Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I agree with the member for Mayo: he is a very good man. The member for Wide Bay has made an important contribution in this place and made an important contribution in relation to the debate on higher education reform. The Nationals team met in the beautiful city of Wodonga for our annual start-of-the-year party-room meeting, and one of the big issues that was discussed at that meeting was the need for a more complete regional youth policy which includes improving access to tertiary education.

This is at the crux of the argument. The previous speaker talked about it, but the problem is that the Labor Party only ever talked about it. In government, the Labor Party made some amendments to youth allowance which made it even more difficult for a lot of students in regional areas, and since then has failed to participate in the debate in any constructive way. This is the crux of the argument for deregulation, with these important changes that are before the House this evening. There will be improved access to tertiary education for young people from regional areas under these reforms, and the coalition government is committed to expanding the demand-driven Commonwealth funding system for students studying for higher education diplomas, advanced diplomas and associate degrees. The coalition is also committed to removing all HELP loan fees, which are currently imposed on some students undertaking higher education, vocational education and training.

It is good that throughout this debate some members opposite have shown an interest in a little thing called debt. They have been worried about young Australians being burdened with debt. It is good that they have finally come to the conclusion that burdening future generations with debt is a problem, because this government has been left with the Labor legacy of debt which is already costing about $1 billion a month in net interest payments. But the claim that there will be $100,000 degrees has really just been reduced to a sloganeering scare campaign which is grossly misleading and withstands no scrutiny whatsoever. But worse than that, over the past six months, that scare campaign has been effective in scaring students away from even applying for university. The vice-chancellors I have spoken to inform me that from the moment the Labor Party started its scare campaign the level of interest and inquiry in relation to future study at their campuses has reduced, such was the diminished confidence amongst the students who had been scared by the Labor Party's campaign.

It is irresponsible to conduct such a scare campaign. It is okay that those on the opposite side of the chamber would want to score a political point. I do not mind that. I do not mind the Labor Party scoring political points at our expense. But when they start running scare campaigns of any substance, members opposite need to realise they are playing with the lives of young Australians. The scare campaign has to stop because it is irresponsible and it is completely inconsistent with the facts.

What the Labor Party refuses to acknowledge in its discussion of this issue is that no student actually has to pay a cent up front. No-one needs to pay anything until they are earning over $50,000 a year, so higher education is guaranteed to be affordable and accessible for people in that regard. The Labor Party knows—or at least some Labor Party members know—that deregulation of fees will have no negative impacts on disadvantaged students, because the shadow Assistant Treasurer himself, Andrew Leigh—I am not sure if he is on the list to speak—did say in relation to deregulated fees, 'There is no reason to think that it will adversely affect poorer students.' So at least some members opposite understand that in terms of people from rural, regional and lower socioeconomic areas, the deregulation debate is not the bogeyman they have tried to present it to be. I call on those opposite to think before they conduct their scare campaign. They are actually having an impact on the choices that people are making in the community today.

In summary, all the vitriol, the attempts to scare students and the Labor Party zingers are not going to get us anywhere in relation to this debate. Those who are responsible members of this place, those who are interested in this debate in the Senate, understand that the status quo cannot continue in relation to higher education in this country. It is easy to sit back and criticise, but the relentless negativity from the Labor Party has to stop. Doing nothing is not an option, and I call on those opposite to think about putting forward a constructive plan as part of this debate. I am yet to hear a credible alternative proposition from the Labor Party. I encourage those opposite to try and put aside their partisanship and to look beyond the short-term politics of this. They should not be thinking about the next opinion poll; we need some bipartisanship on this issue.

It is up to this parliament to implement a reform which I believe is fair and which will enable universities to provide more places for students from right across the country, particularly—from my point of view—from regional communities. These are reforms that will ensure that students are not burdened with unreasonable debts, despite the scare campaign of the Labor Party. They are reforms that will help our nation grow. It is time for the Labor Party to sit down with the government in relation to this issue and work through it in a constructive way, to ensure that the higher education deregulation can proceed. I would hate to see the Labor Party—which likes to claim a proud history of involvement in education reform—leave itself out there on a limb, alone, not playing an important part in ensuring that we continue to have a high-quality, sustainable tertiary education system in this country. I commend the bill to the House.

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