Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Watt. Education is one of our proudest national assets, and Australians expect governments to safeguard it. Unfortunately, shonks and crooks seeking to exploit international students have been undermining the quality and integrity of our system. How is the Albanese Labor government improving the integrity of the education sector while increasing accessibility for Australians, and why are these reforms so important?

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

Thank you very much, Senator O'Neill, for a very important question to end the week on, because Australia's education system is the envy of the rest of the world, but that doesn't mean that we can't improve it so it continues to deliver for students and for our country. That's why the Albanese government has taken the responsible step to return the number of international students to a sustainable level and to bring integrity back to our tertiary education sector.

All week, Australians have been scratching their heads about why Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party have recklessly reversed their support for international student caps and cracking down on the shonks and crooks who feed our international education system. Well, this morning we got our answer, and it's sitting right around there. A story in the Nine newspapers titled 'Senior Liberal headlines event for student visa agents before tanking migration bill' lifted the lid on the real reason the coalition has reversed its position. The article states:

Coalition frontbencher Sarah Henderson—

hello, Sarah—

headlined an event for migration agents and private colleges and launched a new brand for a Liberal Party member who helps international students extend stays in Australia just a month before tanking Labor's bill to crack down on the private education sector.

Well, well, well. Senator Henderson can now add 'brand ambassador' to her long list of careers. The article goes on:

Henderson, who leads the opposition's education policy, spoke at the private forum attended by dozens of … agents—some of whom have had restrictions imposed on them by the tertiary education regulator or helped international students appeal their visa rejections …

And then the kicker:

Some of the companies are also Liberal Party donors.

And there you have it: Senator Henderson and Mr Dutton have recklessly changed their position on this bill to appease a few dodgy donors.

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

Senator O'Neill, first supplementary?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister, for that answer. We know that education plays a crucial role in getting people into well-paid, secure jobs. I note that Mr Dutton and the Liberals have described fee-free TAFE as wasteful spending and student debt reduction as profoundly unfair. Why is the Albanese Labor government making TAFE and university more affordable for students, and what challenges does this cost-of-living support face so far?

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

We know Australians are under the pump at the moment, and that's why the Albanese Labor government are delivering cost-of-living relief. It's why Labor is making TAFE courses free, opposed by the opposition, and reducing the burden on students, opposed by the opposition. An arrogant Mr Dutton and his team call this wasteful spending and say TAFE students don't value their free courses. They arrogantly think they can say one thing and do another. It wasn't very long ago that Mr Dutton called international students 'the modern version of boat arrivals', and, as recently as two months ago, Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley and Senator Henderson—there she is again—said:

The coalition has maintained the importance of a cap on international students …

But all it took was one event with Liberal Party donors, including shonky education agents, to see their principles collapse, recklessly stopping this government from capping international student numbers to assist with migration levels while also cracking down on the shonky agents who, it turns out, are Liberal Party donors.

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

Senator O'Neill, second supplementary?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. I know that you understand all Australians are feeling the pinch of cost-of-living pressures. I note that Mr Dutton and the Liberals and the Nationals believe that if you don't pay for something you don't value it. How are the Albanese Labor government's education reforms helping to ease cost-of-living pressures for Australians, and what are the key barriers to delivering these very important reforms?

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

The Albanese government's free TAFE and student debt relief policies are helping Australians with cost-of-living pressures. But, just as he opposed all of our cost-of-living relief, Mr Dutton has opposed this relief too. That's because what we learnt this week is that Mr Dutton and the coalition believe that only those who pay for something appreciate the value of it. I'll tell you who else appreciates the value of what they pay for: those shonky migration and education agents who sank Labor's student caps. They know the value of that, and that's why they were prepared to pay the Liberal Party for it. What else is Mr Dutton willing to recklessly change his position on if the price is right? Will a big tech fundraiser change his position on social media age limits? We know Senator Antic wants that. Will a Stuart Robert fundraiser change his position on government IT procurement? Oh, hang on—that already happened.

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

Point of order on imputing motive against me: Senator Watt is falsely claiming that I attended a fundraiser—

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

That's a debating point. Please resume your seat. Senator Henderson, I reminded you last week that, when I call you to order and I ask you to resume your seat, you do so. I did that today, and you ignored me two times. When I call you to order and ask you to resume your seat, please do so. There is not a point of order.

Senator McGrath, I called you a number of times during that question. I'm going to ask you to listen to the remaining few seconds in silence.

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

The fact is that a reckless and arrogant Peter Dutton has opposed every single cost-of-living measure this government has proposed, and, if he's elected Prime Minister, things will get worse for every single Australian, except those Liberal Party donors.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.