Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025. This bill is about the future of universities and higher education in Australia. At the heart of it is the creation of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission or ATEC. The purpose of this bill is to set up the Australian Tertiary Education Commission. Think of it as a coach or a navigator for our universities and TAFE. It doesn't run the universities, but it makes sure they're doing what they should—giving students a great education and offering courses that actually matter. ATEC is going to be the blueprint for improving our higher education system. It will make sure universities deliver high-quality teaching. It will support world-class research, and it will help students get the skills Australia needs—the skills to contribute to our economy, support their local communities and play their part in shaping a stronger, fairer and better Australia.

If you're wondering how the ATEC will actually work, here's how it'll go. The minister will appoint three commissioners to lead it. One of them will be a First Nations commissioner. That's so the voices and perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are front and centre of everything ATEC does. At least one of the other commissioners will have real experience with VET. That's vocational education and training. So we're connecting universities and TAFE in a smarter, more connected way. We don't want these systems working in silos. We want them talking to each other. We want students moving between them, learning the skills they actually need to get ahead in life and contribute to our country.

Over the next 10 years, nine out of 10 new jobs will require post-secondary education. Around half of those new jobs will require a VET qualification. That means more people at TAFE and more people at university. That's why Labor introduced free TAFE for all Australians and why we've made it permanent. It's here to stay. Since we introduced free TAFE, it's seen over 725,000 enrolments across the country. And, let me tell you, free TAFE is changing lives. I know this. I know this because my husband, Christopher, is one of the 725,000 enrolments in free TAFE. Thanks to this program, he was able to retrain later in life to become an electrician. I really can't emphasise enough what free TAFE means for people. Free TAFE is giving people the skills to back themselves, to build a career and to support their families and skills that help our countries and our communities thrive. For over 13 per cent of people in my community of Gorton, it's opening doors and it's opening opportunities and it's working. Over 210,000 TAFE courses have been completed. That means more people are starting careers as nurses, carpenters, aged-care workers, electricians, early childhood educators and so many more. These are the jobs that keep our communities moving, the jobs that help people live better lives.

The ATEC won't be working on its own either. It will be supported by the Department of Education, which means it will have access to the expertise, resources and networks it needs to do its job properly. It's not just about setting rules; it's about making sure universities are actually delivering for students, for communities and for the workforce that our future needs. This is the kind of leadership and oversight that will make a real difference. ATEC will work with universities to set goals for the number of domestic and international students they teach. It will provide advice to federal, state and territory governments about the best way to run the higher education system. ATEC will also take on responsibility for setting and maintaining national standards in higher education. That means making sure universities are doing what they're meant to do and doing it well.

Every year, ATEC will publish a state of the tertiary education system report. This report will tell us how the system is tracking. It will tell us what's working, will tell us where the gaps are and will tell us what we need to do better, especially for the students who are getting locked out or left behind. And this really matters because the universities accord is clear: in the decades ahead, more Australians will need skills and qualifications—a certificate, a diploma or a degree—because right now Australia has real shortages. We need to build more homes, and then we need more tradies and we need more technicians. We have an ageing population, so we need more community and care workers. We also need more disability support workers, childcare workers, nurses. The ATEC is about making sure that that pipeline works and that supply matches demand. It's about planning ahead, linking education with real jobs and making sure students are learning skills that actually lead somewhere, because, when education works, everything else follows.

It will really make a difference to communities, including my own local community in Melbourne's western suburbs. My electorate of Gorton is young. We're one of the youngest federal electorates in the country. The median age is 35 years old, and we have more than 40,000 residents aged between 25 and 39. When we're talking about HECS debt, these are the people we're talking about. Around 26,000 people in my electorate have student debt. They're the same people who are trying to save for a deposit to get into the housing market, paying mortgages and bills, and starting families. In Melbourne's west, we're young, we're diverse and we're full of families working hard to get ahead. For those at university age, it's people who are juggling work, study and family and trying to work out how to take the next step. But many people still face barriers to education and training. ATEC will help by making sure universities and TAFEs are offering the right courses in the right places, with the right support around students. It will encourage diversity in our universities. It will keep an eye on equity and skills targets. It will help build a more connected system that actually works for students.

One of my biggest passions has always been education and helping young people get ahead. That comes from my own experience. Like many people in this place, I was once a student too. I studied neuroscience at the University of Melbourne. While it might not feel that long ago, I remember what it was like balancing study, work and the pressure of trying to set yourself up for the future. I know just how the education system can shape the path of a young person. When it works, it opens doors. When it doesn't, it can hold people back.

That's why this bill matters to me. It's about making sure higher education actually works for students, it's about giving young people real opportunities, and it's about building a system that supports them to succeed no matter where they come from or what their background is. Universities will also have the flexibility to follow their own goals while meeting the needs of their students and communities. It's so that students can get the education they want and communities can benefit from graduates who are ready to work locally and contribute to the economy.

The Albanese Labor government has already delivered 31 of the accord report's 47 recommendations. We've doubled university study hubs in regional and suburban areas. My community in Melbourne's west has seen the benefits from this, with the suburban university study hub in Melton in the member for Hawke's electorate. These are amazing. For students in any tertiary education setting, it means they can access campus-style study spaces, onsite admin and academic support and a range of other student support services, all free of charge. That's what this is really about—giving communities like mine the educational opportunities they deserve, because every Aussie deserves access to the resources they need to build their own future.

We've also increased free university bridging courses. This one is about helping more students to prepare for university, particularly for those students from underrepresented backgrounds. We're providing more opportunities for pathways into higher education, and we've introduced paid prac for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students. These Commonwealth prac payments are a big one for students juggling cost-of-living and study pressures. The $331 these eligible students earn per week while doing their mandatory prac placements as part of their degrees is tangible, real cost-of-living relief. Like the other measures, it's designed to make university and training more accessible. Then there are the student services and amenities fees, of which we've made sure universities put at least 40 per cent back into student led organisations, and the Commonwealth supported places which we've made available to all First Nations students who meet the entry requirements. We've introduced the National Student Ombudsman and the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence.

We've made HECS fairer. We've cut 20 per cent off student debt. Let me be clear: wiping 20 per cent off every student's HECS debt wasn't just a policy idea; it was our government's priority. It was the very first piece of legislation this Labor government introduced into parliament after we came into government last year. By Christmas, millions of Australians saw that reduction for themselves the next time they logged into their myGov account. Those with an average debt of $27,600 have seen a reduction of $5,520 in their outstanding debt. This means that students can keep more of what they earn—no applications, no form, just real cost-of-living relief. We've capped the interest so young people's student debt doesn't spiral out of control, and we've raised the minimum repayment threshold so students aren't forced to pay back more than they can afford. This means that, for example, if you earn $27,000 a year, you will save over $1,000 a year in repayments. You can still pay off more if you want to, but what it does is make the system fairer for everyone, no matter what their income is.

This is real and tangible, and it will make a difference to the lives of millions of Australians right across the country. It's those people who this Labor government cares about, and it's who we have legislated real change for. These are just some of the ways we are helping make life a little bit more affordable—not just now but into the future, too. It's about lifting a real burden off the shoulders of young Australians who are working hard to build their own future. People shouldn't be held back by debt for decades. This isn't just a number on a page. It matters to families like mine. It matters to the 26,000 university students in my electorate of Gorton, who are juggling study, work and everyday life. It's practical, it's fair and it's exactly the kind of commonsense reform that helps young Aussies get ahead.

The ATEC will build on the work already underway. It will give practical, clear advice to government. It will keep track of equity and skills targets, and it will help create a more connected system so it's easier for students to get the qualifications they need, without hitting roadblocks along the way. It will also help bring universities and TAFE closer together so students aren't forced to choose one path and stick with it forever. They'll be able to move between systems, build their skills over time and get the training Australia actually needs.

This bill is about building a system that works for students, not just institutions—a system where every student has a fair shot, a system where students from underrepresented backgrounds aren't pushed to the margins but are properly supported to succeed. It's about making sure no-one is left behind and about giving every Australian the chance to study, train and gain skills that they'll use for the rest of their life. It's about planning for the future of our country. A strong tertiary education system isn't just good for students; it's good for families, it's good for local businesses and it's good for communities right across Australia.

This bill delivers a stronger, fairer and more connected tertiary education system—one that's ready for what comes next, one that supports students, backs communities and helps build a better Australia for all of us. We're a government that invests in Australians, our people, unlike the opposition, who believe that if you don't pay for something you don't value it. We know that, when we invest in our people, our society, our economy and our future benefit many times over. We're a government that cares about what makes a real difference to the lives of Australians—cost-of-living measures, Medicare, affordable housing—and that knows the transformative quality of education, not just for individuals but for all of Australia. I commend this bill to the house.

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