Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens are moving this amendment because the students are being burdened by more and more student debt when, really, education should be free.

The committee report that Senator Chisholm refers to obviously came from a Labor dominated committee. But every single witness we heard from gave evidence that indexation should go. It is unfair. In Labor's term of government indexation has gone up by 16 per cent. Just shaving off a few per cent still leaves an 11 per cent increase in student debts over just 2½ years of Labor government.

Student debt really is spiralling. People are being crushed under indexation and student debt, so, really, it should be scrapped altogether. We have a bill sitting in parliament to scrap indexation and to raise the minimum income threshold to the median wage. Senator Chisholm said that Labor are going to wipe 20 per cent of student debt and erase the minimum income threshold, but they don't have the courage to legislate it right now. So we are going to put you on notice tonight. We're going to move amendments and see if Labor support their own policy and pledge. Labor are in government now, and they should legislate for those changes now so there is certainty for those who are being crushed under student debt. I commend the amendments to the Senate.