Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the Government is:

(a) supporting universities through the COVID-19 pandemic and creating more opportunities for young people to study; and

(b) investing $20 billion in the higher education sector in 2021;

(2) recognises that $1 billion has been provided to university research this year;

(3) acknowledges that the Government has provided $903.5 million over the next four years for more domestic places and to ensure our universities are financially stable; and

(4) congratulates the Government for its Job Ready Graduates package which is providing up to 30,000 additional university places in 2021.

Some of my most formative years were spent at university, for university education is not just about earning degrees; it's about forming lifelong friendships and networks and about a sense of community. The school graduates of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they are well equipped with the skills and knowledge that they require. COVID-19 has resulted in a dramatic downturn in university numbers. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about two-thirds of school leavers would have continued on to further study, with around 50 per cent engaging in higher education and 15 per cent engaging in VET. Around 25 per cent would have worked and the remaining 11 per cent would not have been working or studying.

The government is working hard to provide additional options for the 35 per cent of school leavers who previously had found pathways to the labour market. The job-ready graduate reforms provide funding for up to 30,000 additional places for young people to engage in higher education in 2021. Additionally, the government's JobTrainer Fund will provide up to 320,000 additional training places, which are now free or low fee, in areas of identified skills need for jobseekers and young people. In Reid, there are already 1,405 local apprentices being supported by wage subsidies. Australia's economic growth has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with young people bearing much of the pain. Youth unemployment for 15- to 24-year-olds increased from 10.7 per cent in November 2019 to 14.7 per cent in November 2020.

Australia's labour force needs are changing quickly, and the government must be prepared to adapt in order to provide our young people with the best education. For some young Australians, university will be the answer. However, for many others their post-schooling years will take other forms. The National Skills Commission projects the healthcare workforce to make the largest contribution to future employment growth, followed by professional, scientific and technical services; education and training; and construction. These four sectors are projected to provide 62 per cent of total employment growth over the next five years, going into 2024.

The Australian Academy of Science has predicted that Australian workers will spend 77 per cent more time using science and maths skills in the future, and the Job-ready Graduates reforms reduce student contributions in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, health and education to provide an additional incentive for students to consider careers in these priority fields. As someone who has studied science and psychology and has a PhD from the University of Sydney, I can personally attest to the highly rewarding nature of work in that field. Under the reforms, a young person studying nursing or teaching will have their fees reduced by 42 per cent, from $6,804 to $3,950 per equivalent full-time student loan. Science, information technology and engineering students will have their fees reduced by 18 per cent, from $9,698 to $7,950.

Longitudinal graduate outcome data shows that students who graduated from STEM, health and education related subjects have better salary rates and full-time employment rate when compared with those graduated from society and culture studies. Additionally, they will have, on average, earned around 30 per cent more across their lifetime than someone with a society and culture degree and over 40 per cent more than someone with a year 12 qualification.

The package aims to incentivise students into STEM and other national priority areas to ensure higher education is delivering the skills needed by Australia's future workforce. The package's grandfathering arrangements ensure that no student who was enrolled in a course prior to 1 January 2021 will be charged more for the study in that course. This program is about encouraging students to take up education in a STEM field, which is what our society needs more of.

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