Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

Earlier in my remarks I was reflecting on the reason that this bill is before us today, because former Chief Justice French has said:

From the available evidence however, claims of a freedom of speech crisis on Australian campuses are not substantiated.

So why the rush? The truth is that this, like so many other things propagated by this government, is all about politics. The only reason this bill has been introduced is that this government has done another deal with Senator Hanson and One Nation to pass laws to cut funding to universities and to jack up fees.

Mr Morrison and his ministers are absolutely nowhere to be seen when it comes to actually standing up for year 12 students. After a year from hell—dealing with remote learning, the uncertainty of a global health pandemic, the uncertainty of the economic crises arising from the pandemic and the worst job market for decades—what is this government delivering for our year 12 students? American size debt: debts of up to $60,000 to get a basic degree. No Australian should miss out on the job they want or the education they need because they can't afford it.

We're in a recession. One in three young people are looking for work or are wanting more hours, but Mr Morrison would rather see them on the dole queue than getting an education. We should be encouraging as many young people as possible to get a university education or to study at TAFE to get the skills they need to rebuild Australia. The fact is that, despite the ridiculous rhetoric coming from the government, these changes will not deliver on what they promise. This legislation is built on perverse incentives. Experts have pointed this out. The commentators have pointed this out, including the former Liberal education minister Julie Bishop. This legislation will actually achieve the opposite of what the government says it will. It will discourage universities from offering STEM places. That's what the sector is telling us. Overall, the Liberals new funding model will cut total funding for these degrees. Science and Technology Australia have said that the Job-ready Graduates Package will cut the level of funding for universities to teach STEM courses by $690 million next year alone. It will lead to a 17 per cent drop in funding for math courses, a 16 per cent drop in funding for science and engineering courses and a 29 per cent drop for engineering courses. Universities have provided evidence that the practical effect of these changes will be to limit the number of STEM places that they offer.

At the Senate inquiry into the bill, the interim vice-chancellor at the University of Adelaide told us if a university is one science student below its quota, its cap:

Then adding one science student takes it up to its cap. A university could instead add 15 humanities students to take it up to the cap. Now the science student is going to net you $24,000 or $25,000. Fifteen humanities students will net you around $235,000.

That's $235,000 or $24,000: I think I understand what a rational actor in this system would choose. Swinburne university has told us that 46 per cent of its students are in fields that will experience reductions in net funding. These cuts will have enormous impacts on our universities and enormous impacts on our labour market. Universities have also told us that these funding changes for STEM will lead to further cuts to research staff in this sector.

Labor will always encourage students to follow their passion, to do what interests them. That is what leads to a fulfilling and productive career. That is what leads to the kind of innovation, the kind of productivity, the kind of contribution that is necessary to build a rich, deep, complex economy capable of sustaining Australian communities into the future. A student is not going to take up a degree because it's a bit cheaper. There is no evidence for this. After wide consultation, the James Cook University Student Association overwhelmingly found that their members do not pick courses based on fees. A student who is passionate about studying in the humanities will not enrol in a nursing course simply because nursing is cheaper. Early data from university admission centres is already showing us that this is the case. The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre has shown that applications for enrolment in society and culture courses have actually increased by more than 10 per cent, and the available New South Wales and ACT admissions data tells a similar story.

Labor will support legislation that strengthens academic freedom in our universities, but it is disgraceful that Mr Morrison and the Liberal and Nationals have teamed up with One Nation to introduce this bill purely in order to get a vote, to pass their university fee hikes, making it harder and more expensive for Australians to get a university education.