Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

No shame whatsoever. There is not even any attempt to hide the fact that these bald-faced lies were told. It is the same old story throughout my portfolio. Before the election we heard time and time again from Mr Abbott that there would be no cuts and no changes to pensions. We now know that that was a lie. The government said before the election that there would be no cuts to health and no cuts to education—that is a lie; no cuts to the ABC and no cuts to SBS—that is lie; and no adverse changes to superannuation—and we saw the filthy deal done between the government, Mr Abbott, and the Leader of the Palmer United Party that will see significant adverse effects to superannuation.

Another thing they said before the election was that there would be no new taxes—another lie. And of course we have the one we are debating today—said so many times before the election, particularly by the now Minister for Education—which is that there would be no increase to university fees. Yet here we are today in this parliament debating this proposal from the government to increase university fees. On every single one of these issues, this Prime Minister and this Minister for Education have broken their promises. This government just lied through their teeth before the last government—over and over and over again.

Let us not forget that the author of this bill, the Minister for Education, is the same minister who spent every day in the last parliament moralising about honesty and integrity in politics. What a sham! Here we are almost at the first anniversary of this government and they have not even been able to get through one year without breaking all of these promises. If this bill passes the parliament—and I sincerely hope, for the sake of the future of our country, that it does not—this minister will forever be known as the man who broke the hearts of so many young Australians and destroyed their aspirations by saddling them with these terrible levels of debt. This bill will reduce participation by young Australians in our universities. How on earth can that be in the national interest? How on earth can it be in the national interest to discourage young people—or not so young people—from going on to further their education at university?

In total, the government's budget measures cut $5.8 billion from higher education teaching and learning and university research. During my visit to La Trobe University I not only met with students but also met with some of the dedicated staff at that university, including members of the National Tertiary Education Union. They told me how devastating these cuts will be to higher education teaching and research at their university—a university that has provided so many opportunities for people in my electorate. They reinforced my view—as does all the evidence—on just how critical quality staff are to the success of our higher education system.

Of the $5.8 billion cuts, this bill on its own will result in $3.9 billion of cuts by: cutting funding for Commonwealth supported places in undergraduate degrees by an average of 20 per cent—and for some courses up to 37 per cent; reducing the indexation arrangements for university funding to CPI in 2016—down from the rate introduced by the previous Labor government; cutting almost $174 million from the Research Training Scheme—a scheme that supports the training of Australia's research students; and introducing a real rate of interest on student debt—a measure which will apply not only to existing and future students but also to the millions of Australians who have an existing HECS-HELP debt. Young Australians do not deserve to face $100,000 worth of debt from their university education. They do not deserve that, particularly when their aspiration is to get ahead and get a decent education. They deserve to have the opportunities that so many others in this House have had to get a great university education.

We want to make sure that we have fairness and equity in our university system, and that is why Labor will vehemently oppose this bill. We oppose the cuts to university funding and student support, and we will not stand by and see a system of higher fees, higher student debt, reduced access and greater inequality. That is what this bill will deliver to our country, and it will set us all back such a long way. So many opportunities will be denied if this legislation gets through this parliament, and that is why we will do everything in our power to oppose it.

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