House of Representatives

Second Reading Speech

Dr Nelson (Bradfield)

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

This bill contains the first major commitment of new funding to be provided by the budget following the passage last year of the legislation underpinning the government's higher education reform package Our Universities: Backing Australia's Future.

The government's reforms will deliver to universities $2.6 billion over the next five years, including funding for more than 34,000 new university places. It is a substantial and vital commitment to public funding of higher education.

This bill now before us will not only build on this commitment to public funding, but will also clarify the new framework of legislative arrangements, facilitate the transition to the new arrangements and further enhance the central importance of students within the higher education sector.

Firstly, the bill amends appropriation amounts in the new Higher Education Support Act 2003 to provide for the government's 2004-05 budget measures for higher education.

One of the important budget measures in this bill is a commitment of $4.9 million over four years to the Australian Maritime College. This funding will be used to develop a new campus at Point Nepean, Victoria including providing 40 places each year. The campus will offer courses in marine and coastal conservation.

This bill also provides funding of $18 million over three years to the University of Western Sydney to support capital costs for a new medical school. This will enhance and improve the teaching hospital capacity and delivery of health and medical services in western and south-western Sydney. I look forward to the New South Wales government matching this commitment.

This bill also provides for an additional 12 medical school places at James Cook University in Queensland, and an additional 400 undergraduate nursing places nationwide, building to 1,094 by 2008.

Through this bill the government will also provide $12.4 million over four years for continued transitional assistance for regional tertiary institutions whose funding for research purposes would otherwise be reduced as the result of the application of performance based formulae for allocating research funds. The measure is part of the Australian government's ongoing commitment to science and innovation through the Backing Australia's Ability package.

The bill also provides for a number of legislative housekeeping measures. It amends the Higher Education Support Act (HESA) to increase the maximum funding amounts for the Commonwealth Grant Scheme, other grants and Commonwealth scholarships to reflect supplementation for price movements and other technical adjustments for the years 2005 to 2008. It updates the funding amounts in the Higher Education Funding Act 1988 to update appropriations for 2004 to reflect revised overenrolment estimates.

The bill also makes technical amendments to HESA which will enhance the implementation of the higher education reforms. These changes include enabling guidelines to be made concerning the grievance handling procedures for non-Table A providers of academic as well as non-academic matters; enabling guidelines to be made concerning the conditions which may be applied to student contribution amounts and tuition fees for student cohorts; and clearly defining the meaning of courses of study in relation to combined and double degrees.

The bill ensures that Open Learning Australia is subject to all the necessary provisions in HESA so that FEE-HELP can be appropriately administered for OLA students, and that OLA is required to comply with the relevant quality and accountability requirements.

The bill also clarifies the definition of `institution'. Under these arrangements the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) will apply to become a higher education provider. NIDA will obtain additional revenue of around $0.6 million to $0.8 million a year under the new arrangements, and the government will amend its agreement with NIDA so that current NIDA students pay no more than under the current HECS arrangements.

The bill makes Commonwealth supported students at the University of Notre Dame and Avondale College eligible to apply for Commonwealth scholarships. Those scholarships are part of a $327 million five-year program to support students, particularly from regional, rural and low-income backgrounds, with their living expenses whilst they are undertaking their university education.

The bill also amends the Australian National University Act 1991 to enable the ANU to comply with the national governance protocols.

Full details of the measures in the bill are contained in the explanatory memorandum that has been circulated to honourable members.

I commend the bill to the House and present a signed copy of the explanatory memorandum.

Debate (on motion by Mr Edwards) adjourned.