Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you so much for bringing me back to the piece of legislation, because I was distracted by some of the baseless claims that the opposition has made about university funding. I put them in the same bucket as the lie about decreased Medicare funding which the opposition has also told.

Turning back to this particular legislation, I think it is important that we reflect on why it's important that we look at a cost recovery model for TEQSA. I have spent some time reflecting on the importance of the university education sector here in Australia and why it's important that we have a body that oversees it and holds it to high standards so that it continues to be important in providing education, jobs and a place for our young people to be.

This cost recovery legislation will allow the nation to have better and more direct collection of these costs, as I say. Currently, TEQSA are recouping only around 15 per cent of the total costs of this regulatory activity. Having a pathway through to greater cost collection means that it also allows stakeholders to have a greater sense of ownership and consultation in that process, so the stakeholder feedback on the draft cost recovery implementation statement will provide an avenue for stakeholders to have that.

It will take three years to phase that in, but can I tell you that in other industries I'm involved with this process has allowed industry to come back to government with more modern, innovative and technical ways to be able to assist government with providing a better way to identify the issues that government seeks to regulate, and then a better and often more cost effective way to achieve those cost recoveries.

I see this as a very positive step, and this bill, the cost recovery bill, will amend the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011, the TEQSA Act, to enable TEQSA to levy the annual charge created by the charges bill, and it will require a higher education provider to pay the annual charge as and when it falls due, including any penalties for late payment. Failure by a higher education provider to pay the charge will constitute a breach of its conditions of registration, and this is again an important part of what we're seeking to achieve here, which is to ensure that the Australian education sector, which is so important not just to Australians—be they young Australians starting out on their career seeking to commence their professional accreditation and training or a more mature Australian who is seeking to retrain into a new sector—but also for those non-Australians that I started my speech talking about, who come to Australia and who may work in an industry while they're doing their studies, but at the very least they will be exposed to the great Australian way of life and the great Australians they meet. They will take back with them not just with this terrific education but the Australian values, the Australian way of doing things and Australian friendships that will ensure that Australia Post continues to send cards and parcels around the world at Christmas and other holiday times. So the regulation and the assurance of the quality of the education sector is critical for Australia on so many levels, and it is for that reason that I recommend this bill to the Senate. Thank you.