Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Evans. Can the minister inform the Senate on the latest university enrolment figures and advise whether the government is, in fact, on track to achieve its target to have 40 per cent of all 25- to 30-year-olds holding a qualification at a bachelor's degree level or above by 2025?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Crossin for the question. The Gillard government believes in the transformative power of education and we are committed to ensuring that all Australians who are eligible to attend university are given that opportunity. I am pleased to report to the Senate that, as a result of the government's landmark higher education reforms, more Australian students than ever before have the opportunity of a university education. The Gillard government has moved away from a decades-old system of central planning under which every year universities were forced to negotiate an allocated number of student places with the government in Canberra. We removed this cap on enrolments and for the first time universities will be able to grow with confidence and diversify in response to student needs.

As a result of our reforms and our record investment in higher education, we have already seen an extra 80,000 undergraduate students get the opportunity of a university education since 2007. The government has opened the doors of Australia's universities to more students than ever before. Both our nation's universities and our students are responding strongly to those opportunities. The most recent figures show that in 2011 more than 480,000 undergraduate places have been funded and that next year, for the first time, the number of places will grow to more than half a million. The increase in university enrolments will make a major contribution to the government's important target that by 2025 40 per cent of all 25- to 34-year-olds will hold a qualification at bachelor's degree level or above. This is great news in itself, but it is also extremely important for our economy. It means that more Australians will have the chance to gain the qualifications they need to access the higher skilled jobs of the future. It is critical because Skills Australia has forecast that by 2025 a third of all jobs will require a minimum of a bachelor's degree qualification. This will give people the opportunity of the higher skilled jobs. (Time expired)

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister also advise whether there has been any increase in the number of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds attending Australian universities as a result of these government's reforms?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to report that Australian universities are welcoming a new generation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are the first members in their family to attend university. This is an achievement which is a direct result of the government's major reforms. New analysis by my department shows that applications by students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Australia are up strongly since 2009. Between 2009 and 2011 there has been a 12.7 per cent increase in the number of applications by low socioeconomic status students. That growth exceeds that of people from medium and high SES backgrounds. In this year's budget, the government is providing $708 million over four years to assist universities to attract, support and retain students from disadvantaged backgrounds. So the reforms are working and more kids from low-income back­grounds are getting the chance to go to university.

Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. In the context of those previous two answers, what financial support is available for supporting Australian university students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, as the minister outlined?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In April last year the Gillard government implemented landmark reforms to youth allowance to give more students the opportunity to go to university by targeting financial assistance at those with the greatest need. As a result of Labor's reforms, we know that more students are now receiving the support they need to pursue a university education. A key element of our package was to increase the parental income test threshold from $33,000 to $45,114, indexed annually. In just 12 months there has been a 108 per cent increase in the number of dependent university students from disadvantaged backgrounds receiving the maximum rate of youth allowance. This change has significantly expanded the number of people who are eligible for youth allowance and has increased the amount of support they are paid. We are seeing more students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and more students getting youth allowance to support them to study.