to actually deregulate the industry—the higher education sector. So they found themselves in a circumstance where the universities simply could not pay for the increased costs of the students. The only way forward are the initiatives of Mr Pyne, and for this legislation, with amendment—and I accept that—to be passed.

We just heard Senator Polley talking about funding. She omitted to say in her contribution that the Labor Party, before it left government, was intending to cut some $6.6 billion out of higher education research. I give credit to Senator Rhiannon. She said that of that $6.6 billion, $2.8 billion was removed by the Labor government in April 2013. So do not come into this place on your high horse and talk about activities that the Labor government would have done. Senator Polley also spoke about the start-up scholarship scheme. But she did not say that it was being turned by the then Labor government into—you would not believe it!—a loan. What hypocrisy for them to be standing in the road of a loan scheme when they themselves were going to introduce it. We should always in these circumstances not take advice from ourselves; we should take it from the leaders of the institutions who are responsible for the delivery of the services. I look at the excellent work undertaken by the universities. There are policy notes on higher education reforms and on modelling the impact of higher education reforms; the policy notes Paying off HELP debts: case studies; Tuition fees at Australian universities and Understanding graduate earnings; and the speech, 'Micro-economic reform of the Australian higher education system'. This is the sort of quality of data that is available to us all, which I would hope the Labor Party and the Greens will avail themselves of.

Let us turn to what the leaders of Australia's tertiary institutions are saying. Ms Belinda Robinson, CEO of Universities Australia, said, 'failure of the package will condemn the university sector to inevitable decline.' Is that what Senator Carr wants? Is that what Senator Polley wants? Is that what the Labor Party and the Greens want? I hope not, as a proud university graduate myself and past academic. Either the status quo of ongoing inadequate investment or further cuts without deregulation will condemn Australia's great university system to inevitable decline, threaten our international reputation and make it increasingly difficult for universities to meet the quality expectations of our students. I quote from the Chair of Regional Universities Network and Vice-Chancellor of Southern Cross University, Professor Peter Lee:

… deregulation of student fees was the only way that the sector could maintain quality and access and remain internationally competitive, as significant, additional government funding is unlikely, irrespective of political party composition

This is what the leaders of the universities are saying. The Executive Director of the Australian Technology Network:

To reject the legislation out of hand … would be to sign the death warrant on a globally respected higher education system. The demise wouldn't be overnight of course; it will be slow and painful …

There are many statements from all of the leaders of the university sector. That is what we are faced with in this country.

What is the government proposing to do? It is a ground-breaking and legendary. It is an opportunity for students throughout the socioeconomic scheme to be involved. It is an opportunity for a further 80,000 students to benefit across the sectors of higher education diplomas, advanced diplomas, associate degrees and going on to study undergraduate courses. I say, as a regional university person, that this is the very value to the regional universities of this scheme. I had the privilege of giving the occasional address at Curtin University's graduation ceremony the other day with the vice-chancellor. She has been quoted as saying that the opportunities that this will provide, for example, for the WA School of Mines, will be valuable. I have said so also for the Muresk Institute, of which I was an academic for some time. It is by coincidence, at this very moment, that the Premier of Western Australia, the Hon. Colin Barnett, is the fourth premier to be delivering the Muresk lecture, which he is doing at this very time. I have no doubt that he will be talking about the opportunity to expand the academic availability of courses at such an institution.

We talk about the loan schemes: the HELP scheme and the HECS scheme. Any student from a low-, middle- or high-socioeconomic family has the opportunity to engage in a higher diploma or degree without paying a cent. It is only when they have reached $50,000—CPI linked—that they will be required to repay anything at all. Even then it is capped at some four per cent of their salary. When that person gets up to a $200,000 income, it is capped at eight per cent. In comparison to other countries around the world, this is a very good deal. Comment has been made about the Commonwealth scholarship scheme, which will be made available to students of lower socioeconomic families, particularly those in regional areas. They can apply for the HELP scheme as well as the Commonwealth scholarship.

Let us dismiss some of these lies and myths about $100,000 courses. The University of Western Australia, one of the Group of Eight, has said that it will charge $16,000 a year for its undergraduate courses, which, after three to four years, is about $50,000. The fees for students entering through La Trobe University's Aspire program in 2015 will not increase by more than 10 per cent. If anybody is in any doubt about what is likely to happen to fees, we need look no further than international students. As we have brought international students into Australia, they contribute richly not only to the economy of our country but also to tourism, especially when their families and others visit. Have we seen international student costs absolutely burgeon? No, we have not. Why? Because of that word that Senator Carr will never understand: competition. There is competition within the sector and between the universities. How wonderful it is that, in Mr Pyne's proposed legislation, we have non-university providers. Can you imagine a course run—for example, in economics or commerce—by Harvard University and one of the big four accounting firms being able to be offered in this country? Not only the university sector but the private sector and the non-university sector can get involved. This is good stuff. I say to Senator Carr again, 'Come on board or be lost in the dust.'

Debate interrupted.