Darren Cheeseman (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I might commence my contribution by reflecting on the lightening speed with which the member for Solomon got across his brief. His contribution to this chamber was a truly remarkable effort. Actually, on a recent trip to Solomon the member for Solomon took us to a number of higher education providers. I certainly enjoyed that.

It is with a great deal of pleasure that I rise today to speak on the Higher Education Support Amendment Bill 2009. I have said this before, but it is quite remarkable the way in which the minister has gone about with such zeal in reforming our education system. She certainly provides this government with a great deal of pride in the way she goes about this. The Rudd government is committed to providing a first-class higher education system. And I would argue, of course, that we are very committed to cleaning up the mess that was left behind by the previous government. As I said, I would certainly like to congratulate the minister for her reforming zeal and her first-class work rate on these matters.

This bill provides for minor amendments to the Higher Education Support Act 2003. There are two important aspects to the changes proposed here. Firstly, we are amending the tuition assurance arrangements for both the FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP assistance schemes to remove the requirement for higher education providers and VET providers to have tuition assurance arrangements in place at the date of application for approval.

Secondly, we are amending the VET provider approval provisions of schedule 1 of the HESA to allow the minister or her delegate to accept recommendations regarding an applicant’s compliance with the VET quality and accountability requirements from an approved national, state or territory registering or accrediting authority.

Higher education and VET providers offer assistance to students through the Commonwealth’s FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP assistance schemes. These schemes aim to reduce the financial barriers to studying and training by providing full-fee-paying students with access to income-contingent loans to pay their tuition fees through the course of their studies. From 1 July 2009, the VET FEE-HELP assistance will also be made available to Victorian government subsidised students. In other words, they will have a fair crack of the whip. I would like to place on record my congratulations to the Victorian government for being a world leader in the provision of tertiary education.

Really it is about safeguarding students’ commitment to and investment in their course so that, in the event a higher education or VET provider ceases to deliver a course of study in which the students are enrolled, students have the choice of either transferring their enrolment to a different provider offering the same course or having their tuition fees refunded. What we are really doing here is putting in place a safeguard measure.

I think these reforms bring out the level of attention to detail of this government and the efforts that we are making on behalf of the Australian community. We are doing our best to make sure that no-one falls through the cracks or is disadvantaged by untoward circumstances outside of their control.

Under the current arrangements, paragraphs 16.25(c) and 6(d) of schedule 1A of the HESA require applicants to demonstrate they have met the requirements to have their tuition assurance arrangements in place on the date they make their application for approval as a higher education or VET provider. This results in delays in application assessment and approval processes as well as imposing an additional financial burden on applicants well before they are approved as providers and begin offering assistance to students.

This is about trying to make it easier for students to study. It is about getting rid of the barriers and frustrations people have to face when they make their decision to study. Under the previous government, all of these things were never tackled. The Howard government, in my view, was extremely policy lazy. It is remarkable to see the efforts that our government is making in addressing these issues.

The higher education system can be a very frustrating place when you are trying to access it. There are lots of hoops that people have to jump through, particularly in relation to applications and financial support measures. Labor is trying to make these things much easier and make sure that there are no hidden pitfalls in the way of a person’s study. That is what we are on about. We are trying to make it as easy as possible for students to continue their studies under often trying circumstances.

The amendments will allow applicants additional time to put tuition assurance arrangements in place, as they will not be required to demonstrate that they have met the requirements unless and until they have met all of the other conditions associated with the application process. The decision to approve an application will still be contingent upon fulfilment of the tuition assurance arrangements within these measures. Legislative instruments under both schemes will be amended to provide further direction to applicants regarding the operation and requirements prior to the approval of those arrangements.

In addition, the bill provides a new section, 11(2)(b) of schedule 1A of the HESA, to allow the minister and/or her delegate to be satisfied that an applicant for VET approval meets one or all of the VET quality accountability requirements if the body is identified. Amendments will also be made to the scheme’s legislative instruments to identify relevant national, state and territory registration and accreditation agencies, as I mentioned earlier, to make such recommendations for the purposes of the VET provider approval processes. Under the current arrangements there is no such discretion for the minister or her delegate to accept recommendations for the purposes of making a decision to approve an application. An example of that would be that currently there is no provision for the minister to rely on the outcomes of processes conducted by state based regulatory agencies when making her decision.

As I said, this bill is about developing an effective, efficient and responsive higher education system. It is about putting in place safeguards for individuals. It is about encouraging people to study. It is about making it easier for people to study. It is about making rules that make it easier for institutions to operate in a complex world. This is another bill by which the Rudd government is building a first-class higher education system to meet the challenges of our future. It follows measures to increase student support, it follows measures to financially support young people from less-well-off families to study, and it follows measures in the Bradley report that will build a better higher education system for us. This is another very clear step that Labor is preparing Australia’s education system for the 21st century.

In conclusion I say again that I congratulate the minister for her ongoing efforts to reform the system. It is fair to say that Australia has a high-quality education system. These arrangements will set our system to an even higher standard and higher quality, enabling students to be able to access a first-class education system. I commend these measures to this chamber.

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