2023-10-19
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19 October 2023 The Senate has voted down a Greens amendment to the Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023, to make all First Nations students eligible for Commonwealth-supported places for postgraduate study. Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for Education, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, and stakeholders National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association (NATSIPA) and Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) have expressed disappointment that the Government has voted against closing this critical gap for First Nations students pursuing higher education. Senator Faruqi said: “I’m thoroughly disappointed the Government has voted down my amendment to reduce education disadvantage for First Nations students. It's a disheartening reminder of the lack of commitment to equity in higher education. “With university course fees and student debt at an all time high, many First Nations students will continue to face barriers to pursuing postgraduate studies. “Your bank balance should not determine access to university at any level, undergrad or postgrad. “This bill provides commonwealth supported places for First Nations students in undergraduate study, so why vote against extending that support for postgraduate study too? It makes no sense when we know financial barriers are a big reason why the number of Indigenous students transitioning from undergraduate to postgraduate is so low. “If Labor is serious about addressing how our higher education system is failing First Nations students, then lowering a financial barrier of entry is a crucial step. It’s a shame they’ve failed to do so. “Ultimately, university should be free and student debt wiped and we need to ensure higher education is accessible and available to all students across the country.” Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer from National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association (NATSIPA) said: “NATSIPA fully endorses the Greens amendments to the HESA (Response to the Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023. We thank the Greens for listening to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. We are saddened that the government has chosen to not support this amendment as it would have gone a long way to ensuring we can close the gap on our disadvantage.” Errol Phuah, National President of Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) said: “The reality is that First Nations peoples are still underrepresented in postgraduate education. This amendment was about empowering self-determination, to take away some of the systemic barriers that are turning First Nations people away from postgraduate education.” |