Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank Senator Tyrrell for bringing this issue to the Senate. Cost-of-living pressures on university students is of course a very important issue. Many students are battling to pay the rent and to put food on the table. So I really appreciate your raising this issue, Senator Tyrrell. Certainly I have also spoken with many groups, including students, who have raised these concerns. Student placement so often occurs in the health sector. So, whether a student is studying nursing, OT or some other allied health course, often they are required to do a practical placement in the workplace, and of course with that comes a very significant cost.

That cost is made so much worse because under this government, because of Labor's cost-of-living crisis, we have seen a 7.1 per cent increase in HECS debts apply from 1 June. That has driven up the average cost of a HECS debt by $1,700 a year, and that is impacting more than three million Australians. We know that Australians right across this country are suffering under this government. The cost-of-living crisis, whether it's paying the rent, paying the mortgage, putting food on the table or paying the power bill, is excruciating. Frankly, it is the only thing people are talking about in the communities and in their families. So, as I said, I want to thank Senator Tyrrell for raising this issue.

I have to say, students in rural and regional communities face even greater cost-of-living pressures, because it's not just the pressures of day-to-day living. If you live in a city and go to university in that city, if you are a regional or rural student, or you come from a remote area, so often you are facing an additional cost of many thousands of dollars. Of course, there is support for students. There are a range of different supports for students that the government provides, but it is simply not enough. My concern, as the shadow minister for education, is that this is going to be more and more of a disincentive for students to take up study.

The government talks big on universities and the government talks big on opening the door to students, yet the government has failed to address this issue. The government has failed to even deal with the situation at the moment with the outdated HECS payments system. If you are a student at university and are repaying your HECS debt in real time, those payments are not being accounted for until the end of the financial year. That is appalling. I have raised this with the ATO commissioner. The education minister has promised and committed to do something about it, yet we have seen absolutely no action. Where is the HECS payment reforms that this government promised?

Before the last election the Labor Party were full of promises. They promised cheaper mortgages. They promised lower inflation. They promised not to touch franking credits and not to raise taxes. They promised to cut power bills by $275 a year. The reality is that, under Labor, all Australians are hurting. Under Labor, Australian university students are hurting. I condemn this government for its lack of action when it comes to cost-of-living relief for Australian university students.