The Regional Universities Network has called for the passage of the Coalition’s university changes to provide funding “certainty” after a snap inquiry was approved by the Senate.
The Senate crossbench trio of Jacqui Lambie, Rex Patrick and Stirling Griff forced the inquiry on Thursday by warning the government they would not pass the jobs ready graduate package this week without one.
Labor and the Greens pushed for an inquiry to report by 30 November but the Coalition won a 25 September reporting date, allowing enough time for the package to pass in budget week, starting 6 October.
Labor and the Greens welcomed the inquiry and the National Tertiary Education Union said it was too late to implement the package by 2021. But differences of opinion in the university sector and on the Senate crossbench point to weakening opposition to the bill.
The package proposes to reduce the overall government contribution to degrees from 58% to 52% and increase fees for some courses including humanities to pay for fee cuts in sciences and 39,000 extra university places by 2023.
Although the package generated backlash for creating a perverse incentive for universities to enrol students in higher fee humanities courses, changes to appease the Nationals have won over regional unis.
The sector is now split, with several peak bodies calling for the bill’s passage after minor amendments, keen to lock in 12,000 more university places in 2021. Others, however, want a settlement on research funding before they endorse the legislation.
In a position paper circulated on Monday, the Australian Technology Network said it would support passage if:
Industry linkage funds and indexation of commonwealth grants are enshrined in legislation.
Demand-driven access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is extended to metro unis.
Regional and enabling loadings in commonwealth grants is continued.
The government commits to a review of funding adequacy, particularly for science, technology engineering and maths.
The Regional University Network said it supported the legislation after the education minister, Dan Tehan, made changes exempting psychology and social work from the fee hike for humanities and agreeing to pay relocation allowances to universities “based on historical enrolment of regional students”.
The executive director, Caroline Perkins, told Guardian Australia that the network would engage with the Senate inquiry but supported “reasonably urgent passage in the October sitting – as soon as possible” to prepare for 2021.
“Our position remains … the higher education sector needs certainty and more university places next year to meet growing demand.”
Assuming One Nation votes with the Coalition, the government would need just one vote of the remaining trio of Lambie, Patrick and Griff to pass the bill in the upper house.
Centre Alliance’s lower house MP, Rebekha Sharkie, has expressed concerns about the bill but Griff told Guardian Australia that “some components of the package are sensible and of value to the sector”.
Opponents of the bill celebrated the government’s decision to back down and send it to a Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee inquiry.
Labor’s shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, said the Liberals “had to be dragged kicking and screaming to this inquiry”.
“If Scott Morrison thinks his plan to cut unis and jack up fees is so great, why did he try to stop an inquiry for so long and why is he trying to rush it now?” she said.
The Greens education spokeswoman, Mehreen Faruqi, said an inquiry would “help take this rotten bill apart so we can block it once and for all in October”.
The National Tertiary Education Union national president, Alison Barnes, said the government was engaged in “policy on the run and the Senate is right to demand answers”.
“Australia is in the worst recession we have faced in decades and our universities stand to lose 30,000 jobs,” she said. “The Tehan scheme of cuts and chaos won’t save a single job. It’s now unrealistic to expect this scheme can be implemented by 2021.”
