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

My question is to Minister Watt, the Minister representing the Minister for Education. Minister, today Universities Australia said that we need more people going to university to meet future skills needs, but uni is becoming a pipedream. Expensive degrees and ballooning student debt have made university increasingly out of reach for young people, who don't deserve to be saddled with a debt sentence simply for pursuing education. People are already being locked out of the housing market and denied personal loans and are rethinking dreams of further study because soaring student debt is getting worse and worse. Under just two years of the Labor government, student debt could rise by a massive 15 per cent. Minister, will your government wipe student debt and make university free so that people can go to uni without being crushed by student debt?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Faruqi, for the question. I'm very happy to take a question about access to higher education because of course the Labor Party is the party of access to higher education. Under Labor governments going back to the Hawke-Keating days, university and higher education participation in this country has gone up significantly, without the addition of crippling fees like we saw under coalition governments, so I am always happy to take questions about access to higher education.

We understand that many students do face significant issues in relation to the debt that they incur, particularly as a result of changes that were made under the coalition government to university funding arrangements.

I know Senator Henderson and her colleagues supported increasing fees to very high levels when they were in government, and the Labor government is taking this very seriously. It is important to remember that HELP loans, which are particularly the subject of the question that Senator Faruqi has asked, are not required to be repaid until a person reaches the income payment threshold. And, of course, HELP repayments are a set percentage based on your income. They don't go up unless someone's salary goes up. But we do recognise that this is an issue facing many young people in the community, and that's why the issue of affordability is one that will be looked at as part of the government's Australian Universities Accord. When HECS was introduced, in 1989, 7.9 per cent of Australian adults had a university degree. Now it's almost 33 per cent, so that is the legacy of past Labor governments in making higher education much more accessible, whether it be in the cities or even in the regions—and I would have thought some coalition senators might be a bit concerned about providing access to higher education in regional areas. Labor will always support higher education accessibility. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, a first supplementary?

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

Minister, the coalition's Job-ready Graduates scheme was an indefensible, unmitigated policy disaster. Universities Australia said this today, and Labor's own accord process has said that too. A generation of students, especially female students, are being saddled with exorbitant debt because of this Job-ready Graduates scheme. Minister, Labor has been in government now for 14 months. Why haven't you dumped this awful, punitive fee hike?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Faruqi. In fact, Minister Farrell reminds me, it's been 15 months that we've had the Albanese Labor government delivering to Australians, whether they be young Australians, middle-aged Australians or senior Australians. What I can tell all students out there who might be watching this or listening to the proceedings is that the only way that anything will change for affordability of and accessibility to universities will happen under a Labor government. It certainly won't happen under a coalition government who wants to make fees higher and limit participation in higher education, and it certainly won't happen under a Greens government because, of course, that is a notion that will never actually exist. It is only as a result of Labor governments that we will see the issues of accessibility and affordability of higher education tackled—

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Waters!

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and that is something that we are already on the job tackling. Senator Waters asks when. I can tell you it will be a hell of a lot earlier than it would ever happen under the Greens because you will never have the opportunity to do anything about this or any other issue. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, a second supplementary?

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

The 2021 National Student Safety Survey, which was conducted during the COVID lockdowns, found that a staggering 275 students are assaulted on campuses each week. We need to know the true extent of this rape epidemic now that the students are back on campus. Universities Australia have not committed to another survey, which is unacceptable. Will the government ensure another student safety survey is conducted to capture the reality of sexual violence on campuses.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Faruqi. I share Senator Faruqi's concern about the quite disturbing rates of sexual violence that we continue to see on Australian university campuses. Of course, it's obvious that any student on a university campus—just like anyone in the community—should have a right to feel safe when undertaking their education or any other activity. The Minister for Education, Mr Clare, released the Australian universities accord interim report a couple of weeks ago. The interim report makes five recommendations on these matters, and one of those recommendations is the need to improve—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Faruqi?

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

President, I had a very direct question, so my point of order goes to relevance. I just want to know: will the government ensure another student safety survey is conducted?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You did talk about the survey, so the minister has gone to that part of your question. I will remind him—

Senator Waters, your interjections are disorderly. I am responding to a point of order. I will remind the minister of the second part of your question, Senator Faruqi, but he is being relevant.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, I am aware the 2021 survey found that one in 20 students had been sexually assaulted since starting university, an unacceptable figure. The minister has asked the Department of Education to nominate an expert on prevention of and response to sexual harassment and sexual violence to be part of a working group that will provide advice to education ministers on university governance, and I'm sure that matters of the survey will be considered.