Chapter 4
The Abbott Government's cuts to education
4.1
This chapter will examine the Abbott Government's funding cuts to
Australia's education system. It will first consider the government's proposed
2014-15 Budget (the budget) measures that would radically reshape the higher
education sector into a US-style 'user pays' system. It will then look at the
effects of cuts to the funding of schools and the vocational education and
training (VET) sectors.
Higher Education
4.2
The committee heard evidence that changes made to Australia's tertiary
education by the budget would have serious negative effects on the quality and
accessibility of the higher education system.
4.3
The committee is particularly concerned about the following measures which
will be discussed in turn:
-
the cuts to direct government grants to universities through the
Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS);
- the deregulation of university fees, which will drive up prices
for students so universities can meet the shortfall of funding from lower CGS
amounts;
-
reduction of Commonwealth assistance for disadvantaged students;
and
-
proposed increases to the indexation of Higher Education Loan
Program (HELP) loans, which will make fee repayments unaffordable for many,
particularly given the larger fees universities are likely to charge following
deregulation.
Cuts to the Commonwealth Grant
Scheme
4.4
The budget contains measures that substantially reduce the funding for
Australian universities, including a 20 per cent cut in the CGS.
4.5
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) suggested that the proposed
20 per cent cut to the CGS will translate to a loss between $41 million
and $209 million for individual tertiary institutions from 2016 to 2020,
which equates to an average 5 per cent cut in total revenue for
Australian universities, with many regional and outer metropolitan universities
facing cuts of more than eight per cent.[1]
4.6
Mr Paul Kniest, Policy and Research Coordinator, NTEU, emphasised these
cuts will affect every Australian tertiary student, particularly those
attending regional universities:
Clearly, it is going to be a massive cut. Once the full
effects of those cuts flow through, once all the students enrolled are affected
by the cuts—there is going to be a phasing-in period—I think it is going to be
over $2 billion in total. The point about the cuts is that it varies quite
considerably between different universities. Universities that are far more
reliant on Commonwealth grants, which tend to be the regionals and outer metropolitans,
are going to be hit far harder than [those from metropolitan areas].[2]
4.7
Ms Jessica Dean, President, Australian Medical Students Association
(AMSA), told the committee that lower funding for certain programs would lead
to skills gaps in professions like medicine:
...the 20 per cent cut in base funding is devastating to the
medical students of Australia. Medical deans in the base funding review showed
that medical education was already underfunded by more than $20,000 per student
per year. The amount that the government contributes to medical education is
lower than other OECD countries. Simply, if we want to produce quality doctors
in Australia then we need adequate funding.[3]
Deregulation of university fees
4.8
Currently, the government sets a cap on how much universities are able
to charge for tuition fees. The government has proposed deregulating the higher
education sector by lifting this cap and allowing universities and other
education providers to set their own fees.
4.9
Some universities have already indicated that this will result in a
substantial increase of fees, [4]
especially to cover the shortfall in CGS funding outlined above. As Mr Kniest,
NTEU, outlined to the committee:
The government's 20 per cent cut to funding per student means
that, on average, universities will have to increase fees by about 30 per cent
just to maintain their existing level of funding. In some cases, fee increases
are likely to be well in excess of that 30 per cent. We have absolutely no
doubt that the cost of some degrees at some universities will exceed $100,000
if the fees are deregulated.[5]
4.10
This view was supported by Ms Deanna Taylor, National President,
National Union of Students (NUS), who said:
I have heard it said, both by the minister himself and by
representatives of private providers, that fees could come down. I see no
evidence to suggest that any public or private provider is going to reduce
their fees on the basis that in 2004, when fees were partially deregulated,
basically every single provider and every single university raised their fees
to the maximum cap, and that is where they all currently sit.[6]
4.11
Mr Angelo Gavrielatos, Federal President, Australian Education Union
(AEU), stated that higher university fees would lead to lower participation
rates for disadvantaged and debt-averse groups:
When you cut university budgets by 20 per cent and you uncap
fees for one reason and one reason only, and that is to make up for cuts of 20
per cent to the budget, there is plenty of modelling and there are plenty of
statements made by vice-chancellors across the country which indicate that fees
will go up and in some cases dramatically. Once you increase fees dramatically,
it has impacts on access. There are community groups that are debt averse and
they will therefore not enrol in universities.[7]
4.12
Mr Kniest, NTEU, highlighted that higher fees would mean less enrolments
from certain groups, including women, people from low-socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds,
and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians:
So the analysis shows that the government's decision to
deregulate university fees and the associated debt will impact heavily on all
students but, as other modelling has indicated, will impact more severely on
women and low-income earners....The other group of people who are going to be
severely affected by this are people from low-SES backgrounds, including
Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.[8]
4.13
Mr Stephen Higgs, Headmaster, Ballarat Grammar, noted that fee increases
would deter students from regional areas studying at major universities, which
tended to be located in large cities:
Given the accommodation costs involved for country families
and their lower financial capacity, the deregulation of fees will shut many
students from regional areas out of our major universities.[9]
Reducing assistance to
disadvantaged students
4.14
Mr Kniest, NTEU, told the committee that the government's cuts to programs
assisting disadvantaged individuals to undertake tertiary study was inherently
unfair and would lead to poorer outcomes:
The budget proposes over $800 million in cuts to equity
funding, including a $509 million cut to Student Start-Up Scholarships and a
$209 million cut to Relocation Scholarships. Those scholarships will be
replaced by a new Commonwealth scholarship scheme. In addition to the fact that
the new scholarships will be funded directly from increased student
fees—students will be paying for the new scholarships through higher fees—we
have done some analysis and we have information that shows that the design of
that system means that universities with the highest number of disadvantaged
students will actually be worse off.[10]
4.15
Mr Kunal Luthra, Vice President External, AMSA, stated that, should
assistance to disadvantaged individuals were not available, then many would not
go to university, as they would be reluctant to take on large debts for their
studies. He particularly drew attention to individuals from families where
studying at university was not the norm:
We think that, with the higher education reforms, if there is
a $250,000 debt facing you and no-one in your family has ever been to
university before, that will be a deterrent.[11]
4.16
Mr Kniest, NTEU, highlighted particular concerns with cuts to programs
for Indigenous students:
The other issue that we want to make a point of is that the
budget includes over $500 million of cuts to Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander funding which covers equity measures such as education, health and
legal services. One of the issues that impacts directly on universities, and
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders studying at universities, is that the
government appears to have decided that it is going to change the way that it
administers the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme for Tertiary Tuition.
This is funding that universities get to provide assistance to Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander students who are struggling to get through.[12]
4.17
The government has proposed a new Commonwealth scholarship program to
support the intake of disadvantaged students to universities. However, Mr
Higgs, Ballarat Grammar, told the committee not enough was known about these
new scholarships, and so his students were uncertain about their future
prospects for support:
There is so little known about these Commonwealth
scholarships that it is hard to place any confidence in the extent to which
they will support our students.[13]
Lowering repayment thresholds and
increasing HELP debt indexation
4.18
The committee heard how the larger fees universities will charge
following deregulation will be compounded by changes to the HELP debt repayment
arrangements, which will make it more difficult for graduates to pay off loans
accrued over the course of their higher education.
4.19
HELP loans are indexed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is
currently 2.3 per cent. This means that HELP loans only increase in line with
inflation – and not in real terms, no matter how long a graduate takes to pay
it off.[14]
4.20
The budget proposed to index HELP loans with the government bond rate,
currently 3.55 per cent Moreover, the budget further proposed that from 2016–7, graduates will
start to repay HELP loans when their annual earnings exceed $50 638 – rather than the current
threshold of $53 345.[15]
4.21
Ms Jenny Lambert, Director, Employment, Education and Training,
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), informed the committee the
government should reconsider lifting the interest rate on HELP loans, as higher
rates would particularly hurt graduates with lower salaries:
The really important thing is it can only be up to a certain
amount of their salary that they have to pay off the debt, so therefore those
that are on low salaries for a long period of time will only have to pay a
certain amount, according to their income...That is why the interest rate, for
those low-income earners, is so critical, because, if they are taking a long
time to pay off the debt, then clearly the interest rate is an issue for them.[16]
4.22
Some witnesses noted the increased cost of repaying HELP loans would
particularly affect women, as they are more likely to work in occupations with
low incomes, such as nursing and teaching, and often take breaks in their
career to raise children.[17]
Mr Gavrielatos, AEU, spoke of the effects this would have on many female teachers:
The increased debt rate and the increased interest charged
could serve as both a disincentive to going into teaching and it could also
discourage people from staying in teaching, given that a teacher's earning
capacity is not that of other professions and given that conservative state
governments across the country are basically shutting down industrial tribunals
and putting a cap on any salary movements for teachers.
On top of that is the added negative impact for gendered
professions like teaching where women will be impacted because of breaks in
service, and therefore there will be compounding effects of interest rates and,
more importantly, an even longer period to repay this debt.[18]
Vocational Education and Training
4.23
The Parliamentary Library noted that despite the announcement of two new
initiatives (discussed below):
...the cost of these measures ($915.0 million) is more than
offset by the cessation of a wide range of programs, resulting in total
spending under the Building Skills and Capability Programme being reduced by
more than 20 per cent, from $2.8 billion in 2013–14 to $2.3 billion for
2014–15.[19]
4.24
The government claims it has replaced many cuts to VET programs by
bolstering the Trade Support Loans initiative.[20]
However, Mr Lance McCallum, National Policy Officer, Electrical Trades Union of
Australia, told the committee Trade Support Loans would not help many
apprentices, but would actually place a financial burden upon them at the
beginning of their careers:
The government, through its new budget initiative of the
Trade Support Loans program, has replaced [the Tools for your Trade] grant with
a $20,000 HECS-style loan for apprentices. We are utterly and fundamentally
opposed to the principle of replacing a grant with a loan. We believe it is
fundamentally unfair and inequitable policy to place a significant $20,000
government debt burden on apprentices whose pay is, or could be, well below the
minimum wage; it is unreasonable to expect that struggling apprentices could
repay a $20,000 loan and still meet living expenses.[21]
4.25
Other witnesses commented that the government's cuts to VET programs are
inconsistent with making benefits such as Newstart contingent upon undertaking
'earning or learning'.[22]
Mr Dave Oliver, Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), explained
to the committee that:
At the same time as the government announces an earn-or-learn
policy, the budget cuts are to the very programs that support the capacity of
people to do just that.[23]
4.26
Mr Gavrielatos, AEU, also highlighted that this inconsistency was noted
in a paper from the Parliamentary Library:
The cutback in training provision and, in particular, the
cessation of programs supporting disadvantaged job seekers to enhance their
employment prospects, appears to be at odds with other budget initiatives for
young people to 'earn or learn'.[24]
4.27
Some witnesses were concerned that further deregulation of the VET sector
could encourage unscrupulous providers to exploit the government's requirements
for Newstart recipients to 'earn or learn'. For instance, Mr Kniest, NTEU, told
the committee:
...I want to make particular mention of the proposed changes to
the Newstart arrangements, where people under 30 will have to wait six months
before receiving Newstart. Evidence from the US and the UK indicates that,
under those sorts of circumstances, where private for-profit providers have
access to public subsidies, they may actually target unemployed youth in that
six-month gap, because, if students want to get access to income support
through youth allowance or Austudy, they would need to be enrolled in an
educational institution. We know that in the UK they are called 'cashpoint
colleges', and the massive expansion of student debt and very low completion
rates for the most disadvantaged students in the US have been a function of
these private for-profit colleges trying to enrol students so that students can
get access to Pell Grants, as they are called in the US.[25]
4.28
Mr Oliver, ACTU, also expressed concern that government policies on
Newstart eligibility may lead to a:
...proliferation of what can
only be described as mickey mouse providers setting themselves up, enlisting
people and using taxpayers' money to run their mickey mouse courses where there
is nothing at the end of them. So putting in a requirement that people have to
go off and learn could see a further explosion in this area, where you will be
sending people down a dead end street at much expense to the taxpayer.[26]
School Funding
4.29
The budget identified $80.0 billion in savings in school education and
hospital expenditure by 2024‑25
and it appears that about a third of these savings will be the result of the
proposed changes to the indexation arrangements for school funding with about $6.0
billion less in Australian Government funding for schools in 2024–25.[27]
4.30
Mr Gavrielatos, AEU, told the committee that the budget will cut $30
billion from schools funding over the next ten years.[28]
The cuts will come from both direct expenditure on funding to schools, as well
as by reducing the indexation on future payments to schools under the Gonski
model.[29]
4.31
Dr John Falzon, Chief Executive Officer, St Vincent de Paul Society, told
the committee he was dismayed by the severity and unfairness of the Abbott
Government's cuts to school funding:
We are dealing with a complete
abandonment of the principles that underpin the Gonski reforms, which are all
about providing a needs based formula for funding so that disadvantaged
Australians do not miss out on high-quality education. But also there is the
promise of sustained funding into the future. These are areas of enormous
concern for us. The St Vincent de Paul Society believes deeply in
education as a means of addressing inequality. It would indeed be a great
tragedy if inequality were to be ramped up as a result of those kinds of
funding cuts.[30]
4.32
Mr Gavrielatos, AEU, told the committee these cuts would jeopardise the
education of many students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds:
...by refusing to commit to the two-thirds of the funding that
is in the last two years of [the Gonski] reforms, this government is turning
its back on its most disadvantaged students and needier students. As a result
of that, up to 20 per cent of schools will not reach the minimum resource
standard considered necessary to give every child that opportunity to succeed.[31]
4.33
Mr Gavrielatos made it clear the cuts would widen achievement gaps
suffered by disadvantaged, Indigenous and rural groups:
...when I talk about a minimum resource standard I am not
talking about swimming pools and tennis courts; I am talking about a minimum
resource standard considered necessary for schools to implement the programs
that will give kids from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunities to reach
their full potential and in doing so close some of the achievement gaps. The
achievement gaps of two or three years between advantaged and disadvantaged
students is certainly not a source of pride, or two or three years between
Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. And the same can be said for students
in urban settings compared with rural settings.[32]
Committee view
4.34
The committee believes the budget cuts to schools, VET and higher
education sectors to be a clear breach of the Abbott Government's pre-election
commitment that they would make 'no cuts to education'.[33]
Recommendation 5
4.35
The committee recommends the government keep the promise made to the Australian
public not to cut education funding.
Higher education
4.36
The committee is concerned that the government's proposed measures in
the area of higher education will lead to a less fair and less accessible
higher education system: the 20 per cent average cut in the CGS; the
deregulation of university fees; lowering the repayment thresholds and
increasing interest rates for HELP loans. These measures must be rejected as
they are an affront to the Australian belief of a fair go.
4.37
The deregulation of Australia's universities heralds a US-style user
pays model, where $100,000 degrees will become reality and further education
will only be undertaken by the wealthy or by those willing, or able to, take on
crippling levels of debt.
4.38
Deregulating fees will drive up the costs of a degree, which would be
compounded by the raising of interest rates on government HELP loans for
students. These factors would raise the cost of undertaking study to a level
that will deter many Australians, particularly those from low-SES or
disadvantaged backgrounds, from undertaking further education.
4.39
The government has proposed a new Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme to
support the intake of disadvantaged students to universities and improve the
equity of the measures. However, the committee was told that not enough was
known about these scholarships. In the committee's view these scholarships
would seem to confirm the unfairness of the package.[34]
4.40
The committee notes that on 1 December 2014 the government agreed to
retain the consumer price index as the interest rate on the Higher Education
Contribution Scheme (HECS).[35]
The government also agreed to introduce a five-year interest rate pause on education
loans for new parents. Further, the government also indicated that other
proposals are under consideration, including:
-
a targeted university transition fund;
-
fee price monitoring by the Australian Consumer and Competition
Commission;
-
targeting scholarships towards rural and regional students; and
-
an information campaign for students and potential students on
how the system works and the value they get from going to university.[36]
4.41
While these changes would be a start, the committee believes they do not
go far enough and this was recognised by the Senate when the legislation was
voted down on 2 December 2014. The committee notes the government's changes do
not indicate recognition of the fundamental unfairness of these measures but an
acknowledgement of the political reality of getting enough votes to pass the
legislation.
Recommendation 6
4.42
The committee recommends the government abandons plans to deregulate
fees in the higher education sector.
Recommendation 7
4.43
The committee recommends the government maintain HELP debt repayment
arrangements and assistance for disadvantaged and low SES groups.
VET
4.44
The government's budget cuts will jeopardise the future of many young
Australians who want to undertake vocational education or training. The
committee believes that replacing a grant with a loan under the Trade Support Loans
will place a financial burden on them at the start of their career.
4.45
The committee would also like to record its concern that unscrupulous
providers may exploit the 'earn of learn' requirements for Newstart recipients.
Recommendation 8
4.46
The committee recommends the government restore funding cuts in the
2014-15 Budget to the VET sector.
Schools
4.47
It is clear to the committee that the proposed changes to school funding
will jeopardise the future of all young Australians. The Gonski review stressed
the need for an equitable school funding system: one that ensures differences
in educational outcomes are not the result of differences in wealth, income,
power or possessions.
4.48
The Labor government was able to use consensus among stakeholders to
implement a national needs based funding model based on the findings of the
Gonski review. Despite promises of a 'unity ticket' on education policy, the
Abbott government is unravelling Gonski funding arrangements. Although funding
for the first four years will remain as set out under the Australian
Education Act 2013, after 2017 funding will be indexed to just the CPI. By
the government's own projections this will result in a $30 billion cut to the
education sector over the medium term. Such significant cuts jeopardise the
widespread improvements in student outcomes that were to be achieved from a
strategically funded needs based model.
4.49
The committee believes the government should be ensuring disadvantaged
Australians do not miss out on high-quality education and that funding is
sustained into the future.[37]
Recommendation 9
4.50
The committee recommends the government restore the funding cuts to school
funding
Conclusion
4.51
There are many measures contained in this government's harsh and cruel
budget which will be reviewed during the life of this committee. This first
interim report has focused on the effects of the budget on young people: those
needing support to stay in school, undertake training or find employment. It
also examined the effect of the cuts to education and training organisations
and specifically investigated the likely outcomes from budget cuts to just two
organisations assisting the disadvantaged and young people who have disengaged
or are at risk of disengagement from education, training, employment and the
community.
4.52
The committee is particularly concerned that these budget measures
target the most vulnerable in the community and the assistance they need. Young
people who are disadvantaged and lack the support of their family will be at
risk of poverty and homelessness. The measures proposed show a profound lack of
understanding of the circumstances faced by the most vulnerable in the
community, as well as a lack of empathy and willingness to support them.
4.53
The community recognised and rejected the inherent unfairness in the
government's budget when it was released. Despite recent indications that the
government may be willing to back down on some aspects of the most unpopular
budget measures, such as the GP co-payment or some of the higher education
measures, the committee is mindful that this is not a change of heart but
merely recognition of a political reality that they will not get these harsh measures
through the Senate.
4.54
Furthermore, for all the rhetoric about fixing the budget and Australia
being open for business, the OECD has recently cautioned the Australian economy
is at risk due to the budget cuts being made too fast and too deep, given
economic uncertainties.[38]
4.55
The committee emphasises that even when looked at in purely economic
terms, these measures make no economic sense. The inquiry has revealed these
measures will cost the government more over the longer term as vulnerable
people lose support and further disengage from education, training and
employment, turning to risky and criminal behaviour to make ends meet.
4.56
The committee will continue to examine other measures of concern in the
budget to draw attention to its inherent unfairness and its likely effects on
the most vulnerable in the community.
Senator Richard Di Natale
Chair
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