Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on the Higher Education Support Amendment (Cost Recovery) Bill 2019 and the associated Higher Education Support Amendment (Charges) Bill 2019. I'm delighted to have this opportunity to speak on these bills, because, while they offer a modest change to our higher education sector, they demonstrate our overall commitment to streamlining, strengthening and providing record investment and opportunities for young Australians. These bills give effect to the Higher Education Loan Program, HELP, cost recovery measures in the higher education sector. The 2018-19 budget included HELP cost-recovery measures through an annual charge and an application fee affecting higher education providers that are subject to these bills. Subject to their passage, these measures will provide combined savings of $11.7 million over 2019-20 to 2022-23.

In accordance with the government's charging framework and the cost-recovery guidelines, the department undertook a review of its activities in the higher education sector in 2017. This resulted in the coalition including the following HELP cost-recovery measures in the 2018-19 budget: firstly, an application fee to recover the Commonwealth's full cost of administering and assessing applications for registered higher education providers seeking approval to offer FEE-HELP under the Higher Education Support Act 2003; and, secondly, an annual charge on all higher education providers offering HECS-HELP and/or FEE-HELP assistance to partially cover the costs incurred by the Commonwealth in administering these programs. Charging for government activities already occurs in tertiary education sector regulators and in relation to administration and application processes under the VET Student Loans program.

We consider it appropriate and equitable that providers who utilise Commonwealth funding contribute to the maintenance and operation of HELP arrangements. Subject to their passage, the annual charge measure is to commence from 1 January 2020. These bills represent a reasonable change to these arrangements. As a government, we're ensuring that our higher education sector remains sustainable and ensuring that each and every young Australian is able to pursue every opportunity that comes their way. We're achieving this through delivering record investment in our education and careers pipeline. It is all made possible by having a strong and growing economy which is creating jobs and providing a strong investment environment.

Our record is there for all to see. We're delivering better education outcomes by increasing school funding, improving school outcomes, helping young jobseekers, delivering more apprenticeships, improving university education, and investing more in mental health for young people. All in all, we're investing record amounts in getting young Australians educated in the field of their choice and ensuring they're ready for their chosen career. We're doing this through ensuring schools and education providers have the resources they need to provide a world-class learning environment. We're also working with employers and peak industry bodies to ensure our education system is delivering the skills they need for their future employees to have. Just last week, the Australian government announced Scott Cam as our new Careers Ambassador—an excellent appointment which demonstrates our commitment to getting young Australians ready for and into jobs. Across government, young Australians are able to access a range of programs to get them into some of the more high-tech jobs of the future, including space, remote operations, coding, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence. These are all important industries for the nation, but they're particularly critical growth areas for my home state of Western Australia.

The government is taking a complete pipeline approach right from early learning, because we know a child's brain reaches 90 per cent of its full adult size by the age of five, through to primary school, high school and either tertiary or vocational education, depending on which direction they choose to go. As a government, we're investing record amounts in each and every stage of the education and training process, and we can do all this because we have a strong economy and because we're continuing to make our higher education sector sustainable. We're ensuring that the money that we invest into the future of young Australians is getting to where it's most needed and is delivering value and practical outcomes for students and their future employers.

Australian government funding for schools is now based on students' needs, as opposed to the patchwork model put in place by those opposite.