Nationals Minister Andrew Gee demands big changes to Dan Tehan’s overhaul of uni fees

Andrew Gee has attacked his own government’s university student fee reforms the day it released its draft legislation.

Education Minister Dan Tehan. Picture: AAP

The Coalition is splintering over Education Minister Dan Tehan’s overhaul of university student fees, with a growing group of Nationals MPs agitating for changes to stop the cost of some degrees skyrocketing.

Regional Education Minister Andrew Gee said the Nationals partyroom had adopted his call for social work and undergraduate psychology to be carved out of fee hikes of up to 113 per cent for some humanities degrees. The shake-up means humanities students are paying up to $14,500 a year to go to university.

Mallee MP Anne Webster backed Mr Gee’s demands and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack did not slap down Mr Gee — a close political ally — for rebelling against a policy endorsed by the Morrison cabinet.

Mr Gee has been calling for changes to the reform package for months but none of his preferred changes was reflected in the exposure draft released on Tuesday for consultation.

Andrew Gee – who has been agitating for months against the reforms – said that fellow Nationals adopted his positions on Monday. Picture: AAP

“The proposed reforms in their current state recommend that a number of social work, behavioural science and mental health disciplines be classified in the humanities cluster, the highest paying cluster for students,” Mr Gee said in a statement.

“We believe this would only serve to further to increase the maldistribution of mental health workers in country Australia.

“It also has the potential to impact women and mature students looking to upskill and move into higher paid jobs.

“The Regional University Roundtables revealed this to be a glaring and potentially detrimental design flaw in the proposed Job-Ready Graduates Package.

“The Nationals will be seeking the proposed 1 January, 2024, grandfathering measure be extended indefinitely. This will mean no student enrolled in a course of study prior to 1 January, 2021, will pay a higher Student Contribution Amount.”

National MPs told The Australian a partyroom meeting on Monday had essentially agreed with Mr Gee’s points and endorsed them. Some Nationals were uncertain whether the party would be required to cross the floor if Mr Gee’s changes were not reflected in the final bill.

Mr McCormack said Mr Gee was working to ensure regional universities were being listened to, and wanted the reforms to be the “very best they can be”.

“The Liberals and Nationals are working together constructively to make sure the reforms we implement are the very best they can be,” he said.

Dr Webster, a former social worker, said she was concerned by the changes to social work degrees and the need to keep country students in the bush. “I would support having the social work and behavioural science (undergraduate psychology) units in that allied health bunker … we have real shortages in the regions,” she said.

Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce said he did not share Mr Gee’s concerns with the bill.

Mr Tehan said would consider feedback for the final bill, with Education Department bureaucrats telling a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday they had briefed Mr Gee five times and did not recall him raising any issues.

A Department of Education spokesman also said Mr Gee’s desire to extend grandfathering arrangements for current students were already in the draft bill.

Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek leapt on the Coalition divisions.

“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,” she said.

“Instead of fighting each other, the Liberals and the Nationals should be focussed on giving Australians the training they need to get jobs.”