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

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education. The Prime Minister graduated with a Bachelor of Economics in 1984. He did not pay a single dollar in tuition fees for his degree. A student commencing the same degree in 2025 will be slammed with more than $50,000 in student debt. So will anyone doing an arts degree, because of the Morrison government's Job-ready Graduates fee hikes, which the Albanese government has been all too happy to retain. Student debt is making the cost-of-living crisis worse, locking people out of the housing market and crushing dreams of going to uni. Year 12 student Saria Ratnam wrote this week in the Sydney Morning Herald: 'As a year 12 student, I dream of doing an arts degree. The price could be a lifetime of debt'. Minister, why is your government punishing students with $50,000 arts degrees?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Faruqi. It is the case, of course, that, as the years have gone by, students and graduates have been asked to make a contribution towards the cost of their university education. That process actually began not long before I started university all those years ago, and, as a result of that, I incurred a student debt as a way of contributing towards the cost of my education, as did many people, no doubt, in this chamber.

The Greens would like other people to believe that the Labor government has done nothing whatsoever about the issues facing younger people, including university students. The only problem with the Greens' argument is that we actually have. For example, this year's budget waived $3 billion worth of student debt for the very university students that you are asking about. No government has done that before in Australia's history, certainly no coalition government, which was prepared to—

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because there's a 16 per cent increase.

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

Order! Senator Henderson!

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, so Senator Henderson doesn't like cutting student debt. It's good to get your opposition on the record. Thank you, Senator Henderson, for confirming that the coalition does not support waiving student debt.

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

Senator Henderson!

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This very budget, Senator Faruqi—

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

Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Henderson.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, particularly in relation to respect shown by the minister, I'd ask that he not misrepresent my position.

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

Senator Henderson, as you well know, that is not a point of order, and I will also remind you that when I call your name I expect you to come to order. Minister, please continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese government are very proud of the fact that we're the first government in Australia's history to waive student debt in the way that we announced in this year's budget. We've cut $3 billion from HECS-HELP and other student support loans for more than three million people.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's your inflation!

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Jeez, they're really grumpy about cutting student debt, aren't they, President? They're really upset about cutting student debt. I'm really surprised that you'd be upset about that. But, again, you did vote against cost-of-living relief for everyone, so I guess you would also dislike making life easier for university students. I guess that's a consistent position.

We have also provided $350.3 million to fully fund fee-free university-ready courses, $427.4 million to establish a new Commonwealth prac payment— (Time expired)

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

Senator Faruqi, first supplementary?

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

The plan you refer to is your government's tinkering-around-the-edges, bandaid plan to address soaring student debt, which will still see student debts rise by 11½ per cent in your first term and will provide no cost-of-living relief, so there's nothing to crow about here. Minister, why won't your government do the right thing and wipe all student debt?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, we've seen this pattern with the Greens this week. They were really, really upset that a Labor government delivered a pay rise to early childhood educators: 'What a terrible thing to do! We've got to get up and complain about it in here.' Now they're really, really upset about a Labor government cutting HECS by $3 billion for university graduates. They're really, really upset about providing $427.4 million in payments to university students undertaking prac throughout their course.

Basically, you're just really, really upset, aren't you? You're really upset about the fact that you are never going to be in a government able to do any of these things that actually deliver real relief to people, rather than running around having a rally, having a social media blast, complaining and being really, really upset. That is all you have the capacity to do. You have no capacity to do anything that helps anyone. Good luck to you. We're getting on and delivering real relief rather than being really, really upset.

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

Thank you, Minister. Minister, I remind you, when you're responding to a question, to address the chair. Senator Faruqi, second supplementary?

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

Minister, the students can see right through your PR farce. The Job-ready Graduates scheme was an unmitigated disaster. With punitive fee hikes that punished students and tried to manipulate their study choices, it was a disgraceful plan to start off with. In opposition Labor said the scheme was beyond repair, and the uni accord process has said that the scheme needs urgent remediation. Minister, with a progressive parliament, you have the numbers to immediately scrap Job-ready Graduates. Why won't you? (Time expired)

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know that the Greens' political strategy is always to try to criticise what Labor does and say that we should do more. It doesn't really matter what we do; you'll always complain and say we should do more. It doesn't matter if it's housing that you want to stop happening or if it's reducing childcare fees that you don't want to have happening. Everything is never enough, and everything is never good enough to actually vote for, because we know that right now you're working with the coalition to stop investment in housing, as you are across many other ways.

I'm proud of the fact that everyone on this side of the chamber is a member of a government that has delivered the real relief to university graduates that they deserve. I'm really proud of the fact that we're making pracs much more affordable for students to undertake, whether they're doing nursing, midwifery, teaching or social work. I'm really proud of the fact that we've changed the indexation of HECS debts for, I think, the first time ever, to make sure that that won't happen again.

Oh, yes, we know Senator Henderson is upset about that too.