2019-03-06
By Dylan Johnson
I am currently a student at one of Australia’s leading higher education institutions and my father has been a teacher my entire life. It's fair enough to say that when it comes to politics, education has always been a driving concern of mine. However, it is hard at the best of times to gaze into the crystal ball of politics and divine the future. Harder still when an early budget and federal election loom on the horizon.
But the question remains; which party, come the election this year, will best represent the interests of Australia's students and course a path for their future. The Liberal government, ahead of an expected budgetary surplus, will no doubt have a war chest of funding to dispense at this year’s budget.
However, at the time of writing this article, the Liberal policy field in the education sector is notably sparse and has been for quite some time. It appears that after the failure of their earlier attempts to deregulate the university sector, the Liberal government does not believe the higher education sector is worth the effort. This is in spite of early warning signs that the system is in desperate need of attention.
Australian universities are slipping in world rankings under budgetary cuts, with tertiary students making up 10% of Australia's homeless population and transitions from university to full-time work declining alongside graduate starting salaries. Budgetary issues have resulted in poor practices including academics facing increased pressure to pass international students in order to keep university revenue up. However, the government offers little in reply to these issues. Their party page on education policy boasts of how they will continue to increase repayment liabilities on student loans, introduce outcome supported funding models and provide a one-off payment to fund university research. This policy package offers little in reply to the problems that have emerged in the last decade of stagnant higher education policy.
Labor, to their credit, acknowledge issues exist and have pledged some minor reform. For example, they have committed to protect university autonomy, oppose further privatization and fee deregulation and commission a review of tertiary education sector regarding equity issues faced by low socio-economic groups, indigenous peoples and the disabled. On top of this Labor also plans to remove the Liberal governments' two-year cap on university placement funding, which would drastically assist the sector in terms of resourcing. Though, they would restrict a university’s freedom by implementing a national interest threshold on funding arrangements and maintain the current HECs system of student contributions.
None of these minor reforms target the core issues faced by students in Australia's higher education sector. Furthermore, the maintenance of current neoliberal funding models will continue to saddle students with burdensome debts while doing nothing to redress the increased cost of living expenses faced by Australian students. It is commendable that Labor is trying to do something, however, their approach appears symptomatic. These reforms are unlikely to redress the damage dealt to the university sector after several reckless privatization regimes proposed by the Liberal government.
In the face of either policy stagnation or marginal improvement, I would implore you to consider the questions being asked by my peers. How are we meant to focus if when we are looking for a new room because we were evicted from our last home after rent hikes? How are we meant to succeed when our payments barely cover the cost of living let alone rent? Can we achieve our best, knowing that job security is on the decline and we may never be able to pay back our growing student debts? Neither major party is promising to seriously redress these concerns.
Let it be said, we are not looking for a free ride or handout. We are simply asking for the same opportunities distributed to those in power now. We are simply asking that this country’s wealth, earned from the sweat of all its citizens is redistributed fairly, not simply to favour those above our country’s median age bracket.
In this government, we have seen the substantial impact independents and small parties like the Greens have had on influencing positive legislative developments, such as the recent Medevac bill. In this political environment then, it is worth really considering the policy profile of smaller parties like the Greens to see if they offer any brighter alternative.
On the whole, the Greens reject the notion of performance or outcome-based planning as it undermines the co-operative nature that should underpin the education sector. The Greens like Labor oppose further privatization. But more importantly, they are committed to rolling back entrenched privatization like public funding of for-profit educational institutions.
The policies of privatization, still supported in form by the two major parties, led to the proliferation of fake courses and aggressive marketing tactics that took advantage of our nation’s students. Social investments like education should not be regulated in this form. In order to address the problems caused by this, the Greens will push for reform around the struggling VET education sector including contestable and entitlement-based funding models for TAFE.
The Greens are also committed to pursuing increased tertiary sector funding to meet demand alongside increasing the cost index per student for universities. This would lead to real dollar increases in the resourcing provided to students by our universities. Their platform also includes developing adequately funded pathway programs in order to ensure that anyone who wants to further their education is supported.
All these policies help build towards the Greens ultimate education policy goal; free university education for all Australians of the kind accessed by the majority of our current political leadership. This transition is necessary for Australia to maintain its position on the world stage in a time where the value and proliferation of knowledge are exponentially on the rise.
Though Labor has committed to halting the Liberal government’s dissection of the sector, its ongoing support of private funding models and HECs payments will continue to stifle the growth and innovation of our country.
A comprehensive suite of higher education policies is desperately needed to address structural issues in the tertiary education sector, yet the two major parties currently lack the political courage to support them. Until there is serious change, the power of smaller, people focused parties like the Greens will continue to provide a strong and clear voice for all Australian students.
[Opinions expressed are those of the author and not official policy of Greens WA]