Extract from ABC News
Parliament has passed contentious laws that will dramatically increase the cost of some university degrees, while cutting the cost of others.
Key points:
- The cost of humanities degrees will increase markedly, while other courses will get cheaper
- The changes have passed the Senate, all but ensuring they will become law
- Students who fail too many courses could also risk losing government support
Under the changes, the cost of a social sciences degree will more than double, while nursing, mathematics and teaching degrees will become cheaper.
The laws also remove government support for students who fail too many courses.
The cost of degrees will change due to a major shake-up of how much the Commonwealth will pay for students' degrees.
Education Minister Dan Tehan says the changes will give students cost incentives to study subjects that will prepare them for fields where jobs are needed.
"The ... legislation will provide more university places for Australian students, make it cheaper to study in areas of expected job growth and provide more funding and support to regional students and universities," he said earlier in the week.
The changes were passed in the Senate with the support of One Nation and Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff, whose crucial vote the Government secured earlier this week.
In securing his support, the Government made concessions to give South Australia more Commonwealth-supported places, and offer some protections to students who failed courses.
Lambie doesn't want kids to 'dream cheaper'
Opponents of the laws say the changes saddle university students with substantially higher debt if they pursue their preferred study paths.
The changes are strongly opposed by Labor and the Greens, along with independent senators Rex Patrick and Jacqui Lambie.
In an impassioned speech on Wednesday, Senator Lambie said she feared the changes would lock poorer students out of a tertiary education.
"I'll be damned if I'll vote to tell those kids in rural and regional areas of Tasmania that they deserve to have their opportunities suffocated," she said.
"I refuse to be the vote that tells poor kids out there … no matter how gifted, no matter how determined you are, might as well dream a little cheaper, because you're never going to make it, because you can't afford it."
How much students can expect to pay:
| Band | Discipline | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teaching, clinical psychology, English, maths, nursing, languages, agriculture | $3,700 |
| 2 | Allied health, other health, architecture, IT, creative arts, engineering, environmental studies, science | $7,700 |
| 3 | Medical, dental, veterinary science | $11,300 |
| 4 | Law & economics, management & commerce, society & culture, humanities, communications, behavioural science | $14,500 |
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