AUSTRALIAN GREENS DISSENTING REPORT
Introduction
1.1
Despite changes to the original legislation, the Australian Greens
remain opposed to the passage of the Higher Education and Research Reform Bill
2014. The amended legislation retains many aspects of the original legislation
that would make Australia’s higher education policy framework unfair and
unsustainable.
1.2
Most of the measures contained within this bill would have destructive
impact on higher education and research in Australia, particularly those that:
-
Cut public funding to universities for students and research
training;
-
Remove the cap on fees universities can charge students; and
-
Open government supported places to private providers.
1.3
If passed the Bill would push the cost burden for maintaining our public
universities onto students and further weaken university staff work conditions.
1.4
The proposed cuts to public funding would threaten the viability of many
public universities. The cuts, coupled with the requirement that universities
compete with for-profit private providers under no obligation to offer a broad
range of courses, undertake research, or meet community-service obligations,
will undermine the quality of higher education in Australia.
1.5
Several submissions made by universities have cited a lack of
guaranteed, high levels of funding as a justification for supporting fee
deregulation. Numerous Vice Chancellors have stated that their support for fee
deregulation was driven by the fact that successive federal governments had
inadequately funded higher education.
1.6
The deregulation of student fees remains an ongoing concern for the
Australian Greens. Rather than being driven by any genuine “competitive
agenda,” it is clear that the fee deregulation model being pushed by the
Liberal/National government has been adopted to shift the cost burden of higher
education onto students. Combined with the bill’s proposed cuts, the government
is essentially forcing all universities to raise their fees in order to retain
their current levels of funding.
1.7
Finally, the Australian Greens remain strongly opposed to the extension
of Commonwealth supported places to private providers. Given the growing
concerns about the extent of defrauding FEE-HELP by a number of private
providers, we support the calls made by the National Tertiary Education Union
(NTEU) that the FEE HELP and VET FEE HELP programs be the subject of a separate
investigation.
Recommendation 1
1.8
The Australian Greens recommend that Higher Education and Research
Reform Bill 2014 be rejected outright.
Senator Lee
Rhiannon
Australian Greens
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