HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORT AMENDMENT (VET FEE-HELP AND TERTIARY ADMISSIONS CENTRES) BILL 2009
Tuesday, 25 May 2010 04:08
DARREN CHEESEMAN SPEECH ON HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORT AMENDMENT (VET FEE-HELP AND TERTIARY ADMISSIONS CENTRES) BILL 2009Mr Speaker here we go again. Another higher education Bill, making our higher education sector work better, fairer, and providing people with more incentives to study.
Yet again, I will put my thanks on record to the Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Education Minister.
What a reforming zeal Julia Gillard has Mr Speaker.
We have come into this place time and time again with new higher education legislation that is improving the system.
The eye on the big picture and the attention to the detail of her portfolio is absolutely stunning and I congratulate her for that.
Mr Speaker, I have to say there was a lot for Julia Gillard to do, a lot to fix up when she was given the job.
The former Coalition government left a train wreck behind it in high education Mr Speaker.
The Coalition left behind a higher education industrial landscape that was punitive, and intimidatory.
Higher education institutions were punished if they did not force academics onto individual contracts.
Academics were bullied and gagged.
Institutions were bullied and gagged.
Student debts soared.
Student services were decimated.
Student course mobility and portability suffered.
Overall funding was slashed.
A train wreck is a kind description of the Coalition legacy in higher education Mr Speaker.
However, now, slowly but surely, the Rudd Government, through the diligence and determination of the Minister and her team, is restoring the integrity of the system.
We are putting the money back into higher education.
We have cut back HECS costs in key areas, reducing student debt.
We are putting money back into student income support, where it needs to be.
We are investing in innovative research and development projects.
This Bill is another example of that.
The Bill will amend HESA to allow certain matters relating to VET FEE-HELP debts and loan amounts, as well as VET credit transfer requirements, to be dealt with through the Scheme's guidelines.
Specifically, Mr Speaker, the Bill implements the Government's commitments as part of the extension of the VET FEE-HELP Assistance Scheme to certain Victorian Government subsidised students from 1 July 2009.
As part of that extension, the Government agreed that from 1 July 2009, eligible Victorian Government subsidised students wishing to access VET FEE-HELP assistance, would not incur a debt which included the VET FEE-HELP 20 per cent loan fee. The Bill makes provision for the loan fee to be removed for these students, for all debts incurred from 1 July 2009.
So Mr. Speaker, instead of education costs spiralling upwards as they did under the coalition, you can see right here that the Rudd Government is concerned with costs and trying to provide better access.
Mr. Speaker I have to say that costs in higher education are now a greater factor than they have been for the last 35 years.
That's a clear legacy of the former Coalition Government.
I want to put on the record my great concern about this.
I know many students today are modifying their higher education choices, their ambitions, and their dreams because of the price tag on courses.
Students are now changing the choices they want to make in large part due to the debt they will incur.
Students who wish to do courses that are within their abilities, and are achievable according to their ENTER scores, are changing their choices because of the huge debts they incur.
That is a terrible legacy that Labor is now trying to undo.
Mr Speaker, a bit more on the detail of this Bill.
This Bill also deals with the extension of the Scheme to Victorian Government subsidised students, Bill making provision for any matters relating to VET credit transfer requirements to be dealt with through guidelines.
These measures, along with others, were originally introduced as part of the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities, and Other Measures) Bill 2009, which was negatived at the third reading stage in the Senate.
Consequently, and in order to ensure that no eligible students are disadvantaged, these measures are now being proposed as part of a new bill for introduction and passage in the Spring sittings.
There are also some matters this Bill deals with in relation to Tertiary Admission Centres.
The Bill will amend HESA to provide that TACs have the same status and duty of care as Officers of a higher education provider (HEP) or VET provider in relation to the processing of students' personal information.
This amendment will ensure that relevant information may be shared between DEEWR, TACs, HEPs and VET providers as appropriate in accordance with HESA and subject to HESA's privacy requirements.
This will help ensure that students' rights are protected by HESA's privacy protection provisions.
Mr Speaker, this Bill is a particular relevance to Victorians, and therefore of course to my own electorate.
The Deputy Prime Minister made a commitment to extend the VET FEE-HELP Assistance Scheme to allow access to all Victorian Government subsidised students studying at the diploma and advanced diploma level from 1 July 2009.
This commitment formed part of the Commonwealth's support for the Victorian Government's VET sector reforms.
Mr Speaker, basically what this is about is students can access training and defer the fees until they are able to pay.
So it is an access measure. It is another measure that encourages young people to participate in education and training.
It is another bit of the Howard government legacy - a legacy that left financial barriers littered right across the higher education system - that we are now breaking down.
In finishing up Mr Speaker, it is a long road back.
It takes a long time to clear away the debris of a train wreck.
Clearing away the mess left behind by the Coalition in higher education will take even longer again.
There is a lot bits and pieces that need to be fixed, and there's some heavy lifting to do.
But the Rudd Government is doing that.
We are looking at every aspect of the higher education system, in fact right across both our primary, secondary, technical and higher education systems and bit by bit removing barriers.
We are removing barriers and putting in their place incentives.
We are making things more transparent.
We are encouraging people to participate in education and training.
We are encouraging institutions to have a go, and to be innovative.
The Bill is another piece in the Rudd government's vision for a higher education system that is the best in the world.
And I commend the bill to the House.
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