Senators to hear first-hand the benefits of spreading higher education opportunities

Minister for Education, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP today welcomed students from institutions represented by the Council of Private Higher Education (COPHE) and also members of TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) to Parliament House.

The delegation is visiting Parliament House to meet with Senators and Members to discuss the benefits to students of the Australian Government’s proposed reforms to higher education.

“The extension of demand driven Commonwealth Supported Places to non-university higher education providers (NUHEPs), including TAFEs and private colleges, will offer substantial benefits to students by giving them more choice and access to a diversity of providers,” Mr Pyne said.

“Around 80 000 additional students will receive Commonwealth support for their course fees each year by 2018, of which 35,000 are expected to be bachelor students at NUHEPs.

“The changes will level the playing field for the first time, giving students at NUHEPs equal access to Commonwealth support for their course fees –including freeing them from the financial burden of the current loan fees of up to 25 per cent.”

Extending Commonwealth funding to diplomas, advanced diplomas and associate degrees will provide greater access to pathway courses.

“Pathway programmes are important alternatives to direct university entry for students who are less well prepared for higher education, often achieving better retention rates when they enter university. The reforms will deliver Commonwealth funding for these courses for the first time,” Mr Pyne said.

COPHE has been a strong supporter of the Government’s plan to deregulate Australian higher education and make it more competitive, with CEO Adrian McComb praising the reforms as a way to spread opportunity and help more students access higher education.

COPHE has been clear that the reforms will means many students will pay lower course fees thanks to the increased support and the abolition of loans fees.
TAFE Directors Australia has advocated strongly for the benefits the proposed reforms will deliver for their students.

Mr Pyne urged Senators to listen to COPHE and TDA and consider the benefits of the changes. Without the Government’s reforms:

· By 2018, an estimated 80 000 students per year will be missing out on Commonwealth support
· Thousands of students from disadvantaged backgrounds will miss out on the Commonwealth Scholarships that would have assisted them to access higher education and provided other support to help them in their studies
· Around 50 000 higher education students and 80 000 vocational education and training students will still face a 25 per cent loan fee for FEE-HELP and 20 per cent for VET FEE-HELP loans
· The jobs of 1500 technical and support staff and the work of up to 30 000 researchers would be impacted by the cessation of vital research infrastructure funding.