House debates

Wednesday, 23 November 2022

Bills

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2022-2023; Consideration in Detail

12:03 pm

Photo of Sally SitouSally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do welcome the shadow minister for education's interest in the student experience for those at university. It's just a shame that he didn't show that level of interest during his time as minister, because under his watch—actually, he was benched for much of that time, so maybe not under his watch. Under the coalition's watch, 14,000 jobs were lost in the university sector. If we are to improve our student experience in the university sector, you would think it would be important to have good teachers and researchers in front, making sure that they are getting good quality education. But, unfortunately, under their watch, 14,000 jobs were lost.

I know the power of education, particularly higher education. I've got a story to tell you, Shadow Minister. There is a 90-second video on YouTube that is the most moving example of the power of education to change lives. It chronicles the extraordinary life of Deng Adut, from being a child soldier in South Sudan to becoming a defence lawyer and refugee advocate in Western Sydney. The turnaround in his life was possible because of his time at Western Sydney University, where he studied law. Deng co-founded a law firm and uses his legal expertise to support Sudanese youth as a defence lawyer, performing much of his work pro bono. He also founded the John Mac Foundation to provide higher education scholarships for students from refugee backgrounds.

Deng's story demonstrates the power of higher education to change lives, and it's clear higher education needs to be central in any narrative around the Australian ideal of egalitarianism. And yet, for too long, where you live, your family background and whether you are Indigenous are still factors in whether you graduate from university. More than 43 per cent of Australians aged between 25 and 34 have a bachelor's degree, but that halves for those from a low socioeconomic background and for those living in regional Australia. For Indigenous Australians, less than 10 per cent have a bachelor's degree. If higher education is the great equaliser in an unequal world, there's more for us to do to improve it, and that's why I'm so supportive of the important work that the federal Minister for Education is doing to support student equity in higher education. We have allocated an additional 20,000 university places in areas of skill shortage, with an emphasis on places for underrepresented students. This is important not only for these students; it's also important for our economy, because 90 per cent of the jobs of the future will require post-school qualifications, and 50 per cent of new jobs are expected to require a bachelor's degree or higher. To improve productivity in this country, we need to make the most of the talents here.

I'm really pleased the minister has also tasked a group of eminent Australians from the university sector, industry and government to develop the Australian Universities Accord. The accord will set out a long-term plan for Australia's higher education system. It will look at how this sector can meet the needs of students across all stages of lifelong learning and develop the skills needed now and in the future. And, critically, the accord will examine how to improve access to higher education across teaching, learning and research. As the Prime Minister has often said, the Labor Party is at its best when it is pushing open those doors of opportunity. On this side of the House, we know that there is talent to be found everywhere in this country, across the regions, the suburbs and the cities. The nation's greatest asset is its people. As we confront the many challenges of this century, we should be grateful to know that there's talent, grit and skill in abundance. But we also know the doors of opportunity aren't always open to people in the same way. Opportunity isn't dispersed equally across this country. Whether by birth, class or disability, there are other factors at play that would seek to hold back our nation. So this accord will look at reforms to support greater access and participation for students from underrepresented backgrounds, because the great and enduring task of this government is to widen those doors of opportunity, and that's what this accord does, in the best tradition of the Australian Labor Party—because, the Australian story is one where a child soldier from South Sudan can work hard and build a life for himself here.

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