Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the amendments be agreed to.

This bill establishes the Australian Tertiary Education Commission, the ATEC, which is a key recommendation of the Australian Universities Accord. In supporting the amendments that have been made to the bill by the Senate, I acknowledge in particular Senator Faruqi and Senator Pocock in the other place, as well as the member for Curtin and the member for Kooyong in the House of Representatives, for the work that they have done and their engagement in the development of this bill.

The amendments that we will now consider that were made in the Senate will allow the ATEC to initiate its own advice to ministers. They'll strengthen the ATEC's role in providing advice on research and research training. They'll allow the minister to appoint at least one and up to three commissioners on a part-time basis, in addition to the chief commissioner and the First Nations commissioner. They recognise the public good of higher education to Australia and the importance of academic freedom in the objects of the bill. They require the ATEC to establish a committee to provide advice and recommendations to the minister in relation to the Higher Education Standards Framework and ensure that the committee have appropriate expertise in higher education. All of these amendments are sensible, and I commend them to the House.

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