Submissions

2003 – Inquiry into higher education funding and regulatory legislation

15 Jan 03

Attachment: CAPA Submission

CAPA, the national peak body representing Australia’s 226,612 postgraduate students, welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Senate’s Inquiry into the Government’s proposed budget changes to higher education. Having concurred with the findings of the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education Reference Committee report on higher education, Universities in Crisis, regarding the urgent need for increased public investment in the Australian higher education system, CAPA is disappointed by the insufficient additional funding announced by the Government.

Australian students and their families already pay more for their education than most countries in the OECD, and under this package they will pay even more, through HECS deregulation, extension of up-front fee-paying places, and the introduction of interest rates for FEE-HELP loans.

In this submission, we focus on the terms of reference set by the Committee specifically as they apply to postgraduate
students.