The Abbott Government’s planned university reforms moved one step closer to being junked after two crucial cross-benchers – independent senator John Madigan and Motoring Enthusiast party senator Ricky Muir – hardened their resolve against the reforms after attending regional universities forum. From The Guardian:
“The current system is underfunded and I think everyone understands that,” Madigan said.
“But what are we funding here? More bureaucracy or better outcomes for young people? I am no fan of deregulation or privatisation; they haven’t delivered in the past and I am dubious whether they will in this instance”…
A spokesman for Muir said that after attending the conference and hearing the effects on students, the senator was less inclined to support deregulation and maintained his stand that any changes should be taken to an election.
With the Greens, Labor and Palmer United Party senators remaining opposed to university deregulation, the policy appears set to miss the Government’s self imposed deadline of end-March to gain passage through the Senate.
As argued previously, failure to pass the Coalition’s university reforms would be no bad thing. Australian students already pay a higher proportion of their tuition than those in most OECD countries, and fee deregulation would likely result in significant increases in student debt levels, acting as a millstone on their futures.
The impact on women and certain socially beneficial professions would also be particularly bad, and there is no guarantee that the increased fees would be used by universities to improve the quality of teaching/courses.
Best to maintain the status quo.
