James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

No student will pay up-front fees for an enabling course under the coalition government's higher education reforms. The average enabling course is about $1,000. Fifty-two per cent of Commonwealth-supported students who commenced an enabling course in 2014 continued studying in 2015, compared to 61 per cent for domestic fee-paying students. There is no evidence students are deterred by fees when they are deferrable through the loans system. Professor Bruce Chapman has noted:

The evidence is now overwhelming that changes to the level of the charge, or other aspects of HECS-HELP … have no discernible effects on student behaviour or choices.

Question agreed to.