The Australian government has begun a second attempt to legislate its controversial university reforms, which would uncap student fees, less than 24 hours after its original Bill was defeated in the country’s upper house.
The Bill was defeated in the Senate by 33 votes to 31 on December 2 after the government failed to win support from a sufficient number of crossbench senators. In addition to uncapping fees, the package of measures would have cut university funding by 20 percent, charged a real interest rate on student loans, and extended loan eligibility to students in private and non-university education providers.
Student numbers are already uncapped in Australia, and the uncapping of fees was supported by most universities as a way to shore up the system’s sustainability amid falling per-student funding. However, many vice chancellors and politicians have expressed concerns about the impact of the measures on students.
Universities in Australia welcome introduction of the new Bill and the government’s commitment to undertaking negotiations. But Universities Australia chief executive Belinda Robinson called for relaxation of the proposed level of funding cuts, saying it would put “significant upward pressure on student fees”. Some senators have already said they will not support the Bill if it includes funding cuts and uncapping of fees, in the wake of predictions that full programme fees could exceed A$100,000 (Rs.50.7 lakh).
However, Queensland Technical University revealed that its most expensive degree — a five-year double degree in business and law — would be set at just A$78,500 (Rs.39.7 lakh) representing a rise of A$17,300 (Rs.9 lakh) on the current fee.
Some vice chancellors of the Group of Eight universities — which previously expressed fears that the government would cut the research budget if the reforms are not passed — reacted with dismay to the failure of the original Bill. Comments Warren Bebbington, vice chancellor and president of the University of Adelaide: “Those who oppose the reform fail to offer any real alternative, leaving in place a funding system unsustainable in the long term unless taxpayers are prepared to massively increase their contribution. In the price-regulated system, the only way universities can deal with rising costs is to enroll more and more students. Classes get bigger and bigger, and education more and more impersonal.”
However Christopher Pyne, the minister for education, is confident that “time and persuasion” will convince crossbenchers to support the revised Bill. “I’ve never been against debate, I’ve never been against a battle. I think this is important reform and I am committed to it,” says Pyne.