Senate debates

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Questions without Notice

Higher Education

2:30 pm

Photo of Dio WangDio Wang (WA, Palmer United Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Minister Birmingham. There is an increasing perception of deliberate stonewalling and a preference for blaming the Senate. Will the government commit to more extensive consultation prior to releasing and tabling their next attempt at the higher education reform bill?

2:31 pm

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank Senator Wang for his question. The government is committed to ensuring that we deliver reform for higher education in Australia, reform that secures the future of quality higher education well into the future. What is important for our higher education institutions, for our universities, is that they have secure funding and funding that allows them to access not just a defined government scheme reliant upon a demand-driven program for places but also funding relevant to the course they are providing and that they are able to compete amongst each other, excel in areas of innovation and specialise in particular courses.

Throughout this process we have been very willing and committed to engage on these policy reforms. We stand by them. We think they are appropriate reforms to provide security to the higher education sector and to universities in the future. But, equally, we have been willing to compromise and listen. I have thanked in this chamber previously some of the other members of the crossbench and indeed you, Senator Wang, for the constructive way in which you have engaged with us and for your willingness to provide suggestions. We have adopted some of those suggestions in our reforms to date. We are very happy to continue those discussions. We are very happy to have those discussions with you and with the higher education sector.

But this chamber should remember that the higher education sector is broadly supportive of the reforms: Universities Australia, the G8 group and the Innovative Research Universities. All of these key institutions and groupings have stood together. Forty out of 41 vice-chancellors supported the reform package. The groundwork was done to build support, but we of course remain willing to listen, engage and consult. (Time expired)

2:33 pm

Photo of Dio WangDio Wang (WA, Palmer United Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Insufficient competition exists between our public universities. Other options such as not-for-profit higher education providers should be considered. Can the government commit to providing Commonwealth Grant Scheme support to not-for-profit higher education providers?

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

Thank you, again, Senator Wang. As you, I know, would appreciate, having looked at the legislation closely that there is an extension in certain areas of Commonwealth Grant Scheme support in the legislation that we have brought to this parliament. Importantly, it seeks to extend opportunities for sub-bachelor programs, for diploma courses and for those entry level pathways that will give greater opportunity to many more students. It is a profound disappointment that this Senate has stood in the way of giving those enhanced opportunities to more people.

We also absolutely stand for providing opportunity to non-university providers to enter this space. That, again, has been a feature of the reforms to date. So, Senator Wang, if there are areas that you would like to discuss with us, I, Minister Pyne and the government of course remain very happy to do so—with you and with other crossbenchers. We would be particularly happy if the Labor Party would actually have a constructive discussion with us on this very, very important reform rather than just saying no, no, no, as they have— (Time expired)

2:34 pm

Photo of Dio WangDio Wang (WA, Palmer United Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Not-for-profit higher education providers, such as Sheridan College in Western Australia, will provide competition to the public universities and ensure prices are kept low for students. Will the assistant minister take a personal interest in the submission of the not-for-profit Sheridan College in Western Australia?

2:35 pm

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

Absolutely, Senator Wang. I will be very happy to look at that submission. I will be very happy if the opportunity arises to visit Sheridan College with you. I will make sure that it is brought to the attention of Minister Pyne and that he indeed gives consideration to what their particular proposals are.

But I think at the broader level it is critically important that we do address the issue of providing certainty to universities and to all higher education providers in Australia—certainty that they will be able to compete in an increasingly cluttered global landscape where more universities and more higher education providers are able to offer opportunities to Australian students. They are competing with us for international students and that is why they need the freedom, the freedom to be able to specialise in areas that suit them, the freedoms that differentiate themselves, which includes the freedom to differentiate through pricing rather than just having to operate under the constrained mechanisms that exist to date. Some important reforms have been made, but these important reforms we have need to be finalised. (Time expired)

2:36 pm

Photo of Sean EdwardsSean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is also to the popular erudite Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator Birmingham. Will the minister outline the benefits to Australia of international student education and why the government is working hard to promote it?

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank Senator Edwards for that very important question about our international education sector. International education provides life-changing opportunities for students who come to Australia, especially from within our region, often from poorer nations, to study here. It is not only life changing for them, it is hugely important for Australia and for the Australian economy. International education is our largest non-resources export industry and our third, or sometimes fourth, export industry overall. Around $17 billion in wealth is generated for the Australian economy annually as a result of the international education sector. It supports around 130,000 jobs as students study in our universities and schools, with our vocational education and training providers and with our English language providers, across every state and territory right around Australia and across so many local government areas. I acknowledge the Mayor of the City of Playford, Glenn Docherty, who is in the chamber today. I am sure Playford is one of the many areas that benefits from international education.

International education adds greatly to our culture and it also enriches the experience Australian domestic students have and their opportunities to build a better understanding of the region in which they will work and build businesses in the future. Under the previous government there was a collapse in international education, because of poor policy changes. Around $4 billion per annum was lost in relation to annual income in international education. It stands to their shame that in another area like this they got the policies wrong and Australia's wealth declined as result.

I am pleased to say that our policies are working. Today we have seen the latest student enrolment data revealed, and there are more international students enrolled in Australia than ever before. Every single sector is up. We have delivered policies that have turned around the collapse that Labor brought into this sector.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting

2:38 pm

Photo of Sean EdwardsSean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I thank the minister for his substantive answer and ask a supplementary question. Will the minister further advise the Senate of measures the government is taking to boost international student education?

2:39 pm

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

In addition to the policies we have already applied, there are important new steps and strategies that we are applying, some of which have been identified in the chamber already today. The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is an important additional step forward in supporting our international education sector. It will ensure that Australian institutions can be listed on China's study abroad website, which will provide greater marketing and recruitment opportunities to Chinese students for Australian educational providers. This comes in addition to an agreement Minister Pyne signed last November with the Chinese vice-minister for education to promote qualifications recognition and increased student academic and research mobility between Australia and China. This is in addition to the simplified student visa framework, which Minister Cash was speaking about before, that also provides greater opportunity for us to continue to grow the international education sector. So two very important milestones have been achieved in this week alone, with the China FTA and the student visa framework. (Time expired)

2:40 pm

Photo of Sean EdwardsSean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Will the minister advise the Senate how the government is working towards a shared national strategy for international education?

2:38 pm

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | | Hansard source

To take advantage of the opportunities provided by the China FTA and the FTAs with Korea and Japan, and via other growing international education markets, we are consulting extensively on the draft national strategy for international education. Just yesterday we published more than 100 submissions on that draft strategy that warmly welcome the fact that the government is applying this shared national strategy that brings together all of the stakeholders. Tomorrow around 100 of those stakeholders from all states and territories will come together here in Parliament House for a round table on international education to further the work on this national strategy.

The government has appointed a coordinating council on international education to finalise the strategy and an implementation plan. The coordinating council includes six ministers from education, immigration, foreign affairs and trade, as well as six experts from diverse backgrounds. It is all about not only protecting but growing a sector that is worth $17 billion at present and that supports 130,00 Australian jobs.