Last-minute pleas to Centre Alliance on uni fee and funding job-ready reforms
Thousands of students would be saddled with American-style uni debts under the government’s plans for fees, the ALP says, as the pressure for crucial crossbench support mounts from both sides.
SA News
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As many as 3500 South Australian school leavers would face paying $9000 or $23,000 more for their chosen university courses under Federal Government reforms, the Opposition calculates.
With a Bill on changes to university fees and funding due to be debated in the Senate as early as Tuesday, the Opposition and crossbench SA senators have called for the reforms to be stopped.
“I’d simply ask that senators do the right things by our kids – no Australian should miss out on the job they want, and the education they need to get it, because they can’t afford it,” Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said.
“I don’t want Australia to be like America where our kids have to get a lifetime of debt to get an education.”
The reform Bill proposed by Education Minister Dan Tehan aims to increase the number of uni places and funnel students into so-called job-ready courses but decreases the overall funding per student.
Its fate in the senate hangs on the vote of SA’s Centre Alliance Senator Stirling Griff.
Mr Tehan said he thanked crossbench senators “for their good faith negotiations”.
“The Job-ready Graduates legislation will provide more university places for Australian students, make it cheaper to study in areas of expected job growth and provide more funding and support to regional students and universities,” he said.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the crossbench to secure passage of the legislation.”
Centre Alliance education policy is steered by Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie.
She has pledged to back SA’s universities.
“We’re continuing to work with our local unis and discuss ways to improve the offering for students,” she said.
“It’s fair to say that engagement with all – including government – has been positive so far, but it will still be some time before we arrive at a final position.”
UniSA vice-chancellor David Lloyd said the Bill could provide growth and increased participation if “appropriately amended”.
“The transition fund and indexation will provide financial certainty for the entire sector, enabling us to plan for the coming years,” he said.
“The SA vice-chancellors have made our positions very clear to the recent senate committee, we believe that SA securing ‘regional status’ for growth is both appropriate and necessary for the state.”
Regional status would increase SA’s annual funding growth rate from 1 per cent to 3.5 per cent.
The federal Opposition used data from the SA Tertiary Admissions Centre’s applications for uni places this year to conclude that thousands of students would be caught out by the fee increases.
Some 2500 SA students a year started courses such as communications, society and culture, history and arts where fees would increase from $6804 a year to $14,500 – resulting in an increase of $23,000 for a three-year degree.
A further 1000 SA students would be expected in courses such as accounting, economics, commerce and law where fees would increase from $11,355 to $14,500 a year – resulting in the degree costing $9000 more.
Two SA senators – independent Rex Patrick and Greens Sarah Hanson-Young – made a joint plea to Centre Alliance to vote against the Bill.
“We believe this bill will have a negative impact on South Australia’s young people, research capacity and job creation in our state,” they said.
“We urge our fellow SA politicians to reject the bill and stand up for SA.
“The Government’s proposed changes will be devastating long term for SA families, at a time when we actually need more options for our State’s young people to be engaged in study and training, if they are unable to work.”
Former Victorian premier Denis Napthine, who wrote a national strategy to improve regional higher education, urged the Senate to pass the Bill.
“The Job-ready Graduates package will ensure more Australians from rural and regional areas get the opportunity of a university education and are supported to succeed,” he said.