Chris Ketter (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's one area of public policy currently which differentiates the two major parties: the issue of higher education policy. This is a matter of regret for me, and it is a matter of disappointment that such an important area of public policy is at the forefront of debate, and probably intense debate this week. On one side of the chamber, we see the approach to higher education as an opportunity for budget repair and an opportunity to focus on the benefits to individuals of higher education, in terms of potential earnings over a career. On our side of the chamber, we tend to focus on higher education as a public good and something which benefits not only society as a whole but our economy as a whole, particularly as we move forward into the future.

I rise to speak with some disappointment on the current state of uncertainty surrounding Australia's university funding arrangements and the shocking cuts proposed by the government. I, like a number of other senators in this place, underwent my tertiary education in the early 1980s for free and, like others in this place, I have had a good, stable job throughout my career. My generation, unlike younger generations, is extremely privileged. We had access to good, reliable employment opportunities, strong unions and a relatively stable political and economic environment. How that has changed over the years. Young people today are being increasingly marginalised and they don't have access to the benefits that I've just canvassed. Rent is expensive, with median rental prices in Brisbane now $485 per week for a two-bedroom apartment, which is almost an entire pay cheque for those living on the minimum wage. The dream of young Queenslanders owning their own home is increasingly out of reach. Access to stable employment with good working conditions is eroding. Wages growth has stagnated. Indeed, wages growth seems to be at historic lows. If we combine these factors with the dynamic nature of modern work and the prospective career changes that young people face, it paints a pretty grim picture for Australia's youth.

I have four kids, all of whom are entering their young adult lives. I want my kids and the kids of other Australians to have the same opportunities, if not better opportunities, than my generation. Indeed, my children are in a good position: they live in Brisbane, at home, rent-free; my wife and I are both employed full time and my wage as a senator is more than satisfactory. What about the kids who aren't in such a privileged position? What about the kids who are from regional areas? What about the kids from non-English-speaking backgrounds? What about mature-age students who are looking to skill up and change careers because their original profession has become redundant in our modern age? This government does nothing for them. It is not just me that's concerned about these cuts; it's my party; it's my Queensland constituents; it's the majority of working Australians; indeed, it's the university sector themselves.

I completed two undergraduate degrees at the University of Queensland, which is a member of the Group of Eight universities. I note that the Group of Eight, in fact, supported the Abbott government's 2014 cuts to higher education, but even the Group of Eight are now against the cuts that are proposed. When you look at other university networks, you see the same thing coming forward. Executive Director of the Regional Universities Network, Caroline Perkins, said last August that the changes will:

… potentially deter mature-age students. As I said, they're the ones who are juggling work, family commitments, and often studying online or part-time …

But it's also students from low socio-economic backgrounds, potentially school leavers, who may also think twice.

If what you want to do is increase participation, these changes are potentially going to have a negative effect. As well as the increased student contribution, one of the more significant measures is the proposal to lower the threshold for repayment of loan debts. This will have a huge impact potentially on low-income families. Further, Chair of Innovative Research Universities, Colin Stirling, said:

The changes are described variously as modest, they're not modest at all.

The financial impact on the university sector will be profound.

And:

… will have a negative impact on the quality of the education that … can be provided.

Despite these dire warnings from representatives in the university sector, the LNP are pushing ahead with the legislation as early as tomorrow to jack up student fees and cut university funding by $3.8 billion. Labor stand with students and universities and will fight against these short-sighted cuts and fee hikes. Indeed, in my home state of Queensland, numerous universities are facing damaging cuts: Central Queensland University, $30.2 million; Griffith University, $85.6 million; James Cook University, $37.1 million; Queensland University of Technology, $89.8 million; University of Queensland, my old university, $96.5 million; University of Southern Queensland, $37.4 million; and University of the Sunshine Coast, $25.2 million. These shocking statistics, these devastating cuts, equate to $401.8 million over four years. That doesn't augur well for the future of Queensland's public universities. Even more so, the skill shortages that will follow if students don't have access to affordable education will be devastating.

We are already seeing declining apprenticeships across Australia. In fact, under the LNP Australia has now shed 148,000 apprentices—a decline of 36 per cent. The 2017 budget cut a further $637 million from TAFE training and apprentices. If we combine these funding cuts to TAFE training and apprentices with funding cuts to universities, what hope do we have for the future of our children and the future of our nation? I would like to highlight the bleak picture which the LNP is creating for Australian students, as many of them will be adversely affected by a number of the following decisions: the LNP will or have cut penalty rates from the award conditions relied upon by the lowest-paid workers, often university students; encouraged the termination of agreements onto awards, which undermine wages and conditions; given a $65 billion tax cut to big business, while raising taxes for over seven million workers; cut $3.8 billion from our universities; increased fees for universities and decreased the rate at which repayment for courses occurs; and cut $637 million from TAFE training in the last budget alone.

As a father, as a senator and as a member of the Labor Party, I cannot support these cruel cuts to our publicly funded universities. I cannot support the reckless abandonment of TAFE and training. The future of our nation depends on students, apprentices and workers having affordable access to quality education so they can develop the skills that they need to succeed in life, to buy their first house, to start a family, to realise that no dream is too big.

While the LNP are giving tax cuts to big businesses and millionaires, they want to cut TAFE, make students pay more for university, get bigger uni debts and make them pay them back sooner. These priorities are all wrong for our nation, and I will object to these changes, from now until the next election.