Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Senator Carr, and I refer to the government’s consultations with the higher education sector on how to restore student services and facilities lost as a result of the impact of voluntary student unionism. Given that it is now mid-May, the process began on 17 February, submissions were due by 11 March and, of course, there have been a number of campus visits by government representatives during that time, can the minister inform the Senate whether or not the government intends to release its report on this issue, and when can we expect to see the report?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Stott-Despoja for her question. We in government are concerned about ensuring that there is improvement in the level of service provision for students. In regard to that measure, the government has provided $500 million for a Better Universities Renewal Fund in the 2008 budget, which will provide universities with money to support infrastructure in the key priority areas of information technology, laboratories, libraries, student study places, student teaching places and student amenities. The government does acknowledge that there is a need for student services and amenities and for students to have access to independent and democratic representation. Student services and amenities—counselling, child care, health services, sports clubs, societies and the like—are essential parts of a student’s life and have been hard hit by the previous government’s voluntary student unionism legislation.

Universities Australia estimates that $172.8 million was collected from student services and amenities charges in the year prior to the introduction of VSU and that, in total, $100 million was provided by the previous government in transitional funding over the following four years. So only a small proportion of funding previously received from fees prior to VSU was directed to sporting infrastructure grants. So, many universities do not have adequate student amenities, and a proportion of the $500 million Better Universities Renewal Fund of the 2008-09 budget will allow universities to provide support for amenities where needed. This funding will provide support while the government considers the written responses it has received from its discussion paper released earlier this year. That gives an opportunity to consider the feedback from the widespread consultations that are being undertaken by the Minister for Youth within the sector. The government have no plans to reinstate compulsory student unionism and we will not be returning to the hefty up-front fees that the previous government allowed to exist at some universities. I will ask the minister directly responsible whether or not she has anything further to add to that answer.

Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his response. I acknowledge that he referred in his answer to student amenities, which are obviously in the budget papers. And I see comments today by the Minister for Youth talking about student amenity projects at their discretion. But can the minister explicitly clarify for the chamber today what projects and services that money in the renewal fund will be used for in relation to the ones he has referred to? The minister talked about democratic representation and he talked about services, not just amenities. Is the minister telling the chamber that that renewal money will specifically go to student services, not just general amenities, and therefore hard infrastructure, as we have come to believe as a result of Tuesday night’s budget?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The fund that the government announced in this year’s budget will have as a priority area projects associated with the development of student amenities. What the government are concerned with doing is ensuring that we have sustainable long-term solutions to addressing the impacts of VSU. Obviously, the minister directly responsible for this area will be announcing further details of that in due course.

The program initiatives that were announced in the budget will be the subject of further discussions between the respective ministries, because it is a fund that affects the services with regard to the provision of information and communications technologies, laboratories, libraries, student study places, teaching spaces and student amenities. These are projects that the universities will come back to the government on. (Time expired)