Nationals demand changes to controversial university fee hikes
The National Party is demanding changes to the federal government’s planned overhaul of the university funding system, warning a glaring problem could leave country students worse off.
Education
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The federal regional education minister has taken an extraordinary swipe at his government’s university funding reforms, warning of glaring problems that could leave country students worse off.
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has developed a new fee formula that would see the cost of an arts degree more than double while fees for mathematics, agriculture, nursing and IT courses are slashed.
Draft laws for the overhaul were released on Tuesday but Regional Education Minister Andrew Gee said the Nationals — the government’s junior Coalition partner — wanted major changes.
He said increasing the cost of social work, behavioural science and mental health courses was a “glaring and potentially detrimental design flaw” that would increase inequality in regional areas.
The Nationals also want the changes grandfathered so that part-time students enrolled before the beginning of next year do not have to pay higher fees.
And Mr Gee warned a $5000 payment for rural school-leavers would encourage them to move to cities to study, harming country universities “already operating in thin and lean markets”.
He said the Nationals had agreed to pursue changes to the reforms “following extensive consultations with a broad range of education sector representatives”.
“I look forward to working with my Coalition colleagues to ensure that all of the measures agreed to by the Nationals are incorporated into the legislation as it proceeds to the parliament,” Mr Gee said.
Education Department secretary Michele Bruniges told a senate hearing she had never experienced a politician who had worked on a policy come out so strongly against it.
“I don’t recall … an instance where I can think in my career where that’s occurred,” Dr Bruniges said
Mr Gee was briefed by the department at least five times on the package and at least once on the legislation over the course of its development, according to Dr Bruniges.
Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said: “Scott Morrison’s plan to make it harder and more expensive to go to uni is so bad even his National Party education minister has slammed it.”
Two out of five students will pay more for their degrees under the changes but current students will not be affected.
Mr Tehan released the draft legislation for consultation and said it would also create 100,000 additional university places.
“The Job-ready Graduates package will increase the number of university places for Australian students and strengthen the focus on teaching students the skills they need to succeed in the jobs of the future,” Mr Tehan said.
“Our reforms will make it cheaper for students to study qualifications in areas like teaching, health, IT, science, engineering, and agriculture.”
UNIVERSITY ARTS DEGREES TO DOUBLE IN PRICE