[Greens-Media] Tabled Senate report into higher ed bill: evidence overwhelming - bill must be defeated

[Jegatheeswaran, Brami (Jegan) (Sen L. Rhiannon)]

MEDIA RELEASE
28 October 2014

Tabled Senate report into higher ed bill: evidence overwhelming - bill must be defeated

The Greens say it is unsurprising that the Coalition dominated Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee has concluded that Christopher Pyne's elitist higher education bill should be passed.

"While the Committee's majority report is as expected, it is still disappointing that the students, staff and independent experts who have presented strong and well researched submissions arguing about the inherent inequity in the Bill have been completely ignored," said Greens higher education spokesperson Lee Rhiannon.

"The only people left supporting this Bill are Coalition MPs, university executives and rent-seekers from the private, for-profit education sector.

"The size of a parent's bank balance should not determine a child's opportunity to learn and grow. This is the benchmark of a caring society," said Senator Rhiannon.

The Greens dissenting report<http://lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au/sites/default/files/australian_greens_dissenting_report_-_higher_education_bill.pdf>, included in the final Committee report, recommended that the bill not be passed and a new inquiry established to investigate greater public investment in higher education.
Comments in the Greens dissenting report include:

This Bill fundamentally misrepresents the value Australians place on higher education.

If this bill is passed it will create an inequitable and elitist higher education system which limits access to our highest quality public education institutions.

Australia is already one of the lowest public funders of higher education in the OECD and the Coalition government's $5 billion cuts proposed in the Bill would take us substantially further backwards.

Contact: Brami Jegan 0487 350 880

Brami Jegan
Communications | Strategy
for Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon

72 Campbell Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
p: (02) 9211 9523 | m: 0487 350 880

http://lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au/

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