Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] Labor will be opposing the Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 because it will make it harder and more expensive for young Australians to go to university. As one year 12 student said to me earlier this week, 'Why does Scott Morrison want to punish us for choosing to study humanities? It's so unfair.'

This is the voice of so many people across my region. Their concern is real, because this bill would increase the student fee load, meaning that students will pay more, a lot more. It would also cut Commonwealth university funding, meaning the government will pay a lot less. They will instead shift the debt burden to young students. It will leave universities with fewer resources to teach students, meaning students may miss out on the best education possible.

This is a radical, retrograde step regarding university funding. It is a dangerous threat to our system of higher education in Australia, and it would have a devastating impact on young people in my communities across Corangamite. As we know, 2020 has been a nightmare year for young Australians. COVID-19 has resulted in students having to study remotely. They've missed out on key milestones, from formals to schoolies to gap years to the pursuit of dreams. For young Victorians, in particular, this has been a year where they have been unable to see their friends and classmates. So the last thing they need now is to be saddled with a lifetime of debt if they continue their studies. Yet this government is trying to ram through this legislation—

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