Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Back for the question. As the senator knows and a number of other Senators also know, the government has indicated it will accept Senator Day's amendment—a very sunlit Senator Day's amendment—to retain the indexation rate on student debt at CPI. I know there are a number of other senators in the chamber who are also very interested in that proposal. We will also support Senator Madigan's amendment in relation to a HECS indexation pause for new mothers and fathers. I believe that proposal has also interested for example, Senator Wang. The government is open to other constructive proposals from members of the crossbench in the Senate and that discussion is ongoing.

But as Paul Kelly wrote in The Weekend Australian:

If the eminently defensible university reform compromise is not passed the result, as Universities Australia says, is that higher education will face an 'inevitable decline in quality, performance, competitiveness and reputation'.

That is what those opposite apparently want to have happen. But it is actually the students who will lose the most. In fact, Prof. Greg Craven of the Australian Catholic University has said just today that the higher education reform currently before the Senate will help to sustain the future of a system of uncapped government supported university places which has delivered so much opportunity for so many Australians.

As the chamber is aware, under the reforms the demand driven system will also be extended to sub bachelor places, making higher education even more accessible. However, Prof. Craven warns if the reforms are not passed, the ability of universities to provide opportunity and support to students from poorer neighbourhoods would be threatened. There would be less money available for scholarships. Tens of thousand of disadvantaged students would not get scholarships— (Time expired)