CANBERRA - 9 August 2021

Deputy Speaker,

Labor does not oppose these cognate bills.

The legislation is far from perfect, but we on this side of the House are supporting it.

This Opposition is not in the business of opposing legislation for the sake of opposing it.

But even when we extend support for legislation from the Government, it doesn’t mean we abandon our scrutiny, or stop from criticising the Government. 

It’s always interesting to speak on legislation brought forward by this Government that impact higher education.

Because this Government has a terrible track record when it comes to unis.

The sting is made much worse when you consider the size and contribution of this sector to our economy.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, international education was the fourth largest export industry in Australia.

Students came here from all over the world, looking for a world-class education, wanting qualifications to guarantee employment, and seeking the experience of studying and living in our remarkable country.

These students enriched the quality of campus life at universities across Australia.

And the revenue generated from this process was significant.

International education contributed $37.5 billion in exports earnings to the economy per annum.

Universities employed 130,000 FTE workers in academic and professional roles.

The sector supported over 250,000 jobs throughout our economy. 

But when the pandemic hit us, the sector was badly impacted by closed borders and the inability of students to travel here.

The sector needed support to cushion this impact, and to make the return to normal easier and quicker.

What did this Government do to support this large and important industry?

Deputy Speaker, not only did they not do anything, their actions betrayed a cavalier disregard for the continuing viability of universities and higher education in this country.

Let’s not forget, Deputy Speaker, that this Government changed the rules and requirements for JobKeeper three times to deliberately exclude universities.

The impact of this exclusion has been devastating.

A once booming export sector will lose $3.8 billion in revenue across 2020 and 2021.

At least 17,300 workers employed by universities lost their jobs last year.

The job losses have continued this year.

And the losses are in critical areas of research and expertise.

Over the course of this pandemic, at least 7,000 researchers will lose their jobs.

These losses, which have taken place across disciplines and faculties, constitutes a serious hit to the intellectual capacity of our nation.

That equals 7,000 research positions which have effectively disappeared – the people who held those jobs will either go overseas or leave research altogether.

Once removed, this capacity is very difficult to replace.

This loss of research and teaching capacity can also be found in the discipline of Asian studies.

Universities across Australia have cut back on Asian studies programs, including the teaching of Asian languages.

Sure, I accept that the decision to cut or defund a course or discipline is the uni’s decision.

But these decisions are shaped by the financial circumstances that face universities.

And these financial circumstances are a consequence of the decisions this Government takes regarding support for universities and higher education.

Let’s have a think about what defunding Asian studies and Asian languages means for Australia.

We are living through some of the biggest changes every experienced in our region.

Complexity is increasing.

To understand this complexity, we need the knowledge and tools to navigate and prosper.

It’s critical to equip our next generation with the language and knowledge needed for that understanding.

The Government needs a plan to deal with this looming knowledge crisis.

I call upon those opposite to act immediately to properly fund our universities, including our Asian studies programs.

Deputy Speaker, international education in Australia may have taken a mighty battering from the pandemic and government indifference.

But the industry has survived, and we must look to the future to restore and resuscitate this important sector.

I don’t know if this is legislation will achieve this, but I doubt it.

The backbone of this sector was always the international students themselves.

We need to bring them back.

But I should stress that I’m not calling for international students to be brought back at the expense of Australians stranded overseas.

That’s another major failure of this Government.

Had they acted quickly, these stranded Australians could have been evacuated home.

Had they built a national network of effective quarantine facilities, as they were advised, these evacuated Australians would have had somewhere to safely quarantine upon returning home.

The future viability of higher education in this country rests on being able to bring international students back to Australia.

We can do this, but we need somewhere for these students to quarantine when they arrive here.

One such place suitable for a national quarantine centre is at Bladin Point, back home in the Top End.

I’ve written to the Home Affairs Minister about the centre.

I understand that she visited the centre recently.

I hope she enjoyed her visit and saw how effective it could be to quarantine international students.

Having seen the centre, I wonder what next steps if any is the Government taking in relation to that facility?

As the House knows, this is not the first time I’ve raised Bladin Point.

As the local federal member, I continue to recommend that the Federal Government use Bladin Point as a secure quarantine facility for returning Australians, seasonal workers from overseas and international students.

Bladin Point works.

The facility has been used to quarantine Australian Defence Force personnel and United States Marines.

It could accommodate up to 1,500 people every fortnight including the operational staff if required.

This facility has been proven to be a secure and safe quarantine location.

This is all the more important given that we currently have half the Australian population under lockdown due to leaks from hotel quarantine.

I urge the Government to consider Blain Point as part of a national dedicated quarantine system and as a way forward through the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will also help support stranded Aussies, our primary industries, our higher education sector and economy towards full recovery.

Deputy Speaker, the pandemic has, in many ways, changed the world and the way we live.

Some of these changes will be with us forever, but others must be transitory.

I am glad the Government has put this package of legislation to the House.

But it will not go far enough to rebuilding international education.

I call on the Government to put politics aside and act to save our universities and international education.

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ENDS