Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed, this is at the heart of the types of reforms that the Turnbull government has got before the parliament in relation to higher education. Yes, we are asking those who have debts at present to pay them back a little bit faster, asking those on higher incomes to pay it back a little bit faster and asking people to start paying back a little bit faster, albeit at a slower or lower level or rate of repayments. We are equally introducing or proposing a performance contingent fund for universities to ensure that in the future there is greater linkage to the outcomes of students, including the employment outcomes of students, to make sure that future graduates align with the employment market and therefore good job prospects.

Overall, of course, our commitment is to grow the economy, which is why as a government we are thrilled to have seen hundreds of thousands of jobs—around 800,000 jobs—created since we were elected, with more than 300,000 jobs created over the last 12 months, all of which creates the opportunity for people to repay those debts in the future. (Time expired)