Fatima Payman (WA, Australia's Voice) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Education, Minister Watt. Given that Australia had fee-free university education from 1974 to 1989 and that several comparable nations continue to provide free or low-cost tertiary education, why does this government continue to support a pay-to-learn model that burdens young Australians with lifelong debt instead of pursuing a return to fee-free education?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) | Link to this | Hansard source

It's the Albanese government that is delivering some of the greatest savings to university students and graduates that we've seen in decades from any government in Australia. It is our policy that students in higher education should make a contribution towards the cost of their education in recognition of the significant benefits that they typically gain from that sort of higher education.

But I might borrow from my good friend Senator Farrell, from his answer to another question that you asked this week, Senator Payman, and point out that the platform that you were elected on, as a then Labor Party candidate for the Senate, was one that supported the notion that students should make contributions towards their education. But I'm pleased to say that in the time since then, since you decided to no longer be a member of the Labor Party, the Labor Party's platform has actually improved for students and for graduates of higher education to a point where we have now, in last couple of weeks, agreed and committed to reducing HELP debts, whether they be university or TAFE graduate debts, by 20 per cent. So there has actually been an improvement to our platform compared to the one that you stood on as a candidate for the Labor Party at the last federal election.

We've also made changes in that time to reduce the indexation for students' debts in recognition that inflation has been rising in a very big way and that students' debts should not be escalating to the same degree. So I'm very pleased that this government has made decisions to support students better than it had done at the time of the last election, or at any other time before—and we'll continue to support students in that way. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Payman, first supplementary?

Fatima Payman (WA, Australia's Voice) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the proposed 20 per cent reduction to HECS-HELP is a step forward, but why can it not be delivered now? Why is the government holding it hostage and as a vote-buying exercise for students to have to wait until after the next election, when this is a much-needed cost-of-living measure that needs to happen now?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Payman. These are obviously issues that the government considered in framing the policy that we have decided to take to the next election, with every single member of this caucus still continuing to support those policies and continuing to deliver for students rather than simply asking questions about it.

The reality is that making changes of this kind do take time. They take legislative changes. They have impacts on the HECS and the HELP schemes more broadly, and it does take time to have that delivered. But what I can say is that I know that every single member who remains in the Labor caucus has the opportunity to put these views forward, and it is the collective action of this caucus that led our Prime Minister, Mr Albanese, to make the commitment for the greatest reduction in HELP debts that we have seen from any government in decades in Australia.

We understand that university students and TAFE graduates are doing it tough right now, and that's why we will use the power of government to deliver cheaper courses for those people. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Payman, second supplementary?

Fatima Payman (WA, Australia's Voice) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the Job-ready Graduates Package has been widely criticised for increasing student fees for arts, law and business degrees by up to 113 per cent. Despite these criticisms and its clear negative impact on access to higher education, your government has yet to repeal this policy. Can you explain why the government continues to allow these inequitable fee structures to persist?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Payman. Again, what we're doing is—over time—making university degrees and TAFE qualifications cheaper for hundreds of thousands of Australians. As a result of the work that Minister Jason Clare has undertaken through the Universities Accord, that is also delivering more affordable education and more accessible education.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Payman?

Fatima Payman (WA, Australia's Voice) | Link to this | Hansard source

President, I was patient with the first two questions. The minister has taken half of the time, and he has not mentioned the Job-ready Graduates Package at all.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Payman, the minister is being directly relevant to your question. Minister Watt, please continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Payman, it's obviously your right as an Independent senator to now ask questions as an Independent senator about this, but every member of this Labor caucus uses their position as a member of the government to advocate for the benefit of university graduates and for TAFE graduates as well. It's as a result of the advocacy of every member of this Labor caucus that our government is now delivering cheaper TAFE qualifications, cheaper university degrees and reductions in the debts that those students own. That is a much more effective way of delivering change for university students than any question asked here in— (Time expired)