Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the work the Government has undertaken in just over ten months to support Australia's higher education sector including:

(a) delivering 20,000 additional university places to areas of skills need for people underrepresented in our universities;

(b) facilitating the return of international students; and

(c) introducing the start-up legislation to support entrepreneurship, innovation and new ideas; and

(2) notes the once-in-a-generation universities accord process that the Government has commenced.

The Albanese Labor government hasn't wasted a day in seeking to better support Australia's higher education sector, an essential pillar of our nation's workforce, prosperity and future. Our commitment to ensuring that all Australians can pursue their educational aspirations and make meaningful contributions to society is demonstrated by our government's commitment to expanding university places in skill-deficient areas, facilitating the return of international students and introducing start-up legislation to support people to innovate within the higher education sector. This commitment is also demonstrated in our government's commitment to delivering a higher education system that is fit for purpose, meeting the current and future needs of the nation through our historic Universities Accord process. Higher education is a sector that is very important to me, personally—as someone who started their career in higher education—and also to my community, given that we have two universities and that a lot of my constituents are in study or work in the higher education sector.

By providing an additional 20,000 university places to areas where skills are needed, particularly for individuals who've historically been under-represented in our universities, our government has made significant progress towards fostering inclusivity and addressing the skills gap. Our proactive approach to identifying areas where specific skills are in demand exemplifies our unwavering commitment to expanding access to higher education. Our government is providing up to $485.5 million over the period 2022-23 to 2025-26 to deliver a one-off boost to additional commencing Commonwealth supported places. That's a really big deal. That's 20,000 people who will be able to pursue their ambitions of getting a degree through one of our wonderful universities in Australia. We've demonstrated a strong understanding of the significance of aligning educational pathways with the changing demands of the workforce by strategically directing the locations towards areas where skills are needed for these places.

It's really important to note that we have a deep and real commitment to inclusivity in the higher education sector, taking steps to increase inclusivity and provide equal educational opportunities for all Australians by allocating a significant portion of the additional university places to students from under-represented backgrounds. We know from data that access to higher education has historically been difficult for certain groups, including Indigenous Australians, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those living in regional and remote areas. We are committed to fixing this. We are committed to helping those who aspire to attend university to get to university. Our government is committed to inclusivity when it comes to higher education. A tertiary sector that cultivates and celebrates diverse perspectives, encourages innovation and enriches the academic discourse by providing pathways for individuals who have historically been under-represented in our universities will be a better tertiary sector. Dedicating ourselves to ensuring that all Australians can pursue their educational aspirations and make meaningful contributions to society is foundational to Labor's commitment to the future of the higher education sector.

To promote long-lasting and fundamental change in our higher education system, our government, with oversight from the Minister for Education, has initiated a once-in-a-generation higher education review via the Australian Universities Accord. This accord is the first broad review of the higher education system since the Bradley review, and it is an opportunity to look at everything from funding and access to affordability, transparency, regulation, employment conditions and how higher education and vocational education and training can and should work together. Led by the Minister for Education, and with advice from a panel of eminent Australians, this panel and this process will engage all sectors and groups affected by higher education policy, including and not limited to universities, higher education and VET providers, educators and researchers, students, parents, unions, business, state and territory governments, and groups who've been under-represented in higher education. Importantly, this panel will make recommendations to government. We've received over 300 discussion papers already through that engagement program, and there have been over 80 stakeholder meetings already. I'm really looking forward to continuing to support higher education in Australia— (Time expired)

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