Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move opposition amendments (1) to (5) on sheet 1799 together:

(1) Schedule 2, item 30, page 19 (line 7), omit "commence", substitute "cause to be conducted independent".

(2) Schedule 2, item 30, page 19 (line 9), omit "2026", substitute "2025".

(3) Schedule 2, item 30, page 19 (line 10), omit "2029", substitute "2028".

(4) Schedule 2, item 30, page 19 (after line 10), after subsection 144-20(1), insert:

(1A) Each review must consider, and make recommendations to the Commonwealth Government about, the expansion of the policy implemented by this Division to other sectors of high skills need in rural, remote and very remote Australia, including the health, mental health and education sectors.

(1B) Each review should consult with rural and remote communities and their health, mental health and education service providers and specifically, the following must be consulted as part of each review:

(a) the National Rural Health Commissioner;

(b) the Regional Education Commissioner.

(5) Schedule 2, item 30, page 19 (line 13), at the end of subsection 144-20(2), add "within 3 months of the commencement of the relevant review".

I will speak very briefly about what these amendments actually do. There are a couple of things I want to highlight. The most important is this need for a review to occur after a period of two years. That specific period of time is important, because it enables there to be enough of a duration of time to examine what changes will occur behaviourally, I suppose you could say, once the amendments come into effect, in relation to doctors and nurse practitioners: whether the effect is actually taking place and we're getting the desired outcome.

Secondly, the amendments ask for the review team to specifically examine whether or not the measures that are proposed for doctors and nurse practitioners should apply to other professions, which I think is important. We know that there are issues elsewhere across the employment world. There are shortages, in particular, in regional and remote areas. These amendments call for an examination of other health measures, particularly in mental health and the education sector. I commend the amendments to the Senate.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Duniam for that contribution. The rural, remote and very remote doctors and nurse practitioners measures are a former government policy that is being reintroduced from a lapsed bill. In the House, the government supported an amendment from the member for Mackellar which proposed that the effectiveness of the policy be reviewed at three-year intervals.

The coalition have proposed further amendments which provide more detail around the terms of the review, including whether the policy might be expanded in future to cover other areas with skills in need in remote, rural and very remote areas. These areas will include the health, mental health and education sectors. The government is prepared to support amendments which incorporate that further detail and which maintain the structure and intent of the member for Mackellar's original amendment. The government thanks the member for Mackellar for her engagement on this bill and will be supporting these amendments.

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

I'd like to speak briefly to the coalition's amendments. It is important that government policy is subject to thorough review so that we can see what's working and what's not working. The amendments moved by the coalition bolster the review amendment made by Sophie Scamps MP in the lower house, and the review will encourage the government to consider whether student debt relief should be offered to students in other sectors of high skills need in rural, remote and very remote Australia, including in the health, mental health and education sectors.

Colleagues in here would be in no doubt that our position is that education should be universal and free, and that debts should be wiped off so students don't come out of higher education with massive debts. I do have to say this, though: it is a bit rich that the coalition—the party of job-ready graduates, the party of funding cuts and fee hikes and the party that has treated uni students and universities like ideological enemies for over 10 years—now wants the government to give greater consideration to student debt relief. But I guess change for good can happen at any time, even from those who have attacked the higher education sector so viciously over the last some years.

As a party committed to transparency and accountability, to wiping all student debt, and to making education universal and free, we will support these amendments.

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that amendments (1) to (5) on sheet 1799, moved by Senator Duniam, be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Bill reported with amendments; report adopted.