Bill
Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020
passed, as at 2020-10-27. Education, Skills and Employment portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Education, Skills and Employment
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2020-08-26
- second reading — 2020-08-26
- second reading — 2020-09-01
- second reading — 2020-09-01
- third reading — 2020-09-01
- third reading — 2020-09-01
- third reading — 2020-09-01
- introduced — 2020-09-02
- second reading — 2020-09-02
- second reading — 2020-10-06
- second reading — 2020-10-07
- second reading — 2020-10-08
- second reading — 2020-10-08
- other — 2020-10-08
- other — 2020-10-08
- third reading — 2020-10-08
- other — 2020-10-19
- passed — 2020-10-19
- royal assent — 2020-10-27
Divisions
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Second Reading - Speed things along — 2020-09-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 41, noes 34
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Second Reading - Keep second reading motion unchanged — 2020-09-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 42, noes 33
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Second Reading - Agree with the bill's main idea — 2020-09-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 42, noes 33
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Third Reading - Speed things along — 2020-09-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 42, noes 33
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Third Reading - Speed things along — 2020-09-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 42, noes 33
- The majority voted in favour of *disagreeing* with a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debate/?id=2020-09-01.131.4) to adjourn debate. In other words, they voted to keep debating the bill. — 2020-09-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 42, noes 33
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Third Reading - Speed things along — 2020-09-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 42, noes 33
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Third Reading - Pass the bill — 2020-09-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 42, noes 33
- The majority voted in favour of a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debate/?id=2020-10-08.104.3): > *That the amendments requested by the Senate be considered immediately.* In other words, they voted in favour of speeding things along by immediately debating and voting on the amendments to [the bill](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/r6584) as suggested by the Senate. this motion was put by Calare MP [Andrew Gee](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/representatives/calare/andrew_gee) (Nationals). — 2020-10-08, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 43, noes 33
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Consideration of Senate Message - Put the question — 2020-10-08, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 41, noes 35
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Consideration of Senate Message - Agree with requests — 2020-10-08, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 43, noes 33
- The majority voted against an amendment to the usual second reading motion introduced by NSW Senator [Mehreen Faruqi](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/nsw/mehreen_faruqi (Greens), which means it failed. The usual second reading motion is "*that the bill be read [for a second time](https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/bills-and-laws/making-a-law-in-the-australian-parliament/)*". Reading a bill for a second time is the same as agreeing with its main idea. ### Amendment text > *Omit all words after "That", insert:* > > *", the bill be withdrawn; and* > > *(a) The Senate condemns the Morrison Government and Minister Tehan for attempting to ram legislation through the Parliament which would irreversibly damage Australia's higher education system and harm and disadvantage students, university staff and communities; and* > > *(b) The Senate condemns the bill which will:* > >> *(i) hike fees, pushing students into decades of debt as they face rising unemployment and hurting women and First Nations students the most,* >> >> *(ii) slash billions in funding from teaching, including from STEM subjects, which will mean bigger classes, fewer teachers and a worse education, particularly in regional areas,* >> >> *(iii) force universities to do more with less,* >> >> *(iv) fail to create anywhere near enough new places to educate school leavers and people who want to study during the recession,* >> >> *(v) shift the overall costs of university education away from the Commonwealth and onto students,* >> >> *(vi) fail to encourage students to do STEM courses,* >> >> *(vii) punish struggling students by unfairly and unnecessarily forcing them out of Commonwealth Supported Places instead of helping them, and* >> >> *(viii) fail to save a single university worker's job and worsen the research funding crisis; and* > > *(c) The Senate calls on the Government to:* > >> *(i) fully-fund university education and research, and provide ongoing funding cer — 2020-10-08, Senate: negative, ayes 7, noes 36
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Second Reading - Agree with bill's main idea — 2020-10-08, Senate: affirmative, ayes 30, noes 28
- The majority voted in favour of a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2020-10-08.50.3) to keep item 40 and division 2 of schedule 4 unchanged. in parliamentary jargon, they voted for them to "*stand as printed.*" ## What do these opposed parts do? [Item 40](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=LEGISLATION;id=legislation%2Fbills%2Fr6584_first-reps%2F0004;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fbills%2Fr6584_first-reps%2F0000%22;rec=0) of schedule 4 introduced a requirement that Commonwealth Supported Students "*successfully complete at least 50 per cent of the units in their first full-time (or equivalent) year of study if they are in a bachelor degree or above, or at least 50 per cent of the units in their first full-time (or equivalent) semester of study if they are in a sub-bachelor course, except if special circumstances apply*" (see the bills digest). [Division 2](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=LEGISLATION;id=legislation%2Fbills%2Fr6584_first-reps%2F0004;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fbills%2Fr6584_first-reps%2F0000%22;rec=0) of schedule 4 relates to the application of certain provisions. That is, the division states when the provisions begin to apply and for whom. ### What does the bill do? This bill will implement part of the government's [Job Ready Graduates Package](https://www.dese.gov.au/job-ready) and includes major proposed higher education funding changes, including how the government currently subsidises university tuition costs. If successful in its current form, the bill will decrease the subsidy for most areas of the humanities and social science as well as in engineering, science, surveying, environmental studies and other areas. On the other hand, it will increase the subsidy for most health fields, education, mathematics and other areas. At the same time, the bill will set new maximum student contribution amounts, which means the degree costs for students are going to change sig — 2020-10-08, Senate: affirmative, ayes 28, noes 26
- The majority voted in favour of [amendments](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2020-10-08.54.7) introduced by the government, which means they'll now form part of the bill. ### What do the amendments do? The amendments will reintroduce a [10% discount](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fems%2Fr6584_ems_83be00d4-bab9-48e1-9590-3ab27d90e7eb%22;rec=0) on up-front payments made by HECS-HELP students and the [Student Learning Entitlement](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fems%2Fr6584_ems_83be00d4-bab9-48e1-9590-3ab27d90e7eb%22;rec=0) (SLE). ### What does the bill do? This bill will implement part of the government's [Job Ready Graduates Package](https://www.dese.gov.au/job-ready) and includes major proposed higher education funding changes, including how the government currently subsidises university tuition costs. If successful in its current form, the bill will decrease the subsidy for most areas of the humanities and social science as well as in engineering, science, surveying, environmental studies and other areas. On the other hand, it will increase the subsidy for most health fields, education, mathematics and other areas. At the same time, the bill will set new maximum student contribution amounts, which means the degree costs for students are going to change significantly. Humanities, law and commerce degrees are going to increase in price while mathematics, agriculture and certain science degrees will decrease. Sometimes, such as in the case of engineering, the changes appear somewhat contradictory: both the subsidy for engineering and the maximum student contribution rate is being reduced. [According to Science and Technology Australia](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd2021a/21bd012) ("STA"): > *...the proposed reductio — 2020-10-08, Senate: affirmative, ayes 29, noes 26
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Agree to remaining stages — 2020-10-08, Senate: affirmative, ayes 28, noes 26
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Third Reading - Put the question — 2020-10-08, Senate: negative, ayes 26, noes 26
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Third Reading - Pass the bill — 2020-10-08, Senate: affirmative, ayes 28, noes 26
- The majority voted in favour of a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/debates/?id=2020-10-19.30.2) to consider the Senate amendments immediately. — 2020-10-19, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 53, noes 44
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Consideration of Senate Message - Speed things along — 2020-10-19, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 51, noes 47
- Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020 - Consideration of Senate Message - Pass the bill — 2020-10-19, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 53, noes 45
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2020-08-26.
The bill would overhaul how Australia pays for higher education and make universities more accountable for student results.
It would amend the Higher Education Support Act to tie funding to graduate job outcomes and to give regional and Indigenous Australians more places.
The explanatory memorandum does not specify the dollar amounts or the exact start date of the changes.
- Encourage universities to produce graduates with skills the job market needs.
- Expand study opportunities for people in rural and remote areas, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
- Toughen student protection and require universities to be more answerable for what their students achieve.
Higher education providers, students, and taxpayers.
Sources
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