Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Hansard source

On this legislation, again I'd like to commend Senator Brown for her thoughtful contribution as a Tasmanian and a big supporter of the University of Tasmania and the good work that it does. I could see the passion in Senator Brown's contribution. I thank her for so fiercely advocating, on behalf of the opposition, for Labor's support for the legislation we are dealing with now. I too am pleased to be able to make a contribution to this debate on the Education Legislation Amendment (2020 Measures No. 1) Bill 2020, an important piece of legislation, which I'll talk to now.

This bill, as stated, implements part of the Higher Education Relief Package, which is part of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I think it's important to highlight that this pandemic, as I did indicate in the previous debate, is something that is unprecedented. Certainly, in my lifetime and in the lifetimes of most of the occupants of this chamber, we have not experienced anything like it—the swift nature of the outbreak and indeed the government responses. I have to say I am truly thankful that our government was in a position to be able to respond in the way that it has in terms of the support that has been provided to all sectors. I know that there have been differences of opinion in relation to the application of that support—and we're not going to get into that now because that is not the debate that we are currently having. But it is important to note that support was required right across the economy, and the education sector, our tertiary education sector in particular, was no exception.

Under this bill, for a six-month period, from 1 April to 30 September, the loan fee that applies to undergraduate students accessing FEE HELP—that is, a loan—for their studies will be removed. Undergraduate full-fee-paying students who may have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis will be given an incentive to begin or continue to study in semester 2 of 2020, thus supporting higher education providers through continued student enrolment. We need to ensure that there is continued turnover in a business or a university, like any other entity, so that there is continued revenue. That is what sustains these entities. This is what makes them able to pay the salaries they need to pay. This is what makes them viable into the future. We are able to support those affected by the crisis through support packages like this, where the loan fee, as I said before, is deferred.

Those sorts of measures are important so that we can encourage enrolment and so that we can keep people engaged with the education system. Through this measure, the government demonstrates its commitment to ensuring Australians are able to upskill and retrain, even in these difficult times. I think that is important as well. Sadly, because of this crisis, there are a lot of people who have been disengaged from their employment for one reason or another, which is of course something we've tried to avoid through JobKeeper and associated packages. Providing Australians with an opportunity to augment their skills or to train in a completely different sector, particularly in essential services—as has been outlined by a number of measures put in place by this government and, indeed, with the support of many in this chamber—is important so that we do have continued activity in the economy and right across the country.

The bill also enables the implementation of the government's decision to extend the unique student identifier, otherwise known as the USI, to all higher education students. By replacing the existing student identifiers with the USI, students and providers will have access to a single identification system. To support a single identifier across the tertiary education system, the bill will require students accessing Commonwealth assistance to have a USI. With almost all students in tertiary education using the USI, we will be able to monitor and collect unprecedented data to better inform education programs and policies. In addition, through the USI, students will be able to move between VET and other higher education more easily, which I think is a great outcome, encouraging ongoing engagement in education and lifelong learning, personal development and career aspirations.

This is an important point regarding the capacity in this day and age for Australians of any age, any background, to participate in the education system, be it through VET or a university. As Senator Brown would know, the University of Tasmania has a great range of associate degrees that catch that area in between a full degree and, say, a TAFE education, which has catered to many more thousands of, in our case, Tasmanians—a fantastic thing. Supporting that through unique initiatives which streamline the system to enable better data collection so government can respond to the changing landscape within our education sector is a fantastic initiative. Data is important to be able to make good decisions not just for government and not just for policy-makers but also for universities and other providers of education to understand exactly what is going on within their institutions, which are often large in number and which employ and educate a great many people. It's a very important initiative, one I feel very strongly about and one I am pleased to be supporting.

This bill also introduces measures to validate loans for students who have been assigned multiple Commonwealth higher education student support numbers to prevent unfavourable financial outcomes for providers and students. Following the passage of this legislation, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment will make best efforts to contact affected students as soon as is practical. I know, having worked with this department on many occasions and with the senior executives at Senate estimates, that the department will work quickly in partnership with education providers across the country to ensure that this is implemented seamlessly, and I look forward to seeing the work rolled out.

Correspondence will contain information on their situation and the effect of the legislation that we are debating—and hopefully passing very soon—and will include information on how to challenge debts that may be inappropriate or, indeed, incorrectly allocated to their CHESSN. Additional information on managing financial hardship and the income contingent nature of the HELP scheme will be provided to ensure that students are aware of their obligations and any course for redress or relief where required. I think it's important, when dealing with these sorts of schemes and the information contained in them and in trying to achieve the outcome sought here, to have that information so that students do feel comfort and have a clear indication of the pathways available to them. I know that the Minister for Education has written to the opposition to confirm this. It is with pleasure that I thank the opposition for their constructive engagement on this bill. It's great to see. This bill also clarifies the point in time that a student's HELP balance is taken to be reduced in the legislation to ensure that there is consistency across the HELP and VET student loans programs, and it makes minor amendments that streamline and improve the operation of the Higher Education Support Act.

All of these things contained together in this package—support to education providers, which are the institutions that are in operation; most importantly, support to those who benefit from the work that providers do, who are the students of these institutions; the streamlining of identification processes; the streamlining of the debt programs and how they are managed and how we interact with the users of those programs—have been well crafted in consultation with the various sectors that work in this space: namely, the universities but also other post-secondary education providers. I do commend, again, the opposition for their input and for the work that's been put in. I commend the officers of the department and the minister for their work on this legislation. I commend the bill to the Senate.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.