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

Reports that the Albanese government will delay the release of the Universities Accord final report until at least February next year are further evidence that Minister Clare's higher education reform agenda is running off the rails. While the government created very high expectations, so far its delivery of reform has been woeful. Where is the review of the antiquated HECS debt loan scheme that the minister promised, after being pressured to do so? We are still waiting for documents about this review that the Senate ordered to be produced last Friday. The minister only has excuses for failing to provide these documents as he was required to do through his department many weeks ago.

Because of Labor's sky-high inflation rate, HECS debts have gone up another 7.1 per cent this year. HECS debts are skyrocketing, and Prime Minister Albanese and his hapless government are sitting on their hands, with no solution. The best the government has come up with so far is a new full-fee loan scheme, the startup year loan, which charges students for courses they can currently do for nothing. What a disaster that is. In the wake of so much concern about not putting students first, including in relation to student safety on campus, we now see that the support-for-students policy that the government promised after it abolished the coalition's 50 per cent pass rule is in disarray. There's been no consultation. This policy has turned into a complete mess. The government is now going back to the drawing board, and higher education providers are absolutely up in arms, with just weeks to go before that policy is meant to be introduced. This is a government which is failing to put students first and is leaving a regulatory mess in its wake.