Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

As those opposite, as if on cue, show the sort of ideological extremism that we have seen from them all through this debate, I remind the House that this debate was not about a continuation of the battles of the past that those opposite have engaged in for so long. This was about providing a practical, balanced and new way forward to ensure that our students had the services and representation that they needed and that our higher education sector was well supported. Whilst those opposite get all excited, I think we should all reflect on the fact that there are serious consequences of yesterday’s decision.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Michael Spence, described yesterday’s outcome as ‘a major blow which will have a devastating effect on students’. As a consequence of yesterday’s decision, we will see the further demise of critical university services, including child care, counselling, health and sport. As University Australia chief, Dr Glenn Withers, said yesterday—and those opposite might want to listen to this:

Students most in need will suffer the most from the failure of this legislation to pass the Senate. Without proper support for student-sensitive services such as advocacy, counselling, health, and legal support, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to dropping out of university studies should they face significant up-front costs in accessing these services …

We also know that as a consequence of this decision some universities will struggle to provide the support services which are necessary to both attract and retain the overseas students that we know are so vital to our higher education sector and our broader economy.

We will also see the continued movement of funds out of teaching and research budgets and into propping up student services which are vital to the university. This is a point made not just by me and not just by government members but by the Vice-Chancellor of the ANU, Professor Ian Chubb, and Professor Stephen Parker, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra. They said yesterday that without the vital cash injection this legislation proposes, Australian universities will continue to face an impossible choice between putting money into labs and classrooms or into sports fields and health facilities. While those opposite might choose to celebrate this devastation of our university sector—

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